Bruce Connor, esteemed & brilliant assemblage innovator in sculpture, painting and film, passed away in San Francisco yesterday. Dark portrayer of the 'under-soul' and luminous, angelic portrayer of the 'over-soul' his alchemic seeming transformations of detritus were mesmeric - in Edgar Alan Poe needed a lazer beam transmssion into the substance of the contemporary, or if 30's surrealism needed un autre enfant terrible, Connor was an extraordinary agent. Not an 'easy dude' by all accounts - particularly by many foiled curators - he leaves an assured legacy. When the measuring of mid-Century American art is done, I suspect Connor will be viewed as Raushenberg's dark brother. Suggest Minimally honor the day, if you can find his short movies composed of found footage, "A Movie", for one. Not to over-do the dark imprint, Connor ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors circa 1966 in a long comic City tradition of unelectable musicans and artists, including Joel
Biafra, lead singer of the Dead Kennedys.
I am sure there will be many 'real' Connor orbits, Look to them for more facts.
Stephen Vincent
http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
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