The title of this blog comes from a Gaelic expression -"putting on the poor mouth"-which means to exaggerate the direness of one's situation in order to gain time or favour from creditors.
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12 January 2011
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An installation of over 100 million ceramic sunflower seeds in the turbine hall, Tate Modern
I think it signifies that which could be signified by contemplating grains of sand on a beach, or the stars in the sky (except the sand and the stars signify much more besides). However, the installation does signify one thing the stars and sand don't. Human susceptibility to pretentious tosh. Each little ceramic seed is whispering, quietly, some idiots pay for this. Sadly many of those who pay for such stuff are taxpayers, who are not offered the choice to decline. Where did you go next Jams? Any pictures of the millennium wheel or the climb to the top of Saint Paul's? I enjoyed that climb on my last visit (and the wheel too).
Those last two rhyming lines would also be a strong entry for the philosophical poetry competition knatolee. You are an installation artist and a poet. And you have dogs wandering around eating the chicken poops too, I have noticed, which adds a whole new level of philosophical meaning to your 'poop in coop' installation (you could claim).
By the way, there is a magnificent pebble beach at Dores near the north end of Loch Ness with many many millions or billions of pebbles all crafted and polished by millions of years of weathering and people can walk all over it, with the Loch stretching south for miles and the hills sloping down to you on either side. I recommend it. And it's got a waterside pub too.
You can see the pub from the start of the beach here Jams: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46693556@N00/355281088/
And the view down Loch Ness here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2631096881_732e2cb709.jpg
We went Loch Ness Monster hunting there many times when our children were very young (although I had more success finding beer in the beer garden than monsters in the loch.)
Oh, and here we are turning round to see the long walk along the beack to the nice wooded hill you can climb, while contemplating what to drink when you get back to the pub:
Now that really is beautiful. Actually my first Scottish trip in many years will be to the Antonine Wall and Gask Ridge but Loch Ness will be the next one for sure!
An installation of over 100 million ceramic sunflower seeds in the turbine hall, Tate Modern
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf I'd known art was this easy I might have considered being an artist.
ReplyDeleteI used to take my kiddies to a big room full of plastic balls. Dont think it was at the Tate, but it was more fun.
You could leave the deleted comment message by the way - it's my enigmatic art installation.
Um ...
ReplyDeleteThe effort was in the creation H but Ai did not make them...
ReplyDeleteI went to teh Gaugin exhibition yesterday and took a detour.
Interesting but I am not sure what it realy signifies Liz
I think it signifies that which could be signified by contemplating grains of sand on a beach, or the stars in the sky (except the sand and the stars signify much more besides). However, the installation does signify one thing the stars and sand don't. Human susceptibility to pretentious tosh. Each little ceramic seed is whispering, quietly, some idiots pay for this. Sadly many of those who pay for such stuff are taxpayers, who are not offered the choice to decline. Where did you go next Jams? Any pictures of the millennium wheel or the climb to the top of Saint Paul's? I enjoyed that climb on my last visit (and the wheel too).
ReplyDeleteI kept hearing about this on our news, and how they stopped allowing people in for fear of them inhaling too much ceramic dust or some such thing??
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of doing an installation in our chicken coop, and let people walk on 100 million chicken poops...
Those last two rhyming lines would also be a strong entry for the philosophical poetry competition knatolee. You are an installation artist and a poet. And you have dogs wandering around eating the chicken poops too, I have noticed, which adds a whole new level of philosophical meaning to your 'poop in coop' installation (you could claim).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there is a magnificent pebble beach at Dores near the north end of Loch Ness with many many millions or billions of pebbles all crafted and polished by millions of years of weathering and people can walk all over it, with the Loch stretching south for miles and the hills sloping down to you on either side. I recommend it. And it's got a waterside pub too.
ReplyDeleteKnatolee you wold be a veritable star of the art world!
ReplyDeleteWe have a new star in Knatolee eh H?
Now that beach sounds marvellous... and with a pub. I knw where I will have my summer hols now!
You can see the pub from the start of the beach here Jams:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/46693556@N00/355281088/
And the view down Loch Ness here:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2631096881_732e2cb709.jpg
We went Loch Ness Monster hunting there many times when our children were very young (although I had more success finding beer in the beer garden than monsters in the loch.)
You have me sold H!
ReplyDeleteOh, and here we are turning round to see the long walk along the beack to the nice wooded hill you can climb, while contemplating what to drink when you get back to the pub:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lochnesswelcome.com/loch-ness-blog/uploaded_images/8-dores-beach-770364.jpg
(Hmmm, word verification "hydro" - appropriate, but I was thinking of a slightly stiffer drink :)
beack? Yes, I had a drink already :)
ReplyDeleteNow that really is beautiful. Actually my first Scottish trip in many years will be to the Antonine Wall and Gask Ridge but Loch Ness will be the next one for sure!
ReplyDelete