2 May 2009

Time for Jon


"Who is the Spectator, also called the Viewer, sometimes called the Observer, occasionally the Perceiver? It has no face, is mostly a back. It stoops and sneers, is slightly clumsy. Its attitude is inquiring, its puzzlement discreet. He – I'm sure it is more male than female – arrived with modernism, with the disappearance of perspective. He seems born out of the picture and, like some perceptual Adam, is drawn back repeatedly to contemplate it. The Spectator seems a little dumb; he is not you or me. Always on call, he staggers into place before every new work that requires his presence. This obliging stand-in is ready to enact our fanciest speculations. He tests them patiently and does not resent that we provide him with directions and responses: "the viewer feels..."; "the observer notices..."; the spectator moves...." He is sensitive to effects: "The effect on the spectator is....""
– Brian O'Doherty

3 comments:

  1. Jowshy (3 months ago)10:28 am

    When I heard him play this live, I just sat down with a cigar, a glass of red and watched. It was quite possibly the greatest things that's ever happened to me.

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  2. Anonymous11:48 am

    3 months ago Jowshy said that?

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  3. Jowshy (3 months ago)12:12 pm

    But it remains true to this day.

    ReplyDelete