Public art and education

We’re really fortunate in this country to have a rich cultural heritage, which is readily accessible, and frequently free! While in London we visited the National Gallery. It has a massive collection spanning the 13^th to 20^th centuries.

Apparently it gets very busy when it rain… well it is on Trafalgar Square, and it is free. While I loved the Monet (several versions of the lily pond), the highlight for me was the 10-minute talk. Monday to Friday at 4 p.m. one of the staff gives a wee talk about one of the paintings. It’s free education – and it’s interactive. You stand in a group around the painting, then there’s the talk, then you can ask questions.

I went to hear about Caravaggio’s Emmaus. The talk was very informative and... did I mention that it was free? Seriously, if you’re in London it’s worth finding out what the talk is about - even if it's rubbish it'll only take 10 minutes; and if it's good you'll remember it for a long time.

Art or story?

Having waded through all of the photos that I took while in Boston, I've been asking myself - do they tell the story of our holiday? Is this my objective when taking photos or am I trying to create/ capture some form of art? What would I need to change to incorporate the element of narrative (I already know about the shortage of people photos!)?

And even as I ponder these questions That Hideous Man posts an entry on his blog that combines both aspects! I think his still life on a medical theme is particularly impressive, although a blood-stained action shot would have rounded off the tale.

Friday photo: GOMA

The Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow

Friday photo: Modesty

by Giosue Argenti
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Chances and choices

“Where you live should not decide
Whether you live or whether you die”
U2 – Crumbs from your table

Last week the World Health Organisation published a report on life expectancy and some of the factors that influence it. The report was headline news here because of one startling statistic that emerged – male life expectancy in Calton, Glasgow is a mere 54 years; eight miles away in Lenzie it is 82!! A difference of 28 years in 8 miles.

Obviously this degree of divergence is appalling and begs many questions.

The WHO report states:
“The toxic combination of bad policies, economics, and politics is, in large measure, responsible for the fact that a majority of people in the world do not enjoy the good health that is biologically possible… Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale.”

The issue of Calton/Lenzie has sparked a predictable and lamentable round of political point-scoring. The reality is that significant investment has been made in places like Calton, but change on the scale that is required is long-term. It’s easy to get all high and mighty about these kind of situations. But the reality is that we live our comfortable lives in blissful ignorance of the situation right on our doorstep. I don’t know what the comparative life expectancy is for communities in and around Perth, but I know that poverty and hopelessness exists alongside middle-class affluence and consumption.

So before I criticise those responsible for social policy in Calton, I need to take a long, hard look at myself first.

On the day that the WHO report was published, there was another story in the headlines here. The Duke of Sutherland needs to raise some cash, so he’s planning to sell some paintings from his collection. The thing is, he’s been kind enough to lend them to the National Galleries of Scotland, who don’t want to lose them. So the Duke is prepared to sell two Titians for the bargain price of £50 million each.

To be honest Titian isn’t my ‘cup of tea’ anyway. But I’m horrified that the Scottish Government is planning to make a significant contribution (about £10 million) towards buying these paintings. How can this be justified?

My solution would be to let the Duke sell his paintings at market value (£150 million each!), then he can make a donation of say £50 million towards the development of arts related projects in Calton and other deprived areas of Scotland to provide some hope and stimulation for those whose life expectancy is somewhat less than the typical gallery viewer who would see the Titians anyway. At the very least, the government could divert their, actually, our £10 million to what in my view is a better cause.

sunrise reflections

The sunrise was beautiful this morning. As I started my drive to work, there was the promise of something in the clouds - the leaden grey was breached by faint hints of gold. Then yellow stripes imposed themselves on the reluctant gloom. The grey adopted a blue tone as the glory unveiled itself. Soon the sun burst above the horizon fiery red, imposing itself on the reluctant Angus coastline.

Magnificent!!

And I didn't have my camera! Again! Hence the flowery description above.

Actually the real joy of this morning's sunrise was in the reflections. As the sun broke through, I was driving past a row of newly constructed houses on a hill, facing the sunrise. Every window in the street was glowing red. It was breathtaking (and I'm sure that's isn't said very often about these houses!). The view from inside must have been truly awe-inspiring.

I've attempted to recreate the effect below. I know it's 'a bit basic', and applying the label 'art' to this post is bordering on the farcical, but ... I blame 'Lucy' for making me even think about doing that... actually I should thank her for stimulating thoughts that have long lain dormant.

DIY exhibition

I came across this today and think it's a great idea. Basically - the community creates the exhibition by bringing their photos. Then watch it grow.

It's simple, but could be incredibly effective. I don't know if it's been done before (probably), but it could be done anywhere. I hope they keep a photo-record of the blank wall as it fills up with ... er .. photos!

Life after death

This will be the last entry for the time being about our visit to London. Originally we planned the trip to see the Terracotta Army exhibition at the British Museum – but we couldn’t get tickets. So we decided to go to the Tutankhamun exhibition instead.

Having paid quite handsomely for the tickets, we then read some reviews that were less than glowing! I thought it was fantastic and fascinating. There’s a photo essay at the Time website which will give an impression of the exhibits.

I was intrigued by the extraordinary lengths that the Pharoahs went to model this life in the next. Apart from the elaborate coffins and containers for mummified organs, they also included models of fruit and everyday household articles (jugs, bowls etc). They also (in a similar way to the Chinese emperor) provided servants for the afterlife. The Egyptian shabti could perform any required work in the afterlife.

