2009-02-28
Six Free Exhibitions
I decided to pop into the West End today to see a couple of exhibitions. As is sometimes the way, I only made it to one of the two I was intending to see, but instead I made it to four others. All are free, so it seemed worth reviewing them.
Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009
The current exhibition at the Photographer’s Gallery, this was by far the most crowded of all the exhibitions I saw; so much so, that I think I’ll have to go back to get a better sense of what the work is like. However, I did finally get to see some of the work by Taryn Simon that I missed in 2007, and that was worthwhile, as was the work of Tod Papageorge. However, I was definitely not that keen on Paul Graham’s work downstairs. Worth popping in to, if you can avoid the crowds.
Richard Bryant’s Photographic Celebration of a City
This small (three room) exhibition at Somerset House was due to end next weekend, but it’s been extended until June. While it’s often somewhat obvious, it’s also well done, and the large prints are worth seeing in person (although you can get a taste online - perhaps there’s too much reliance on dawn and sunset, in retrospect). Still, worth popping in to if you’re around there. The £90 book seems a bit much, though.
Ashington Group: The Pitmen Painters
I found the artists behind this exhibition more interesting than the work, but I’ll admit I don’t know much about painting. Started in 1934 as an amateur art group by miners in the north-east, they eventually saw their work exhibited as far afield as China. The few supporting texts were fascinating. On until the 21st of March. Possibly perhaps more interesting would be the books about the group, though.
Rae Smith: The War Horse Drawings
Like the Ashington Group paintings, at the National Theatre (although on a different wing), but very different material: widescreen sketches in charcoal (I think), inspired by the Vorticists, which definitely appealed to my monochrome sensibilities. I also noticed a “dazzled” warship, which was made as a prop, and, in a proof of the camouflage’s effectiveness, had to be toned down for the audience to be able to see it. As above, on until the 21st of March.
This felt more like a Dorkbot than the Hayward Gallery (where it’s on display upstairs until the 24th of April), which is no bad thing. If you’ve never heard a food processor used as percussion, this is for you. It’ll only take you ten minutes to see all three pieces come to life, so possibly not worth a detour, but if you’re around the SBC anyway, do pop in. I liked it, anyway.
BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur: photography by Rankin
The only one of these exhibitions that finished today, and no great loss, because I really couldn’t recommend it. Consisting of photographs of a bunch of people who’ve founded companies, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about any of the portraits. I think I spent more time wondering how well the various startup concepts would make it through the next year or two.
All in all, I quite like these bite-sized exhibitions. If they’re rubbish, you’ve not lost much, and if not, they can be good starting points for further exploration.
Some Guardian Clippings
Marina Hyde: Give to the rich to help the poor? An idea worthy of Bono
Subheaded “Satire? No - a genius really has concocted a tax proposal to put our aid budget in the hands of the super-rich”, this is a great read which can’t be quoted from in chunks. Just go and read it.
“I first heard about climate change in the 80s. We called it global warming then and I remember thinking ‘that sounds dangerous’. But I never had a eureka awareness moment. It was a gradual build-up. Then I read zoology at University College London and my thesis was ‘Is the human species suicidal?’ I read it again recently. It was the blueprint for this film.”
They bypassed the banks and went straight to ordinary people for cash, developing the idea of “crowd-funding”. The first £50,000 was raised in a London bar on a single night in December 2004, and the £530,000 raised so far has come from 228 people who have invested between £500 and £35,000 each. There are still seven £10,000 shares available.
Review: Going Dutch: How England Plundered Holland’s Glory by Lisa Jardine | Books | The Guardian
A short review of what sounds like an interesting book.
In November 1688, Prince William of Orange, of the Dutch Republic, landed in Devon with an invasion force of 500 ships and thousands of men and marched on London, whereupon King James II fled. William and his wife Mary (James’s daughter) were offered the throne, and London remained under Dutch military occupation until 1690. How did this “invasion” come to be known as the “Glorious Revolution”, a peaceful restoration of order?
Review: Journey Into Space by Toby Litt | Books | The Guardian
A somewhat longer, much more critical, review, of Toby Litt’s new science fiction novel (at least he admits in, unlike some), set on a generation ship (and gives away the plot, if you care about that sort of thing):
Though ship-born, they are obsessed with Earth, with weather-words and landscapes. A younger brother imagines birdsongs in the creaks and squeaks of various mechanisms - a touching thought. But has the ship’s library no recordings of actual birds? No nature films?
The theme of the ship of fools is old and tried, and has provided matter for many a good story; but this is a ship of blockheads. Perhaps it’s a good thing to remind us of the dangerous stupidity of our species, but if there’s no end and no contrast to the stupidity, the story itself sinks into the inane.
