Modern Art Is Rubbish?.

I'll admit straight off, that i've never really been much of a fan of what is called "modern art".
I see the candidates for each years UK Turner Prize and often think to myself, "What the hell?". And i know that i am not alone in feeling this way.
I also know that i am in no way an expert on this type of art and fully accept that. Therefore, i tend not to "get" a lot of it.
But, there is some modern art that i do like and appreciate and i am quite happy to have a look and give it a go.

Well, today i went to see some modern art, at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill. A few miles along the seafront from my home.

The building itself could be considered a piece of art and is a famous example of 1930's "Modernist" architecture. In fact, it was the first British building built in this style and 2010 is actually it's 75th anniversary. It even has a slight Indian/Moghul look to it. A throwback to the days of Empire perhaps?

I love the building and the architecture and was very pleased when it was recently renovated, after many years of relative neglect. Having said that, i had only ever gone inside the actual building on a couple of occasions before today. I have walked and run past it, on the seafront promenade, hundreds of times. But, i just didn't get around to taking those few steps to the side.

It must be said that since the renovation, the De La Warr Pavilion has taken on a new lease of life and is a completely different prospect to what it once was and probably far more popular too. It has become a place that now focuses on art, in it's many forms. This has not always pleased everybody, especially some of the locals. But, i do believe that the De La Warr Pavilion is now gaining a lot of respect, both locally and nationally. Hence the fact that they are now in a position to house the exhibitions that i went to see today. Both of which were free by the way.

                    (Anthony Gormley - Critical Mass installation)

The first was a rooftop installation by Anthony Gormley, called Critical Mass.
This exhibit consists of a series of 60 life size cast iron statues. All made from 5 different casts of the artists body and they are laid out across the roof of the building.
Although i have never actually seen any of Anthony Gormley's work before. I have seen many images and films of his various exhibits. The famous of which are probably, the Angel of the North and Another Place.
I have always liked the idea of his work and have wanted to see some of it for a while now. Partly to see if it lived up to expectations. I'm pleased to say that it did. At least on this occasion.
Although, i can't pretend to have understood all of what was going on. I just loved the actual statues themselves. The fact that they are life size and so realistic, probably helps with the overall effect. And seeing them in that location must make a difference. The building itself and the backdrop of the English Channel makes it a great place to view any work of art.
Critical Mass runs until the end of August 2010.

The second exhibition was an installation, on two floors, by the Japanese artist Tomoko Takahashi, entitled, Introspective Retrospective.
Now, this one i had a little more difficulty with. The artist "has established her reputation through the playful recycling of the detritus of everyday life into illuminating works of art" and a lot of her raw materials are scavenged from skips. You could, rather unkindly, say that her work is quite literally, a load of old rubbish (I'm sorry, but i couldn't resist that)

The exhibits downstairs i found quite interesting. Especially a brand new installation called "Paper Work @ the Seaside". This consisted of a huge walk in box. This box was filled with, what at first appeared to be scrap paper. It was in fact thousands of black & white photocopies, mostly stapled to the walls, from Japanese Manga comics. These were grouped into various categories and was very effective.
As before, i can't pretend to have understood all that was happening here. But, it was an interesting spectacle nonetheless.

              (Tomoko Takahashi - Paper Work @ the Seaside)

The exhibits upstairs though, i found to be completely beyond me.
This, to me at least, really did seem to consist of rubbish and discarded items randomly strewn across the floor. Some of it did seem to be connected. There were many clocks amongst the "rubbish" for example. One of the people with me did think that it might all repesent work in some way. But, i'm afraid to say that i couldn't see that.
Still, at least i can't complain that it wasn't interesting.
Introspective Retrospective runs until 12th September 2010.

