The Aesthetic Dimension, Religious Meanderings, RPG Review

[tcpip]

Went to Liquid Architecture last week with _nightflower_, an interesting combination of video, sound, performance and installation art. On Saturday went with Karl and Liz to the to the Satirical Eye exhibition at the National Gallery (International) on Saturday; was particularly impressed by Rowlandsen's 'The Chamber of Genius', the content of Goya's Los Caprichos and the irony of Honore Daumier's Les Femmes Socialistes (genuinely ironic because Honoré was trying to ridicule socialist women but the arguments and presentation were actually supportive by contemporary standards). On Wednesday evening will be attending the Salvador Dali Liquid Desire at the same location. Also hoping to see the Light Years (photography and space) exhibition. Tonight will be attending The Comics Lounge with kremmen and caseopaya.

On Tuesday attended the Melbourne Atheist Society to listen to Silvio Bonazinga question 'scientism' in atheism. Meeting in the same hall on Sunday, Peter Abrehart, chairperson of the Melbourne Unitarian Church spoke pretty much in favour of scientism on a presentation entitled 'The Greatest Dissenters'; I took the service from this address and the reading was from Marx's A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, specifically oft-cited (and usually erroneously) comment on religion as the opium of the people.

RPG Review issue four has been released. Dennis Sustare's article on his life in gaming is particularly fascinating reading. Also some twit supposedly representing Barry Windsor-Smith studios is complaining about the article entitled Young Gods supposedly infringing trademark. Fun times ahead if they try to go through with that one.

Comments

[synabetic.livejournal.com]

I suppose complaining about Young Gods being a comic name is fine... but an article title? As I always like to say: Do they know there's also a band called The Young Gods?

[discordia13.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I was going to say.
They probably need to read the article and realise that their trademark doesnt actually apply when the words are used to describe "youthful deities".

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

I'll be in your part of the world, but jet lagged, on Friday; I'll see what sort of contact info will work as I'm going to work out cell phone stuff later today.

[fluffyblanket.livejournal.com]

Wow - Melbourne must be a very switched-on city !

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Cool. My number is 043 225 5208

I can think of something non-strenuous to do on the eve. Maybe a nice lounge bar...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

The name of the band is what inspired me to the title. I remember, either strangedave or mikey_ob talking about them in the early 90s.. My mind thought of the difference between the "Elder Gods" and the "Young Gods"..

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Of course, receiving something like this makes it even more likely to do further product development using that title.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that on Saturday. Just a brief wander around the city witnessed pro-Palestine and pro-Falun Gong protesters in different places... Some interesting buskers.. some people dressed in Roman uniform giving out faux bronze coins for an exhibition at the museum for a Pompeii exhibition.

After the gallery we went to a Lindt coffee shop opening in one of Melbourne's classic old buildings; upstairs we could see beautiful bookshelves lining the mezzanine level - so that led us to Kay Craddock's Antiquarian Bookshop.

It was quite a visually appealing day!

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

Neat. I'm quite sure reynardo or somebody else is either going to get me when I arrive (scheduled 9:40 AM) or at least nudge me toward good directions for getting over to her place as my booked hotel stay won't commence until the next day.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, do you want to make it Saturday instead? reynardo, iirc lives a little distance from the inner urbs which is my main haunt..

[zey.livejournal.com]

On Tuesday attended the Melbourne Atheist Society

Sounds like an interesting group. Out of curiosity, where do they stand on antitheists (those that not only disbelieve in God/s but also believe religions are a blight on society)?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

A mixed lot. As the convener says, there is no particular agreement in the group of the definition of atheism, let alone a particular attitude towards religion in a general sense.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Liquid Architecture. Sounds so elitist! :D

[fluffyblanket.livejournal.com]

I wonder if my retired Ozzie uncle knows about all this . He was a university lecturer , so he probably does . I know he and his wife live on the Gold Coast nowadays ...

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

Saturday might be better...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

OK, Saturday it is! Look forward to hearing from you.. Perhaps we can have a lazy afternoon in St Kilda..

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It was quite avant-garde, so.. yes :) The two video presentations were very good, the music performance was amusing and the two installation pieces were utterly unremarkable. That's the rub with new arts; you get material which is very good and material which is very bad.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

...and the perception of good/bad depends on each and every observer, of course ;)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course. I'm not in the realm of judging aesthetics for other people :)

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

The more I hear about the place, the more it seems like a version of Toronto where things actually work a lot better most of the time.

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

Afternoon is good. I'm keen on ducking out to any one of the Goth bars/clubs in the area when that evening happens, so as not to miss my first chance at such, and since that would be late late evening I do not believe it would interfere with a power conserving afternoon.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Sounds just fine. Let's start with a lateish lunch (say 1.30-2pm) and we can meander about the local sights, thus leaving plenty of time for g*th clubbing in the eve..

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

How dumb of me, I forgot the asterisk. Oh well, if I'm doing five prayer stretches, thirty seconds each, and four separate times per day, I can secretly atone for my transgression while also helping myself physically.