Still looking through the images from Rome but after 2 days
of student presentations and 3 days of assessing actual work the marks are
complete (apart from recognition of external issues that might occur at the
assessment board) - it's an interesting time - the marks are in but not public
- the students have no knowledge of their marks but the digital black ink is on
the forms in the appropriate boxes. https://johngraysondesign.wordpress.com/
The first event of The Norfolk and Norwich Festival - The
Tempest at The Hippodrome (where a large pool of water that moves and has rain
and normally holds water extravaganzas) - it was a spectacle with some great visual
moments lodged in my head. Next is the James plays on saturday - 3 plays in one
day - full on Scottishness.
A trip to London to I have my first 'mentor session' with
John Grayson who is working on the next wave of Parallel Practices with the
Crafts Council. His work is extraordinary in its extraordinary endeavour to elicit
a response from its audience - hours of painstaking skilled work goes into each
piece. The eye is drawn in by the craft skills employed in the making of the
work and the humour embedded within these time bombs of pomposity bursting is a
way in to engage the brain. I am already looking forward to our next
conversation.
Managed to get to see a few shows Marian Goodman has the
most sublime show of work by Ettore Spalletti often the space becomes the work
and makes you re-see what you thought you knew. It is truly exquisite -
especially the pieces that are so slight almost nothing happens and the site specific
piece in a side space is transcendent - I chose not to find out how is was
created (easily done by bending down) as I so enjoyed the otherness of it. http://mariangoodman.com/exhibition/3061/installation-views
Thomson & Craighead: Party Booby Trap is at CarrollFletcher
- http://www.carrollfletcher.com/ I am becoming more and more attracted to the
work shown there - favourite piece here was a fragrance made from the many
elemental elements mentioned in the old testament - wonderful idea.
The Photographers Gallery is free before 12:00 and has on The
Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2016 http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/exhibitions-6
There is quite a wonderful homage by Erik Kessel to his dad - a moment when their
two worlds beautifully collide even though they occupy different worlds,
meanwhile the disturbing work of Trevor Paglen continues - just who is watching
us? - the list continues.
White Cube had a fancy way of mapping drug consumption by Jac
Leirner - Junkie lite for the IKEA generation.
http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/
ICA has a great show upstairs
by Martine Syms: Fact & Trouble. In
the archive area it has PIL images from another time - metal box is just
harrowing https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions
finally - Richard Prince at Sadie Coles - crude marks on
crude imagery - unsure if two crudes make it okay.
