Tilda Swinton, Cornelia Parker and The Maybe

“The Maybe” was a work of art, supposedly by a collaboration of Tilda Swinton, the actress and Cornelia Parker, the artist. I say, “supposedly” because the truth of the matter is that the origin of this work lay outside the heads of both of these ladies.

In the early 1990s, I conceived a performance art work called Lord Valentine the Misplaced. This was an 18^th Century dandy, living in the 20^th Century world. I was fully attired in 18^th Century clothes and had old world airs and mannerisms. I took this work of living art, to both London and New York and it was eventually covered on CNN in 1994, NBC News in February 1995 and Reuters on 14^th February 1995. There was also coverage in the Observer newspaper in October or November 1994, and Time Out magazine, of London, in November 1994. Basically, it was quite a well known work, by the mid 1990s.

Now, an odd thing happened one night, in London. I was attired as Lord Valentine the Misplaced and was to meet a journalist (one Andrew Mosby from Time Out magazine, if I recall correctly), at Beach Blanket Babylon, a rather trendy and ornately decorated bar, in Notting Hill, West London. This was in November of 1994, after an article had come out about me, in Time Out.

As I entered Beach Blanket Babylon, I saw a familiar figure, her head laying on the shoulder of another woman: Tilda Swinton, the actress. I had seen her in person, several times before, but never really spoken to her. She had been pointed out to me, at Cambridge University, when I was there, many years before – since we both attended it, though she was rather older than me (still is!).

This pair were very interested in me. They appraised me with eager eyes, thinking thoughts that would later become clear. I did wonder at their closeness, since Tilda Swinton’s head was on the other lady’s shoulder. I did wonder at what kind of relationship they had. Then again, girls are often much more touchy-feely than guys.

Both studied my 18^th Century attire carefully.

I believe that Tilda Swinton introduced her friend as Cornelia, because she became so labeled in my mind, thereafter.

“What are you doing?”, one asked – I can’t remember which, though I think it was Tilda Swinton – “Are you trying to get cast?”

“No.”, I said, for my purpose was deeper than that. I didn’t explain what I was actually doing though.

The conversation was very brief, but there was something guarded about Tilda Swinton, at the end. She suddenly tugged at her friend to come away, a thought seeming to have come to her. I passed on, seeking my contact within.

It was the following year that Tilda Swinton and Cornelia Parker, collaborated on The Maybe. This was a simple piece of performance art/live art, in which Tilda Swinton slept in a glass box, in everyday ordinary clothes. Now, what I found immediately interesting about this was that it was a piece of living art – which is precisely what Lord Valentine the Misplaced was. I also thought it very interesting to note, from the pictures released at the time, that Cornelia Parker had been the lady with Tilda Swinton that night, in Beach Blanket Babylon. It was immediately obvious where the “inspiration” for this work of art had come from. I had created a piece of living art. Tilda Swinton and Cornelia Parker met me whilst I was being Lord Valentine the Misplaced – and Tilda Swinton (it seemed) had the idea of copying my idea and embodying herself as a living work of art, too. Particularly telling was the use of unattractive everyday clothes for The Maybe. Brian Sewell, the art critic, wondered why Tilda Swinton hadn’t dressed up as some kind of Sleeping Beauty (though maybe not in those words). It is clear why not. Had Tilda Swinton dressed up in any kind of beautiful period clothes, she would have revealed the inspiration for her work. She had no choice but to be in ordinary clothes, so as to obscure the original inspiration for the work.

Later on, Cornelia Parker and Tilda Swinton fell out over who “thought” of the Maybe. Both claim to have conceived the idea – though Tilda Swinton makes the louder claim that the idea was hers. It is very, very clear why this argument has arisen: because BOTH ladies met me, at the moment they decided to imitate what I was doing. The reason they can’t agree on who was responsible for thinking of it, is that NEITHER was responsible for the original thought. All they decided to do was to create a “me too” art work, based on my own prior explorations of living art. It is very telling that neither can agree on who conceived it, which indicates that they have something in common, at the moment of conception: that common point was the meeting of me as Lord Valentine the Misplaced. Had only one of them met me at that time, then only one of them would be laying claim to the idea. Their very argument points to the moment of contention: the instant they both met me, and one of them (or both of them) decided to imitate my work, in their own way.

Of course, the fact that they recognized my work as living art (implicitly, since they imitated it), does go to show the success of my work.

