So happy to have been commissioned by the amazing pioneering Forumstadtpark in Austria, curated by the equally groundbreaking Max Hofler, to produce a videotext work, part of their Glory Hole series. This series has been going for years and involves a video with text projected against the side of the Forumstadtpark itself, blown up like a bat signal, in the middle of a huge, beautiful park in the middle of the city. Loads of people see it, and for my work, which runs throughout April, this is true as its being screened while a film festival goes on. Really i had fun making it too, they promote my kind of work. You can see all the glory hole commissions here : https://vimeo.com/forumstadtparkgraz, some great ones, and my edition, the 31st, below

„GLORY HOLE - nachrichten von drüben“ („GLORY HOLE - messages from the other side“) is a so-called screening literature magazine for short literary forms. Every night the issues are projected on a silver screen which is installed at the outside of the Forum Stadtpark, Graz. Every new month an other author creates a new issue. This issues was created by the British Poet and Artist Steven J Fowler. http://www.stevenjfowler.com/ Text: Steven J. Fowler Sounds: Martin Pichler ------ Text ------ Manners Maketh Man Style, like sheer silk, too often hides eczema. Albert Camus overconfidence and consciousness = early onset unconsciousness nose up = face down pubic hair in your food rude to the art gallery invigilators rude to the staff in the coffee shop the creeping suspicion you have no excuse for a lack of courtesy (akin to love) manipulated by alcohol assuaged by parental errors propped upon bleeding hearts an investment in artefacts fat legs soft touch slow stroke drowning pool card shark deep ditch dog day “about last night” licking leaks from the patrons projected resentment towards your father I am your father I am your friend I am the hole that you will disappear into rolled from an earth mound into the white circle unless you turn it all around and become nice to be with to live with to love to care for to work with to talk to only the rude die twice the kind live on in food stuffs and conversation and warm the beds of the people the poison egg hatches the cold hard Austrian union of sentiment Austrians pretending they don’t have feelings as English gentleman rob the poor on Downton Abbey (that you watch) LISTEN as you read I am the hole in your wall I am the white hole the strangle the choke the should brush the take out the screening the doctor’s note THE FRIENDLY WARNING I am steeped in glory I shuffle your cards I AM THE STORY OF THE OLD ON THEIR DEATHBED SAYING I HAVE HAD ALOT OF TROUBLE IN MY LIFE most of which never happened Chill out, make an effort. You’re only here for a few years really Then you’re dead Two dates & a hyphen in between - What year were you born? Say it out loud 1983? 1972? 1964? Well, imagine… 1964 – 2016 That’s you that is. “It is a very fine thing to be honest but it is also very important to be right” Winston Churchill There’s no virtue in rudeness Be nice.

Ales Steger and many other generous souls, very many very close to Tomaz and not having met him in passing as I did arranged for there to be a 11 hour reading in celebration of his life and work at Ljubljana's Miniteater theatre on February 3rd, to which I had the chance to read, via skype. It was strange to do so looking into nothing, through a computer, but in anyway I could contribute I was honoured to do so, to make public my affection for his work and person and life.

I read two of his poems, Nice hat. Thanks and Frontier. The latter closes with these lines.

Children bring it milk on handcarts
so the co-op pays him for gas.
It exults in rain, when it's needed.
And sunshine, when it suits the grain, not him.
It's free.