Gustav Metzger

Gustav Metzger  'Acid action painting' 1961

Gustav Metzger was one in a long line of artists that made destructive art works, or destroyed their work. 

Jef Bourgeau - Art damage. A night of creative destruction in Detroit 

Jef Bourgeau provides a categorised timeline, detailing auto-destructive art and art tagging.  Relevant events are also mapped:

1937 - Nazis mount the exhibition ENTARTETE KUNST (DEGENERATE ART) in Munich. Over 100,000 visitors.

Momart fire, 2004

Guardian article
Part one

Part two

This fire in 2004 destroyed the work of a lot of 'up and coming' artists. Was it a disaster or a triumph? I would argue that it depends on the artist.

Clouded

A couple of recent shots, great shadow due to sun setting earlier in the day.

Home

Due to the nature of moving house every few years, and once a year for the past three, there isn't a house I consider 'home'.
I call any place I stay for more than a week 'home'.
For me, home is the sea. Being on the coast.
You can cure anything with a good lungfull of sea air.

Rena ship, New Zealand

Some interesting reading on the BBC

Destroyer

I feel a desperate need to put the sketchbook I'm currently working on into the sea when it's finished, to 'surrender' it to the elements and a power greater than myself.

I'm spending time on every page as I would any sketchbook or drawing, but embracing catastrophe (closing pages before they're dry). This sort of behavior would invoke terror in most people. This type of 'art' fascinates me, it shows that process is the overriding desire. This need for making and process is more important than a final outcome or 'piece'. Perhaps video art is relevant?

I'm fascinated by the sea; the vastness, the power, the repetitive motion, the uncontrollable nature. This is all linked to the larger theme of the sublime.

By offering up a labour of love to potential catastrophe I become free of the burden of control.

Ten things you didn't know about tsunamis.

Some notes:

2/3 world - sea

26th December 2004 , earthquake NW of Sumatra, waves 3 miles inland

40 hours, 225,000 lives, 11 countries

Can happen after a landslide or underwater earthquake

cracks ocean floor, one side of fault is pushed up, displacing water, 

waves are hundreds of miles long at sea, nearer the shore they get steeper (taller)

drawback - water receding from the shore

catastrophic geological happening. 

earthquake was different, sheer cliff was thrust out of the sea bed. 

proof that it was formed recently, saw toothed edge.

second cliff - enormous - 'megathrust' - magnitude 9

cliff hundreds of miles long

tectonic plates, pushing for hundreds of years, pressure, breaking point

fault ruptured, cliff made was 40 feet tall, 450 miles long

500mph tsunami wave

created spectacle, lost temples, visible.

lost 6 below waves (pagodas)

sea retreated 1/2 kilometer in India for several minutes

Chixculub - 65 million years ago, meteor size of San Fransisco

struck earth, wiped out dinosaurs

struck water - gulf of Mexico. Crater 122 miles across

meteor 6 miles wide

700 miles/min fireball

vaporised water, blew hole in ocean. sea rushed into crater, sent out wave as deep as the ocean was

chain of waves, 100 miles inland

largest tsunami ever?

volcano - erupted for days, 25 miles into atmosphere

collapsed.

sea rushed into magma mass, debris fell into the sea, causing tsunami

60 feet into air, dragged back out to sea

Hawaii & Japan - tsunami capitals of the world

Pacific ocean most frequent. 4/5 happen there

Britain - first tabloid coverage was 400 years ago

3 in recorded history

Jan 1607, Bristol, fault line Ireland. at dawn

caused by God - retribution

WW2 tsunami bomb, Australian, Thomas Leech

4000 experiments, all failed

2000 tons of explosives - Tokyo bay - similar

Scientists cancelled any further experimenting

Project Seal

Moses - tsunami. Exodus. 3500 yrs ago

600 chariots, God parted the red sea

drowned men

shallow marsh? coast? volcanic eruption displaced body of water

sucked water in as it filled the void

drawback

water returning, drowned the Pharaohs army.

effects of nature unbelievable

Ten things you didn’t know about. 1/3 (2008) Ten things you didn’t know about tsunamis. London, BBC4, January 13, [DVD]