London: 120 hours of inspiration and contemplation

Gosh, I really wish this were a full time program. There's not enough time in the day. 

After arriving home at 9:30 PM Sunday, the week's been full of working hard at my job after missing 3 days, overcoming jet lag and fatigue, unpacking, laundry, reading and writing essays for Corey and yes, finishing up taxes. I actually overslept for work this AM! The first time in 8 years. My coworker called me at 8AM and my whole class was waiting outside my classroom- I was still in bed. Yikes!  

I'm still trying to edit all of my London photos and it's important to me to blog about my trip because it was so meaningful. Here are some highlights:

Tuesday PM April 6, 2010 depart around 7PM, after almost missing the "final boarding call"... Laura and I were having a glass of wine and chatting... whoops!

Red eye. Maybe an hour of sleep on the plane.  

Friday: Arrive in London at around 9:30 AM (4:30 am our time), make it to my B&B by noon. Meet creepy Simon, the owner. Sleep for one hour. Shower. Take the one hour trek to the center via tube. I'm in Northern London. 

Make it to Antony Gormley's lecture by 4:15PM. He talks about his work and shows the progression. He's very fond of Henri Moore and Richard Serra. 

  

Paul, Laura, Jamie, Emma, Laurel and I have a few pints at a pub.  

Laura drinks her first pint and a green beer.

I have a cup of soup because I'm starving. I'm so delirious at this point that I can't remember where I live when Jamie asks. There's supposed to be lots of food at the Tate reception.

No food. 

Reception is nice. We met many artists who were attending the convention. Paul knows everyone and introduces us around.

I take the tube back late to my B&B, it's raining, I don't have an umbrella. I get lost. Made it home by 1:30 am. Other guests wake me up at 7am.  I missed breakfast. Got my . Toilet doesn't flush. I'm absolutely miserable. 

(Simon is a creeper...big time! I swear there's a camera in that tv. I shut the power off, the next day it's on. He folded my pajamas and hung my bra over the foot board. Laura and I had a good laugh... we said he's probably dancing around the room like the guy in Silence of the Lambs, rubbing lotion on himself wearing my bra!) God, I hope not. 

The tea pot is disgusting and slimy.

Thursday AM: I'm exhausted, hungry and miserable.

Had some lunch at the convention. Attended some interesting discussions and I'm feeling better finally! One of the presenters had a video installation of a woman swimming and turning in water with fish and it was projected onto the sheets of a hospital bed. That image really stayed with me. It was so beautiful. I have her name, but the book is not with me now. She said organza holds video well.

Afterwards we did a gallery hop, 

We met Anthony Caro and received a free copy of his book which he signed! What an honor.

We met the owner of this gallery and one of the artists represented. Paul knows them. 

We taxied around town and saw some of the sites. It's interesting to learn the history.

Paul told us that Judge dread hung people at this pub and chained them to the bottom of the sea and waited for the tide to come in so they'd drown. Laura told me the Bloody Mary stories. What a history! Though I visited London in 2003, it seems you absorb more the older you get. I guess there are more connections between things.

Ate lots of fish and chips and mushy peas. I learned the Euro way of eating mussels.

On Friday morning we were so fortunate to be able to visit Antony Gormley's Studio!

He has about 5 assistants who do the work for him.  He does drawings using "rhinoceros".

 He prints them and the assistants construct them, then he critiques the work. Here he is showing us how he hides the bolts.

He has a business office, a drawing studio and a kitchen upstairs and the large studio downstairs.

Afterwards we attended a few more lectures at the conference, including one on the future of art education and a presentation by Lucy Orta, then went to Laura's to shower and dress for the Gala.  

We were able to see the Henry Moore show at the Tate.

His drawings were especially beautiful.

The Gala was over rated. The food was terrible (pork bellies) and it was very cramped inside. Two artists were honored and I wasn't overly impressed with their work, though I have to admit I haven't researched their work much either.

. 

Paul took us out to a pub afterwards and I ended up missing the last tube and had to take an expensive taxi ride home.

Saturday AM, Laura and I went to the British Museum

and saw the Rosetta Stone (allowed us to decipher heirogylphics when it was found 200 years ago because the Greeks had already done so, but it was lost.  Three languages were written on the one stone)

We saw the maneater... maybe she'll show up in my work. lol

I was fascinated with the sumerian reliefs.

We took a bus to the National Portrait Gallery. 

We realized that most of the portraits were OF famous Britains, not BY famous artists. So the work was mixed. We stayed in the contemporary section and saw some really cool stuff including a portrait that "breathed" and one made of blood. There was also an Indian Portrait Exhibit and I found this drawing to be especially beautiful. I like the warm dark ground with line and just a touch of light chalk.

Then we went to the National Gallery and heard a fabulous docent recant the story of Diana and the Hunt. He was a great storyteller and so animated! He really made the painting come to life. I think I will be a docent when I retire.

We saw these two scenes on our travels that reminded us of Sarah, so I photographed them for her:

We had a really nice afternoon with Paul, his two sweet grand daughters and his son who we met down by the pier. I caught this precious moment where Laura told the girls she was holding a duck in her hand. Then opened up her hand to show them her ring. They thought it was great!

Afterwards, Laura and I went shopping in the markets and I found a little coat. We took a ferry back and passed the Bloody Tower.

 

We went to the Saatchi Gallery but it was closed so we stopped at an Italian place next door for coffee.

We planned on going to Covent Garden that night but it felt so good to sit that we just stayed for dinner.  We won't discuss the hair in my soup or the bill. (70 pounds - about $105- for a side salad, side of pasta, risotto, bruccetta and 3 glasses of wine) and no, it wasn't even that good! But the company was. We had fun! And I made it home on the tube no worries. Glad my place was in a safe neighborhood.

Saturday morning I left my B&B early. Glad nothing had to be hoisted out the window. lol

I made my way to the Saatchi Gallery with all of my bags. I really wanted to see the oil exhibit that we'd heard so much about. It was beautiful, but the smell was very strong. I kept thinking to myself... what if someone dropped a match in there? 

The theme was The empire Strikes Back: Indian art Today

There was quite a variety of work, including painting, I was pleased to see. I documented the whole show- since you are allowed to take pics in there. Here are just a few pieces.

There was a heart covered in Bindis (caste symbols) and a breathing bed covered in tar and debris with stirrups and calipers. I bought the little guide that explains all of these pieces in some detail. I was happy to see a large proportion of female artists represented.

On the plane ride home I didn't have a window seat.  I watched a documentary about Charles Saatchi and one about David Hockney. I sketched out some ideas I had and really wish I had more time this week to try them out. 

Tracey Emin's words "Mundane" are resonating with me. I'm also thinking of relational aesthetics and mise-en-scene from Corey's readings.  

I had an idea a few years ago for an experiential installation and I think I would like to pursue it in some form. Maybe I should apply to the Fabric Workshop after school so I'll have space to do it.

Ideas: Chairs with guests sitting in them " Dance for me" puts viewers on spot. 

Open a door and see video of human breathing. Element of surprise. Life sized.

Liked Antony Gormley's white room ghostly hands touching from each side of the glass. 

Portraits of students by painting or photographing interiors of lockers. Printing to scale, lining up on a wall.

I don't know which direction my work is going. I am thinking of Baldessari's words "Do what's fun."

That's why I chose to blog tonight, before I forget about the trip, instead of writing about Mieke Bal. Sorry Corey, I'll get that out tomorrow... but I am thinking about it.

Goodnight