Happy Diwali to my dear Hindu friends. There's a diplomatic crisis in DR Congo, with many fleeing their homes. The US is about to elect a new president. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol apparently has no effect on babies. The credit crunch is ruining the global economy. My Dad's coming to Glastonbury next year. Priests will be checked to make sure they're not too horny. A car bomb has exploded outside a Spanish university. But... more importantly...
..some "humorous" presenters made a prank call! Two people complained, it appeared on the BBC website, then all hell broke loose, the PM himself moaned, the Radio 2 Controller resigned, and it's still the main story on the BBC after several days.
How uninteresting and pathetic.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
London Exhibition Mania
We have a slight problem in London this Autumn - most of the major exhibitions are, shall we say, of less interest to those who appreciate real art. The Turner Prize consists of the usual talentless drivel. Rothko, Bacon, Cy Twombly and others collectively churned out works which sit somewhere between your average five year old and Polish decorator in terms of how I am able to appreciate their efforts.
Ironically in the new Saatchi Gallery on King's Road they have a room where they've invited 7-year-olds to paint inspired by Kandinsky. And I have to say the results didn't seem so very far away from the offerings at Miro at the RA!
Luckily it's not all bad..
Firstly, this gives one a chance to seek out the smaller (and often free) galleries - Charles Avery at the Parasol and today:
Bruegel to Rubens - Masters of Flemish Painting at the Queen's Gallery.
The where? There's a gallery at the edge of Buckingham Palace. They house a selection of the Royal Collection, and also have rotating temporary exhibitions.
The marvellous Flemish one runs till next year, but a Baroque one comes online on November 14th (update, oops, I've just noticed Baroque is in Scotland). It's a lovely space, filled with some very interesting paintings, Faberge Eggs, clocks, etc, and most importantly, unlike the blockbusters at the major galleries it's not jam packed. Go see the Flemish Exhibition!
Miro, or to give the exhibition its full title:
"Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Braque: Aimé Maeght and his artists" is up in the Sackler Wing of the Royal Academy until the end of the year. Yes, you have to climb the stinky staircase to get to it!
One up there, one can appreciate "the freshness, optimism and inventiveness of the art that took post-war Paris by storm.". I have to confess that I was not bowled over, but it's worth a quick visit on a combined ticket with Byzantium. If I'd paid to see this only, I would have been a bit annoyed. The best part of it - an entire wall covered by the front covers of the art journal Derrière le Miroir. That and a couple of African-inspired Braque still lifes. Oh and I should mention a sketch entitled something like "the walker" which just had about half a dozen small scribbles, collectively implying a man walking on a large blank sheet of paper. Quite inventive!
Byzantium 330–1453
The blockbuster at the RA this autumn. Expect to do battle with old people!
The exhibition, a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Arts and the Benaki Museum in Athens, provides an overview of the culture and history of the Byzantine Empire. It's big, with over 300 objects spread over about a dozen large rooms. splendours of , 'Byzantium 330–1453' incorporates over 300 objects. Some of the works have never been displayed in public before, and the suggestion in the Telegraph review was that the objects with St Mark's in Venice had lent out, including the following incense burner, would never be lent out again.
Interestingly several of the icons from the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai had been held up and were replaced with colour copies. No reason was provided and the staff had not been told.
Also on display is the Chalice of Antioch, which has been a candidate for the Holy Grail.
Worth seeing. Allow time!
Hadrian: Empire and Conflict
Finally I should mention Hadrian, the current biggie at the British Museum. This is a timed entry exhibition in a modified reading room. In all honesty, I found it somewhat disappointing. As a British viewer, I was particularly interested in the wall of course. Not much information about that.
What was displayed was somewhat disjointed, much information about aspects which interested me less (his gay lover, for example), and overall a crowded and confused layout. One interesting takeaway though was that the Reading Room ceiling was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. Didn't know that! Shame they'd butchered the Reading Room to put the exhibition on! The space is much smaller than the one they usually use for big exhibitions, hence part of the issue.
