Antoni Gaudi’s Analog Computer The Catalan architect used “a scale model to calculate structures: for the church of the Colònia Güell, he built a 1:10 scale model with a height of 4 metres (13 ft) in a shed next to the building. There, he set up a model that had strings with small bags full of birdshot hanging from them. On a drawing board that was attached to the ceiling he drew the floor of the church, and he hung the strings (for the catenaries) with the birdshot (for the weight) from the supporting points of the building—columns, intersection of walls. These weights produced a catenary curve both in the arches and vaults.

Louis Malle’s “Phantom India” I watched this series from French director Louis Malle back-to-back the other day, it’s that good. In the late 60’s, Malle spent 5 months motoring around the vast backwaters of India in search of what spontaneous cinema verite gold he could find. India obliged, with it’s usual extravagance. The film overflows with unforgettable, yet wholly mundane images.

The Genius of Neon Park Because of his famous record covers for Zappa and Little Feat, among others, I have been aware of Neon Park since childhood, but until I stumbled on a copy of this wonderful book at LA’s iconic book/toystore/art gallery Wacko, I hadn’t realized the breadth of his art, or the depth of his influence. Spawn of the psychedelic daze of the late 60s Bay Area, Neon Park, born Martin Muller in 1940, fell right in with the burgeoning mind expanding culture of the day, and took it just a but farther himself.

Spengler’s “Decline of the West” Like a snake slowly digesting a fat rabbit, I’ve been working my way through this massive and challenging work for the last 4 or 5 years. While I’m not ready to write the Cliff Notes version, I do feel like I’m getting a grasp on it all. But a concise summary eludes me, partly because Spengler had no intention of erecting a “system”, he was too trailblazing for that. But by highlighting some general points, we can get started.

The Children of Minimalism Today I listened to some records that all in various ways reflect the influence of 50’s and 60’s minimalism. And by that I mean first the minimalism of the graphic arts but also the later musical minimalism of Terry Riley, LaMonte Young and those who followed. The avant garde art world has influenced pop and rock since the 60’s, with a long list of rock stars coming out of art school and bringing that sensibility to the stage and the studio. These records come from the darker, lesser known corners of this stream of influence.

Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation This is a building that has been the center of controversy since it’s inception, and an even-handed and illuminating picture is drawn of the various conflicts and issues. For example, interviews with two of the main contemporary sculptors, Josep Subirachs and Etsuro Sotoo, illuminate the central issue of the building: how to finish it?

Sign Painters You don’t need to be a painter to enjoy this movie, or even interested in art. Though both would all be to the good, the real point to me is a favorite around here: the need to return to and revive the old art forms, the old crafts, all the old stuff that had a human texture, a warm surface, and a depth of time on it.

Forgotten Master Stanislav Szukalski Cultural memory is a roulette wheel, and there’s no telling who will survive to be one of the “deathless greats”. Some come and go, as Shakespeare has, and some never get a shot at the big time. In the latter category, prominent is Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski.

Robert Williams, Mr. Bitchin’ Following up from my last post about the Left Coast art world, here’s a decent documentary about the pivotal figure, Robert Williams, founder of the Low Brow, or Pop Surrealist art movement. The film gets off to a rather rocky and formless start, with many of the usual stylistic tics that get under the skin of people over the age of, say, 40 or so. (No, not everything needs to move all of the time!). But, that aside, and it’s something that’s not specific to or even egregious in this particular film, we get a good grounding in just who this Mr Bitchin’ is and why we should care, even if we find his paintings a bit, you know, repulsive.

The Perfection of the Gothic What I want to talk about is Gaudi the structural engineer. Though a student and lover of the Gothic, he always thought it an imperfect style. Flying buttresses were an offensive hack in his mind that no amount of fanciful ornamentation could remedy, but they were needed to support the towering open spaces essential to the expressive purpose of the cathedral. Modern steel buildings can accomplish this with ease but Gaudi, though he did use steel framing in a few structures, was more interested in improving the stress distribution of masonry to achieve soaring open spaces.

Kraftwerk Live in LA It was a splendid evening of louder-than-fuck pumping beats, shiny electronic soundscapes, melodies cute and tinkly, and sweeping and grand. The Kraftwerk aesthetic is a one of kind thing, which they’ve pursued with a focused vengeance since the Radio-Activity album (1975). Man, did they ever stand out in the shaggy, hairy mid-1970s.

Random Vinyl Review Behind the Iron Curtain a new style of music emerged in Bulgaria, a labor of composers working for state radio, mostly with women’s choirs. Hints of this music had leaked out to the West, and Glasnost brought the masters to 1980s impressario Ivo-Watts Russell. Released on his famed 4AD label, home of Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Pixies and others in that phalanx, it might have seemed a stretch. It’s basically classical music, but the aesthetic works.

The Genius of Sheffield Kirk is best known as founder and sole remaining member of Cabaret Voltaire, who along with Throbbing Gristle, are accounted the originators of the Industrial music scene. Rising out of the swamp of shuttered factories and unemployed youth, their sound reflected a jaundiced view of the modern miracle. Though made of careless piles of media shrapnel and audio refuse, Cab Volt’s music had an underlying dark beauty and a deep fire within that has stayed with Kirk through a long and incredibly fruitful career.

14 Western Stories This recent collection has been generating some buzz around my Facebook circle, which includes the author, so I thought I’d give it a try. Now, I read hardly any fiction, but I can see that’s going to have to change because I’ve been missing out. Not only hardly any fiction, I’ve never read any Western fiction at all, though I am in fact a Westerner (albeit a transplant, but I’ve heard it said we’re the true Westerners).

Polyphony and Brain Hacking As a youngin’ I was first exposed to music theory in high school. I had a great music teacher, one of those rare souls blessed with contagious enthusiasm. I found, to my surprise, that I had a knack for it. It was the opposite of math: I got it instantly while everyone else struggled and lagged behind. Effortless A’s in a subject that was actually hard for once. I did my harmonization assignments in pen – no erasing! – and got 100%. Take that losers!

The Brian Eno Disease It’s not a disease of his own concoction, he picked it up in art school in the 50s and 60s, and passed the contagion along, made more virulent by exposure to the bright lights of pop culture, and fame. And I don’t think he actually completely believes in the disease himself, but that’s how his message has been received. The disease goes something like this: “You don’t need anything but you’re own inborn resources to create great art.”