Gatherr RSS

Pronounced "Gatherer", but, hey, it's web 2.0 and we leave the last
"e" out right? Gatherr collects the best of this and that from here and
there on the web for no other reason than sharing. It's about stuff
that seemed interesting at the time. Enjoy.




ABOUT

My
name is Tony Johansen. I am an artist. I like art and science and
poetry and books and history and technology and lots more besides.
Every day I am excited by the marvelous things I see in this wonderful
world and beyond. I love the Internet for giving me access to so much.
I am like a sponge for wondrous things or things that make me wonder. This site is really just a
scrapbook. Being on the web, however, means being able to share the
treasures I find. That's me, Tony Johansen, artist who likes to share
my excitement of being alive.




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LINKS


  • Po-mz

    Wonderful poetry collected and shared by Tony Johansen


    • Archive

    Apr
    3rd
    Thu
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    Imogen Cunningham
    Imogen Cunningham
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    Peter Gasser
    Peter Gasser
    Apr
    2nd
    Wed
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    A NOW AND THEN LOOK AT CENSORSHIP

    Censorship is on the rise everywhere. Recently Chinese authorities drew attention to the way they monitor what performers can say and sing on stage when they over reacted to Bjork yelling “Tibet, Tibet, Tibet” during a performance in Shanghai. Danish political cartoons are under attack in most of the Islamic world. As the world becomes more integrated as a global community hard won artistic freedoms are  facing challenges from cultures that are not used to people saying what they think. Yet looking at our own history shows it is not long ago that censorship was rife in the West and we should not be surprised by the impulse to censor. As artists we need to be very concerned by the trend.
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    A scene from the Life Of Brian in which a group of religious bigots stone someone to death. It is ironic that this film which parody’s the absudity of religious and political repression has been itself banned in some countries, supposedly for blasphemy.
    A scene from the Life Of Brian in which a group of religious bigots stone someone to death. It is ironic that this film which parody’s the absudity of religious and political repression has been itself banned in some countries, supposedly for blasphemy.
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    Banned Films

    There are many films that are very provocative in the way they challenge moral values, but looking at lists of banned films world wide produces many surprises as to what causes offence to some governments. For example, Monty Python’s Life Of Brian was banned in Ireland until recently and is still banned in Singapore. It is believed that blasphemy is the reason. Indiana Jones is banned in India where it is claimed that it promotes racism and imperialism. Borat is widely banned in Asian countries including Russia. The usual excuse is that it promotes incest. The Da Vinci Code is banned in most of the Islamic world as is South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut. The Simpson’s Movie has also been banned. China has banned Brokeback Mountain because it depicts homosexuals. China also maintains a ban on Ben Hur. The official reason is that it supports “superstitions”. That is usually interpreted to mean it is favorable to Christianity. Over The Hedge is also on the banned list in China. It is hard to imagine any one being offended by Over The Hedge but censorship is often a matter of emotion rather than logic.
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    Censorship in the Islamic world is far reaching. This issue of the National Geographic sold in Iran received heavy censorship because of an article on love. The front cover depicted a couple embracing. Before global television and Internet, censorship went unnoticed outside these countries but now artistic expression in the West that angers Islamic fundamentalists leads to violence, death threats and protests world wide. It is a complex issue. The publishing of political cartoons in Denmark that lead to widespread protests is widely supported as legitimate artistic expression worthy of being defended. But what of the anti-Islamic film made by a right wing polititian in The Netherlands? Is this any different to the sort of anti-semitic productions that deny the holocaust? Should we support the right to free speech even where it causes offence? I personally found the call by the Indonesian President this week to ban the making of films critical of the Koran to be very offensive. As an artist I find any censorship offensive but it appears vast numbers of people all over the world prefer censorship to artistic freedom.

    Censorship in the Islamic world is far reaching. This issue of the National Geographic sold in Iran received heavy censorship because of an article on love. The front cover depicted a couple embracing. Before global television and Internet, censorship went unnoticed outside these countries but now artistic expression in the West that angers Islamic fundamentalists leads to violence, death threats and protests world wide.

