Dark Mountain Terra book launch at Baldwin Gallery
Dark Mountain Terra book launch at Baldwin Gallery, a trek out to south east London, a nightmare to find.
Before setting off, I asked of the Baldwin Gallery, a fee, need to book, how to find?
Sadly clueless on the use of social media. No reply, by the time I did eventually receive a reply, too late, but they did have the courtesy to apologise.
- broadcast → one to many
- social → interaction
- network — many to many
Social media is not broadcast, the clue is in the name, social network.
Train from Charing Cross to Dartford, alight at Lee.
Could I find Baldwin Gallery, no.
When in the vicinity and unable to find, I ask a passing local. No he has never heard of.
I pass by and find myself in Greenwich. I retrace my steps.
I find the venue, Baldwin Gallery, eventually.
I expect to find no one there, I am surprised to find quite a few have turned up, maybe twenty or more.
The original concept of Dark Mountain, thought provoking essays and short stories, art and poetry, was excellent. I was happy to support. But the reality, incomprehensible writing badly written, very little worth reading, the art badly reproduced. And then to be insulted with a poor quality paperback when had subscribed to what Dark Mountain describe as ‘Each issue takes the form of a beautifully-produced hardback.’
The evening was reading from Terra.
Nothing more boring than reading what has been written, I can do that myself. Public reading of poetry a different matter, it is meant to be read out loud. Far more interesting is for the contributors to talk about the subject they have written about.
Reading of a short story, a postman posted to back of beyond, I must have missed something, as the end was back at the beginning.
Reading of two essays, a native Indian massacre, the struggle of Palestinians, deserved deeper exploration, which would have been been possible had the contributors discussed their contribution not read from it. Worse still, it was a waste of there being present.
One of the criticisms of Dark Mountain, apart from too much pretentious badly written incomprehensible drivel, is the typeface, too small, not easy to read.
What was Terra?
I thought next volume, but when I saw a tiny slim volume, I thought no, must be a supplementary book, especially when I learnt this was the second book launch.
The topic was travel, a sense of place, ancient pathways, pilgrimage, how we interact with the landscape, how the landscape interacts with us.
Terra is the next volume, the typeface microscopic, needing a magnifying glass to read.
Copies of Terra were on sale. I did not see any sold. Nor did I see early volumes of Dark Mountain on sale. Nor that could pay an annual subscription and obtain Terra at a discounted price.
I was one of the early supporters, but have received no volumes since the paperback volume.
At £20 for a slim volume, too pricey, especially when paid for by subscription, unlike most publications which go from publication to remainder to pulp.
It was only later when I checked the Dark Mountain website I learnt why no other volumes on sale, all sold out. Only available as a pdf. I would recommend upload to leanpub and have in an e-format that flows as is more suited to reading on a tablet or e-reader or smartphone than pdf, though pdf would still be a format to select from.
The Dark Mountain website is very badly designed. A dark smudge across the top of the screen, limiting the lines of text. Readability not their strong point whether on-line or in print.
They say print is dead. No, we see that print is thriving, we see we this with publications like Dark Mountain, Standart, Drift, Ambrosia and Om Nom, excellent writing, stunning imagery, only the rubbish has died.
Visit Magazine Brighton or Ideas on Paper and will see that far from dead, print is thriving.
Interesting exhibits at the Baldwin Gallery, strong Mexican influence, or at least Central America.
