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| Power Is Paranoid |
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
Stop wearing the clothes of the enemy and they can't see you coming
Friday, July 24, 2015
Recently, on Facecrack
- reaching out for a bit of support in facebook land if it is possible. Got some shit news tonight, thought I had the support of a major institution in an on going dispute with a Public institution that acted and continues to act unprofessionally towards me with the excuse that no one likes me anyway and those that do are all degenerate dole bludger so don't count anyway. Instead they did a 180 on me, refusing even to engage with my original inquiry which had set them off on my behalf in the first place. My reputation for creating revelatory ironic poses sure does seem to be being rapidly cast as simply trouble making, grand standing etc, etc. I can't help admire though the way I can still light up the ghosts of a conscience in this machine... good evening.
- Jeff Hamm Well, that sure sucks. On the other hand, it means your artistic works have struck a chord, and that's a good thing.
- Wells Tao A chord is what I need. At the moment I'm one finger taping an oil tanker... need to form a group.
- Jeff Hamm Rhythms are contagious. Keep your tapping on beat, and others will join you in time.
- Wells Tao Well I'm ready, going to make some preparations for the band.
Write a reply...
- Rangi Kipa Against the machine ....
- Wells Tao yeah, the conscience of business as usual hates being disturbed
- Wells Tao yeah even if that conscience is damn ugly
- Write a reply...
- Wells Tao Shit thanks good people, feel better already!
- Rangi Kipa Im feeling u bro
- Marcia Dupuis Possibly the only intelligent posts I receive...t.b.h. Possibly a little too intelligent for me to comprehend at times, but never the less VERY much appreciated- u would be missed, therefore u r impacting-
- Carmen Potter Agreed
Write a reply...- Marcia Dupuis Oops, not finished- well done!
- Wells Tao takes two to recognize intelligence!
- Ross Forbes tell me were u "flake" on artbash all those years ago?....always appreciaste yr posts even if not always in lockstep
- Wells Tao WHoa, yeah tas me... cheers. What was your alias?
- Ross Forbes Mathew i think....cant remember exactly....was good for a few years then some twerp hijacked it
- Wells Tao Well it was always being hijacked as I recall which was the excitement of the thing. For me there was a format change that some how disrupted the exchanges. But yeah was f'n great while it was
- Wells Tao ah Matthew I seem to recall you, he he
- Ross Forbes I remember having epic arguments re Palestine/Israel on it......amongst other issues
- Barry Thomas go the art bashers
- Write a reply...
- Henri Stein I don't agree with everything you post on FB.....but it is always great to have a stirrer amongst us!!! Just keep going wink emoticon
- Ross Forbes Particularly like yr analysis of academia and its duty to be the conscience of the State
- Wells Tao cool, I don't agree with everything I post, let's just be clear on that, not that I could make that announcement everytime.. I am however interested in what I post.
- Ross Forbes Re the academia thing......lately i have been toying with an title that echoes the 60s phrase "the military/industrial complex"....its "the academic/artistic Complex."....a huge bloated institution that co-opts artists into working for it in return for...See More
- Barry Thomas they have their own pool innit
- Wells Tao Ross, I don't believe that the institution blinds them to its shortcomings. In my experience it is exactly the opposite. The fact that artists who work for universities do not transparently promote that with their work is precisely because of their awareness of the way in which that fact will frame the work. Their collective behavior proves the existence of this refusal to engage with this dirty water, clean their own pool.
- Ross Forbes It might be so. I don't want to slip into the Kiwi Bogan Stereotype of academics being eggheads who cant fix a Holden.I know there is a huge constituency out there all too ready to jump on to the antiacademic line..My issue with academia and artists is, hopefully, more nuanced than that and is more centered on how arts "meaning" has....over the last 30 or 40 years of academic imperialism within artistic culture...being transformed to reflect the interests of academia and not the emotional life of the culture at large. Its as if MacDonald's got hold of art schools 40 years ago and we now have a whole generation of artists who see art in terms of the ethos of the Franchise Owner.Their is also a corresponding defanging of political intent in the art produced by the various franchises. I know at AUT when the Occupy thing was happening at Aotea square just a few blocks away there was no mention of it....Artists use to lead revolutions once....not write learned articles on it for their Masters in a language designed to appease their academic paymasters....Its Revolution-lite, a radical stance just sufficient to earn a PHD or a Masters.....radical chic for the economically comfortable....Chomsky has attacked the philosophical founding fathers of artistic academia--the French post structuralists--- for their lack of political engagement and I'm with him on this one. The great Australian writer Robert Hughes described the product of the 1990's art schools as "an enclave of abstract complaint". Writing in the 90's he asks....'did Vaclav Havel and his fellow playwrights, intellectuals and poets free Czechoslovakia by quoting Derrida or Lyotard on the inscrutability of texts?. The world changes more than at any moment since 1917, perhaps since 1848 and the American academic left keeps fretting about how phallocentricity is inscribed in Dickens portrayal of Little Nell'.''... The Chomsky line on this would be that such abstract "criticality" is a factor in keeping the one percent in power by creating the illusion of resistance to power....an illusion that enables the economic elites to continue their plunder under the cover of "democracy
- Wells Tao Holy shit Ross Forbes, you hit the nail there for me
- Ross Forbes That's not to say their aren't individual artist/academics out there resisting all this.....