Still to see:
Edge of Arabia at SOAS till 13th Dec
Wallace Collection
Turner Watercolours at the Courtauld starting this Friday.
Renaissance Faces - Van Eyke to Titian at the National Gallery
Picasso and the Masters in Paris (this one pending a cheap Eurostar ticket!).
Ironically in the new Saatchi Gallery on King's Road they have a room where they've invited 7-year-olds to paint inspired by Kandinsky. And I have to say the results didn't seem so very far away from the offerings at Miro at the RA!
Luckily it's not all bad..
Firstly, this gives one a chance to seek out the smaller (and often free) galleries - Charles Avery at the Parasol and today:
Bruegel to Rubens - Masters of Flemish Painting at the Queen's Gallery.
The where? There's a gallery at the edge of Buckingham Palace. They house a selection of the Royal Collection, and also have rotating temporary exhibitions.
The marvellous Flemish one runs till next year, but a Baroque one comes online on November 14th (update, oops, I've just noticed Baroque is in Scotland). It's a lovely space, filled with some very interesting paintings, Faberge Eggs, clocks, etc, and most importantly, unlike the blockbusters at the major galleries it's not jam packed. Go see the Flemish Exhibition!
Miro, or to give the exhibition its full title:
"Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Braque: Aimé Maeght and his artists" is up in the Sackler Wing of the Royal Academy until the end of the year. Yes, you have to climb the stinky staircase to get to it!
One up there, one can appreciate "the freshness, optimism and inventiveness of the art that took post-war Paris by storm.". I have to confess that I was not bowled over, but it's worth a quick visit on a combined ticket with Byzantium. If I'd paid to see this only, I would have been a bit annoyed. The best part of it - an entire wall covered by the front covers of the art journal Derrière le Miroir. That and a couple of African-inspired Braque still lifes. Oh and I should mention a sketch entitled something like "the walker" which just had about half a dozen small scribbles, collectively implying a man walking on a large blank sheet of paper. Quite inventive!
Byzantium 330–1453
The blockbuster at the RA this autumn. Expect to do battle with old people!
The exhibition, a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Arts and the Benaki Museum in Athens, provides an overview of the culture and history of the Byzantine Empire. It's big, with over 300 objects spread over about a dozen large rooms. splendours of , 'Byzantium 330–1453' incorporates over 300 objects. Some of the works have never been displayed in public before, and the suggestion in the Telegraph review was that the objects with St Mark's in Venice had lent out, including the following incense burner, would never be lent out again.
Interestingly several of the icons from the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai had been held up and were replaced with colour copies. No reason was provided and the staff had not been told.
Also on display is the Chalice of Antioch, which has been a candidate for the Holy Grail.
Worth seeing. Allow time!
Hadrian: Empire and Conflict
Finally I should mention Hadrian, the current biggie at the British Museum. This is a timed entry exhibition in a modified reading room. In all honesty, I found it somewhat disappointing. As a British viewer, I was particularly interested in the wall of course. Not much information about that.
What was displayed was somewhat disjointed, much information about aspects which interested me less (his gay lover, for example), and overall a crowded and confused layout. One interesting takeaway though was that the Reading Room ceiling was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. Didn't know that! Shame they'd butchered the Reading Room to put the exhibition on! The space is much smaller than the one they usually use for big exhibitions, hence part of the issue.
Still to see:
Edge of Arabia at SOAS till 13th Dec
Wallace Collection
Turner Watercolours at the Courtauld starting this Friday.
Renaissance Faces - Van Eyke to Titian at the National Gallery
Picasso and the Masters in Paris (this one pending a cheap Eurostar ticket!).
Snow in London!
It may be October still, but it's snowing outside - thick heavy flakes falling, and starting to pile up on the cars in the street. I doubt it will settle, and it's supposed to thaw out at the end of the week, but still..
Snowwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
Building up on my bicycle
Electric car below snowed in
Very exciting! And made even better as apparently other parts of London aren't having so much fun - according to my sources it's raining south of the river! Here's the article on the BBC about this brief Arctic snap.
Snowwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
Building up on my bicycle
Electric car below snowed in
Very exciting! And made even better as apparently other parts of London aren't having so much fun - according to my sources it's raining south of the river! Here's the article on the BBC about this brief Arctic snap.
Friday, October 24, 2008
More Film Fest
After Liverpool and Tulpan, I've been along to a few more Film Fest delights. Here's a brief summary:
Dean Spanley
An absolute delight of a film, the unusual story revolving around a fantastic set of characters discovering that Imperial Tokay wine causes Dean Spanley to have flashbacks to his previous reincarnation as a dog.
Peter O'Toole plays a particularly eccentric highlight to this mad film based on a book by Lord Dunsany.
The film will go on general release later this year, playing at the Curzon Mayfair. It's so good that I will buy the DVD when it comes out.
Tricks (Sztuczki)
Tricks
A truly charming and nostalgic film about a young boy and his attempts to influence fate, aided by his elder sister. Using non-actors, the director Andrzej Jakimowski, who was present at the screening for a Q&A, leads us through a story about a six-year old Stefek, who is convinced that a man he sees at a trains station is his father. He intends to play "tricks" to win him back for their family.
Based on the quality of this film I would strongly recommend the director's previous offering, Squint Your Eyes.
All Around Us (Gururi no Koto)
Ryosuke Hashiguchi directs this slow-burning study of a modern couple without much in common apart from marriage. Kanao, a shoe-repair man is married to Shoko, a publisher. She is all-controlling, even scheduling their amorous sessions on their calendar. He is laid-back, and takes on a job as a court-room sketch artist.
In court he finds himself exposed to some of the most disturbed people and crimes in Japan, and perhaps partly because of this finds much of what happens at home trivial.
Shoko, traumatised by a miscarriage, begins to have a break-down, and unbeknown to him aborts the second pregnancy. Only with time, and much support and naturing from Kanao does she recover and blossom. A sweet but awfully long film!
High Treason
Part of the deal of the Film Fest these days are free screenings in Trafalgar Square. Outdoor events are always a risky business in London, but right at the end of October is surely pure madness? Indeed, on the evening I went to see High Treason, it was cold, windy and ended up raining for most of the evening. This I wouldn't have mind but that firstly I was sitting on the ground and secondly I didn't have a coat or brolly.
Anyway, the 1928 silent classic High Treason was projected onto a screen held up by an inflatable frame, which was in itself interesting given the wind - bending about as the gusts came through.
High Treason, accompanied by a pianist, was an enjoyable flick set in the future (1950s) in London, revolving around the build-up to war between a Federalist Americas and Europe, instigated behind the scenes by arms dealers.
Particularly enjoyable were the model scenes of London with New York-eqsue skyscrapers, zeppelins floating about etc. Also the Channel Tunnel, modelled and envisioned much as it is in reality today. The war movement is protested by the International League of Peace, HQed in London, and again a vision of the League of Nations and later the UN, but will their leader have to make the ultimate sacrifice and commit High Treason to avert the war?
The film was preceded by a ten-minute short, The Fugitive Futurist (1924), about a chap who had invented a gadget to see into the future - and using the latest special effects in the 20s we were treated to the Strand underwater and Tower Bridge with skytrains running across the top!
Country Wedding (Sveitabrúðkaup)
A directorial debut for Valdís Óskarsdóttir, filming in a quite intimate way with hand-held camera for many of the shots, about a wedding party being transported by bus from Reykjavik out to a rural church supposedly only an hour's drive away.
Unfortunately no one is sure where the church is, and the priest, in the middle of watching a football game (and on the beers) does not provide much help, so slowly the tension mounts in the group as they drive further into the wilderness, arriving at wrong church after church fitting the correct description, tempers start to fray, and we are treated to various amusing or tragic revelations about members of the party.
