A homage to 1984

Edinburgh Reporter

7 hours ago

George Orwell remains a notable literary and political presence, more than 75 years after his death.
Only last week, the 80th anniversary of the publication of Animal Farm was marked. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Jonathan Bate, described Orwell's allegory as 'extraordinarily prophetic'. Orwell's continuing relevance has been expressed vividly at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.
Orwell related performances this year include Sam Blythman's superb one man version of Animal Farm, a brilliant 1984 by Box Tale Soup, and a powerful sequel to Orwell's final novel, Julia. 1984, by Within Theatre. This is a group (now based in London) from a variety of Slavic countries. Nations which are facing some of the authoritarian tendencies described and dissected in Orwell's fiction, reportage, and essays. The ongoing relevance is manifested in these performances.
A glorious curiosity
Another high class contribution to this 'Orwell season' in Edinburgh is The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth, a sculptural installation by Edinburgh-based artist Hans K Clausen. This intriguing 'visual art installation, a sculpture, a library, a museum, a curiosity', uses 1,984 copies of Orwell's 1984, placed on tailor-made bookshelves. It's a deceptively simple idea which has many layers. We might compare it with Animal Farm. This 'fairy story' that can be enjoyed on many levels; as a story of a farm run by animals, a political allegory, an analysis of the uses of propaganda etc. In similar fashion, there are hidden depths to Clausen's homage to 1984.
Hans K Clausen
Ideal for absorbing the piece
This installation is now at Out of the Blue, on Dalmeny Street. As part of a series of Artists Talks, Clausen, the artist behind the library, gave an absorbing presentation outlining how he came to create it and his interesting experiences along the way. These including many new connections he has made, beyond his usual artistic milieu. Clausen also discussed his hopes for the future of the library.
Johnny Gailey, of Out of the Blueprint, introduced Clausen. The library is part of Print Expo 2525, marking out of Out of the Blueprint's 10th anniversary. The Expo features work by recent resident artists, as well as choice selections from their archives.
Gailey reflected that Out of the Blue's Drill Hall was an excellent location for the library, a place where it could be fully appreciated. Certainly, with sun streaming through the glass roof and visitors able to calmly wander around the installation and examine the books at their leisure was ideal for absorbing the piece.
This was something emphasised by Clausen, who wanted it to be seen not just as an exhibit but he wanted people to 'be able to feel it, read it, connect to it'. In my two visits to see it, I've witnessed that, with visitors engaging with it many ways, with different emotions being triggered. Many talked of their initial encounter with the novel and which edition it was. I've seen many interesting conversations between strangers (and involving Clausen himself) emerge from interactions with the library and its contents.
Unresolved ideas
Clausen began his talk by outlining how he became a conceptual artist (having been a social worker) and the evolution of his own process. In short, how he found his artistic voice. He related how it was often the creative reuse of unwanted or spare materials that has defined his work. For example, his graduate project made use of unwanted materials that were going to be thrown in a skip. He built something meaningful out of these failed projects and discards, these 'unresolved ideas'. Another project used hundreds of gloves, including many which had been left on railings and fences. He creatively reused these found, and slightly malodorous objects.
Central to Clausen's work was the way people relate to physical things, in particular 'the meaning we bestow on objects'. Books would be a classic example of this in that they evoke memories and are often related to significant periods and people in our lives. For instance books handed down by family members. My own copy was my Dad's, which he used in his times as a teacher. In such cases, we tend to value everything about the book; its smell, and the little markings on them; tea stains, annotations, dedications etc. All this raised the question of why Clausen chose 1984 ?
The book is everywhere
The project did not stem from any particular expertise in the work and life of Orwell (though he has since built up a lot of knowledge via the project). The initial spur was when he discovered they had four copies of the book among his possessions. It made him reflect that there must be some meaning to this. Having so many copies also illustrated that 'the book is everywhere', with many owning copies. It's also everywhere in our culture (take TV programmes such as Room 101 and Big Brother), as are the concepts and themes of the book, such as 'double-think' and the power of propaganda. The world of smartphones, CCTV and facial recognition has again brought fears of the surveillance society, outlined in 1984, to the surface. Widespread fears about a backslide towards 'anocracy,' a transitional stage of government between democracy and autocracy in democratic states, has also brought Orwell to the fore.
For Clausen, as a novel, 1984, 'goes well beyond others' in its continued life. One aspect that appealed to Clausen about the book was that its 'hero' Winston Smith is an unlikely one, a flawed character who in the end is a failure. The book too is not perfect, lacking the elegant composition of Animal Farm. This reflects Orwell's failing health and, perhaps, the absence of his wife Eileen's influence. This is the view of Anna Funder, who argues in Wifedom that Eileen (a graduate in English literature from Oxford) helped Animal Farm achieve the level of polish and completeness that it did. Eileen died, suddenly, in 1945, so was unable to assist with 1984, though the title may derive from a poem of hers. However, the imperfect aspects of Winston Smith and the book itself give it a very human feel. Nobody's perfect.