- Wells Tao of course. But we should know who they are, and I don't. I know of many who agree with the idea in principle, but feel unable to practice it for unestablished reasons. My intention is to get a public debate going around this issue. Free Speech and the public institution.
- Write a reply...
- Mike Nixon As a degenerate bludger I support you against the institutionalised degenerate bludgers
- Tom Hunsdale When they start trying to shut you down you know you're relevant.
- Illya Tachyon McLellan Keep sticking it to them bro. They don't like it up em.
- Ross Forbes exactly...Tom..
- Derek Cowie Shut down historically creates underground
- Samuel Leo LaHood Keep it up chum. You have my total respect.
- Ross Forbes you are a practicing anti fascist....and a degenerate bludger.
- Alice Rose nil bastardum carborundum..remember you'r Tao
- Charle Farnell like Alice said!!
- Barry Thomas How about telling us exactly who said what and who promised what so we can actually judge and or help
- Barry Thomas is this the CNZ vs WINZ thang?
- Michael Hodgson Judge not... lest ye be judged
- Wells Tao Yeah, I've been approached by a reporter, it may be the right time to let it all come out.. it's just a lot of work, a lot of anguish and a lot of work... I'm trying to get there in a way that is safe for me, safe for my family and worth it in the long run.
- Write a reply...
- Clare Robinson I actually have a job and still like checking your posts
- Michael Hodgson Rise up Degenerates!.... you have my support sir.
- Harry Silver Keep tapping the oil tanker bro. I appreciate your perspective and provocation now more than ever. Looking forward to joining the band some day in some way.
- Wells Tao Thanks Harry. Wicked
- Paul Woodruffe Do you want to be institutionalised?
- Paul Woodruffe by that I mean, do you need the institution you refer to?
- Wells Tao I appreciate a simple argument, but I also prefer to avoid the obvious traps
- Write a reply...
- Barry Thomas You are almost without parallel in this art world of Aotearoa. You dive into the cracks of contradiction and seed change by displaying the obvious inequities and issues and and and. We should call you 'the scalpel'.
But as we have discussed on so man...See More
How dare they censor my art out of an "all works will be...artbash.co.nz - Wells Tao Nuts Barry Thomas, the Scalpel! I love that. Thanks for your support it means a great deal to me.
- Barry Thomas ditto witto
- Barry Thomas Add Catton to that small list above
- Write a reply...
- Donna Chisholm I admire your bravery in sharing information. You're advocacy is inspiring.
- Wells Tao Thank you... with an audience it makes it worth while
- Kate Melzer Don't give up, I love to look up all those rooly confusing words you use, like 'John Key' 'NZ Pure' 'contradictory' ... I think your meanings make more sense.
- Wells Tao lol
- Kate Melzer I've been meaning to ask - did you mean to say you are in Pubic Relations at Wells Group?? upset emoticon
- Wells Tao Public public relations as in transparent and often a volunteer on behalf
- Kate Melzer It does say pubic in your profile stats!
- Wells Tao whoa can you send me a link, be interesting to see that
- Write a reply...
- Chloe Ann King Wells Tao ah hun! Not cool people like you who stand up and have a different voice and refuse to be silenced are always going to be labelled "trouble makers" (as if, this is a bad thing?!) and people will try to discredit you and possibly try and make you feel like there is something terribly wrong with you and what you do. Arts schools are pretty horrible places for this, I found after 5 years of art school at AUT that most of what the tutors said like "we want you to rock the boat and engage critically" wasnt really true. They just wanted compliant students who produced work that meet the criteria.
- Katy Hodgson well, if it's any help, i have a job, one that comes with police vetting. so i'm not a degenerate dole bludger. i can't comment on liking you, cos we've never met, but i do like your stuff. i don't much like that other STUFF though. load of old rubbish. rock on.
- Chloe Ann King yeah defs rock on fuck the haters...
Write a reply...
- Sily Buny sweg
- Margaret McKee Illegitimi non carborundum
- Wells Tao Well I'm not sure what this means, but to me this show of facebook support has encouraged me to pursue the next level of thing creation, that I can imagine in this art work. Instead of worried and worn out, I feel genuinely excited about the 'new' ground, potentially there to be established. Thanks all of you.
- Chloe Ann King ...and if ya ever wonna talk over creative ideas hit me up Wells Tao! I'd love to hear about the projects you are working on.
- Margaret McKee It means "Don't let the bastards grind you down"
- Wells Tao cool I googled it
- Wells Tao Will do Chloe Ann King, definitely got something in the pot, now to see if it will boil
- Chloe Ann King excited for you hun!
- Trish Seaton That was one of my late fathers favourite. I grew up with it. And it has stayed with me for over 50 years. So I fully agree. "Don't let the bastards grind you down"xxx
- Write a reply...
- Dyan Peta Prujean You're cool and I have never bludged a degenerate dole.
- Dick Whyte heart emoticon
- Tomas Richards Keep it up Tao! We appreciate all the hard work you've done. Don't stop questioning, challenging and fighting for the good Life
- Carol Land Hello Tao, What do you need.?There are many things you present in Facebook that are very relevant and need to be challenged! I think people are very complacent today, not like we were in 80's 90's. This is where the nation is at. Many poor people who don't have enough to represent themselves for a number of reasons and many quite comfortably off who are not of need. The poverty gap is wider than ever. Keep challenging
- Carol Land we need this. Many of us do it in our own ways. Warm regards
- Carol Land Carol.
Kay Brereton come visit the trees
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