In ancient Egypt the Pharoah was seen as an intermediary between man and the gods in his earthly life, who was destined for divinity after death. I didn’t know (or had forgotten that King Tut’s dad had reformed their polytheistic religion, and introduced worship of one god. These reforms were reversed by King Tut.

So what else intrigued me? Well, at the time I was struck by some curious things that may reflect prophetically in ways that are beyond our comprehension. (What am I talking about?)

The hieroglyph that means ‘life’ is called ‘ankh’ – spot it in the middle of King Tut’s name! The cross as life – interesting?

Also, the symbols of power that the pharaoh carried (equivalent to the orb and sceptre of our monarchs) were a flail and a shepherd’s crook. Seems to be some resonance here too.

This week I’ve been reading some of the passages from Exodus about the priestly garments and paraphernalia – there are some parallels in terms of the intricate detail of the breastpiece etc., although I’m not sure what conclusions to reach – if any – about this.

Of course, I couldn’t ignore the incredible injustice that must have existed in ancient Egypt – with so much wealth and activity consumed by the preparations for the Pharoah’s eternal well-being. Forced labour, exploitation and greed aren’t a new phenomenon – nor are they only in the past!

Any negatives about the exhibition? Well, there were no queues thanks to timed tickets, the exhibition wasn’t too crowded after the first room or so as we managed to spread out. There was an exquisite beauty about many of the exhibits. However, inevitably the exhibition concluded by forcing you into the shop. Filled with overpriced King Tut tat, it was a disappointing end to a well presented, intriguing and (for me) thought-provoking event.

It cracks me up - but is it art?

While in London we made our customary trip to the Tate Modern. It’s always been worthwhile – and there’s quite a good restaurant too (although we know another place near by if you’re interested).

This time we knew what was going to be in the turbine hall, having read about it in several papers. Basically it’s a crack in the floor – really!

When we entered the gallery I wasn’t very impressed. We were looking at it from above and it looked just like a … crack. However, when we went down to floor level, I found it strangely captivating, and my attitude towards it changed. It was compelling and seemed to draw you in to the chasm – to poke and to probe.

The work is called Shibboleth, but I think it would have more resonance if it was re-named “Well, I drapped a shilling!”

Trafalgar Square – or is it trendy?

I really like the contrasts that Trafalgar Square offers – the ancient monuments and sculptures, the backdrop of the National Gallery, the rush of traffic, alongside the groups of children (and adults) scrambling on the columns and plinths. I like the way that modern art has been integrated to the square in recent years. (I don’t like the pigeons!)

The latest addition to the square is called “Model for a Hotel 2007”. I think it’s great. It really does catch the eye, and it seems to change subtly as the passing traffic is reflected on its underside.

For me the integration of modern pieces reflects the vibrancy of the city, and prevents the square becoming
dated and out of place in our society. Not everyone
agrees – as you can see from the Guardian article. But each to their own!

I hope it’s still there the next time that I’m down that way – I’d like to see it again, maybe at a different time of day, and see if I still like it.

On reflection

The exhibit that I liked at the Baltic - "Square dreams" by Kader Attia was a collection of fridges (150 according to the literature - I didn't count them) covered with small, square mirror tiles and all assembled to resemble a city skyline.

I loved the fact that the fridges had all been reclaimed from garbage, and seemed to me to be a statement about our disposable consumerist society. the literature for the display says that:

"Attia seems to be ironic about the structures we struggle to erect as monuments to ourselves. He comments on the human instinct that drives us to collect possessions, and to protect and defend them against all-comers. Like the Tower of Babel of Christian mythology, he sees the fortresses of possessions we build as our weakness."

I like that, and would add that these fortresses are commonly the cause of our divisions and lack of community.

Of course, art works at all sorts of levels - and Dolly D just thought that they were 'way cool' (pun originally unintended but shamelessly exploited by me!) and 'could she buy one?'

Oh, and they're useful as mirrors too!

Art for art's sake?

While in Northumbria we visited Newcastle - primarily for shopping purposes (at least that's what Dolly D thinks!). Our first stop - after using the efficient park and Metro facility - was at the Baltic centre for contemporary art. I should say at this point that I am not an art expert, just an interested amateur.

I have a problem with the exhibits at the Baltic. One had been removed altogether - more of that later; for another you had to read a safety notice before entering the gallery, where the "F" word seemed to dominate and the materials used included razor wire; another was based on images from pornographic magazines superimposed on images of women doing everyday household tasks. Maybe, I'm a grumpy old man - I just didn't understand where the works were coming from. Does art only have an impact when it shocks? Isn't there scope for pieces that focus on hope rather than moral decay and anger?

On returning to work today, I was reading "Holyrood" magazine which had come in while I was off, and was intrigued to read an article (opinion piece) about the Baltic. It turns out that the exhibition was withdrawn after one photograph was removed - by Northumberland Police. It was a picture of two young girls, one of them naked. This begs another more complex question (which I'm going to bodyswerve) - about when is an image pornographic or abusive for the child? The Holyrood article by Shona Main said:

"I will gladly defend the right of artists to be free to confront, enquire and capture. But they are not outside of society, they are part of it and they must reconcile their practice with the culture they detail and expose."

I agree with this - but would simply ask for some more positive examples to balance the position.

I like the Baltic - I think that the space that has been created in an old flour mill is fantastic, and I will go back the next time I'm in Newcastle.

I also liked the first exhibit that we saw - "Square Dreams" by Kader Attia - more of which on another day.