A belated thank you
Clausen first read the book, as many have done, as a teenager and then later as an adult. The installation is something of 'a belated thank you' for the impact it's had on him in terms of influencing his ideas on politics, religion and many other matters. So, he started to seek out further copies of 1984 from charity shops and from people he knew. He also started to get encouragement with the project from organizations such as the Orwell Society and especially Kevin Carter, who sourced many foreign language editions. These gave Clausen a sense of the varied book styles and cover art that were out there. The cover illustrations caught his artistic imagination, especially some of the more abstract prints used on some of the 1960s editions.
Hans Clausen by Murdo Macleod
The missing typewriter
The first setting for the library was an obvious one; the Isle of Jura. This was where Orwell, dying of pulmonary tuberculosis, bashed out much of the text on a Remington Home Portable typewriter. The same model is part of the library, allowing visitors to type their own thoughts, enjoying the very tactile experience of using a typewriter.
As many visitors have noted, composition on a typewriter is always a forward process. You are not, as you would be with a computer, given the opportunity to constantly shift from section to section. You must simply plough on. Clausen told the audience about the mystery regarding the actual typewriter used by Orwell. Supposedly, the typewriter ended up in the hands of the publisher Jim Haynes. Haynes was a significant cultural figure, including in Edinburgh where he set up the famous Paperback Bookshop and was a co-founder of the Traverse Theatre. Via Haynes, the typewriter supposedly ended up in Leith before going missing. Perhaps it's been squirrelled away in someone's attic. If this project could lead to its rediscovery, that would be a wonderful conclusion given Clausen's interest in the 'meaning we bestow on objects'. Being able to use the typewriter on which 1984 was written would be a great treat.
A catalyst for creating
Clausen is determined that the library should end up on Jura. Ideally, as part of an artists and writers retreat, though this would require a purpose built building. He sees this new cultural centre as a potential 'catalyst for creating'. In the short term, there are hopes that the library will travel to a variety of places that have Orwell connections.
Richard Demarco, one of Scotland's most significant cultural progenitors has been one of the library's most prominent advocates, considering it a 'very important' piece. Clausen noted that Demarco had 'really got behind' the project. For Demarco, it is a prime example of art that connects to the 'central questions of the age', which is what he wants to see more of. Demarco wants the library to travel to Poland, where much of his vast archive (currently in 13 rooms at Summerhall), is likely to end up. Other possible locations with strong Orwell connections include Barcelona, Wigan and Paris.
Clausen sees the library as something that should evolve as it moves around, as new copies of 1984 are added and some of the contemporary editions replaced. In its short time in Leith, he has already had several donations of copies of 1984 and other Orwell-related texts. He's very keen for more donations, particularly of interesting editions and those copies with a story to tell (many who have donated have added little notes, reflecting on the significance of the book for them and the provenance of the copy).
Ongoing interest
I gave Clausen a copy of Bernard Crick's biography of Orwell, the 1st major life of Orwell. First published in 1980, it was written with full access to the Orwell Archive. Crick spent his final years in Edinburgh. Crick, a substantial academic figure within British political studies, emphasised Orwell's significance as a political thinker and essayist, on top of his novel-writing. He used some of the money from sales of the book to help set up the Orwell Prize for political writing, now run by the Orwell Foundation.
That several more substantial biographies have been published since Crick's (including two by D. J. Taylor) is further evidence of the ongoing interest in Orwell. These include works on overlooked aspects of Orwell's life, such as Rebecca Solnit's Orwell's Roses which looks at Orwell's love of gardening and veg growing.
New generations of admirers
Clausen has been much heartened by the way that school pupils have embraced his project. He's worked with groups from Portobello High, Firhill, and James Gillespie's. The project has given the pupils a richer experience of the novel than simply studying it as part of the English literature curriculum (in Scotland at least, pupils these days seem to look at Animal Farm, not 1984). Clausen highlighted several of the reflections on the novel by these pupils, touched by the way the book has affected them. This echoed his own initial engagement with the novel. Again, this suggests that 1984 will continue to engage and speak to new generations.
Like the way the contents of the the shelves will 'evolve', this reflects the satisfying circularity of the project. Hence Clausen's desire to see its journey start and end on Jura.
The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth will be at Out of The Blue, Dalmeny Street, until Saturday August 23rd.
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