Cornelia Parker has gone on to produce other pieces of work, though Tilda Swinton hasn’t. Evidence of the influence of my work on Cornelia Parker can be seen in another of her proposed works. My art work was called Lord Valentine the Misplaced. Interestingly, Cornelia Parker wanted to put a meteorite back into space and used the term “misplaced” to describe this action – so the meteorite would now become a misplaced object. This seems to be a clear adaptation of the idea of misplacement as art. Lord Valentine the Misplaced, was misplaced in time – Cornelia Parker’s meteorite would have been misplaced in space. It is an analogy of my prior work.

We can see here, how Cornelia Parker conceives some of her works. They are adaptations or analogies to other people’s work. She is translating other people’s ideas into a different setting. Tilda Swinton’s The Maybe is a sleeping piece of living art, dressed in everyday clothes. Lord Valentine the Misplaced was a waking piece of living art, dressed in 18^th Century clothes. Cornelia Parker’s proposed meteorite project was a rock misplaced in space. My Lord Valentine project, was a human misplaced in time. These are both analogous to each other, adaptations of the same idea in a different context.

It is important that the true origins of the work of artists and supposed artists, like Cornelia Parker and Tilda Swinton – because the art, in these cases, lies in the idea, for they are conceptual works. If the idea is not truly theirs – as it is not, in both cases, here – then the work of art is not truly theirs either. The history of art is being defrauded if we are led to believe that the origin of these works lay in either of these ladies minds. The history of art deserves better than that. The true background to each conceived work should be known – and the “inspiration” that gave rise to them, should be appreciated.

This blog is but one page in an internet Universe of trillions of pages, thus, very few people will read it. So, please help spread the word about the origin of The Maybe, as an adaptation of the ideas behind Lord Valentine the Misplaced. Tell the story of how Tilda Swinton and Cornelia Parker met me at Beach Blanket Babylon in November 1994 and recognized the artistry in Lord Valentine the Misplaced, enough to want to steal it for themselves. If you have a blog, or other website, please post a link to this article, to help people become aware of it. Thank you.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

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To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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George Magazine, Cindy Crawford and Herb Ritts.

The first issue of George Magazine had a striking cover, shot by Herb Ritts. In it, Cindy Crawford, the “super model” of her day, was photographed dressed in the 18^th Century costume of George Washington, in the context of a modern magazine about the intersection of politics and celebrity lifestyle – if there is any such intersection.

Apparently, the “idea” for this cover, that is, dressing a modern person up in 18^th century costume, for a 20^th century magazine cover, is attributed to Matt Berman, the “creative director” on the magazine project. The first issue launched in September 1995.

Now, I would like you to consider some background to that year. In late 1994, I appeared on CNN, across the world, including the United States in my performance art piece, Lord Valentine the Misplaced. For those of you who don’t know, Lord Valentine was, as you may have guessed, an 18^th Century dandy, attired in 18^th Century clothes (the same era as George Washington) – yet, in the context of the 20^th Century world. Not only that, but in February 1995, I appeared again as Lord Valentine the Misplaced, on NBC News. On February 14^th of that year, I was covered by the Reuters News Agency, with a topical story on the day.

Given this background, of my having created and performed an 18^th Century dandy, in the modern context, in America (I was visiting New York, as Lord Valentine the Misplaced, at the time of the NBC news story) what do you think gave Matt Berman “his” idea? Can you think of a more likely background reason for why the George Magazine adopted the idea of dressing 20^th Century people in 18^th Century clothing? It seems to me that William of Ockham would have something to say about this.

The simplest explanation possible, for why George Magazine adopted the idea of 18^th Century dress on its front covers, in the context of a 20^th Century magazine, is that they were ripping the idea off from my prior work, as Lord Valentine the Misplaced. It is impossible that the “creators” of the covers of this magazine had not heard of my work: I had been on CNN, NBC and Reuters, as Lord Valentine the Misplaced. The total audience for these networks runs into hundreds of millions of people. It is simply impossible that they would not have heard of it. Indeed, everywhere I went in New York, at that time, people were constantly recognizing me.

What gets me about this, is that this kind of “inspiration” never involves giving credit to the source. It is very doubtful that the magazine covers of George Magazine would ever have been of 18^th Century images, had it not been for my prior work as Lord Valentine the Misplaced: yet this influence was never acknowledged (though, of course, smart people would make the connection themselves, if they were half-awake).

