EK ACCESSION #: ICI 21767 TITLE: Obituary of David Wojnarowicz from the New York Times on July 24, 1992 (he died on July 22, 1992). DISCUSSION: In Close to the Knives, Wojnarowicz wrote “what … if, each time a lover, friend or stranger died of this disease, … Continue readingDavid Wojnarowicz Obituary
In 1980, Braco Dimitrijević built an engraved slab into the pavement outside the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. This photo was taken in January of 1992. Dimitrijević’s critique of history relies not only on language, the usual fodder of sign systems, but on the forms we … Continue readingThis Could Be a Place of Historical Significance
Leach, Neil; Camouflage (1996) ICI Shelf: Current Project First Line: “In his movie Zelig, Woody Allen depicts a character, Leomard Zelig, who quickly assimilates to those around him, growing a beard in a matter of seconds when surrounded by men with beards, and changing his … Continue readingLIBRARY SHELF: Camouflage
Title: Memorial to Nazi Book Burning in Berlin Description: The memorial was created by Micha Ullman to commemorate the Nazi-initiated book-burning event on May 10, 1933. The memorial is simple, a glass covered hole in the middle of a large plaza reveals four white, empty … Continue readingEPHEMERA KABINETT: Book Burning Memorial in Berlin
TITLE: “Hole in the window at MCASD, La Jolla” DESCRIPTION: Photograph document from PST exhibition LOCATION: Photo Cabinet DATE: 2011 DISCUSSION: By cutting a hole in a museum’s existing window, the artist (quite literally) creates a rupture in art’s institution(s). But he does so much more. … Continue readingEPHEMERA KABINETT: Holes in Art and Life
Jarman, Derek Blue: Das Buch zum Film (1994) ICI Shelf: London First Line: “You say to the boy open your eyes” Last Line: “I place a delphinium, Blue, upon your grave.” ICI History: Today at the ICI — Twitter Feed: Last Line (12-03-11); First Line … Continue readingLIBRARY SHELF: BLUE
Saussure tells us that no sign makes sense on its own but only in relation to other signs. The value of a sign is determined by the relationship between signs in the system as a whole. He notes the French word mouton could be translated … Continue readingChanged Priorities
The main entrance of the Great Eastern Hotel in London offers a ‘sign’ that is hidden in plain sight. Even though it was left off the hotel’s official floorplan, three bricked in windows act as a visual sign for a Freemason’s temple built into the … Continue readingThe Sign of the Masons
A small plaque on the side of the Great Eastern Hotel in London marks the site of the old Bethlehem Hospital. The sign obscures the other name for the site. As W. G. Sebald schooled us in Austerlitz, at this same place, “the insane and … Continue readingThis is Bedlam
As a form of written language, the signature is, in theory, a symbolic sign. Its relationship to the person who creates it is arbitrary and based totally on convention and cultural practice. In reality, though, the signature is a very special form of written … Continue readingMax Sebald’s Signature