So, what did i make of my first proper taste of modern art?
Well, firstly, i must say that i'm very glad that i went. Although i didn't enjoy everything that i saw, it was well worth the effort of going and i would happily do so again.
The fact that works of this kind are available to see locally and freely too, can only be a good thing. It gives the "ordinary" person the chance to see and experience new forms of art. Art that they might otherwise make no effort to go and see.
Just because i didn't enjoy it all, doesn't mean that others won't. In fact, my wife and i have just been trying to persuade my son to go to the exhibitions and have a look for himself. He might not "get it" either. But, at least he'll have the opportunity to make up his own mind.

I think the one thing that will stick in my mind about today though, is something my wife said and something that i fully understand. It was about the minds of the artists who create these works of art.
Somebody like myself, just cannot get into the head and the imagination of the person who produced these art works in the first place. I'll admit that sometimes i'm not sure that i would want to be inside that mind.
But, it does go to show that we are all different and that we are all individuals.
The world would be a far less interesting place if we were all the same.

Vive la difference!

A Walk In The Snow.

As i have mentioned in both vlogs & blogs recently, we are having a spell of unusually cold & snowy weather, both here in my local area & throughout the whole of Britain.

Although, locally, up until today at least, we had not had too much snow. Over last night & today though, we have had quite a lot. In fact it has hardly stopped snowing here all day today. Not always heavily, but snowing nonetheless. It is still snowing as i type this.

This morning, i decided to make the most of it & go out for a walk. I had to go out alone, as nobody in the house was ready to leave, or were still asleep!
I went out at around 8am, when it was still nice & quiet & when the recent snow had not been disturbed too much.

What is it about snow that brings out the inner child in all of us? Maybe it's a uniquely British thing, i don't know? I guess it has something to do with the fact that we don't get to experience a decent snowfall very often?

Because of this, in my opinion, you really need to get out early to make the most of it & to beat the crowds.

There is something about being out & about when they are very few people around. Even though this was 8am on a Saturday morning, because of the heavy snowfall, the streets were pretty empty. Just what i wanted & had planned.

Well, i had a great time. Walking through the virgin snow, taking photo's & generally just enjoying myself.

I realise that everywhere looks different in the snow. But, there is something strangely unique about a seaside town in the snow.
Things like the pier, the amusemant arcades & rides take on a completely different look when covered in snow. Maybe it's because they are not meant to be viewed this way. They are really meant to be viewed on a warm Summers day, not a snowy Winter one.
One of the photo's that i took was of some advertising posters, encouraging visitors to visit Hastings. Naturally these posters showed the town in warm sunshine & looked a little weird sitting there amongst the snow. Hence the photo.

Also, a fishing town like Hastings, has some even more unique features that look out of place on a snowy day. Fishing boats, fishing huts, the beach & even the sea itself look vaguely unnatural with a coating of fresh snow.

Every time that we have had a decent snowfall, i have always felt compelled to go out for a walk & to take photo's because of the way that the town looks.
I don't think that feeling will ever leave me & i certainly hope that it doesn't.

One of my favourite memories of living in Hastings. Where i have now lived for over 20 years. Is of walking to work in the snow.
This happened approx 10 years ago.
I had to leave for work at around 5am & had to walk approx 2 miles into the town. The previous night had seen a heavy snowfall & when i left for work there was around 5 inches of undisturbed snow lying on the ground.
I don't think this snowfall had been predicted & was therefore even more of a surprise than it might otherwise have been.

I vivdly remember that walk into work.
I don't think i saw another person on the entire length of my walk. I had that snow all to nyself. What a great feeling that was.
Apart from that, there was that eerie quality that you get when there has been a heavy snowfall. There was a seemingly complete absence of sound. Except for the crunching of my feet on the virgin snow. No cars & no other people around to disturb that silence.
There was something really magical about that whole experience &, as i said, it is something that i will, hopefully, never forget.

It was, almost, a pleasure to be going to work at that time of the morning. Almost....

And, in some ways, one of the best things about that whole experience, was that the snow only lasted a few hours, before it all melted.
So, i was one of the few people who saw & experienced that snow, before it all turned to slush.

That might sound a little selfish & maybe it is?
But, it is sometimes nice to experience something that only you know about. Something truly unique.

How many of us can say that that has happened to them?