I love the internet. After years of dredging my memory without result I have finally found on the internet the name of one of my favorite obscure artists of all time, and the name of the one work of his that I so loved.
The artist was and apparently still is Norman Daly, who is now a 95 year-old professor emeritus of art at Cornell. The work was an exhibition I saw in 1972 of the artifacts of the civilization of Llhuros. I was able to rediscover the name of the artist and the work thanks to this three year-old article I found on the internet from the archives of Cornell Chronicle, which talks about the 1972 show.
At that time Daly had been a professor of art at Cornell for 30 years. The civilization of Llhuros, which he made up, had already been a preoccupation of his for a long time. The exhibition sprawled out among several rooms. Besides archaeological artifacts of the civilization, there were newspaper clippings of archaeological finds, some supposedly predating photography. One memorable piece was an article telling of the arrival of Napoleon's troops at a Llhuroscian site, illustrated by a lithograph showing a massive fountain in the shape of a penis head.
The artifacts were often accompanied by notes written by fictitious contemporary archaeologists puzzling over their purpose. The general rule seemed to be if the purpose was unclear it was probably a temple votive. I remember several of those that looked phallic. Others looked like cheese knives with the blades removed. With phallic protrusions in the handles.
The archaeological remnants were laid out according to period. I remember there were different dynasties and broad periods encompassing several. The artifacts of the later periods were more sophisticated but no less mysterious.
It was overwhelming. It was hard to believe that Llhuros was an invention. How could anyone make so much up about a non-existent civilization? Some visitors didn't catch on at first that it was all fabricated and complained that they were taken in by a fraud.
I loved it. I wish I could show a bit of it here, but all I could find was the Cornell Chronicle story. Maybe that's for the best. The main thing I took away from it all was awe for the power of the imagination. By not having anything left of it but my memory, I have to recreate it in my mind whenever I want to see it again. I think the artist wants me to do that much, and a lot more.
If you like invented civilizations and have a passport and don't mind using it, there will be a session on invented civilizations at a conference of the European Archaeological Association at the University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia, September 18 through September 23, 2007. If you go, tell me about it!
About Me
- Dr. Wes Browning
- I have a doctorate in Mathematics from Cornell. I am amused by this. My parents tried to kill me on my 1st birthday. Though I now can't speak it much, and though my parents never could, my first language was Hawaiian, not English. I partially credit an I'iwi for my survival. Hear one on the audio clip at my complete profile. I've been homeless a number of times, for a total of about 4 years. For some of that time I supported myself with the sale of paintings. One of my paintings was chosen for the cover of the premier issue of Real Change, see the links below. Since that first issue in 1994 I have become part of its volunteer editorial committee. I write a regular humor column for the paper, currently titled Adventures in Irony. I serve on the Real Change Board of Directors. I feed the Real Change cat Sid Vicious. Anitra Freeman and I are an item.
1 comment:
In reference to your mention of Norman Daly's "Civilization of Llhuros": this exhibit also made a big impression on me in 1972 when I saw it at a local art museum in Akron, Ohio. I recently obtained the exhibit catalog and am enjoying it again now more than 35 years later. Daly was clever, entertaining, prescient, and targeted in his satire of stuffy academics, historians, and art critics who try to impress one another with their empty, phony jargon. I wrote to Daly a few years ago but received no answer (it may be hard for a guy in his mid-90's to use email!). Thanks for mentioning this again in your blog.
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