St Pierre & Miquelon and MONACO MAGAZINE / Katie Guggenheim

Friday 25 June 6-9pm

St Pierre & Miquelon will be conducting a guided tour of the surrounding area influenced by the title of the exhibition ‘Mulberry Tree Press’ which takes its name from the last remaining tree from a garden in Deptford, designed by the diarist John Evelyn. See below for guide.

The tour will start at 7pm from the gallery and last approximately 1 hour.

and

Katie Guggenheim will be launching issue one of ‘Monaco Magazine’ with live work at the launch from contributing artists Zayne Armstrong, Jennifer Bailey, Jenifer Evans and Rosie Cooper.

The launch will take place in SE8 gallery from 8pm.

About:

St Pierre & Miquelon is a collaborative group for socially engaged art and design activities - using talks, publications and events to enquire into a broad range of issues important to both the individual and societies today. Work to date has included Attention Please, an open submission photography campaign documenting people’s experiences of safety signage in public space, The Great British Citizenship Test, an event designed to see if native Brits can pass the UK Citizenship Test, and a bootleg of the architectural magazine Sexymachinery, as a way of exploring issues of copyright and ownership. They also design Manifesto Club publications, leaflets and reports, exploring a design language that expresses the club’s grassroots model of political campaigning.

MONACO MAGAZINE is a combination of an exhibition space and an art magazine which employs the format of a periodical publication as the organisational structure to generate a website, a series of print publications and a programme of exhibitions and events.

Rather than reviewing or previewing, the magazine is devoted to sharing projects that haven’t happened (and for various reasons eg. unfeasibility or lack of time, resources or interest– probably never will). By providing a space to present these lost ideas, the magazine aims to create discussion and activity which will lead to the development of new projects.

With contributions to the printed magazine from:
Zayne Armstrong, Jennifer Bailey, Oscar Carlson,Censor, Rosie Cooper, Danielle Dean, Jenifer Evans, Babak Ghazi, Alexander Haßenpflug, François Morice, Woody Pollen, Patrick Shier.

Photography: Danny Morgan

A Preface to The Mulberry Tree Press
A tour guided by St. Pierre & Miquelon
SE8

Map to follow

1 Evelyn Street
Of the Air
‘Moreover the city was cloaked in ‘such a cloud of sea-coal, as if there be a resemblance of hell upon earth, it is in this vulcano in a foggy day: this pestilent smoak, which corrodes the very iron, and spoils all the moveables, leaving a soot on all things that it lights: and so fatally seizing on the lungs of the inhabitants, that the cough and the consumption spares no man.’
– Fumifugium, or, The inconveniencie of the aer and smoak of London, 1661

2 Evelyn Street
Of the Mist
25 Nov 1699. There happen’d this weekend so thick a mist and fog that people lost their way in the streetes, it being so intense that no light of candles or torches yielded any (or but very little) direction. I was in it and in danger. Robberies were committed between the very lights which were fix’d between London and Kensington on both sides, and whilst coaches and travellers were passing. It began about four in the afternoone, and was quite gon by eight, without any wind to disperse it. At the Thames they beat drums to direct the watermen to make the shore.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

3 John Evelyn Pub
Of Entertainment
13th Sept 1660. I saw in South wark at St. Margaret’s Faire, monkies and apes dance and do other feates of activity on the high rope ; they were gallantly clad A la mode, went upright, saluted the company, bowing and pulling off their hatts; they saluted one another with as good a grace as if instructed by a dauncing-master; they turn’d heels over head with a basket having eggs in it, without breaking any; also with lighted candles in their hands and on their heads without extinguishing them, and with vessels of water without spilling a drop. I also saw an Italian wench daunce and performe all the tricks on the high rope to admiration; all the Court went to see her. Likewise here was a man who tooke up a piece of iron cannon of about 4001b. weight with the haire of his head onely.