    It is a complex issue. The publishing of political cartoons in Denmark that lead to widespread protests is widely supported as legitimate artistic expression worthy of being defended. But what of the anti-Islamic film made by a right wing polititian in The Netherlands? Is this any different to the sort of anti-semitic productions that deny the holocaust? Should we support the right to free speech even where it causes offence?

    I personally found the call by the Indonesian President this week to ban the making of films critical of the Koran to be very offensive. As an artist I find any censorship offensive but it appears vast numbers of people all over the world prefer censorship to artistic freedom.

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    In Victorian Britain it was not permitted to depict images of members of the government and in 1873 the government of William Gladstone banned the play The Happy Land because the characters in the play included the Prime Minister and 2 of his ministers. The author had attempted to avoid censorship by labeling the characters “Mr G., Mr L., and Mr A.” The Prince Of Wales attended the opening night and was shocked by the attack on the government which his mother - Queen Victoria - was head of. The play was quickly banned but public outrage lead to it being unbanned, and its notoriety was responsible for a long run of 222 performances.
    In Victorian Britain it was not permitted to depict images of members of the government and in 1873 the government of William Gladstone banned the play The Happy Land because the characters in the play included the Prime Minister and 2 of his ministers. The author had attempted to avoid censorship by labeling the characters “Mr G., Mr L., and Mr A.” The Prince Of Wales attended the opening night and was shocked by the attack on the government which his mother - Queen Victoria - was head of. The play was quickly banned but public outrage lead to it being unbanned, and its notoriety was responsible for a long run of 222 performances.
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    Thomas Bowdler was so offended by the language and concepts in Shakespere that he published an expurgated version with all the parts he considered immoral removed. This is his copy of Othello showing how he crossed out entire sections and certain lines he particularly objected to are crossed out so heavily his pen almost goes through the paper. Bowdler was so adamant that Shakespeare’s original words should never be seen by women and children that he was ridiculed and his name became a word - bowdlerize - that became associated with absurd moral censorship.
    Thomas Bowdler was so offended by the language and concepts in Shakespere that he published an expurgated version with all the parts he considered immoral removed. This is his copy of Othello showing how he crossed out entire sections and certain lines he particularly objected to are crossed out so heavily his pen almost goes through the paper. Bowdler was so adamant that Shakespeare’s original words should never be seen by women and children that he was ridiculed and his name became a word - bowdlerize - that became associated with absurd moral censorship.
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    Although we associate book burning with repressive dictatorships and theocracy’s in fact censorship has often been rife in western doemocrcy’s too. The New York Society For Suppression Of Vice had an image of book burning in its emblem. Even today Europeans and Australians are often amused by the obvious prudery of American television with scenes and language that would be considered normal in Europe bleeped and pixelated on Amercan TV.
    Although we associate book burning with repressive dictatorships and theocracy’s in fact censorship has often been rife in western doemocrcy’s too. The New York Society For Suppression Of Vice had an image of book burning in its emblem. Even today Europeans and Australians are often amused by the obvious prudery of American television with scenes and language that would be considered normal in Europe bleeped and pixelated on Amercan TV.
    Mar
    31st
    Mon
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    LEST WE FORGET

    70 years ago Hitler annexed Austria and within hours artists of all kinds who were Jewish or married to a Jew were being dismissed from their positions. The Vienna State Opera currently has an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia of the numerous members of the opera they lost to Nazi hatred in 1938.
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    In the 1930’s Austrian cultural life enjoyed the work and passion of many Jewish artists. It was the same at the Vienna State Opera, pictured here. A famed conductor, a lowly laundress, singers, dancers, musicians. Jews, part Jews, or married to Jews - they were all a valued part of Vienna’s opera family - until the Nazis came in 1938. Thereafter no Jew was permitted to be involved in any way with any kind of public cultural life.
    In the 1930’s Austrian cultural life enjoyed the work and passion of many Jewish artists. It was the same at the Vienna State Opera, pictured here. A famed conductor, a lowly laundress, singers, dancers, musicians. Jews, part Jews, or married to Jews - they were all a valued part of Vienna’s opera family - until the Nazis came in 1938. Thereafter no Jew was permitted to be involved in any way with any kind of public cultural life.