Another example of mindless fanaticism.
Appalled and dismayed by the horrific attack at the Manchester Arena.
Another example of mindless fanaticism. Had a wonderful break from the colorphobia often seen in well-behaved English art: went to the David Hockney show in London at Tate Britain.
We encounter his paintings mostly through reproductions in books, so it was striking to see them full-scale: so much attention to detail – a phenomenal evidence of hard work and care in their realisation, no effort wasted here. This level of attention to detail is combined with its opposite, a gestural freedom, and a willingness to work in a variety of styles (at times in the same work*) and trying out new things, an openness to new ideas. As in the last retrospective of his work, which I saw at the same place in London back in 1988/89 (described in Cinema and the Audiovisual Imagination) Hockney provides us with his own illuminating and engaging commentary in the audio-guide. His anecdotes are very amusing and feature some of the challenges he has had to face: at one end of the academic scale, the threat by the Royal Academy that he might not graduate if he didn’t have evidence of a naturalistic depiction of the human body, to working in the art school arena in the 70s, when life drawing was no longer the fashion. He points out that for him drawing is a way of looking – it’s a never-ending way to learn to see. A truly diverse range of expression is shown here: explorations of colour, line, texture, space (Hockney explains that he’s fanatical about space) - drawings, prints, paintings, photograph multiples, film, and most recently I-Pad depictions, which themselves open a new form of art, prompting new ways of creating and looking. His theatre work is absent (it was shown in an amazing and innovative exhibition at the Hayward Gallery some years ago). The Four Seasons (for four multi-screens projected on four walls facing each other) provokes an extended contemplation, with its slow hypnotic rhythm. In one of the seasons there’s an amusing and unexpected appearance of a car, moving slowly amidst the resplendent depiction of nature, shown previously without human presence. The whole work is startlingly original, not at all a diffusion of attention, which can often feature in multi-screen work. Hockney, now 79, is asked what he would like to leave us with. Joy, he mentions above all - to develop a continuing appreciation of the wonderful in our lives and in our surroundings. Something much-needed at this time. As a lady from Yazd explained, in the tradition of Zoroastrianism 'we wear bright colours to freshen our souls.'** *Thanks to the artist filmmaker Dennis Dracup who reminded me that the multiple styles are also featured in the same work. (This is also a feature found in the best and most enduring music). **From the wonderful BBC4 documentary, The Silk Road, presented by Dr Sam Willis: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03qb130 http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/david-hockney above : Grassy Noel : Alicia in The Wasteland
This Week at the Hundred Years Gallery THIS WEEKEND: Women of The Wasteland / The Sybilla Saturday 18th March 7:30 / £5/donation Women of The WasteLand Includes Performances by: The Amazing Butoh Dancer Mai Nguyen Tri performing with the Fabulous Fear of Fluffing; Jill Rock, Grassy Noel & APE, Robert Robertson, Luisa Tucciariello & Michele Paccagnella, Ivor Kallin, Giles Leaman, Johnny Cole, Rachelle Allen-Sherwood and many more in a Saturday Night Extravaganza of Film, poetry, performance, improvisation, electronica, dance and percussive inventions, celebrating Alicia in The Wasteland, the Sybilla, Vivienne Haigh-Wood and Valerie Fletcher... Women of The Wasteland is a Night of Celebration of The Mutiple Migrants, Misfits, and Mythological Characters that have chosen to live by The Ancient Flowing Thamesis and help create the Rich Tapestry of Peoples, Stories, Poems and Songs of The Mega Metropolis Londinium. The Asylum Ground floor until 26th March A selection of works from the gallery's own archive by Juan Gallego Pinazo, Johnny Cole, Jim Sanders, Gerard Ukpan and Christopher Northall Apocalypse Jazz Unit Sunday 19th March 3:30pm Rick Jensen's astonishing Apocalypse Jazz Unit have released at least 60 digital albums, several of which were recorded at Hundred Years Gallery. It's Rick's birthday and since it falls on a Sunday it seemed apt to do an afternoon show at Hundred Years Gallery, come and watch AJU do their thing and then continue after with some