I have the impression that most people imagine that if you do something creative, that the credit for the after effects of that work, are generally credited to the original creator. However, my experience is that this is not so. What, in fact, happens, is that many people are “influenced” by a work – that is they steal its core ideas – but that they try to win the credit for themselves. They never – and I mean NEVER – credit their source. There is a word for this, of course: it is called plagiarism. However, when a high profile person is involved – such as Herb Ritts who took the images of Cindy Crawford – it is very difficult for the original creator, if of lower profile – as I was and am – to get the credit deserved.

All I can do, in my position, is to point out the remarkable “coincidence” whereby I create an 18^th Century character, in a 20^th century context, which is covered in the American media – and hey presto, an American subsequently decides to “create” an 18^th Century character, in a 20^th Century context and stick it on a magazine cover.

It is proven that Matt Berman’s “idea” was not original. If you want proof you just have to check the news records in the year prior to George’s first issue. The essence of what he was doing, had already been done, very publicly by me. I puzzle therefore that he caused so much of a stir, with his cover. It is a bit sad, really…for no-one, at the time – no-one in the media, for instance, who had covered my work – pointed out the remarkable similarity in conception between what Matt Berman was doing and what I had already done. Perhaps there is too much fawning over people in a position of influence, and not enough of actually speaking the truth about them, going on.

After John F. Kennedy Jr. died after a rash decision to fly in bad weather, the magazine soon failed and closed in 2001. Part of the reason, I think, is that only in the context of John F. Kennedy Jr’s life was there truly an “intersection between politics and celebrity lifestyle”. For other politicians, this relationship does not really hold, since few of them are celebrities in the film star mould of one, unlike John F. Kennedy Jr. who was, most definitely, in that mould.

I should have spoken out at the time, about the George Magazine covers – but I was just too saddened to watch such unattributed imitation going on. I also did not know how to make redress. I hope that by writing these words, it might one day be known, how I influenced the image of George magazine – even if that influence was never owned up to by the “creative” Matt Berman, John F. Kennedy Jr and Michael J. Berman his co-founder.

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html
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If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks. You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

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Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Lost in Austen TV series.

Lost in Austen is a four part British TV series, in which a modern day woman, Amanda Price, played by Jemima Rooper, is propelled back into the fictional time and world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was written by Guy Andrews and directed by Dan Zeff.

Now, what I found most curious about this programme, was its air of familiarity. You see, in the early 1990s, I invented a character I called Lord Valentine the Misplaced, who was an 18th century dandy, alive and well, in 20th century London (and New York). Thus, the juxtaposition of the 18th century and the modern era – which is evident in Lost in Austen, is something which I really did, for myself, in my own life, long before this tv series was written. My work was also covered in Time Out magazine, The Observer newspaper, on CNN, on Reuters and NBC news, and on the radio, so many people would have heard about it. It is possible that one of those people was Guy Andrews (or Dan Zeff for that matter). Either that, or they could have been indirectly influenced by my work, through the imitations of others, of which there were many.

For most of the film, Amanda Price is in the 18th century. She is initially dressed as a modern woman. This juxtaposes the imagery of the modern era, with that of the 18th century, just as I did in my work, Lord Valentine the Misplaced (or simply Lord Valentine). In the final episode, there is a scene which is straight out of my own life (and which was photographed, in the early 1990s). Darcy, played by Elliot Cowan, is transported into the modern era and is seen in the environs of Piccadilly Circus in London. The interest of this moment, comes from the shock of seeing Darcy’s 18th century clothing, in a modern setting. He looks out of place, or should I say, “Misplaced”…just like Lord Valentine was. In fact, this imagery is completely unoriginal and is a direct lifting of my own, prior work.

What I find tiresome about these plagiarisms from my own lived experience and created work, is that the borrowers never acknowledge their source, or that what they are doing, is not original. They just lift it, without giving credit. What is even more bothersome is that some critics praise the plagiarists for their “creativity”. These are clearly critics who have not heard of my prior work.

Lost in Austen is enjoyable. It is a good, fun series. However, the imagery used is not original, in any way. It is just an echo of what I expressed in the early to mid 1990s.

I understand that Sam Mendes is to be Executive Producer on a film version of Lost in Austen. That is great – but it still won’t make it an original conception. It might make it an enjoyable movie, however.

