‘Thought Waves.

Well Folks;
Tae 26 the "XX for this year.
Join us again next year in our new
location on the island, where, we
hope, 'things' will be bigger and

better. Michael Lawlor

Events

PRESENTATION HOUSE
North Shore Festival of Plays. April 21-26. Reservations:
986-4011.

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
“Festival Francophone”. French Canadian Painters.
April 22-27.

WESTERN FRONT SOCIETY
Sam Carter. Garden for a Gallery. April 20 - May 30. |

To do Guerrilla Television you have to worry
about two stages: how to tool up, and how to
support yourself once you have.

Getting equipment is clearly the first hurdle.
‘Once you’ve gotten what you need, you require
less.

Moreover, most Guerrilla Television tactics are
meant to fit into existing social systems, not to
create new-ones from scratch. Thus, you align
yourself with an ongoing support system in some
cases rather than require a whole new one. In other
words, since you’re not going to drop everything
you’re doing to make tape, you can still depend, in
part, on whatever other sources of income you
might have had.

On the other hand, that may re-inforce the prob-
lem rather than enhance a solution. I certainly
wouldn’t want to go back to any of my old (news-
paper) jobs to keep myself alive to do videotapes.
So the best strategy is two-fold: do ad hoc video
hustles in the context of a developing total support
system.

So what is left{ The Conceptualist Manifesto proposes
the reverse:

1) The totality of the Organ (School) be grasped by the
students, its dynamics simplified, understood, and its
consciousness be taken under control.

2) That a movement be initiated with the assimilation of
interested students into a network of ‘cells’. Such a net-
work might eventually work through an exchange.

3) What is the nature of the cell[ By its own nature, a
cell is a self-contained life force, becoming a multiplicity
of a common denominator. What is crucial then is the
development of a common language of communication.
It should follow all fields of artistic expression e.g. visual
(photo, clothing), verbal, jargon etc. An artists esperanto.
And this communication can be carried to the main stu-
dent body through performance art(ists).

4) Technology, to propagate the above language, strength-
en and build the network with the aim of incorporating
diversity within a common consciousness. If the need be
to go underground, techniques of ‘camouflage technology’
may be utilized, as in the following:

5) Mirror committees, to which members of admin and
faculty would be invited to send representatives. Example:

SPAC (Student Program Advisory Committee), etc.

Credit for this excerpt was not available.

Ed Ivsins

Picture. by Dave Cran

MICHAEL LAWLOR INTERVIEWS SUSAN HANDWERKER
(CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE.)

Michael Lawlor — The integration will be so gradual that they
will not realize it?

Susan Handwerker — Perhaps. Depending on how they perceive
the whole thing. | don’t see it as a war. | would like to think
that it isn’t; but there are times when | am forced to realize
that it is. But everybody sees it like that.

We are dealing with deeply embedded beliefs. With a whole
structure of beliefs and the whole foundation of a culture that
has gone on for a very long time. That dies hard. Those of us who
have been trying to affect change, to ‘change consciousness’,
realize time and again that it is going to take a long time to embody
those changes. This has been going on for over a hundred years,
and as we can see, the changes are slow. But they ’re coming. We’re
not going to stop!

M. — If you are not setting up a separate structure . . .?

S. — I can see setting up parallel structures, simply to build up a
basic support system. | can see operating on a level of separate
tribes, but | shudder to think of the consequences.

M. — So for question six: ‘“‘How do you feel about the charge
that the Women’s Group can be ignored because women get
emotional about an issue when it is topical, and then disappear
until the next one arises. There is no sustained effort on the part
of the women to be involved in the day to day business of the
college?’? You would say that they are in the beginning stages of
dealing with that particular aspect of the problem?

S. — | think that we are much more aware of the fact that there is
an institution, there is an institutional policy; and there are
people who make those policies. We have been monitoring those
policies and the making of those policies and the making of them
to get a handle on it. Who makes those decisions? Who decides
what the criteria are for making policy?

