The Blag Switch » Art

“Be still, my soul, be still; the arms you bear are brittle”

The Tarquin — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 04:37:59 +0000

by A. E. Housman

Be still, my soul, be still; the arms you bear are brittle,
Earth and high heaven are fixt of old and founded strong.
Think rather, — call to thought, if now you grieve a little,
The days when we had rest, O soul, for they were long.

Men loved unkindness then, but lightless in the quarry
I slept and saw not; tears fell down, I did not mourn;
Sweat ran and blood sprang out and I was never sorry:
Then it was well with me, in days ere I was born.

Now, and I muse for why and never find the reason,
I pace the earth, and drink the air, and feel the sun.
Be still, be still, my soul; it is but for a season:
Let us endure an hour and see injustice done.

Ay, look: high heaven and earth ail from the prime foundation;
All thoughts to rive the heart are here, and all are vain:
Horror and scorn and hate and fear and indignation –
Oh why did I awake? when shall I sleep again?

Pause for Update

The Tarquin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:54:21 +0000

I’ll be updating shortly to the latest version of WordPress. Please report any blog issues to the comments. In the meantime, here’s a video of Richard Hugo talking about and reading his poem “The Lady in Kicking Horse Reservoir”:

There Oughta Be A Law!

The Tarquin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:23:01 +0000

After all, don’t I have a right to see Irish vigilantes dispensing bloody justice? Yes. Yes I believe I do.

Alas, Boondock Saints II is only open in select theaters. VERY select theaters:

(via IMDB)

Sand Animation

The Tarquin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:19:43 +0000

I had no idea this was even a thing. Apparently animation and story telling via sand is a well-established art. This following story, told by a contestant on the Ukrainian version of “$(NATION)’s Got Talent” is stunning. The art, the artistry, and the incredible emotive power are all absolutely incredible. I don’t care who you are or what you’re doing today, it’s definitely worth 9 minutes of your time:

More fun to make than to own

The Tarquin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:24:49 +0000

The final product are actually pretty cool-looking. Still, I think I’d rather be the artist than the art-owner as far as these are concerned:

(h/t to Sebastian for linking to this video.)

Turns out the artist’s name is Matthew Stromberg. He’s a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Here’s one where he attempts to “sculpt” using a sub-gun:

Turns out he also does work with incendiary and high explosive substances. Sounds like interesting (and highly entertaining) stuff. Here’s an interesting article on professor Stromberg’s work.