So, when the film comes out, remember to tell your friends about the true inspiration behind the imagery of the film. Tell them of Lord Valentine the Misplaced, the 18th century dandy, alive in the modern world - and my creation of him. Thank you.

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page. To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

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Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Elaine Kaufman and Lord Valentine the Misplaced.

Elaine Kaufman, the famous restaurateur, and owner of the eponymous Elaine's in New York's Upper East Side, has died at the age of 81. Now, those who don't know my life well, will wonder why on Earth I am blog posting about her. Well, there is a reason: I met her, several times.

I met Elaine Kaufman under quite bizarre circumstances. This was many years ago, in the mid nineties. At the time, I was engaged on my Lord Valentine the Misplaced project. He was an 18th century dandy, at liberty in the modern world. Indeed, he was at liberty in Manhattan, when I first met Elaine. I had been advised, to pop over to Elaine's when I visited New York. So, I duly did so. However, I did so in a way which was rather unusual: I did not go as myself, but as Lord Valentine the Misplaced.

I didn't know this at the time, but Elaine could be rather selective about whom she let in her restaurant. Fortunately, the first time I visited was with a well connected friend, by the name of Katherine. I would share her surname, but she never let me know it. Anyway, I was let in, with expressions of surprise all round...but no barring of the way.

I visited Elaine's several times and found the clientele typically well established, in whatever field they inhabited. It was a strange mix. One evening, I remember dining with a screenwriter, the head of the NFL, a New York theatrical producer and a British theatre director, Michael Rudman...I suppose football is just another branch of showbiz, so I suppose the mix wasn't so strange after all. Just to add some spice, there was, apparently, a famous cop in attendance, too...a real life, famous cop.

Elaine often sat at my table. She came across as smart, but could, I sensed, be strongly opinionated - perhaps that is what people liked about her: that she had a forceful character.

Her staff were loyal and seemed to stay with her for many years. My most memorable evening there was when I arrived, as Lord Valentine, fully attired as an 18th century gentleman - and the pianist struck up a tune that prompted me to pause mid-step: "My funny Valentine...", he began to sing. I was touched in a way I had never been before. Never in my life, had anyone acknowledged my entrance to a restaurant by playing a song just for me. Yet, there I was, as if I had stepped out onto a stage of my very own.

It was a moment that will probably never happen again, in my life. I do not ever expect to be acknowledged in such a direct and personal way, again. At the time, I realized acutely what it meant: that I had made an impression on these worldly wise New Yorkers - an impression large enough for them to feel they should acknowledge me, in that way.

It was an apt and witty song, he chose and it underlined my entrance to the restaurant in a most theatrical manner. I strode over and sat at my friends' table, aware that the song had the aural equivalent of a spotlight effect. I had, most pointedly, been introduced to everyone - at least, to those who knew my name, and would spot the joke.

I can't recall the pianist's name (possibly because I never knew it)...but I would like to thank him, for his kindness in playing a song just for me. It makes for a characterful memory. Thank you.

As for Elaine: I am sorry to hear of her passing, but she shall long be remembered, in NYC: for she turned herself into an icon, almost as famous as the showbiz stars and literary names, who frequented her restaurant. Tales will be told of her and her establishment for many years to come.

R.I.P, Elaine.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and the art of the snub.

I met Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, once, many years ago, when she still looked like a boy. I suppose, in certain ways, she still does. For those who don't know who she is (and that would be almost everyone outside the UK), Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is a former socialite newspaper columnist, a tv presenter and, unexpectedly, if you ask me, a model.

It is likely that Tara Palmer-Tomkinson remembers me as well as I remember her. You see, when we met I was going through my "Lord Valentine the Misplaced", phase. This was when I took it upon myself to bring live performance art, to various unsuspecting places, as an 18th century dandy, "Lord Valentine the Misplaced." It should be quite clear why he was "misplaced".

I had been invited to a nightclub event, by the organizer of the event, who happened to be acting as Romeo, in a show of Romeo and Juliet in which I was Friar Lawrence (I made him Mayo Irish, with a very thick accent. The problem with it was that casting directors who came, were so convinced by the accent, they thought I normally spoke that way, and was "unsuited" to more mainstream work!)