M. — What have you come up with?

S. — Well, this is still in process. Aside from the specific issue of
the hiring that has been done, | haven’t received any feedback

from the committee that is helping the committee that is help-

ing the committee. But it is happening.

M. — Were there any women on the Hiring Committee?
S. — Yes, there was one; a student.

M. — How effective was that?

S. — Well, let’s see: there were five men and one woman, who was
a student, to boot.

M. — Don’t women have to start at the bottom of this system,
to start working as students and get on those committees, learn
how committees work and how they, as individuals, can affect
what comes out of those committees?

S. — Absolutely! | believe that is beginning to. happen. You have
the same problem on that subject with women students as you do
with men students. Why has there been so little student involve-
ment, period? There are a number of reasons for that and women,
| suppose, some stuff added to that. Time limits. There are quite a
few women in the school right now who are parents; who don’t
live the New Wave life of the artist and have limited time. | am
sure that there are men in that situation, too. People who have
jobs; all kinds of reasons. There are people who are apathetic,
there are always those. | would also put blame on the administra-
tion for effectively blocking information on that grass roots level
to all students. There is no real information exchange between the
administration and the students.

M. — Would you blame the administration or the ‘X’ Newsletter?

S. — I would blame both; and the Student Society as well. | get
information through the grapevine. If | didn’t know the people |
do, | wouldn’t know anything about what is going on.

| think that there has to be a more concerted effort on the
parts of the people already involved to make things known in a
way that means something to the rest of the students. The report
from the Dean’s Committee, or from any of the other commit-
tees, is really paltry and are not dealing with what that committee
does. Why should you become involved in something you know
nothing about.

M. — To find out?

S. — Perhaps, but not everyone is that motivated. We are dealing
with ‘shoulds’ rather than reality. We should be. motivated, we
should care, we shouldn’t be apathetic; but the fact is that people
are involved in their own lives and unless they are given the
opportunity to see that these things really do affect them they
are not going to care.

M. — Do you mean that they need the opportunity to see the
opportunity?

S. — There are some people who do know. People who are in-
volved in, generally, information exchange. But most people do
not know anything about how to get involved. By the time most
people get into fourth year they are just sufficiently cynical to
wipe their hands of the whole thing.

“i orem
TOTALISM,

(Continued from ‘X’ No. 12 — Ray Arnatt with Ed Ivsins)

A — | find that in the various modern movements, artists try to

eliminate to establish their own point. They do it by saying, well
this is where the fence ends. A good example of that is a minimal
artist saying that they don’t want their work to have associate
values.

E — You made a rational decision to say where libations ends;
okay, you were going to use plaster, a panel, you were going to
conceive of something emotional with a straight line across or
whatever . . . to conceive that irrationality you had to approach
it through a rational window...

A — No, no I didn’t. | didn’t preconceive-that in that way. | didn’t
sit back and say I’m going to make a piece called ‘Libations’.
| keep all the bits that | make, whether I think they fail or succeed,
all the scrapings off the board. So,events are taking place around
us without any rational decision. The event takes places at the
same moment you think of it, or perhaps it happens and you
don’t think of it ._,

