Comments on: Bill Henson photography controversy - latest news links and discussion continued

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:38:18 +0000

Note: Comments on this post are now closed, and can be continued here.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:21:40 +0000

Simple, all children are impressionable!!
I have no problem with nude’s in general and am all for freedom of speech. However i do not think these pictures should be allowed to been shown. An adult may not realise they are abusing there position of authority or even aware of it but all adults have a position of authority over children, kids are impressionable.

By: Adrien

Adrien — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:25:39 +0000

multiple orgasms in parliament

Dem and blost wot! We should dock that demmed chap his pay and at the club he’ll be eating his chop alone quite some time. Did he claim these ‘genetically modified orgasms’ on the public bill? Did he? Put his dem hide on half-pay and sack him from the regiment. And a Tory too. He should dem well know better. What do you mean he has no regiment?
>
Talk of lowering the tone wot. Society these days - a dem bunch of nobodies talking about nothing.
>
Anyway off to the Hunt. Gerald’s rounded up some of the cleaning staff at one of his buildings. Apparently these chaps can run quite fast. Should make for a spot of sport wot.
>
Tally ho’.

By: Adrien

Adrien — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:20:20 +0000

It’s not like we’re losing a Beethoven symphony.

Actually it is.

By: James

James — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:15:46 +0000

I don’t think Henson should be prosecuted. However if he can’t express his ideas about adolescence without taking pix of nude under-age girls, then too bad.

It’s not like we’re losing a Beethoven symphony.

By: Adrien

Adrien — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:56:54 +0000

not sure if this artist is niave or simply , well um, niave.

Naive or not here’s to her; raise your glass. High.

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:14:59 +0000

see what this has all led to….multiple orgasms in parliament
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/03/1212258746557.html

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:58:34 +0000

cool comment and thanks.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:45:50 +0000

sc, concerning your 99, I did and commented at 44.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:42:46 +0000

Despammed. It’s there now at 99.

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:40:52 +0000

oh and i’m in the spam can again.

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:38:54 +0000

Nope, no way they are going to be identified by promoting the show and showing their pics in the paper.

Seriously, (and this seems more like opportunistic promotion than protest), they are 17 now - essentially too old for interest by child protection depts, so i don’t think its problematic particularly.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:38:02 +0000

Provided there are no unprincipled dobbers, that is.

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:24:42 +0000

Did you catch Radio National Artworks on the weekend or this afternoon btw ?
THought it was quite balanced

We begin with an interview from 2003 when Bill Henson spoke to Julie Copeland about the relationship between people and place in his photographs - between his dark urban landscapes and the young figures he depicts in them.
The president of the Law Society of New South Wales Hugh Macken believes whilst it will be very difficult to prosecute the artist, people publishing and accessing the images electronically, could be in trouble.
Vivien Gaston is an art historian and critic and an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne and has mixed feelings about the art of Bill Henson.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/artworks/stories/2008/2260481.htm

Oh, and on the porn thing, poor old Bill Henson shares his name with a porn star, which probably won't help the search engine hits.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:21:46 +0000

And they’re not being!

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:20:42 +0000

The parents don’t wish the kids to be identified. (?)

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:15:23 +0000

Why do you think she’s naive, sc?

By: sublimecowgirl

sublimecowgirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:09:18 +0000

kim - not sure if this artist is niave or simply , well um, niave.

“Larielle, who studied at Melbourne School of Art, took the photographs when her two subjects were 11. They are now 17, and have given permission, she says, for their images to be shown in public, although their parents do not wish them to be identified.”

Good thing there’s no media interest in this sort of thing then

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:55:40 +0000

Photographic protest in Melbourne:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/nude-boy-photos-to-show-20080602-2kwj.html

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:40:03 +0000

But then I was just thinking, Claire Bowdler is from the Classification Board, so I guess a large part of her work would be focussed on deciding what level of classification an image of a naked body will be given. And so of course her focus on the concept of ‘nudity’ would perhaps always be on the sexual areas of the body, as I imagine that how visble the sexual areas of the body are would be the deciding factor as to whether an image of a naked body is ‘G’ or PG/M/MA15+/R18+/X18+.

I think I was reading too much into her idea of ‘nudity’, given her profession!