Without prior warning, I decided to turn up as Lord Valentine the Misplaced. It was quite a popular move with most people there, since I had many an animated conversation with the curious guests, about, just why, I was attired, as I was. The only person who didn't ask me a single thing, was Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. She sat at my table, opposite me, gazing over occasionally in silence, when she thought I wouldn't notice, as if somewhat put out that I had upstaged her.

The thing about Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was that I didn't have a clue who she was. I made a classic social error, when the girl next to me (who was almost bouncing with enthusiasm at her idea), said to the boyish girl, or was it girlish boy, opposite: "You have GOT to write about him!"

Apparently, the unspeaking one, was a writer. "Who is she?" I asked my new-found friend, in the next seat.

"THAT," she said, as if I had asked where Earth was, "is Tara Palmer-Tomkinson!"

She was simply amazed that I did not know who Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was.

I looked across at the woman opposite and found that I still did not recognize her. Perhaps I had spent too little time attending to her column in the Sunday Times. I knew, at least, that she wrote that.

I tried, then, to speak to Tara, but she tried her utmost not to speak back. She determined not to be impressed by anyone except herself. This was, in fact, the most impressive thing about her.

The evening passed, as evenings do, in a blur of misheard names and forgotten faces. By the end of it, I knew only one thing: who I was, for I had determinedly not drunk a thing with alcohol in it. It is, after all difficult enough to be an 18th century gentleman in a 20th century world, without being drunk with it. If I had gotten drunk enough I might have forgotten how I had ended up two centuries out of date in the first place. It was better to remain carefully aware of the facts of the situation.

That weekend, I opened the Sunday Times, at Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's page, with one thought in mind: if Tara Palmer Tomkinson were truly a journalist, who truly wrote of the most unusual events of the week, the most striking occurrences, she would undoubtedly have written of our encounter.

I scanned the article with care. It was, as usual, about little more than Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. Nowhere was there a single mention of the 18th century gentleman, Lord Valentine the Misplaced, who had failed to recognize her. It had never occurred to her that it is quite impossible for an 18th century gentleman to recognize anyone in the 20th century at all - so she should not have been offended. She should, instead, have been charmed that I had endured so long to meet her.

So, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was not, as I had been led to believe, a journalist at all. She was just another writer about the self.

The funny thing about our meeting, from the point of view of what journalists are supposed to be about, is that there was a lot more to my presence there than she ever allowed herself to understand. Lord Valentine the Misplaced was not a casual manifestation of the 18th century, but a very meaningful piece of performance art. She never, however, inquired as to my purpose at all. How curious that is, for a "journalist" to be so incurious. No doubt, a lack of curiosity, must be a product of all that "breeding" (for those who don't know, she had a privileged upbringing on an estate in Hampshire).

In a way, it was pleasing that she did not write of me, for it could only mean one thing: that I had somehow "got" to her. She had been put out, by my existence, in a way, that, by not acknowledging my existence, in her column, she was, in a sense, forcefully acknowledging my existence. Had she been less put out, by me, she would, undoubtedly have written of the encounter.

So, thank you, Tara, for your silence: it was all the acknowledgement I needed. A snub from a snob is better than any accolade.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Quotations of Valentine Cawley.

At various times and places, my words have been quoted, by other people. Sometimes, it is in a newspaper, sometimes in a forum, or elsewhere on the internet. It was a surprise to me, when people began to quote me,(the first time I ever noticed was the quote on examinations, below, in a forum). Then, however, I understood that something I had written or said, had made an impression on people, and so they wished to relay that quote to others.

Sometimes, I know I have been quoted because a searcher arrives on my blog, with an exact quote from me as their search term. In such cases, I assume that I have been quoted by a student writing an essay, or some other such context. Sometimes these quotes are surprisingly long - several lines - which can only be from reading it elsewhere, perhaps lifted and placed in an essay.

The quotation incidents that I have seen, have credited my words to me. However, the ones involving searchers off the net with quotes in their search are most probably uncredited quotes, since they never use my name in the quote search.

So, I have mixed feelings about the quoting. The credited ones are OK and I am happy to see that - but the uncredited ones are, basically, plagiarism. Luckily, the internet is my friend in this respect, since any Professor who checks one of my lifted quotes on the net, will find the original source material - and the true author.

I have listed below some of the quotes that I have come across replicated elsewhere, of my own work. I will add to this list as I note others. If you see any quotes, elsewhere, please let me know in the comment section below, since I am interested tracking the usage of quotations of my writing. It is interesting to see when and where they are used.