E. — Okay, there was that one word, post-reductive, that | couldn’t
quite understand.

A. — Well, can I just give you my view of history. It’s a simplistic
view in the way that I put it and it can be broken down quite a
bit. And there’s a jot of peoples work which doesn’t fit into the
pattern. But generally, the Reductive movement started with the
separation of the Romantic-Classical split which happened in the
1850’s. It was growing from pre Greek times but actually came
out as definite split where there were classical and romantic
issues. Gradually it started breaking up in what | would call
‘stance taking’. By being an impressionist it was counter to some-
thing else. And this took hold and gathered speed; a breakdown
into various -isms and movements. The Reductive movement on
the American continent came about with Abstract Expressionism.
Reductivism is reducing from the body of art. Remember when |
talked about the totality of say a Titian or Rembrandt, where the
structure and emotive value were all operating on the same surface.
That’s a complete ides. And that was an accepted form. What’s
been interesting in this present century, especially with American
art, where for some reason it took hold, it has eliminated lots of
formal concerns. And then of course . . . lots of movements
started polarizing. You have formal movements, you have pop
art which deals with specific issues. Then a major one which is
minimal art — a form sich counters association in form; its
got to operate within a given parameter. And then the last one,
which I think is a marvelous outcome, is conceptualism. If you
refer it back ...it is the idea in art, the concept behind the object
that one makes. Well there’s never been a work of art that hasn’t
contained a concept. Prior to 1850 its always being wrapped up
in the totality of the work. And its brought about, it happened
what 10 years ago, conceptualism, its brought about the complete
destruction of the ‘body’ of art. That’s the last thing they could
pick out and separate. And they’ve done it very well. It’s destroyed
the whole of the Reductive movement, which has left a situation
which is completely plural. What we’ll get for the next 10-15
years are post-minimal statements, post-conseptual statements and
we've already post-post-dada, Well, my contention is that we need
to go one stage further than that and start pulling the pieces
together again. But not in terms of pre-Reductive movement,
but actually standing from where we are now, at this moment in
a very plural situation with all the things which have been broken
down and try to make some sense out of it. In other words you
bring a minimal statement and cross it over with a conceptual
statement and bring in abstract expressionist extremism. Bring
it together and what do you get? It’s easy to go on keeping them
apart in the same way we keep people apart, we keep men and
women apart. But there’s an enormous urge | think in the universe
to make them work together. But it’s a dynamic thing, not static.
E. — Stable but also moving. :
A. —I think we’ve talked about it the other day where I see the
human condition as living and dying at the same time. And that’s
one which is not open to choice. But is open to recognition.
And art is a celebration of it...

ISN'T THERE S
YONE LEFT
An ALIVE ?

ZABA the Gentle Sadist

Well Folks;

That is the 'X' for this year.
Join us again next year in our new
location on the island, where, we
hope, ‘things' will be bigger and

better. Michael Lawlor

Events

PRESENTATION HOUSE
North Shore Festival of Plays. April 21-26. Reservations:
986-4011

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

“Festival Francophone”. French Canadian Painters,
April 22.27.

WESTERN FRONT SOCIETY
‘Sam Carter. Garden for a Gallery. April 20 - May 30.

Thought Waves

To do Guerrilla Television you have to worry
about two stages: how to tool up, and how to
support yourself once you have.

Getting equipment is clearly the first hurdle.
‘Once you've gotten what you need, you require
Tess.

Moreover, most Guerrilla Television tactics are
meant to fit into existing social systems, not to
create new-ones from scratch. Thus, you align
yourself with an ongoing support system in some
‘cases rather than require a whole new one. In other
words, since you're not going to drop everything
you're doing to make tape, you can still depend, in
part, on whatever other sources of income you
might have had.

On the other hand, that may re-inforce the prob-
lem rather than enhance a solution. I certainly
‘wouldn’t want to go back to any of my old (news-
paper) jobs to keep myself alive to do videotapes.
So the best strategy is two-fold: do ad hoe video
hhustles in the context of a developing total support
system.

So what is left[ The Conceptualist Manifesto proposes
the reverse:

1) The totality of the Organ (School) be grasped by the
students, its dynamics simplified, understood, and its
‘consciousness be taken under control.

2) That a movement be initiated with the assimilation of
interested students into a network of ‘cell. Such a net-
‘work might eventually work through an exchange.

3) What is the nature of the cell{ By its own nats
ellis a self-contained life force, becoming a multiplicity
‘of a common denominator. What is crucial then is the
development of a common language of communication.
1k should follow all fields of artistic expression e.g. visual
(photo, clothing), verbal, jargon ete. An artists esperanto..
‘And this communication ean be carried to the main stu
dent body through performance ar(ists).

