walkingwalkingwalking

A week in France walking from Cassis to Toulon - stunning views and great weather. The terrain was fairly easy with beautiful calm, isolated beaches and gentle ridge walking. There were some tough climbs into and out of coves and up to ancient lookout points, initially semaphore and now hi-tech military spaces. These where bookended with the 'psychogeography' of walking into and out of towns through suburbs and areas where man has taken control and ownership of the land.

Extraordinary food and drink accompanied the views, with many plat du jours eaten. A part of France where il floatant is king but closely supported by the cafe gourmand. A particular shout out to the excellent food at Et Bon Vent in La Ciotat @etbonvent. Toulon had an exhibition of Claude Viallat's work which inspired some ideas around flags for the opera I have become involved in/with at Sizewell. The naval museum was devoid of pomp, focusing on the military opportunities connected to the sea. 

At the end a quick trip to Aubusson via train to Marseille then TGV to Crest and a 6-hour car journey to see an exhibition by Matthew Tyson. The town has an excellent tapestry museum with a conservation area where you can talk with the conservers and look closely at what they are up to.  It was fascinating to hear about the choices around materials and colour. I went out to see tapestries in situ in a small chateau out of town.

walkingandreadingandsittingandwatching

a wonderful artifact that contains all the elements from the crucifixion story from Santa Maria de Cadaqués. Onto screens - I was drawn to This Town – a great 8-part drama series on BBC – it explores the culture and context of how the music we call 2tone was developed. It was particularly interesting to me as I literally grew up in the midst of this phenomena in 70s Coventry, my first gig was The Specials at Tiffanys, which is now the Central Library. The show was great fun which some nice performances. Dune 2 – sand, sand, sand.  On the walk in Spain I read Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker – fun, with some insightfully, thoughtful comments that made one consider the stuff we surround ourselves with. The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall by Steve Hanley and Olivia Piekarski is a monster of a book with each tragic moment of madness captured in raw detail. A great insight into a great band.

frenchwalkingandlookingroundthecorner

 

A few days in S France round the corner from Marseille. Sun swimming, some walking and great food. Caught up with The Mucem in Marseille on the way back to the airport they had Fashion-Folklore https://www.mucem.org/en/fashion-folklore a show that set out the many  connections between folk costume and couture. Some stunning pieces with great labels. The role of making and ownership, such as community and how they develop traditional costumes verses the individual involved in couture. Cultural appropriation was touched also on. Got off plane in Stansted - drove to Luton and got on a plane to Glasgow to see a Hanna Tuulikki performance in the cathedral - the bird that never flew - beautifully ethereal setting off the glorious space. Managed to check out Alter Altar by Jasleen Kazur at Tramway - a fantastic space but the text for the show did a lot of heavy lifting. After an amazing meal at Celentano’s got the plane back to Luton and finally home. What day is it again? 

walkingandwalkingandwalking

5 days walking part of the Cami de Ronda from Lloret de Mar to Llafranc, then into Palafrugell to get the bus to the airport. This part of the path mostly follows the coast. You find yourself walking through endless deserted small coves, into and out of working towns with one whole day in the mountains and woods. The beaches are tremendous - quiet, wild and empty - just left alone - if another person was there, it was a rare occurrence. Great food - we were in the patatas bravas, fried fish and arroz negro part of the world. It was difficult to eat badly. Warm air, clear blue sea and sky, beaming sun, stunning natural landscapes, interspersed with some amazing man-made sights, the modern cemetery at Lloret de Mar and the art nouveau hotel Diana in Tossa del Mar were particularly stunning. The latest show at The Print Room in Bruisyard has some excellent and beautiful work by Jonathan Keep. The 3D printed pots are exceptional, the mesmerizing forms enhanced by the stunning surfaces. 

walkingthewalk

The books created for St Michael's C of E School in Louth have arrived – they look good, I am sure the pupils will love them, especially seeing their own names in print. ‘found’ a fantastic site to animate images – a link to one from the work created in Louth – https://sketch.metademolab.com/share/7cc2680d5bd042f7b6695b693472c9c9/wave_hello_3  but you can put any image in the portal – strange movements occur. Started the research for a commission from Norfolk and Norwich Festival - a map of a walk – questions answered - In these unsettled times we would all like some answers. On the walk, using a treasure map you will find some answers to some questions. X marks the spot. Walking the walk I have found so many starting points and general oddness, along with a rich history explained by numerous plaques – looking forward to collating and editing. Onto screens – two series – just finished season 2 of The Only Murders in the Building – the sharp and witty script has great characters written with some excellent lines. Just started Rabbit Hope – this must win awards for handbrake turn twists – my mind was blown….

thenewbitterness

In 2007 I was sitting in a bar in Venice after a tough day spent looking at art in The Biennale! All-around us local drinkers had this intriguing orange drink I had seen 2 years previously, after asking I was introduced to Aperol and continued to drink it until I moved onto Campari and fell in love with its robust bitterness rather than a syrupy sweetness. I am now, thanks to Loick @pre_phylloxera on a journey with Cynar, apparently the next/new/latest thing, its herby bitterness is like Suze or Campari had a child but the herbyness is strong. The weekend saw a great walk from the Thames Barrier to Greenwich – which includes nice/odd pubs, post-industrial, hyper tourist, lost and found spaces. Seeing the dome and the millennium sculptural commissions close-up was interesting and a document of the so-called big ideas involving pomp and government. But they are obvious landmarks, along the walk intimate riverside beach spaces connecting to the river and carved out by individuals told more interesting human narratives. Managed to get into the west end to check out a few shows – Nancy Spiro’s delicate drawings at Frith Street, Marian Goodman projects had some bold, dark, narrative objects. Window shopping in soho got me obsessed with knitwear from wood wood and trainers by Salomon. Meanwhile onto screens - I am not the easiest man – nice idea but with a twist. Mr Harrigan’s phone book – nice idea but not fully exploited. Inside Man – nice idea made nicer with the addition of Stanley Tucci. Bad Sisters – what a tragic ending, but we all knew it was going there….