Occult Art
Mr Fernee
Please find below a message about a forthcoming Internet exhibition of
occult art. Do please forward this information to anyone whom you feel
may find it of interest. Also you are most welcome to post it onto other
email lists and newsgroups.
Please email me if:-
a) you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive notifications
concerning this project. (I also issue lists of secondhand occult books
for sale - if you are in receipt of these book lists you will
automatically receive information about the exhibition. Please make it
clear if you wish to receive information about the exhibition but no
lists of books).
b) You are an artist, and your work might be appropriate for this
exhibition.
c) You own work that you may wish to exhibit.
d) You have written an article concerning occult art, or an occult
artist, which could be published in association with the exhibition.
e) You have a suggestion as to someone whose artwork should be on the
site.
f) You wish your website to be linked with the art exhibition site.
g) You know of a publication (either physically incarnate or in
cyberspace) which could usefully be informed concerning the art
exhibition. This includes email lists and newsgroups etc.
h) You have any other suggestion's!
My best wishes
Ben
Occult Art - An Exhibition
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Greetings!
The reason I am writing to you is to ask you whether you would consider
contributing artwork to an exhibition of Occult Art.
The exhibition will be virtual. It will exist on the Internet and will
be visited through people's computer screens. Therefore it will be
easily accessible to viewers from all over the world.
The exhibition will be confined to art by occultists, portraying occult
themes, borne of occult insights or created using occult techniques.
There will be works by Austin Osman Spare and Rosaleen Norton, but the
emphasis will very much be on living artists, particularly artists who
have an affinity with occult currents which also manifest in the work of
authors and occult groupings.
It is conceived as an opportunity for artists to sell their work, but
artists are welcome to exhibit work that is not for sale. Of course
there is no charge for visitors to view the exhibition. It is hoped that
there will be a wide price range, thus viewers can participate in the
project by making a purchase even if they are not in the market for rare
originals. Hence I would welcome good quality signed limited edition
prints and smaller items, as well as substantial originals.
Visitors will first see a list of artists whose work is being presented,
together with a brief description of background and approach. The
visitor can then click on the name of an artist that interests them and
they will be taken to a "room" dedicated to that person's work. They
will see the titles of the works presented with a further description of
what the artist is doing with that particular piece. This is intended to
help the viewer appreciate it. It may describe some of the symbolism,
the process of generation, cognate ideas etc. Having read this the
viewer can then click on the description to see the image of the
artwork. There can then be some afterthoughts concerning the piece, to
be read after the image has been viewed, together with details of date,
medium, dimensions, framing and price. The intent is to provide the
opportunity for a real communication of ideas and insights. Some may
wish their work to be viewed without intervention from the artist. If
this is the case on entering their room the viewer will see only the
titles, or small versions of the images (thumbnails) which can then be
expanded to view the full image.
I see this exhibition as being a continuous, developing project. New
rooms will open, old ones will close or change. This does mean that not
everything has top be done at once. Work in progress can be incorporated
at a later date.
There will be a visitors book where people can leave comments, and they
will be able to record their email address so that the can be informed
of changes to the exhibition. There will also be a notice board that
will carry news of other events and links to other websites that may be
of interest.
Concerning the practicalities, I would suggest that I operate on a
commission of 20% of retail price. A large proportion of purchasers will
use credit cards and this would allow me to absorb the charges involved.
In order to deal with promptly and efficiently with orders I suggest
that modestly priced items, and especially prints, are supplied to me on
a sale or return basis. Otherwise the administration of sales of smaller
items might prove unwieldy. Obviously such holdings will have to be
fully documented so that we know where we stand. In the case of more
substantial items and particularly items held abroad I am very pleased
to exhibit items for sale that remain in the possession of the artist or
owner. However they would have to be able to quote postage costs,
properly package and promptly despatch items that are ordered, and know
that they will be available to do so for some time. Customers can be
impatient and I would prefer not to placed in a position where I have to
harass an artist or owner in order to fulfil an order which might be
lost through delay. Please note that I do have specialist fine art
insurance which covers the storing and transit of original artwork.
I do of course require jpeg (or jpg) images of the artwork. I can supply
these for the items I am holding, and I would be pleased to travel in
the UK to take pictures of substantial items. For items remaining in the
owner's or artists possession you can send me the jpeg images as an
attachment to an email, or on a floppy disc.
I have no desire to place restriction upon artists or owners. It is
understood that artists and owners will be able to withdraw items from
sale or exhibition at will and sell exhibited items by other means. I
would ask that if an item exhibited for sale is no longer available I be
informed promptly, and that if a privately negotiated sale has occurred
as a result of the exhibition that the owner or artist consider whether
it may be appropriate to make some financial acknowledgement of this
fact.
I have commissioned the services of a professional website designer, as
the presentation has to do the images justice. The design of the website
will be deliberately unfussy, so as not to distract from the images.
Copyright of all images will remain with the artist or owner. This will
be made abundantly clear on the first page of the website. At his or her
discretion the images will be displayed in one of three forms:-
a) Unprotected jpeg. This is the most easily viewable version. However
viewers can save the image onto their own computer and would be able to
print it off etc.
b) Copyright embellished. A large © will appear on the image as if
stamped in relief on the original. An example is available on request by
post or email, or can be viewed at http://www.digitalvision.ltd.uk/ (an
online photographic library which protects its images thus). This option
obviously interferes with the appearance of the image, but would make
any reproduction unattractive.
c) Adobe Acrobat protection. The image can only be viewed using this
software. Not everyone will have this on their computer, though the site
will give a link where it can be downloaded for free. This software
allows us to disable the print and save functions of the viewer in
relation to the image being viewed. However, it is less straightforward
for the viewer to see the images, and some may be discouraged.
If the artist or owner makes states no preference then the images will,
by default, be exhibited as an unprotected jpeg.
Concerning the protection of images I have been advised that there is no
such thing as total security upon the Internet. Whatever security
measures employed can be undone, though this may be very difficult. It
should be realised that I cannot accept legal responsibility if images
are purloined from the website and used by others without permission.
I am very, very enthusiastic about this idea, and I have been heartened
by the enthusiasm of those with whom I have discussed it. I look forward
to promoting it with considerable vigour. It will be announced to every
one on my email list of over 1000 addresses of occult book collectors,
many with an interest in occult art, which I have built up over the last
five years. Also there will be adverts and press releases in relevant
news groups, email lists, publications etc. The potential field of
interest is enormous, including not just those with an interest and
involvement in the occult, but also those whose starting point is an
interest in modern art.
I do hope we can work together on this project. Please do not hesitate
to contact me with any ideas or suggestions.
With my regards
Ben Fernee
Ben Fernee,
Caduceus Books,
28 Darley Rd.,
Burbage,
Hinckley,
Leicestershire,
LE10 2RL,
England.
Tel. 01455 250542, + 44 1455 250542 from overseas
also 07071 880742, +44 7071 880742 from overseas
Fax. 0870 0552982, +44 870 0552982 from overseas
Email b...@cadu.demon.co.uk
Web pages:- http://www.cadu.demon.co.uk/
http://www.io.com/~albion/caduceus/
Private premises, visitors very welcome by appointment.