Please check out this blog of mine if you're interested. Just started it, so we'll see where it goes. There's also a lovely photo of me for anyone who wants to put a face to the name.

http://afterlights.blogspot.com/

The temple bell stops ringing,
but the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers.

-- Basho

Way to go!

And good to see what you look like, after all these years.

Deserted temple
where the bell's been stolen -
cherries just opening

- Shiki


Spring night
A flute player
passes by

- Shiki

This is for you, Stephen:
Steve Reich: "Music for 18 Musicians" (part 1)

Wonderful piece, HP. Thanks.

Stephen,
Are you familiar with Piet Mondrian�s transition works, before he went entirely non-figurative? He was doing fascinating studies of wave patterns and the branches/twig structures of trees.

In some ways it seems reminiscent of Steve Reich�s serial minimalism...

I know some of Mondrian's work, HP. The later stuff, I think, not what you mention. I'll check it out if I can find it.

I don�t think any other artist has had more impact on modern graphic design. The influence is subtle, but it�s there.

I'm very interested in where forms and genres and disciplines overlap. I like the idea of found narrative too, something I'll try and develop on the blog.

Thanks HP.

What do you think of:

- Laurie Anderson (music/performance)
- Meredith Monk (uses voice as instrument - solo and ensemble)
- Lou Harrison (composer)
- Keith Jarrett (classical compositions / solo piano)
- Frank Zappa (his classical works)
- Arvo P�rt

Here are some of the many transitional works by Mondrian:
Waves 1 and here. Tree and Tree 2. Perhaps even more stunning is Flower 1. Also check out Chrysanthemum (figurative) and Still Life.

Another of my favourites are the almost calligraphic works Henri Michaux:
Ink drawing and here.

I know Zappa's work the best from the list. His classical works are interesting, some are quite fun. In particular I love "Revised Music for Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra" from the "Lather" album. It's wonderful. Totally playful and fun but incredibly beautiful in parts. And it moves into a more funky piece called RDNZL with a brilliant guitar solo.

Keith Jarret I like too and Arvo Part. The others I'm not so familiar with. Jarret's an interesting character, and I love that whole bearded Estonian look Part's got going on. Very Orthodox monk. His music, that kind of holy minimalism, I like. Tavener too can be good, although perhaps a tad bland on occasion.

Great Mondrian pieces, I particularly like the moving away from figurative. The first two I love (Waves). Broken floating lines. And the second still life with the lines and shapes moving across and out from the still life. The Michaux drawings are wonderful. Did he not write concrete poetry as well? They kind of remind me of a lot of contemporary visual poetry. And I can see what you mean by the link to graphic design.

I'm going to look at those first two Mondrian pieces again. I really like them.