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What does "i" mean?

Eddie Mair | 13:39 UK time, Thursday, 11 October 2007

Tomorrow we'll tell you how to send us your photo showing us who you are.

All week we've heard from people who've been giving "i" a bit of thought on our behalf.

Here is the philosopher AC Grayling.

This is the impressionist Jan Ravens.

Here is Maitreyabandhu from the London Buddhist Centre.

And tonight's piece is about Andy Warhol's work, which features in a show which opened today.

Here's the show's curator, Paul Moorhouse, introducing, with some help from Nigel Wrench, Andy Warhol's notion of "I" as illustrated by this work, a Warhol self-portrait.

warhola.JPG
"Self-portrait 1964" by Andy Warhol, featured in the new show at the National Portrait Gallery, Pop Art Portraits, which runs until 20 January if you happen to find yourself in London with an hour or so to spare.
Paul Moorhouse, tells us: "This the mysterious 'I'. This is the 'I' hiding behind the face. This is the vision of the artist not as a tortured genius but as a kind of automaton."

Comments

  1. At 01:59 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Big Sister wrote:

    Well, it's a small 'i' isn't it? So, no place for overinflated egos.

  2. At 02:05 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Frances O wrote:

    Oooh-er, now I'll have to think of how to picture i. Or is that me?

  3. At 02:37 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Re: On-line petitions...

    We, the under-blogged, request that Eddie Mair, presenter of flagship Radio 4 5pm weekday news programme, should today, Thursday the 11th of October, use the word "snuggly" on-air at some point during PM.

    The Stainless Steel Cat.

  4. At 02:44 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Carmen Miranda wrote:

    i i i i i i like you veeeeery much!

  5. At 03:12 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Val can probably tell you what colour "i" is, if that's any help.

    Although for a radio programme, possibly not.

    :o(

    Fifi

  6. At 03:12 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Or is One the Square at the root of minus i?

  7. At 03:13 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Electric Dragon wrote:

    "i" to me signifies over-priced, over-hyped, over-restrictive, over-shiny gadgets. iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPlayer (even free, it's still over-priced)

  8. At 03:14 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Charlie wrote:

    i = I wonder where it all went wrong..?

    NHS Budgetary pressures result in 331 people dying following infection with C.Difficile

    Miltary personnel who are permanently and seriously incapacitated fighting for their country receive paltry offers of monetary compensation

    Yet, our Government tolerates...

    (Daily Telegraph 11 October) "London 2012 organisers admitted yesterday that the cost for the main Olympic Stadium had increased by a staggering 77 per cent. In their six-monthly update to members of the London Assembly, John Armitt, the new chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, revealed the final budget for the 80,000-seat venue had jumped from £280 million to £496 million.

    That's a rise of £216 million on the cost submitted at the time of London's successful bid for the Games in 2005

    Olympics minister Tessa Jowell announced in March that the total cost of the Games and regeneration of the land surrounding the Olympic park in Stratford had leapt from £3.4 billion to £9.3 billion"

  9. At 03:29 PM on 11 Oct 2007, JimmyGiro wrote:

    Ed (5) - "Prepare the wicker man!"

    It's just a phase he's going through.

    :P

  10. At 03:40 PM on 11 Oct 2007, witchiwoman wrote:

    SSC - I second the motion!

  11. At 03:52 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Speaking of , Check out the link.

    Not too bad an addition in 24 hours, eh?

    xx
    ed

    Some primal termite knocked on wood.
    And tasted it, and found it good.
    And that is why your Cousin May
    Fell through the parlor floor today.
    -- Ogden Nash
    Thu Oct 11 16:00:23 BST 2007


  12. At 04:08 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    ¾±Â²=-1

  13. At 04:37 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    i'd vote for that, SSC!

  14. At 04:40 PM on 11 Oct 2007, JimmyGiro wrote:

    iii = -i

  15. At 04:42 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Val P wrote:

    Fifi - i is grey. Of course "I" am not grey, although rapidly approaching.....

  16. At 04:50 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    ı is dotless

  17. At 04:55 PM on 11 Oct 2007, mac wrote:

    So now we have the iPM. Then the uPM, the hePM, the shePM, the itPM, the theyPM.


