GO-SEE DAY - 

RODRIGO MULLER  /  M±P.

JAKOB EVERDING  /  M±P.

TIM HARFIELD  /  M±P.

CLAIRE BIRKHOLZ  /  STORM.

MICHAEL ARMENAKIS  /  M±P.

STUDY OF DONATELLO'S 'DAVID' (c.1428-30, CAST 1880)

FROM A SET OF DRAWINGS DONE IN MARCH '07

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THE ITALIAN SECTION OF THE V&A'S PLASTER CAST ROOM IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT!  APPARENTLY SINCE SEPTEMBER 2010 - I REALLY SHOULD VISIT MORE OFTEN.

ROOM FOR ONE.

"[I'M] NOT AIMING TO REFORM LIFE, BUT TO KNOW IT."

- DIANE ARBUS

TARYN SIMON /

 EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER I, 'A LIVING MAN DECLARED DEAD AND OTHER CHAPTERS, I-XVIII', 2011

A VERY POWERFUL AND EXCELLENTLY CURATED EXHIBITION I SAW TODAY AT THE TATE MODERN, FROM A MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER AND LEADING FIGURE IN CONTEMPORARY ART PHOTOGRAPHY.  AN EXTENSIVE AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO 18 INTERNATIONAL FAMILY BLOODLINES REVEALING THE COMPLEX STRUCTURES OF GENDER, RELIGION, POWER, POLITICS AND THE AFTERMATH OF WAR THAT ACT UPON THE EXISTING MEMBERS OF EACH BLOODLINE ('CHAPTER').

IT'S FREE, AND EASILY ONE OF THE BEST EXHIBITIONS OF THE YEAR SO FAR IN MY OPINION.

AT THE LEVEL TWO GALLERY IS ANOTHER EXCELLENT (AND ALSO FREE!) COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION FROM TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS DEALING WITH THE EXACT SAME SUBJECT MATTER, AN AFGHANISTAN RAVAGED BY IMPERIALIST WAR, SEPARATED ONLY BY A 111-YEAR GULF OF TIME.  VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND WORTH SEEING FOR THE FIRST-CLASS PRINTS...

"THE BEAUTY OF THESE THINGS IS ONLY EVER TACTICAL - THE REASON WHY I'M HERE IS NOT TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES - THE REASON I'M HERE IS TO ARTICULATE THE ANGER OF MY POLITICS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS WAR, AND THE BRUTALITY THAT'S BEING VISITED ON AFGHANISTAN BY BARBARIANS, IMPERIALISTS.  JUST ANOTHER WAVE OF SORRY IMPERIALISTS WITH THE SAME STUPID DELUSIONS AS THE LAST LOT, AND THE SAME MURDEROUS INCOMPETENCE."

- SIMON NORFOLK, FROM 'BURKE & NORFOLK: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN' EXHIBITION FILM (17MINS), 2011

A WRITTEN OBSERVATION /

 LATE DINNER IN A CAFÉ IN ST. PAULS  27.05.11

ACROSS THE ROOM FROM ME IS A PAIR OF MIDDLE-AGED ASIAN WOMEN.  THEY HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE MY STEAK AT LEAST (I HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING THEM MUCH ATTENTION).  AFTER I PAY AND ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH MY COFFEE, THREE OF THEIR FRIENDS ARRIVE.  THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER IN SOME TIME, FOR THERE IS A PALPABLE WARMTH IN THEIR EXCHANGE OF HUGS, LOUD SMILES AND PLAYFUL SLAPS.  THIS AND THE FAMILIAR RHYTHM OF THEIR SOFT TAGALOG (AND PERHAPS MY WARM COFFEE TOO) HAS ME SMILING TO MYSELF.

A LARGE DINNER PARTY ENTERS THE CAFÉ, AND SOON ENOUGH THE AIR THICKENS WITH CHATTER.  TO MY RIGHT, AN OLDER ENGLISH COUPLE DRYLY EXCHANGE THE DETAILS OF THEIR DAY IN THE CITY OVER A CHEESE PLATTER.  AS THE SHARP SMELL OF CHEESE BEGINS TO CUT INTO MY NOSTRILS I QUICKLY FINISH THE LAST BITTER DREGS OF MY COFFEE AND LEAVE.

I AM HERE 

HERE I AM 

AM I HERE /

ALL THINGS MELLOW IN THE MIND

A SLEIGHT OF HAND,

A TRICK OF TIME.

AND EVEN OUR GREAT LOVE

WILL FADE

SOON WE'LL BE STRANGERS

IN THE GRAVE.

THAT'S WHY THIS MOMENT

IS SO DEAR.

I KISS YOUR LIPS,

AND WE ARE HERE,

SO LET'S HOLD TIGHT,

AND TOUCH AND FEEL,

FOR THIS QUICK INSTANT,

WE ARE REAL.