food and drinks... there may also be cheesecake... We're open for business as usual : Thursday 1 - 6, Friday 12 - 8, Saturday 4 - 11, Sunday 12 - 7. Residency: Rita Says Fridays 3-5:30pm / Free Current Artist in Residence, performance artist and sculptor Rita Says will be developing three new performance works in the gallery space on Friday afternoons during March and early April. Music & Books NOW IN STOCK at Hundred Years Gallery: We stock releases and editions by artists who record and perform at Hundred Years Gallery, including O-ARC, I Know I'm An Alien, Dimitri Djuric, Gleb Kanasevich, Bordille Recordings, Zumar7, Earshots, Richard Sanderson, Alex Bonney, CCTVYLLE, Cos Chapman, CRAM Recordings, reductive journal, Tolerance Manoeuvre, Mass Producers,David W Stockard, Robert Robertson, Funking Poets and many more. Opening Times this week: Thursday 1 - 6, Friday 12 - 8, Saturday 4 - 11, Sunday 12 - 7 Hundred Years Gallery presents a full program of exhibitions, live events, screenings, talks and workshop. Artworks, prints, books and recordings are available from the Gallery shop. Excellent home cooked food and drinks are available in our comfortable coffee bar. follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend Copyright ©HundredYearsGallery All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: info@hundredyearsgallery.comhttp://www.hundredyearsgallery.com Very sad news – earlier this week the poet Spike Hawkins died, aged 74.
Always unpredictable, he was known in some areas (like hospitals) as John Hawkins. As a poet, he was known as Spike Hawkins, and taxi drivers called him Frank. In the late Nineties, my boss asked me to set up an international poetry book series, and Spike was the ideal person to lead it. Known internationally, he wasn’t part of a narrow clique, so he was able to suggest some excellent poets for the series, which we called Poets’ Voices. I wanted each book to include a CD of the featured poet, to take each poem beyond the page into performance – the poets read their work in their original language, and if possible in English translation. Fortunately, before the publisher was conglomerated at the turn of the millennium, a selection of Spike’s own work was published in the third volume in the Poets’ Voices series. One memorable afternoon in Steve Dracup’s recording studio, he recorded Spike, who read all the poems in this book, a marathon performance with hardly any re-takes. (more below) The relatively short, pithy and amusing poems in the book are everyday but surreal in character. What could we call this collection of distilled different experiences, word-plays and atmospheres? I suggested the title 250 Grams of Poetry, which Spike liked, as he enjoyed street-markets. Years later I chose sixteen of my favorite poems from this book, and set Spike’s reading of them to film, in I’m Back, the title of the shortest poem in the collection. Films like this were shown in underground screenings I set up at The Foundry (no longer in existence) and in the Calder Bookshop, when the publisher John Calder was around to support such events. Once, at The Foundry, the audience enjoyed Spike’s reading of his poems so much, (peppered with his amusing anecdotes) that it looked as if they would miss their last tube trains home. (This was before all-night underground services). I wanted to capture audiovisually, before it was too late, Spike’s reading of his latest writing. I grabbed the large professional video camera from work, and filmed him in his home, choosing and performing his own selection of poems and texts from his notebook. The film is named Assault on Time, after one of his poems which he performs in it. This reading took place during a brief summer thunderstorm, whose rumbling followed with providential timing a tragic poem about a soldier lying on barbed wire on a battlefield in World War I. At another synchronous moment Spike reads a poem which features the sound of dogs barking – and there they are: the dogs in Breugel’s famous painting of hunters in winter, they bark on the wall behind the poet. Later, Death makes a brief appearance: ‘Met Death on the market – asked him if he was on the ‘phone He started waving and said he was an unlisted number. Why? I asked. Nobody rings my number (he said), But I ring everybody once.' From Spoonflags by Spike Hawkins (1943-2017). Very lively, excellent and varied performances at the Hundred Years Gallery last Saturday evening, hosted by musician Graham MacKeachan and artist Montse Gallego, with music, mime, storytelling, poetry.
