The other day I visited the "Sentieri Interrotti" show at the Palazzo Bonaguro, Bassano del Grappa. The show contains work by a lot of people, including the Gutai Group, Wiener Aktionismus, Art and Language and Fluxus artists. I went specifically to see the Art and Language and the Fluxus rooms. Art & Language: a room crammed so full that it was hard to move around, it's a good job I'm not long-sighted - it was difficult to move back to a comfortable reading distance for the wall mounted stuff as it was. Fluxus: Poor Daniel Spoerri has a small snare picture hung off-centre, behind a board in the lobby. Charlotte Moorman's Bomb Cello is place in an incredible place - centre, but near the back of the large entrance hall, camouflaged by pillars and the black and white marble floor. It's actually hidden in an open space - it's hard to explain. It is central with regard to the floorspace of the empty room, but with the board on which Spoerri is stuck, sticking out into the space, Moorman's piece (for me) is completly lost, there's a lot of visual interference. I almost walked into it!! Honest!! I didn't see a 1.93m tall bomb!! (makes mental note - never to join army) The Fluxus room, which is what I wanted to see most, resembles the coins and belt buckles part of the Hancock Museum 1975. (A dusty, yet I must say,recently glammed up museum in Newcastle upon Tyne UK - It was in 1975 very dusty and serious, in that sort of dusty and serious yet slightly chaotic old museum sort of way) A while back I was fortunate to be somewhere with the floor littered (well they were sort stacked -but littered sounds so much more carefree etc) with swork by Spoerri, George Brecht (I think) was on the sideboard, Ay-o in a cabinet with Paik, very interesting stuff every where (a very special experience for me), and it was still more comprehensible than this exhibition. In Bassano I saw things I'd only ever read about, seen pictures of, things which I've longed to see - something by Emmett Williams, something by Al Hansen, Paik, Maciunas and I did. Yet there was something about it all that resembled a car-boot fair, only one where you weren't allowed to rummage and discover the good stuff. I was strangely disappointed. There was some great stuff to see but it was hard to see it. And as for closed books in perspex cabinets, the point is? If you're interested in book titles and not content, this is a show for you. However, On the top floor were the Gutai canvasses, a window was open, the canvasses spiralling in the wind was truly a sight to see! Such sweet music is made by wood and canvas battering off ancient masonary. The view of the mountains from the Gutai room was good. Bests alanbowman p.s. what is a "scientific committee" in relation to an exhibition? (this is not a joke, i really would like to know.