- DUANE MICHALS, 'ALL THINGS MELLOW IN THE MIND' (1986)

- WIM WENDERS, 'ALICE IN THE CITIES' (1974)

"MY GOD, HE THOUGHT SUDDENLY, WHY AM I HERE, IN THIS DOLEFUL PLACE?  AND WITHOUT QUITE KNOWING HOW THIS HAD COME ABOUT, HE FELT THAT HE HAD VOYAGED DOWNWARD TO THE FOUL CORE OF THIS WORLD; HERE WAS THE TRUE MEANING UNDERNEATH ALL THE LOUD INFLAMED WORDS, THE SQUEALING HEADLINES, THE ARROGANT YEARS.  BUT HERE TOO, EQUALLY, HE THOUGHT, LOOKING AT THE DOCTOR, WAS PERHAPS THE CURE, THE WISDOM AND VISION, MORE PATIENT STILL...AND GOODNESS WAS HERE TOO - HE GLANCED AT HIS TWO FRIENDS - YES, BY WHAT MIRACLE DID IT COME ABOUT THAT COMPASSION AND LOVE WERE HERE TOO?"

- MALCOM LOWRY, 'LUNAR CAUSTIC' (1968)

I'VE CAUGHT THE MUSIC BUG / 

I'M GOING TO SEE THE AMAZING BRODSKY QUARTET NEXT WEEK AT THE WIGMORE HALL!  ON THEIR PROGRAM IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE EVER STRING QUARTETS:

MVT II: 'ASSEZ VIF' FROM RAVEL'S STRING QUARTET IN F
(HAGEN QUARTET AT THE MOZARTEUM IN SALZBURG, AUSTRIA)

THEY PERFORMED IN CONCERT WITH BJÖRK BACK IN CHRISTMAS 1999 AT THE UNION CHAPEL:

VIBRATING WITH EXCITEMENT.

GO-SEE DAY. - 

SAM BALDWIN  /  STORM.

PIERRE VAN DER MERWE  /  STORM.

CORNELIA TAT  /  PREMIER.

JAKE ANDREWS  /  NEVS.

LOWELL TAUTCHIN  /  ELITE.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC / 

I WAS AT THE WIGMORE HALL TONIGHT FOR THE WINNER'S RECITAL OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC PATRON'S AWARD.  'CELLIST LUKA SULIC PERFORMED A SELECTION OF EARLY-MID TWENTIETH CETURY PIECES ACCOMPANIED BY NADAV HETZKA  ON PIANO.

TUCKED IN AMONGST THE REPERTOIRE WAS THIS ABSOLUTE GEM OF A PIECE - ORIGINALLY FOR SOLO VIOLIN & PIANO BUT TRANSCRIBED FOR SOLO 'CELLO & PIANO BY MATS LIDSTROM - SIBELIEUS' BERCEUSE, OP.79 NO.6   

(THE ABOVE RECORDING IS ACTUALLY THE ORIGINAL VERSON FOR VIOLIN & PIANO, A 1985 RECORDING OF SERGEI STADLER ON VIOLIN ACCOMPANIED BY JUHANI LAGERSPETZ)

THE FINAL TWO MOVEMENTS OF BRITTEN'S CELLO SONATA IN C WERE ALSO PRETTY SNAZZY.

COMING SOON / DAVID VARCOE @ ELITE.

THE PERFECT HUMAN / 

"TODAY, TOO, I EXPERIENCED SOMETHING I HOPE TO UNDERSTAND IN A FEW DAYS."

- JØRGEN LETH, DET PERFEKTE MENNESKE ('THE PERFECT HUMAN', 1967).

JACOB BARBER @ ELITE.

"...WE SHALL KNOW EACH OTHER NOW, SHANT WE?  WE SHALL KNOW EACH OTHER NOW."

- D.H. LAWRENCE, THE BLIND MAN (1922).

PHALAENOPSIS ORCHIDACEAE

/

MY NEW ROOMATE.

TOP 5 /

i-D ONLINE

TORI AMOS / SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT.

 "THE CONDEMNED MAN LOOKED SO DOGGISHLY SUBMISSIVE, IT REALLY SEEMED AS IF ONE MIGHT ALLOW HIM TO ROAM THE SLOPES FREELY, AND ONLY NEEDED TO WHISTLE WHEN IT WAS THE TIME FOR THE EXECUTION, AND HE WOULD COME."

- FRANZ KAFKA, IN THE PENAL COLONY (ENGLISH TRANSLATION, 1948).

WHAT A MAGNIFICENT AND CLEVER LITTLE STORY.  HUMAN ERROR AND THE DILIGENCE OF THE MACHINE (OR THE DILIGENCE OF THE HUMAN MACHINE?).  THIS SEEMS TO BE A PERSISTENT THREAD IN MY READING.

"WE MADE LOVE.  WE WERE REAL, AND WE WERE HUMAN.  WE MADE LOVE.  THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KILL US."

- BENT (1997)