Apologies for the title for this blog post. I know it sounds egoistic but actually it is just a title for the search engines, to make this post easy to find. Were it unnecessary to flag it for search engines, I would have chosen something much more modest and discrete to label it. I hope you can understand.

"Being a graduate doesn't mean you are smart, it means that someone else is stupid enough to give you a degree." October 31 2008

“Whenever a teacher takes a stand against plagiarism, the entire school should stand behind him or her.” I wrote this in two newspapers in Malaysia, on the subject of plagiarism, recently.

"Education" might as well be spelt "e-r-a-d-i-c-a-t-i-o-n", where creativity is concerned."

“The role of a family, is to make a world that has never been and never will be again, to sustain people who have never been and never will be again. A family is a pocket universe, and no less important than the universe itself, for being smaller.”

“An examination is all about testing you on someone else's thoughts. Many children become expert on other people's thoughts - but have none of their own. In some way, focusing too much on what other people have thought and written in books seems to inhibit the development of the ability to have your own.”

“Jade Goody is worthy because she is known, but she is not known because she is worthy.” (March 12, 2009) This remark made it to a leading Danish daily newspaper, which translated it into Danish, for its readers and referred to me as "The commentator, Valentine Cawley said...". Their journalist had been reading my blog, in research for his article.

“Giftedness is not a measure of wealth - it is a measure of mind - and great minds may emerge in the most unpromising of circumstances.” (August 7, 2007)

“I have thought of a good quote about modesty, but I think I will keep it to myself.” Quoted in an interview with Time Out magazine, in London, in November 1994.

“A good gentleman never reveals his tailor.” Quoted in The Observer newspaper, UK, November 1994, in reply to a journalist asking who had made Valentine’s 18th century clothes. (This may have been: "A true gentleman never reveals his tailor" - it is a long time now since I first said it.)

At the time of writing, I do not know whether the tendency to quote me will remain sporadic - as it now is - or whether it will gather momentum. I suppose that all depends on whether a subset of people find the remarks of interest enough to let others know about them.

Regarding the "good gentleman" quote above. That was plagiarized by an advertising director in London by the name of Edmundo Arigita. His girlfriend expressed surprise, when she overheard me reflecting on the fact that my quote had been published in the newspaper. She said to her boyfriend, Edmundo: "So THAT is where that came from." Clearly, he had been using the remark - and since he makes adverts for a living, I do wonder whether he stole it for one of them. He tried to shrug it off by saying: "Lots of people say that." Err...no. They didn't say it before I did...which is why the journalist felt it worthy of quoting me, in the Observer newspaper.

So, sometimes, the quoting is unattributed - as in, theft.

If you come across any quotes of my writing, or spoken word, attributed or unattributed, please let me know.

Thanks.

Lord Valentine the Misplaced.

Lord Valentine the Misplaced, to give him his full title, was a character of my invention in the early 1990s. For a time, this 18th century dandy roamed the late 20th century world and, through no intention of my own, came to the attention of millions of people.

Lord Valentine the Misplaced was interviewed for a London magazine called Time Out, in November 1993, through a chance encounter with a photographer who submitted pieces to it, while I was going about, minding my own business, as any 18th century dandy would, in 20th century London. Then, as is the way of these things, other media read the interview and contacted me through Time Out. I was subsequently interviewed for the Observer newspaper, then Channel One, the new Associated Newspapers TV news channel. Finally, the big boys came a calling - and I found myself on CNN. When I later went to New York in February of 1994, NBC News covered my presence there, with a broadcast. Ironically, it all felt as surreal as Lord Valentine was.

I found Lord Valentine the Misplaced to be a very interesting experience. He consisted of an extended improvisation in character, with a liking for aphorisms. I wore full 18th century attire, including wig and make up. It took as long for me to get dressed as some women are reputed to do. It was great fun. What was not so fun, was the rush to claim credit for my character's invention.

The first photographer of my character, a somewhat "hyper" man of unknown age, but probably in his forties, by the name of Nick Simpson, tried to give everyone the impression that, somehow, I was his invention. This galled me. You see Nick Simpson was particularly SLOW in understanding my character. I had to explain to him, on several occasions, the type of photographs that would work and what should be done. Even this didn't work. On the day we turned up for the shoot, his intended image was all wrong - it wouldn't have been interesting at all. Finally, after further explanation, we managed to get some shots which expressed some of what I had in mind. Unbelievably, this man would later claim that he had created the images in which he had had to be directed. He laid claim to the idea of my own work. I even am given to understand that he sold similar images and ideas in his work as an advertising photographer, letting people believe that he was the origin of this kind of image.

