“First/Last” Newspaper at Port Authority
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SINISTER TO ESTABLISH “FIRST/LAST” NEWSPAPER AT PORT AUTHORITY 1 NOVEMBER 2009 — Recently described as “wheat paste,” DEXTER SINISTER are set to produce a newspaper twice a week for three weeks this fall under the umbrella of PERFORMA 09, New York’s well-regarded bi-annual festival of performance art. To- gether with a hastily assembled staff of in- ternational writers and photographers, the Lower East Side “pamphleteers” will occupy a disused, street-level space in New York’s Port Authority bus terminal on the corner of 8th Avenue and 41st Street, directly op- posite the new New York Times building. According to sources close to Sinister, The First/Last Newspaper (TF/LN) will be “as much about the current state of news me- dia as anything else.” They will host a pub- lic opening of the workspace on TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2009 from 6pm onwards and screen Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu, the 1980 doc- umentary conceived by Times Linotype op- erator Carl Schlesinger. Schlesinger will offer a small introduction to the film that evening. TF/LN will then appear twice a week for the following three weeks, to be distributed in “various formats” yet to be announced. Like- wise, further events open to the public will be arranged during their three-week operation. In Sinister’s own characteristically melodra- matic words: “You don’t want to start quan- tifying things or you’re dead.” Still from Farewell, etaoin shrdlu, a 1980 film chronicling the last day of hot metal typesetting at The New York Times. IN BRIEF IN BRIEF No sooner has this text been written than it willNo sooner be full ofhas holes. this text . been Art histories written maythan be it measuredwill be full in of timeholes. by . .books . Art (years), histories by may mag- be azinesmeasured (months), in time by by newspapers books (years), (weeks by mag- and days),azines by(months), radio and by tv newspapers (days and (weeks hours), and by thedays), internet by radio (minutes and tv and (days seconds). and hours), And by at the galleryinternet proper (minutes — instants! and seconds)....Asfar And at asthe I’m gallery concerned, proper there — instants! are no such...Asfar things as formsas I’m that concerned, are more there or are less no up such to date. things All as forms,forms that materials, are more ideas, or and less means up to date. are avail- All ableforms, and materials, to be used. ideas, Real and news means is bad are news,avail- badable newsand toabout be used.somebody, Real news or bad is bad news news,for somebody.bad news about . .somebody, . Edgar Poe, or bad a press news manfor and,somebody. like Shelley, . a Edgar science Poe, fictioneer, a press man cor- rectlyand, like analysed Shelley, the a poetic science process. fictioneer, Condi- cor- tionsrectly of analysed newspaper the serial poetic production process. led Condi- both himtions and of newspaper Dickens to serial the production process of led writing both backwards.him and Dickens This meansto the simultaneity process of writing of all partsbackwards. of a composition. This means simultaneitySimultaneity of com- all pelsparts sharp of a focus composition. on effect of Simultaneity thing made. com- The artistpels sharp starts focus with on theeffect effect.of thing Simultaneity made. The is formartist of starts the press with thein dealing effect. with Simultaneity earth city. is .form . In of other the press words, in dealing and this with amounts earth to city. an aesthetic. In other system, words, the and only this meaningful amounts way to an in whichaesthetic art system, can speak the of only man meaningful and his world way in is bywhich organizing art can formsspeak inof mana particular and his way world and is notby organizing by making forms pronouncements in a particular with way them. and Formnot by must making not pronouncements be a vehicle of thought: with them. it mustForm be must a way not of be thinking. a vehicle . of . Here thought: I must it repeatmust be that a way the of newspaper, thinking. from . Here its I begin- must nings,repeat has that tended the newspaper, not to the frombook itsform, begin- but tonings, thehas mosaic tended or participational not to the book form. form, With but theto the speed-up mosaic of or printing participational and news-gathering, form. With thisthe speed-up mosaic form of printing has been and a dominant news-gathering, aspect ofthis human mosaic association; form has been for a the dominant mosaic aspect form means,of human not association; a detached for“point the of mosaic view,” form but participationmeans, not a in detached process. “point . of No view,” real news but followedparticipation for 14 in years. process. No real news followed for 14 years..