My reading of a Donald Tweet variation on The Marquis (a satirical poem from Rabelaisdada) was followed by my music/film, Edge of Chaos. Altogether a most convivial evening: Jill Rock with Nicky Heinen/Maria Lusitano Grassy Noel & APE: Noel, G. Mack, P Shearsmith, Mike Walter, M. Rathmell Ana Pallares : poetry & resident painter (with Las Naves de Antofagasta) Luiz Bruno (I Know I'm An Alien) solo guitar (also depping on guitar with APE) Mark Rathmell : solo readings (microstories) Robert Robertson : reading & short music/film presentation Moon & Madness : Cos Chapman & Jo Roberts Eleventh Hour Adventists : Jowe Head & Jasmine Peneder Grahame Painting : solo guitar Gabriel Keen : solo piano set in the cafe Mervyn Diese : live & direct via skype (if we can get a connection from Barbados) Here's a documentary made by Oliwia Siem, about the very photogenic, thought-provoking art of Ana Pallares - full of energy, colour and humour:
https://vimeo.com/193105359 Ana Pallares is currently painting new work at the Hundred Years Gallery, at 13 Pearson Street in London, over the weekends - an unusual opportunity to watch excellent art-in-progress. I attended an extraordinary masterclass the other morning at the Royal College of Music, given by the world famous Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt. She gave guidance and encouragement to three very good pianists. Her enthusiasm, sense of humour, and perceptive comments - her singing and dancing to illustrate the points she made, succeeded in transforming academically correct performances into living, breathing music.
The vitality of contrasts was a key point, which came up again and again: contrasts in all aspects of the music. For example, the contrasts between the left hand and the right hand: ‘with Bach you always practice the hands separately’ she said. Other contrasts related to Mozart’s melodic phrases, syncopation in Bach, and more generally, timing and its relation to breathing in and out. Also tension and relaxation: she explained about her training in ballet and in Scottish folk dance – she demonstrated several points by dancing, and also singing. Once again I had the sense that dancing and singing are indivisible, and are fundamental elements that have to be there in some form, when playing an instrument effectively and expressively. This key factor is often neglected in the academic Western approach to music – watch audiences in classical music concerts: they sit mostly completely still, like stones. Over the years I’ve noticed that when you are listening to some of the most powerful music of composers like Bach and Mozart, you find yourself breathing in time to it: these composers have a direct physical influence on their listeners. As this phenomenon had never been mentioned in my musical education, afterwards I asked Hewitt about it. She was enthusiastic in her response, and she again underlined the vital importance of the breath, and how you breathe when you perform a piece of music. And now 2017 - the year of Donald Tweet and Theresa Brexit.
Happy New Year everyone! As Trump and his sad brigade get going depressingly far right in the US, it’s wonderful to find that an artist, Ana Pallares, is creating colourful, independent and dynamic paintings at the inspiring Hundred Years Gallery. This gallery is a unique beacon for artists’ voices in London.
Above is an example of a painting in progress by Ana Pallares: full of humour, dynamic colour contrasts and an immediate address to the viewer. I came across it as Ana was about to take a break from working on the painting, in the quiet of the basement exhibition space. (scroll down for more) I told Ana that I often like work at an early stage, as it can have the vigor of the first impression evoked by a sketch. And when we look at her work (www.instagram.com/anapallaresart) we not only engage with the characters she has painted, who look at us directly, but as a result, we are also engaged to look at ourselves and to consider our attitude to that character in the painting, in this particular case, a rat. Text is a fundamental part of Ana’s work, and here it is also evident that the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and his work are a significant source of inspiration, but not in any simple imitative way - a provocative and individual sense of humour is key in the lively and energetic paintings of Ana Pallares. As well as presenting a wide spectrum of new work in the visual arts, the Hundred Years Gallery hosts a lively programme of improvised and composed music, films, discussions, photography, together with a convivial café. Just returned from the British Museum, after a very amusing and informative talk about depictions on ancient Roman drinking cups and vases, given by a young specialist. He brought alive the possible thoughts a Roman might have had on viewing an image at the bottom of his very wide drinking cup, after having drunk the wine in it.
Nearby were displayed huge magnificent murals from Nimrud. This was the ancient city the ‘Isis’ fanatics have recently blown up. It was fortunate that the British had brought at least some of the massive statues and murals from Nimrud to London all those years ago. Everyone depicted in these ancient murals looks sideways - a technique which has survived in cinematic convention to this day: ‘Don’t look at the camera!’, the actors are told. And the subject of these murals? Battles. So what has changed? |
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