Sunday 31 October 2010

It might not look like much

CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP

Snowdon

I don't think I've ever travelled by National Express before. I've never had to- there's always been a train or a car or even a plane going where I want to go, but Friday I took off from work and headed straight to Victoria coach station. Destination: West Country.


Next morning, doorstop bacon sandwiches dealt with, Paul and I made our way up to Snowdonia to meet Si, who had slept in a tent in the rain the night before. The sunrise had made it all worthwhile.



Half an hour or so later, hail hammering down and wind blasting indiscriminately, we were facing down Crib Goch (one of the tougher ridge ascents of Snowdon). We decided against the route and took an easier way, along with everyone else climbing on the day.



The hail continued for a while and we trudged on, hooded and bowed. At one point I wondered aloud what we were doing it for. People climb mountains for different reasons: to get to the top, for a nice view, for the air, for the exercise, some even climb them just because people climb mountains. Others climb simply because the mountains are there. I hadn't even envisaged climbing Snowdon when I planned this trip- I was interested in seeing some of the autumn colours. We had settled on hiking Snowdon almost without discussion.

Thursday 21 October 2010

My Boss.

Weiwei




Guy says:

20 October 2010 at 07:31

I loved the exhibition- I too appreciated the thoughtful layout of objects nearby paintings containing them, as well as the objects themselves: call me a philistine, but I had no idea Gauguin had been such a talented carpenter. I went on a Friday evening, expecting it to be extremely busy but it was by no means heaving and I didn’t have to wait too long at any point to steal a look at something that caught my attention.

However -at the risk of straying from the topic- I also went in great anticipation of the new Turbine Hall exhibition. Just before I left work for Tate, I saw an article saying it was now an off-limits exhibition, due to health concerns about dust.
I have to say, I was extremely disappointed when I did finally lay eyes upon the latest, sterilized addition to a series that has as it’s hallmark interaction and social immersion. It wasn’t the fact that you had to view the artwork from behind a tape-barrier, it was that earlier during the week you could trample all over it: knowing that this was not how the art was originally conceived to be detracted from the experience significantly. And from an artist who typically takes a pugnacious attitude to authoritative dictums. I would have gladly worn a respiratory mask if it meant I could enjoy the art as it should be enjoyed.

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Another opinion:

Letters

Sunflower Seeds at Tate Modern – health and safety gone sensible
(3)

The Guardian, Monday 18 October 2010

Article history
Your article on Tate Modern's decision to stop visitors interacting with Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds installation misses the point (Keep off the art: dust puts sunflowers out of bounds, 16 October). It consists of a series of quotes from people complaining about "health and safety gone mad". They, and you, have thoughtlessly failed to consider the people who will be most affected by the large amounts of ceramic dust that was being created as people interacted with the exhibition.

While the health and safety of the general public is important, it will be Tate Modern staff who will suffer from prolonged exposure to such dust. That is why many of them quite rightly refused to work on the exhibition, supported by their PCS union reps, and ensured that management took their views seriously.

My partner works at the gallery, and my son and I are glad that she was part of this refusal. The disappointment of a few visitors is surely a better outcome than long-term, and possibly fatal, health effects for her and other workers at the gallery. Despite the decision, people can still view the work in the same way they would almost every other piece of art – by looking at it.



Matthew Cookson

London

• Tate Modern seeds? Ceramic dust? Sounds like a good use for stockpiled swine flu masks. Kind of makes it more "art", though not sure how.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Shetland Pony Attack



Running

I've been doing a lot of running recently. The idea is to get a good base level of fitness ahead of some serious marathon training from November or December onwards..

Mostly I've been running in the mornings. Once on the weekend, a few times at night. Any time of day I run, it takes a certain degree of willpower to get outside and start. Actually, it takes a lot of willpower. In the mornings, there's always a warm bed between me and the cold morning and weak light outside. If I run in the evenings, I can't shake the thought of the run for the duration of my commute home and my mind tests my resolve, turning over all kinds of excuses- I won't have time to make dinner if I run; it'll already be dark when I get back, I won't see my feet or be able to judge the camber and roll of the pavements; I have other things to do (I don't, really).

Once I'm outside though, once I've stepped out of the door there's no turning back. Once I crawled back into bed instead of running, crying heavy legs and convincing myself a day's rest wold do me good. So long as I make it downstairs to the front door I'm ok though. All I have to do is trick my mind, or sabotage my natural thought-processes long enough to get there, stamp my feet into my trainers and slam the door behind me.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Near Wormwood Scrubs

After you've watched 67 horse and gun trot and trundle past, the rest of the morning just kind of pales in comparison.