8 October 1673. I took leave of my Lady Sunderland, who was going to Paris to my Lord, now Ambassador there. She made me stay dinner at Leicester House, and afterwards sent for Richardson the famous Fire-eater. He endevour’d brimston on glowing coales before us, chewing and swallowing them ; he mealted a beere-glasse and eate it quite up; then taking a live coale on his tongue, he put on it a raw oyster, the coal was blown on with bellows till it flam’d and sparkl’d in

his mouth, and so remain’d till the oyster gaped and was quite boil’d; then he mealted pitch and wax with sulphur, which he drank downe as it flamed; I saw it flaming in his mouth a good while; he also tooke up athickpieceof yron, such as laundresses use to put in their smoothing- boxes, when it was fiery hot, held it betweene his teeth, then in his hand, and threw it about like a stone, but this I observ’d he car’d not to hold very long ; then he stood on a small pot, and bending his body tooke a glowing yron with his mouth from betweene his feete, without touching the pot or ground with his hands; with divers other prodigious feates.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

4 Evelyn Community Garden
Of Diet
The Golden Age, with this Provision blest,
Such a Grand salad made, and was a Feast.
The Demi-Gods with Bodies large and found,
Commended then the Product of the Ground.
Fraud then, nor Force were known, nor filthy Lust,
Which Over-heating and Intemperance nursed
Be their vile Names in Execration held,
Who with foul Gluttony first the World defiled:
Parent of Vice, and all Diseases since,
With ghastly Death sprung up alone from thence.
Ah, from such reeking, bloody Tables fly,
Which Death for our Destruction does supply.
In Health, if Salad-Herbs you can’t endure;
Sick, you’ll desire them; or for Food, or Cure.
–Acetaria: Dicourse of Sallets, 1699

5 Grove Street
Of Fashion
It was a fine silken thing which I spied walking th’other day
through Westminster-Hall, that had as much Ribbon on him as would have plundered six shops, and set up twenty Country Pedlers; all his body was dres’t like a May-pole, or a Tom-a Bedlam’s Cap. A Fregat newly rigg’d kept not half such a clatter in a storme, as this Puppets Streamers did when the Wind was in his Shroud’s; the Motion was Wonderfull to behold, and the Colours were Red, Orange, and Blew, of well gum’d Sattin, which argu’d a happy fancy: but so was our Gallant overcharg’d, Indutumne an onustum hominem, habere vestem, an bajulare, that whether he were clad with this garment, or (as a Porter) only carried it, was not to be resolv’d.
–Tyrannus, or the Mode, 1661

6 Viewing Platform, River Thames
Of the Sky
12 December 1680. This evening looking out of my chamber window towards the west, I saw a meteor of an obscure bright colour, very much in shape like the blade of a sword, the rest of the skie very serene and cleare. What this may portend God onely knows: but such another phenomenon I remember to have scene in 1640, aboute the Triall of the greate Earle of Strafford, preceeding our bloudy Rebellion. I pray God avert his judgements. We have had of late severall comets, which tho’ I believe appeare from naturall causes, and of themselves operate not, yet I cannot despise them. They may be warnings from God, as they commonly are forerunners of his animadversions. After many daies and many nights of snow, cloudy and dark weather, the comet was very much wasted.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

7 River Thames, near existing whale sign
Of the River
3rd June 1658. A large whale was taken betwixt my land butting on the Thames and Greenewich, which drew an infinite concourse to see it, by water, iorse, coach, and on foote, from London and all parts. It appear’d first below Greenewich at low water, for at high water it would have destroyed all the boates, but lying now in shallow water incompass’d with boates, after a long conflict it was kill’d with a harping yron, struck in the head, out of which spouted blood and water by two tunnells, and after an horrid grone it ran quite on shore and died. Its length was 58 foote, heighth 16; black skin’d like coach leather, very small eyes, greate taile, onely 2 small finns, a picked snout, and a mouth so wide ‘that divers men might have stood upright in it ; no teeth, but suck’d the slime onely as thro’ a grate of that bone which we call whale-bone ; the throate yet so narrow as would not have admitted the least of fishes. “The extreames of the cetaceous bones hang downewards from the upper jaw, and was hairy towards the ends and bottom within side; all of it ‘prodigious, but in nothing more wonderfuU then that an animal of so igreate a bulk should be nourished onely by slime thro’ those grates.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

