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<\/a><\/p>\nLet\u2019s start with the Iron Works. Way back in 2001 Dylan began constructing gates from scrap metal, as gifts for friends or for his own property. \u201cGates appeal to me because of the negative space they allow. They can be closed but at the same time they allow the seasons and breezes to flow. They can shut you out or shut you in. And in some ways there is no difference,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Iron is part of Dylan\u2019s history because he was born and brought up in Hibbing, Minnesota, Iron country and near a large open pit mine. So for Dylan it is a return to roots as well as another way to exercise his creativity. His Iron Works were exhibited at the Halycon Gallery in London in 2013, and you can see them now peppered around the display of drawings and paintings in the current exhibition.<\/p>\n
The gates look strong but quirky, symmetrical in some ways but not in others, painted in subtle shades that bring out the metalness and variety. There are gear wheels, chains, spanners at odd angles, animal shapes, pliers, roller skates, wheels and springs all jumbled together but making a cohesive whole. Somewhat like the way he uses language in his songs.<\/p>\n
But what of Mondo Scripto? Dylan has taken 64 songs, written out the lyrics in blocks (so they are not particularly easy to read), and illustrated each one with a drawing. For example, here is one that I like, Just Like a Woman:<\/p>\n Maybe you would expect to see a woman in the drawing; but no, this is the line \u201cas I stand inside the rain.\u201d<\/p>\n Note that the exhibits at the Halcyon Gallery are the actual drawings, not just the signed prints you can buy for \u00a31895 each (10 songs, limited editions of 495 for each song).<\/p>\n I am not much interested in the collector\u2019s aspect here. I think that is a lot of money for a print and a signature. The orginals also look much sharper and better than the prints, which is disappointing if you have the print. You may be able to negotiate to buy an original but it will cost a lot more. I would quite like one of my favourites on the wall, or a Dylan gate in the garden, but the cost is too steep for me; if I were wealthy enough for it to be spare change, perhaps I would. Then again, the profits are enabling this amazing exhibition which is free to attend so it is not so bad.<\/p>\n What I am interested in is the choice of songs, the choice of images and the way they are executed, and little details like small changes in the lyrics. For example, Ballad of a Thin Man in the original:<\/p>\n There ought to be a law against you comin’ around and in Mondo Scripto:<\/p>\n There ought to be a law against you coming around I was intrigued to see that in Subterranean Homesick Blues, Dylan has written out:<\/p>\n don\u2019t try \u2018No Doze\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n which is the latest chapter in a story<\/a>; the original is \u201cdon\u2019t tie no bows\u201d but via humour and mis-transcription has become what it is. Maybe Dylan just copied it, maybe he likes it better now, who knows?<\/p>\n This is Dylan so there is variation everywhere. You can get a nice book\/catalogue of Mondo Scripto for \u00a345 (this one is a good buy), and this includes 60 songs written out with their drawings. However many of the drawings are different to those in the exhibition. Apparently the book was done first so those are the earlier versions. Just like Tom Thumb\u2019s Blues, for example, has a bottle of wine in the book (\u201cI started out on Burgundy\u201d) and a cityscape in the exhibition (\u201cBack to New York City\u201d?). <\/p>\n Knockin\u2019 on Heaven\u2019s Door has special treatment. This has been done as a series of 16 drawings, pen drawings rather than pencil sketches, including a variety of different doors and techniques for knockin\u2019 on them. It begins with a hand knock, and ends with a rap from a cross. There is also a drill, a crowbar, a bottle, and so on. <\/p>\n Lovely humour, but also a meditation on death? Possibly, though Dylan has been singing about death at least since Fixin\u2019 to Die on his very first album, so we should not take this as any kind of final statement. <\/p>\n It is nevertheless true that Mondo Scripto is Dylan\u2019s reflection on his best-known songs, made new by drawings which bring out a striking image or thought and which reminds you how extraordinary they are.<\/p>\n One of the features of this beautifully laid-out exhibition is a wall of books, some by but mostly about Dylan.<\/p>\n It is a reminder of how many of us have been entertained, absorbed and challenged by this body of work. <\/p>\n Mondo Scripto along with the Iron Works are remarkable, coming from a man who also tours incessantly and is of an age where many of us sit around doing nothing much at all. <\/p>\n 1. Song To Woody <\/p>\n If you are in London before 30 November 2018, and any kind of Bob Dylan fan, then I highly recommend Mondo Scripto, an exhibition of his drawings and Iron Works gates. Let\u2019s start with the Iron Works. Way back in 2001 Dylan began constructing gates from scrap metal, as gifts for friends or for his … Continue reading Bob Dylan’s Mondo Scripto work and exhibition in London<\/span> <\/a> <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
You should be made to wear earphones<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Next time don\u2019t forget to first telephone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe Mondo Scripto song list<\/h3>\n
\n2. Blowin’ in The Wind
\n3. Girl From The North country
\n4. Don’t Think Twicse, It’s All Right
\n5. Masters Of war
\n6. One Too Many Mornings
\n7. A Hard Rain’s A.Gonna Fall
\n8. Oxford Town
\n9. Tombstone Blues
\n10. Desolation Row
\n11. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
\n12. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
\n13. Like A Rolling Stone
\n14. Mr Tambourine Man
\n15. It Ain’t Me, Babe
\n16. Ballad Of A Thin Man
\n17. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
\n18. The Times They Are A-Changin’
\n19. Ballad Of A Thin Man*
\n20. All 1 Really Want Tc Do
\n21. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
\n22. 1 Want You
\n23. Highway 61 Revisited
\n24. Leopard-Skin Pill-Bax Hat
\n25. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
\n26. Visions Of Johanna
\n27. One Of Us Must Kuow {Sooner Or Later)
\n28. Subterranean Homesick Blues
\n29. She Belongs To Me
\n30. Maggie’s Farm
\n31. Love Minus Zero\/No Limit
\n32. Just Like A Woman
\n33. Chimes Of Freedom
\n34. Positively 4th Street
\n35. Tangled Up In Blue
\n36. \u201cKnockin’ On Heaven’s Door\u201d series
\n37. All Along The WaLchLower
\n38. Lay, Lady, Lay
\n39. The Man In Me
\n40. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
\n41. When I Paint My Masterpiece
\n42. I Shall Be Released
\n43. Forever Young
\n44. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
\n45. If You See Her, Say Hello
\n46. One More Cup Of Coffee(Valley Below)
\n47. \u201cSubterranean Homesick Blues\u201d series
\n48. Shelter From The Storm
\n49. Simple Twist of Fate
\n50. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
\n51. Gotta Serve Somebody
\n52. Isis
\n53. Jokerman
\n54. Every Grain Of Sand
\n55. Hurricane
\n56. This Wheel’s On Fire
\n57. Man Tn the Long Black Coat
\n58. Isis
\n59. Things Have Changed
\n60. Workingman’s Blues #2
\n61. Mississippi
\n62. Ain’t Talkin’
\n63. Highlands
\n64. Make You Feel My Love <\/p>\n
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