Friday 8 February 2019

alongweekwithsomethingstosee


if you like your films full of bad people getting what they deserve - the equalizer is for you https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3766354/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1 if you like your films confusing and fragmented involving ideas such as good and bad not being so obvious Happy End is for you https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5304464/ The Sisters Brothers is a thoughtful jaunt - violently brutal but I struggled with the fact that its categorised as a comedy https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4971344/ Widows is a masterful piece of cinema - from the sublime camera work to the clever scrip and the stunning acting - it's a commentary on black lives matter, poverty, Me Too, class without been even mentioning it - all within a tight caper movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4218572/ Can you ever forgive me  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4595882/ was a gloriously debauched episode, I loved Richard E Grant louche portrayal so much that I had to go watch Withnail and I clips on Youtube.
the concepts informing Russian Doll on Netflix promise lots but 6 episodes in and it's still a gentle series with limited twists and turns with inadequate laughs but - I shall persist.
some recent exhibitions - Rags Media Collective at Frith Street has a sound and video piece within a padded structured room which has peep holes and built in seating to hear the sound pieces.  https://www.frithstreetgallery.com/exhibitions/raqs-media-collective  at Gasworks Libita Clayton has created a womb like gravel sound space, entering it is fun. https://www.gasworks.org.uk/ The Prototyping exhibition at Japan House is interesting with some great biomorphic design, although the expensively exquisite shop is beautiful and having visited the excellent  the 3D printing company, Digits 2 Widgets https://www.digits2widgets.com/  I felt that I has already seen a lot of this type of work https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/whats-on/prototyping-in-tokyo-illustrating-design-led-innovation/ Gagosian has some glorious drawings from Walter de Maria, he of the earth room in New York, but here the ideas rather than the things are to the fore. Downstairs at BlaineSouthern there's a group show of abstract work and on the ground floor the giant jenga blocks and heavily textured paintings by Bosco Sodi https://www.blainsouthern.com/exhibitions/bosco-sodi-heavens-and-the-earth
A week full of teaching - Camberwell has been all about defining finishedness - a gloriously futile task but along the way some fascinating conversations (which is obviously the point). With OCA we are testing boundaries - a brief that always delivers exciting  journeys for the students - this year has some challenging proposals, especially for students navigating the cultural politics of the Middle East. At NUA we are starting the Final Projects and the yearly fear comes hand in hand with the realisation that they get to leave very soon. If only there was a time machine. For myself it's been all about organising behind the scenes - started to plan the paper for Turn the Page, organise the ideas and gather materials for a number of workshops including synthetic anatomy and visiting artist at Middlesex. Images courtesy of going through books at a friend's house.