4) Technology, to propagate the above language, strength.
fen and build the network with the aim of incorporating
diversity within a common consciousness. If the need be
to go underground, techniques of ‘camouflage technology”
ay be utilized, asin the following:

5) Mirror committees, to which members of admin and
faculty would be invited to send representatives. Example:
SPAC (Student Program Advisory Committee), ete.

Credit for this excerpt was not available.

Picture by Dave Cran

MICHAEL LAWLOR INTERVIEWS SUSAN HANDWERKER
(CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE.)

Michael Lawlor — The integration will be so gradual that they
will ot cealize i?

Susan Handwerker — Perhaps. Depending on how they perceive
the whole thing. | don't see it as a war. I would Uke to think
tha it isnt; But thee are times when | am forced to realize
{that iti, But everybody sees ike that.

We are-dealing with deeply embedded beliefs With a whole
structure of belles and the whole foundation of a cultre that
has gone on fora very longtime. That dies hard. Those of us who
have been ‘ying to affect change, to ‘change consciousness’
realize time and again that tis going t take along time to embody
those changes. This has been going on for over a hundred years,
and as we ean se, the changes are slow. But they te cbming. We're
not going to stop!

M.= If you ae nt setting up a Separate structure. .?

5S. — Vean Se setting up parallel structures, simply to build up a
bis support system. Ican ste operating on a level of separate
bes, but | shudder to think ofthe consequences

IM. = So for question six: “How do you feel about the charge
that the Women's Group can be Ignored becaure women get
motional about an issue when itis topleal, and then disappear
Until the next one arses. There fs no sustained effort on the part
fof the women to be involved in the day to day busines of the
follege?” You would say that they are In the beginning stages of
dealing wih tat particular aspect ofthe problem?

S. = think that we are much more aware ofthe fact that there Is
an institution, there is an institutional policy; and there. are
Deople who make those policies. We have been monitoring those
policies and the making of those policies and the making of them
{o get handle on it, Who makes those decisions? Who decides
‘what theciteria are for making policy?

M, — What have you come up with?

'. ~ Well thsi stil in proces. Aside from the specific issue of
te hiring that has been done, I haven't received any feedback
from the committee that is helping the committe that i Relp-
ing the committee. But itis happening.

M, — Were there any women on the Hiring Committe?

S. —Yes, there was ones student

M.— How effective was tha?

S. — Well, let's see: there were flve men and one woman, who was
2 Hudent, to boot.

IM. = Don't women have to start 2 the bottom of this system,
to start working as students and get on those commities, learn
how committees work and how they, as Indviduals, can affect
‘what comes out of those committees?

S. ~ Absolutely! I believe that is begining to happen. You have
the same problem on that Subject with women students s you do
With men students. Why has there been So litle student involve
ment, period? There are a number of reasons fr that and women,
T suppose, some stuff added to that. Time limits. There ae quite
few women in the school right now who ae parents; who dont
live the New Wave life of the artist and have limited time. am
Sure that there are men in that situation, too. People who have
Jobs; all kinds of reasons. There are people who are apathetic,
there ae always those | would aso put blame on the administra

ion for effectvely blocking Information on that grassroots level
to all students, There sno real Information exchange between the
ministration and the students

M,— Would you blame the administration or the *X’ Newsletter?

5. = | would blame both; and the Student Society a8 wall | et
information through the grapevine. If | didn’ know the people |
do, I wouldn't know anything about what i going on

T"think that there has to be a more concerted effort on the
parts of the people already involved to make things known in a
Way that means something to the rest of the students, The report
from the Dean's Committe, or ffom any of the other commit:
tees, is relly paltry and are not dealing with what that committee
does. Why should you become Involved in something you know
nothing bout.
M.=To find out?