    At this rate its going to take a long long time to acknowledging we all live in the same world, that the starving are a mouse click away from us.

    Can we have an equality day please.

    Like the buddhists who meet, one bringing insight and instruction to the other, let every one of us explain to ourselves, I to i, the secret sad reasons why we favour inequality, with us more favourably treated, deep down inside of us, there in our iandI.

    Otherwise rock on and ignore all those not offering iI instant pleasure and luxurious self gratification.

    In an equal green world 'Its no go in the taxi' you know and no go for any i or I that ignores a single atom of economic unfairness and inequality in this world of iI's.

    Here's to you all, including those who will ignore this entirely.

  18. At 04:56 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    i Interesting little clips.

    I'm rather glad I'm not AC Grayling and going through all that turmoil every morning. I just think about a cuppa.

    Agree with Jan about the importance of snapping a person unaware.

    Not sure about the Buddhist - sounds an interesting plateau to aspire to.

    I like sharing everything with others too much to worry about (i)

  19. At 04:59 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    i i i - should be so lucky!

    03:30 onwards

  20. At 05:03 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    i is watching you

  21. At 05:04 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Val P wrote:

    i love your utubes today Jonnie!

  22. At 05:43 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Ed (20) I have the proof of that - click on my name!!

  23. At 06:03 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Gillian (22)

    Surely you jest!

    Turkey bombs Kurdish positions; Bush works to shield telecoms from wiretapping prosecution; Marjorie Cohen looks at Bush's stand on torture; federal judge bars Bush administration from sending Guantanamo detainee to home country; Bush threatens to veto housing bill; the editors of the Financial Times consider speaking truth to power; J. Sri Raman considers democracy fights in Southeast Asia; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at

    Love dem eyes!
    xx
    ed

    ( I have a linux routine for some similar eyes somewhere, if you (or anyone) can use it)

  24. At 06:35 PM on 11 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Re Val (21) - Oh that's good - perhaps I should make a comment on the pregnancy thread in that case?

  25. At 08:50 PM on 11 Oct 2007, Mariella Cook wrote:

    I am sure you have received e-mails form the learned Colin Blundell relating to his development of Multiple-I's based on Gurdjieff's idea that 'I' (single Unified-I) is a lie.

    As a follower and advocate of this philosophy I highly recommend folk to explore the concept of Multiple -I's and the practical applications that Colin Blundell has developed that enables individuals to gain more understanding of themselves and others through developing higher levels of self-awareness and incredible insights. Having personally experienced these principles and practice with other like minded folk, I can thoroughly recommend the experience - for more information visit www.colinblundell.co.uk

  26. At 09:36 PM on 11 Oct 2007, nikki noodle wrote:

    help please!!!

    I love listening to the radio & I am always singing; how on earth am i s'posed to take a photo of *that* !!!

    all suggestions appreciated.

    nikki

  27. At 01:24 AM on 12 Oct 2007, mittfh wrote:

    i stands for "I don't believe it - the blog appears to be working today!"

  28. At 02:08 AM on 12 Oct 2007, lois.raynor wrote:

    this is not good listening

  29. At 06:13 PM on 12 Oct 2007, Rex wrote:

    What on earth was that woman talking about on tonights programme when she talked about I/Eye. Can anyone translate?
    Verbage

  30. At 08:49 AM on 28 Oct 2007, emiles wrote:

    You are all wrong. i stands for integrated as in Integrated Pest Management IPM

  31. At 06:47 AM on 04 Nov 2007, wrote:

    There is no 'I' in the sense we pretend to understand it. 'I' am miserable one day; apparently the same 'I' is happy the next. To assume that these are one and the same 'I' can be very confusing: "'I' am so inconsistent..." Not so! There is always a Happy-I and a Miserable-I and you can step into either at will. You can take a photo of yourself with a happy face or a miserable face; neither photo will represent your 'I' because there is no such thing. If there is a persisting 'I' it's the Hindu Linga Sharir'a which is deep inside you and cannot possibly be photographed not even with the very latest gismos. We are each of us made up of millions of different 'I's: Work-I, Play-I, Son-I or Daughter-I, Cycling-I or Walking-I on and on and on...

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