On Julian Assange

“Cannongate: We were right to publish Julian Assange’s book” (Guardian News & Media Limited, 2011).

On 23 September 2011, Jamie Byng posted this blog entry in The Guardian’s Book Blog: “Cannongate: We were right to publish Julian Assange’s book”. Cannongate Books is a publishing company based in Edinburgh, Scotland and Jamie Byng is the current managing director. Byng wrote about how Julian Assange “became increasingly troubled” as the reality of publishing his autobiography drew closer.

It’s quite ironic that Assange became worried about the publication of his autobiography, after all the information that he has published on WikiLeaks. There are so many issues here including the blurring of lines between public and private. Julian Assange has intentionally put himself in the public eye by first publishing the website WikiLeaks and then by doing interviews and talks with The Guardian newspaper, TED and at the Sydney Festival of Dangerous Ideas. I don’t think people can put themselves in the public eye and then expect that the public will not become interested in the private life of the person. People want to know what makes him ‘tick’. People want to analyse Assange’s motives for creating WikiLeaks. I feel that personal information puts a public person in context and could help the public to identify with or relate better to the public figure.

According to Henry Porter, there is a note at the beginning of the book explaining “ that Assange found the book too personal and withdrew co-operation” (Porter, 2011). Porter writes quite scathingly about Assange and goes on to describe how the book delves into his mother’s relationships and his upbringing in a hippie lifestyle. However, according to Ester Addley, Assange believed that the publishing “could give ammunition to US prosecutors seeking his extradition over possible espionage charges relating to the WikiLeaks cable release” (Addley, 2011). Assange has published documents with names and have caused others to face charges in court. Are some crimes more noble than others?

As it turns out only 644 copies (Flood, 2011) of the book were sold in the first week that it was released. It will be interesting to hear Assange’s reaction to this. Will he be happy that the publishers Cannongate Books have not profited from his autobiography or will he be disappointed that such a small number of people were interested in his autobiography?

On Friday night 30 September 2011, I attended Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas and watched Julian Assange speak live from Ellingham Hall in Norfolk where he is still under house arrest. He comes across as a quietly but very well spoken intelligent person.

References:

Addley, E. (2011). Julian Assange publishers to release autobiography without his consent. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/21/julian-assange-autobiography-published-canongate?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Byng, J. (2011). Cannongate: We were right to publish Julian Assange’s book. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/sep/23/canongate-julian-assange-wikileaks?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Flood, A. (2011). Julian Assange memoir sells just 644 copies. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/28/julian-assange-memoir?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Porter, H. (2011). Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography – review. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/02/julian-assange-unauthorised-autobiography-review

Introduction

Through ‘Sydney Art’ I hope to bring the magic and colour of art into people’s lives and inspire them to explore the wide variety of talks, lectures and art in Sydney’s Galleries.

Sydney is alive with a rich and diverse art culture which some people may not be aware of or simply do not have the time to find out about. Through regular posts on this blog I will introduce a selection of exhibitions, talks and lectures to those who wish to explore them with me. As I travel through this journey of art and lectures, I will share ideas of art, both currently on display and future events coming to Sydney.

The following will give a taste of the selection and variety of exhibitions which I will be exploring:

The mad square, modernity in German art 1910–37. This exhibition is currently on display until 6 Nov 2011, at the Art Gallery of NSW. I particularly enjoyed the Dada examples of work. The Museum of Modern Art in New York sourced information from Oxford University Press 2006 and described Dada as a movement of anti-rationalism which began in 1916 (Museum of Modern Art, 2006). Featured artists such as Hannah Hoch used photomontage to express feelings towards different issues in their society. I studied Dada when working on photomontages which I was creating in Photoshop and drew inspiration from the artistic way the montages depicted the political and cultural unrest which resided in Germany during this period. The guided tour of this exhibition is well worth attending for an in depth understanding of this art.

Oi You! Art by Banksy will be on display on Cockatoo Island from 4 Nov to 11 Dec 2011 as part of the Outpost Project and is presented by the Sydney Harbour Federation. The project is an example of how Sydney displays its diversity and Sydneysiders’ love of the harbour. I will definitely be attending this exhibition and look forward to sharing atmosphere generated by this project.

Festival of Dangerous Ideas – Sydney Opera House. Yes I had to include this one and yes it may be a little outside the scope of this blog but it is a must for everyone – an event which brings together a wealth of knowledge of lesser known issues, shares ideas and starts conversations. I attended as many events as possible in the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2010 including a debate with Geoffrey Robertson QC on ‘Should the Pope be held accountable’ for sins committed by priests in the Catholic Church. This year I have tickets to listen to Julian Assange speak about WikiLeaks. This event is sold out but I will be sharing my thoughts on this blog after attending on 30 Sep 2011. There are plenty of tickets to other events and many are free so do go to the link and attend!

Reference List

The Museum of Modern Art 2009. Dada. Retrieved from http://www.moma.org/collection/theme.php?theme_id=10455/

Link List

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/mad-square/

http://www.yellowbellywebdesign.com/hoch/denkmal.html

http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/art/events/27208/oi-you-art-by-banksy

http://www.ambushgallery.com/coming-up/outpost-project

http://www.geoffreyrobertson.com

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/festivalofdangerousideas/default.aspx

Why 'Sydney Art' ?

Visiting art galleries used to be something I did on the rare occasion when a friend would ask if I wanted to come along. As my interest in digital graphic art grew, I found myself visiting exhibitions as a source of inspiration for my work. It happened quite suddenly that I found myself with a need to visit more and more. My visits became filled with purpose. Armed with pen and paper I felt compelled to read all the information related to the artworks and artists. I was filled with admiration and awe at the talent of the artists and through their work began to feel strong connections to the artist’s personalities. I wanted to learn more about how they were inspired to produce their beautiful (and strange and weird) art pieces.

So today a visit to an art gallery is an emotional experience (I’m sure my heart begins to beat faster as I enter the doors). I can spend hours in a single section examining the artwork while imagining the artist creating it, working out the techniques and how the colours were chosen. I collect scraps of paper on which sketches and notes are written. It is not a visit but a journey through spaces shared with others following their own journey. I enjoy watching other people sitting on the large leather bound couch staring at a painting or overhearing conversations. There is a common enjoyment shared through the art and space of the gallery.

If I really love an exhibition or an artwork I cannot only visit once. I need to return and will always bring someone with me to share the experience - which brings me to this blog. The artworks give me enjoyment which I would like to share with others.