WORTH A VIEW - BRUSH UP YOUR FRENCH -

From Jerome Fletcher:

Littérature numérique : chercher le texte ! by Bpi_Centre_Pompidou

A BRIEF WORD FROM PAUL KLEE

There is an exhibition at the Tate Modern of the work of Paul Klee. He spoke and wrote as well as he painted. Herewith a video from the Tate about his work.

He wrote about his work and of his views about his work, including a piece entitled “Ways of Studying Nature”

"For the artist, dialogue with nature remains a conditio sine qua non. The artist is a man, himself nature and part of nature in natural space.

But the ways that this man pursues both in his production and in the related study of nature may vary, both in number and in kind, according to his view of his own position in the natural space.

The ways often seem very new, though fundamentally they may not be new at all. Only their combination is new, or else they are really new in comparison with the number and character of yesterday's ways. But to be new as against yesterday is still revolutionary, even if it does not shake the immense old world. There is no need to disparage the joy of novelty; though a clear view of history should save us from desperately searching for novelty at the cost of naturalness.

Paul  Klee 1911

Yesterday's artistic creed and the related study of nature consisted, it seems safe to say, in a painfully precise investigation of appearance. I and you, the artist and his object sought to establish optical-physical relations across the invisible barrier between the "I" and the "you". In this way excellent pictures were obtained of the object's surface filtered by the air; the art of optical sight was developed, while the art of contemplating unoptical impressions and representations and of making them visible was neglected. Yet the investigation of appearance should not be underestimated; it ought merely to be amplified. Today this way does not meet our entire need any more than it did the day before yesterday. The artist of today is more than an improved camera; he is more complex, richer, an more spatial. He is a creature on the earth and a creature within the whole, that is to say, a creature on a star among stars.

Accordingly, a sense of totality has gradually entered into the artist's conception of the natural object, whether this object be plant, animal, or man whether it be situated in the space of the house, the landscape, or the world, and the first consequence is that a more spatial conception of the object as such is born.

The object grows beyond its appearance through our knowledge of its inner being, through the knowledge that the thing is more than its outward aspect suggests. Man dissects the thing and visualises its inside with the help of plane sections; the character of the object is built up according to the number and kind of sections that are needed. This is visible penetration, to some extend that of a simple knife, to some extent helped by finer instruments which make the material structure or material function clear to us.

The sum of such experience enables the "I" to draw inferences about the inner object from the optic-physical phenomenon produces feelings which can transform outward impression into functional penetration more or less elaborately, according to their direction. Anatomy becomes physiology.

But there are other ways of looking into the object which go still farther, which lead to a humanisation of the object and create, between the "I" and the object, a resonance surpassing all optical foundations. There is the non-optical way of intimate physical contact, earthbound, that reaches the eye of the artist from below, and there is the non-optical contact through the cosmic bond that descends from above.

It must be emphasised that intensive study leads to experiences which concentrate and simplify the processes of which we have been speaking. For the sake of clarification I might add that the lower way leads through the realm of the static and produces static forms, while the upper way leads through the realm of the dynamic.

Along the lower way, gravitating towards the centre of the earth, lie the problems of static equilibrium, that may be characterised by the words: "To stand despite all possibility of falling". We are led to the upper ways by yearning to free ourselves from earthly bonds; by swimming and flying, we free ourselves from constraint in pure mobility.

All ways meet in the eye and there, turned into form, lead to a synthesis of outward sight and inward vision. It is here that constructions are formed which, although deviating totally from the optical image of an object yet, from an overall point of view, do not contradict it.

Through the experience that he has gained in the different ways and translated into work, the student of Nature demonstrates the progress of his dialogue with the natural object. His growth in the vision and contemplation of nature enables him to rise towards a metaphysical view of the world and to form free abstract structures which surpass schematic intention and achieve a new naturalness, the naturalness of the work."

Paul Klee, Untitled (The Angel of Death)

Painted in the last year of his life 1940

CHRISTMAS FAIR CHEZ FONTPEAULOUP

Various bit of food indulged in on the 24th and 25th December 2013 at Fontpeauloup or Woolfskin Wells.

The flambé of the Christmas Pudding - provided by Charlotte

Boxing day in Paris at Chartier with brother, sister in law and nephew.

DAVID DEUTSCH - A FEW IDEAS

This lecture is well worth a visit:

David Deutsch

http://daviddeutsch.physics.ox.ac.uk/index.php?path=Video/Why%20Are%20Flowers%20Beautiful

It would also be interesting to considering the paper on Constructor theory.

IF YOU LIKE CHAMPAGNE

A little something I came across whilst surfing the net.

Creative Global Press’s content has been published by 12 publishers and in over 30+ publications in 3 continents.

Some of our focus areas are: hotels and resorts, spas and wellness centers, airlines and other travel providers 

such as luxury trains and cruise lines, sports and adventure experiences, Food & Beverage, restaurants and wine estates, 

Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE), and special occasions, such as honeymoon travel.

Creative Global Press’s mission is to discover the most fascinating experiences on the planet. 

We are in the ever-continuing quest to find the services, products, and experiences that are transforming the planet 

as we know it or are preserving what should not be lost.

Best Vineyard: A. Chauvet Champagne

With over 150 years of heritage, this boutique family-owned Champagne 

wine estate in the heart of Reims, Champagne produces the best champagne of 2012. 

The Champagne is matured in the company’s limestone caverns that date back to 1794, 

and the label of the champagne is original from 1848. A. Chauvet products 4 champagnes: 

Carte Blanche, Blanc de Blanc, Rosé and Vintage.

Jean-François Paillard-Chauvet

Béatrice et Jean-François Paillard-Chauvetsalon Vive la France - Londres 2005

JOURNALISM AND ETHICS ?

The following is an account of the Journalists Code of Ethics. It makes for interesting reading.  I cannot say that it reflects the sort of journalism represented by the tabloids. I wonder how many journalists have read the code?

Preamble

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behaviour and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

Seek Truth and Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labelled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
— Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

Minimise Harm
Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.
Journalists should:

— Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
— Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
— Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
— Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
— Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
— Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
— Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
— Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed.

Act Independently
Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.
Journalists should:

—Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
— Refuse gifts, favours, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
— Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
— Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
— Deny favoured treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
— Be wary of sources offering information for favours or money; avoid bidding for news.

Be Accountable
Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.
Journalists should:

— Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
— Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
— Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
— Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
— Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.