Particular highlight of the film was the music, which I recognised as being by the unique and highly talented Tiger Lillies, they of Shockheaded Peter and a show at Edinburgh Fringe this year.
The London Film Festival - Back next year, same place, same time, for two more weeks of fantastic challenging and emotional cinema.
Dean Spanley
An absolute delight of a film, the unusual story revolving around a fantastic set of characters discovering that Imperial Tokay wine causes Dean Spanley to have flashbacks to his previous reincarnation as a dog.
Peter O'Toole plays a particularly eccentric highlight to this mad film based on a book by Lord Dunsany.
The film will go on general release later this year, playing at the Curzon Mayfair. It's so good that I will buy the DVD when it comes out.
Tricks (Sztuczki)
Tricks
A truly charming and nostalgic film about a young boy and his attempts to influence fate, aided by his elder sister. Using non-actors, the director Andrzej Jakimowski, who was present at the screening for a Q&A, leads us through a story about a six-year old Stefek, who is convinced that a man he sees at a trains station is his father. He intends to play "tricks" to win him back for their family.
Based on the quality of this film I would strongly recommend the director's previous offering, Squint Your Eyes.
All Around Us (Gururi no Koto)
Ryosuke Hashiguchi directs this slow-burning study of a modern couple without much in common apart from marriage. Kanao, a shoe-repair man is married to Shoko, a publisher. She is all-controlling, even scheduling their amorous sessions on their calendar. He is laid-back, and takes on a job as a court-room sketch artist.
In court he finds himself exposed to some of the most disturbed people and crimes in Japan, and perhaps partly because of this finds much of what happens at home trivial.
Shoko, traumatised by a miscarriage, begins to have a break-down, and unbeknown to him aborts the second pregnancy. Only with time, and much support and naturing from Kanao does she recover and blossom. A sweet but awfully long film!
High Treason
Part of the deal of the Film Fest these days are free screenings in Trafalgar Square. Outdoor events are always a risky business in London, but right at the end of October is surely pure madness? Indeed, on the evening I went to see High Treason, it was cold, windy and ended up raining for most of the evening. This I wouldn't have mind but that firstly I was sitting on the ground and secondly I didn't have a coat or brolly.
Anyway, the 1928 silent classic High Treason was projected onto a screen held up by an inflatable frame, which was in itself interesting given the wind - bending about as the gusts came through.
High Treason, accompanied by a pianist, was an enjoyable flick set in the future (1950s) in London, revolving around the build-up to war between a Federalist Americas and Europe, instigated behind the scenes by arms dealers.
Particularly enjoyable were the model scenes of London with New York-eqsue skyscrapers, zeppelins floating about etc. Also the Channel Tunnel, modelled and envisioned much as it is in reality today. The war movement is protested by the International League of Peace, HQed in London, and again a vision of the League of Nations and later the UN, but will their leader have to make the ultimate sacrifice and commit High Treason to avert the war?
The film was preceded by a ten-minute short, The Fugitive Futurist (1924), about a chap who had invented a gadget to see into the future - and using the latest special effects in the 20s we were treated to the Strand underwater and Tower Bridge with skytrains running across the top!
Country Wedding (Sveitabrúðkaup)
A directorial debut for Valdís Óskarsdóttir, filming in a quite intimate way with hand-held camera for many of the shots, about a wedding party being transported by bus from Reykjavik out to a rural church supposedly only an hour's drive away.
Unfortunately no one is sure where the church is, and the priest, in the middle of watching a football game (and on the beers) does not provide much help, so slowly the tension mounts in the group as they drive further into the wilderness, arriving at wrong church after church fitting the correct description, tempers start to fray, and we are treated to various amusing or tragic revelations about members of the party.
Particular highlight of the film was the music, which I recognised as being by the unique and highly talented Tiger Lillies, they of Shockheaded Peter and a show at Edinburgh Fringe this year.
The London Film Festival - Back next year, same place, same time, for two more weeks of fantastic challenging and emotional cinema.
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