Saw some art, hit a bank, bought some strings and a pick for my guitar, scored some drugs. It’s amazing what you can get done in a lunch break.
First the art. I found out about ‘The Window’ project last week via Kate Pemberton’s site: endfile.com. It’s a simple project; a window has been leased to use as an exhibition space and the work is changed every 3 weeks. It’s curated by Birmingham Artists. Kate had some work on display a few weeks ago and she posted a picture to her site. Being too lazy to do my research, I didn’t make note of the location, but spotted a reflection in the glass that I thought I recognised.
The reflection turned out to be a reflection of a reflection, but I was pleased to find that my Holmesian skills were on form. My first visit was last week, but I managed to arrive at the exact moment that the current work was being taken down; no matter, I shall return next week, thought I. Today was next week.
The current work is by Liz Rowe. Each of the surfaces in the window has been covered with a kaleidascope-like image of…something. It’s difficult to tell until you read the card in the window.
I like to think that my shoes tell you something about who I am.
Laces begin to work their way to the foreground and the patterns start to coagulate into shapes that make you think about your feet. You start to see past the repetition and the symmetry and enjoy the detail more. Heading off across town I began to reconsider my initial reaction, perhaps it wasn’t such a one-liner after all. Graphically complex but idealogically simple is a method that is probably well suited to the constraints of a shop window little more than 5 or 6 feet across. I shall go back and take a second look, I suspect it will get richer the more you examine it. All good so far.
Next stop the guitar shop on Smallbrook Queensway (a location I sketched a couple of weeks ago). Bought some more cat gut and a couple of picks of different thicknesses (I like to be able to blame my tools for my terrible guitar playing) and spotted a poster for an upcoming exhibition – Birmingham Guitar Show. It’s on the 12th of September and I shall probably try and drag my axe wielding mentor, Al, along with me. He’s feeling particularly smug at the moment since he just landed himself a beautiful Washburn on ebay.
A pretty succesful haul of links for a single lunch break. In between all that there was also some photgraphy and some music (mp3 link).
What’s that? The bank and the drugs? Ah, yes, well, I…put my pay cheque in the bank and bought some hayfever tablets from the pharmacy.