S. ~ Perhaps, but not everyone Is that motivated. We are dealing
with ‘shoulds" rather than realty. We should be- motivated, we
should cae, we shouldn't be apatheti; but the facts that people
fate involved In thelr own lives and unless they are given the
‘Opportunity to see that these things relly do affect them they
sre not going to eae,

M. ~ Do you mean that they need the opportunity to see the
opportunity?

S. = There ae some people who do know. People who ate in-
Volved in, generally, information exchange, But most people Jo
ot know anything about how to get involved. By the time most
People get into fourth year they are just suffcently cynical to
tripe their hands of the whole thing

TOTALISM,
(Continued from *X" No. 12 ~ Ray Arnatt with Ed sins)

‘A= 1 find that in the various modern movernents, artists try to
tliminate to establish their own point. They doit by saying, well
this is where the fence ends. A good example ofthat sa minimal
rst saying that they don’t want their work to have associate
values
E ~ You made a rational decision to say where libations ends;
‘okay, you were going to use plaster, a panel, you were going to
Conceive of something emotional with a straight line across of
Whatever... to concelve that lrationlity you had to approach
Ie through a atonal window
‘A Noyno ! didnt. didn’t preconcelve that in that way. 1 didn’
Sit back and say t'm going to make a piece called “Libations
{ep al the bts that make, whether I think they fll orsueceed,
all the scrapings off the board, Soevents are taking place around
{Gs without any rational decision. The event takes places at the
Same moment you think of It, or perhaps It happens and you
don't think of it
E-~ Okay, there was at one word, post-reductive, that couldn't
ulte understand
AA. =Wel, can | just gve you my view of history. It's simplistic
‘iew in the way that | put it and it ean be broken down quite 3
bits And there's alot of peoples wark which doesnt fit into the
pattern. But generally, the Reductive movement started withthe
Separation of the Romanti-Clasieal spit which happened in the
18505. It was growing from pre Greek times but actually came
‘out at definite split where there. were. easisl and romantic
issue” Gradually It-sarted breaking up in-what 1 would cll
‘Stance taking’. By being an impressionist it was counter to some:
thing ese. And this took hold and gathered speed; a breakdown
into varios sims and movements, The Reductive movernent on
the American continent came about with Abstract Expressionism,
Reductvism & reducing from the body of at. Remember when |
talked about the totality of sy a Titan of Rembrandt, where the
Structure and emotive value wee all operating onthe same sutface.
‘That's a complete ides And that was an accepted form. What's
been interesting in this present century, especially with American
ar, where for Some reason it took hol, it has eliminated lots of
formal concerns. And then of course... Tots of movements
SMarted polarizing. You have formal movements, you have pop
art which deals with specific issues. Then 2 major one which Is
‘minimal art — 1 form stich counters association in form; its
0t 10 operate within a given parameter. And then the last one,
‘which I think isa marvelous outcome, Is canceptualism. If you
‘refer it back itis the idea in art, the concept behind the object
that one makes. Well there's never been 2 work of art that hasnt
contained 3 concept. Prior to 1850 its always being wrapped Up
in the totality of the work. And its brought about, it happened
What 10 years ago, conceptualsm, is brought about the complete
Gestruction of the ‘body’ of art. Thats the lst thing they could
pick out and separate. And they've done it very well I'sdestroyed
the whole of the Reductive movement, which has left a stuation
which is completely plural. What well get for the next 10-15,
Years are postminimal statements, postconseptual statements and
‘we've already postpostdada, Well, my contention is that we need
{o go one stage further thin that and statt pulling the pieces
together again. But not in terms of preReductive movernent,
but actully standing from where we are now, at this moment in
2 very plural situation with all the things which have been broken
her words you
"minimal statement and cross it over with a conceptal
tement and bring in abstract expresionist extremism. Bring
It together and what do you get? ts easy to go on keeping them
apart in the same way we keep people apart, we keep men and
‘women apart But there's an enormous urge | thinkin the universe
{o™make them work together. But it's a dynamic thing not stati.
, "Stable But also moving.
‘A.—[ think we've talked about it the other day where I see the
fhuman condition as living and dying at the same time. And that's
fone which is not open to chole, But IS open to recognition,
‘And artis celebration off

Gown and try to make some sense out of it. In
r

ZABA the Gentle Sadist