8 Upper Pepys Park
Of Experiments
13 Dec 1685. Dining at Mr. Pepys’s, Dr. Slayer shewed us an experiment of a wonderful nature, pouring first a very cold liquor into a glass, and super-fusing on it another, to appearance cold and cleare liquor also ; it first produced a white cloud, then boiling, divers corruscations and actual flames of fire mingled with the liquor, which being a little shaken together, fixed divers sunns and Starrs of real fire, perfectly globular, on the sides of the glasse, and v/hich there stuck like so many constellations, burning most vehemently, and resembling starrs and heavenly bodies, and that for a long space. It seemed to exhibite a theorie of the eduction of light out of the chaos, and the fixing or gathering of the universal light into luminous bodys. This matter or phosphorus was made out of human blood and urine, elucidating the vital flame or heate in animal bodys. A very noble experiment.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

9 Mulberry Tree
Of the Garden
8 February 1664. I finish’d this day with a walke in the greate garden of the Thuilleries, which is rarely contrived for privacy, shade, or company, by groves, plantations of tall trees, especialy that in the middle, being of elmes, another of mulberys. There is a labyrinth of cypresse, noble hedges of pomegranates, fountaines, fishponds, and an aviary. There is an artificial echo, redoubhng the words distinctly, and it is never without some faire nymph singing to it. Standing at one of the focus’s, which is under a tree, or little cabinet of hedges, the voice seems to descend from the clouds ; at another as if it was under-ground. This being at the bottom of the garden, we were let into another, which being kept with all imaginable accuratenesse as to the orangery, precious shrubes, and rare fruites, seem’d a paradise. From a tarrace in this place we saw so many coaches, as one would hardly think could be maintained in the whole Citty, going, late as it was in the year, towards the Course, which is a place adjoyning, of neere an English mile long, planted with 4 rows of trees, making a large circle in the middle. This Course is walled about, neere breast high, with squar’d freestone, and has a stately arch at the entrance, with sculpture and statues about it, built by Mary di Medices. Here it is that the gallants and ladys of the Court take the ayre and divert themselves, as with us in Hide Park, the circle being capable of containing an hundred coaches to turne commodiously, and the larger of the plantations for 5 or 6 coaches a brest. Returning through the Thuilleries, we saw a building in which are kept wild beasts for the King’s pleasure, a beare, a wolfe, a wild boare, a leopard, &c.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705

10 Convoy’s Wharf
Of the House and Garden
‘So that to define a garden now is to pronounce it inter solatia humana purrismum. A place of terrestial enjoyments the most resembling heaven, and the best representation of our lost felicitie. It is the common terme and the pit from whene we were dug. We came out of this parsley bed. At least according to the poet:

Twas hence, as every place was qualified
The wombes of Earth were full of rootes, which when,
Her reckoning was out, she op’ned then
And tender babes produc’d
–Elysium Brittanicum, Evelyn’s unfinished manuscript, started in 1658

11 Czar Street
Of the End
1 May 1683. March was unusually hot and dry, and all April excessively wet. I planted all the out limites of the garden and long walks with holly.’ 8 400 feet in length, 9 feet high, 5 in diameter, in my now ruined garden, thanks to the Czar
of Muscovy. Sylva, Book II. chap. vL

30 Jan 1698. The Czar of Muscovy being come to England, and having a mind to see the building of ships, hir’d my house at Sayes Court, and made it his Court and Palace, new furnished for him by the King.’

9 June 1698. I went to Deptford to see how miserably the Czar had left my house after 3 months making it his Court. I got Sir Christopher Wren the King’s surveyor, and Mr. London his gardener, to go and estimate the repairs, for which they allowed 150/. in their report to the Lords of the Treasury. — I then went to see the foundation of the HaU and Chapel at Greenwich Hospital.
–The Diary of John Evelyn 1641–1705