Saturday, January 4, 2020

Rippin' for Gordon - #069 - Ian Fleming Was Not Forever

Ian Fleming
Diamonds are Forever


First published 1956 by Jonathan Cape Ltd.
This edition published 1958 by Pan Books Ltd.,
8 Headfort Place, London, S.W.I

2nd Printing 1958                9th Printing 1962
3rd Printing 1960               10th Printing 1963
4th Printing 1961               11th Printing 1963
5th Printing 1961               12th Printing 1963
6th Printing 1961               13th Printing 1963
7th Printing 1962               14th Printing 1964
8th Printing 1962               15th Printing 1964
                  16th Printing 1964


To
J.F.C.B.
and
E.L.C.
and
to the memory of
W.W.Jr.,
at Saratoga.  1954 and '55

PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY
HAZELL WATSON AND VINEY LTD
AYLESBURY, BUCKS

11 x 17,8 cm, 192p, softcover



On 4 January 2020 I ripped the 192 pages from Ian Fleming Diamonds are Forever, tore them in half and threw them in the Hole I've been Diggin' for Gordon in a basement at an undisclosed location in Antwerpen since 20 February 2006.
The title refers to Gordon Matta-Clark whose last and major work ‘Office Baroque’ in Antwerpen I illegally visited at the start of my career as an artist. The performance/installation evolved into a ‘mash-up’ with ingredients from the works of various avantgarde artists from the 70’s. For instance a slant row of florescent lights inspired by Dan Flavin takes care of lightning and an endless ladder as imagined by Vito Acconci makes it possible to get in and out of the hole. The work was made visible through a number of side actions and performances where I used some of the dirt I had been digging up. Most of the dirt was used to fill up James Lee Byars' tomb.
As of 9 September 2017 the Hole is filled with precious books from my private library.