It took a lot of coaching of Nick Simpson to secure the right sort of image from him. Between first meeting me, and the day of the photoshoot, he had done some practice images, with others and they were quite the most horrifyingly garish over-coloured, emetic images I have ever seen. There is just no way this man would have got a decent image on his own. He seemed to lack the basics of good taste.

To sum up his attitude towards me as the creator of my own work, I asked him what he would say if anyone asked him who was in the photographs. "I might tell them." So, he "might" tell them who had had actually thought of the images. Just great. That was my welcome to the world of advertising - a world in which I have never met an honest person.

Lord Valentine was a very influential character. It seemed that just everyone wanted to copy him or lay claim to him in some way. Interestingly, no-one who did this, not a single one of them, ever referred to the origin of their imitative work. None of them gave credit to their "inspiration". I was so appalled that I resolved never to show any more creative work in public - and I didn't for many, many years. In fact, in some ways, I have yet to do so, again. It was just too distressing to see my work imitated, without any credit being given. It was also galling to see people such as Nick Simpson making a lot of money out of my idea, by letting people believe that it was their idea. In all my time in Nick Simpson's studio, I saw no particular evidence that he was a man of ideas. However, he thought he was...but that isn't quite the same thing.

Friends and relatives pointed out to me the resemblance of the central character Don Juan de Marco in the subsequent New Line Cinema film, of the same name, to Lord Valentine. Indeed, both characters are dandies from the past, living in the present. The film appears to have taken the Lord Valentine character and psychoanalysed him. That is it. That is the film. Rather curiously, Don Juan de Marco's film company, New Line Cinema, is owned by the same company that owns CNN. Thus, it could easily be, that CNN's interview somehow became a film made by a sister company of theirs. I did note that in all interviews the writer of Don Juan de Marco gave, he was particularly unclear about the origin of his film idea. He couldn't have been more vague, elusive or evasive about it.

What was particularly telling about this "coincidence" is that the resemblance between my prior work, of Lord Valentine, and the later Don Juan de Marco project was so close, that many different people pointed it out to me, as something they had, themselves, observed.

Indeed, there are rather too many coincidences in the Don Juan de Marco film. The characters were basically the same kind of person. The film was made by a company that had had access to the character, through CNN, before Don Juan de Marco was written. Furthermore, CNN had delayed the broadcast of the interview for quite a long time, before finally airing it. This was on the order of several weeks of just sitting on it. When you put these facts together, it is awfully hard not to come to the conclusion that Nick Simpson wasn't the only person in a hurry to lay claim to my work. It would seem most unlikely that it was an accident that a film that comes so close to imitating Lord Valentine, should also have been made by a company whose sister had interviewed me.

So, the success of the Lord Valentine character, instead of becoming the beginning of something, became the end of something. I was so disheartened with the rush to plagiarize him by so many different people, all at once, that I resolved to retreat into creative silence - which I did. Lord Valentine the Misplaced was a piece of performance art that could have begun a great career of an unusual nature. However, it did not. It ended one, by being something too many people were interested in imitating - and no-one was interested in crediting.

It taught me something, though: almost none of the people who are in creative professions, are actually creative, most of them are career plagiarists. There are very few people thinking for themselves.

Why, do I write now about Lord Valentine the Misplaced? Well, Valentine's Day is approaching and the last broadcast of Lord Valentine was on February 14th 1994, in New York. Lord Valentine was in an interview on NBC News. I never saw the interview myself, but I rather get the feeling they missed the point.

I wonder if any of my readers remember seeing either the CNN interview or the NBC interview? Did it make enough of an impression to be remembered, today, one and a half decades later? I would be interested in any thoughts or comments from anyone who managed to see it, all those years ago.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. This is not only my birthday, but the birthday of Lord Valentine the Misplaced. We share the same birthday, separated by a couple of centuries. A happy birthday, then, to Lord Valentine the Misplaced, for tomorrow.

Note: Lord Valentine the Misplaced, is frequently just referred to as Lord Valentine, however, this doesn't change the fact that he is misplaced.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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