Art

overgrown doorways 2: “his dark materials” no spoilers update

so this is about semi-unintended portals, and this is one — because at one point will and lyra run for safety to a BELVEDERE and this explodes a bunch of ideas in my head PP maybe didn’t mean bcz

i. belvedere just means a place that is good to gaze from
ii. belvedere is a suburb of shrewsbury where i grew up, where my school (aged 8-12) was, and the art college my sister went to, and my dad’s current GP, and the place i had my first grown-up job — i don’t know why, as it is NOT a good place to gaze from

iii. this escher picture is called BELVEDERE (click for full size)
iv. the only lectures i went to in my third year maths at oxford were by ROGER PENROSE = the guy (with HIS dad) who developed the optical illusions escher turned into these (to me) utterly evocative lithographs
v. my great friend dr vick is related to escher which is awesome!
vi. all of which amplifies PP’s precise intention only glancingly, to be sure, except that it’s about travel between worlds, and the power (and mortal peril) of imagination, and our own ability to connect
vii. and plus also THREE WORLDS dude, which is an even better escher picture (also click)

FACE SCIENCE DAY: fungus dept

“an inch of hair that represents infinite evil”:
vanity fair’s rich cohen attempts to reclaim the “toothbrush”

Jim Henson Tribute For Trafalgar Square

So farewell then Alison Lapper. Your reign on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, annoying my Dad is to end. But you have been a tremendous presence there, reminding us of the power of statuary and the indomitable spirit of motherhood. But what, we wonder, has she given birth too? I had (wrongly it seems) believed that the Fourth Plinth project had faltered. After the initial rush, the square had seemed to settle for Alison. She seemed to fit too, with the newly pedestrianised venue (pedestrian in all senses of the word - there are some great events but they always seem to lack that magical ooomph*).

Anyway, the new piece of work for the fourth plinth has been announced, and I’m going to get all Daily Mail on your arse. Not because I don’t like it, I won’t know that until I see it in situ. But because from this picture there is an obvious joke to be made, and dammit if I’m not going to make it first. Thomas Schutte’s “Model for a Hotel 2007″ kinda resembles the kind of perspexey constructions that the Doozers on Fraggle Rock used to make. It is an admirably clear piece or draftsmanship in action, which could look astonishing in daylight as well as if lit well, but I do kind of see little hard hatted green men grumbling under their moustaches at its construction. I also fear that a free spirited red haired Fraggle may just come in and eat it at some stage. But well done the Fourth Plinth for reminding us to “Dance Our Cares Away…”

*This is almost certainly due to them being free events.

Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan

The above is the title of a rather lovely new show at the British Museum (open until October 21st), exhibiting I believe a hundred works from the last fifty years or so in various crafts categories. There are lots of spectacularlt beautiful pieces, particularly in ceramics, lacquerware and kimonos. It’s only a fiver, and very much worth visiting.

Trouble is, I came away dissatisfied with the accompanying wall text and labels. … read on …

“world’s only reliable newspaper” to close :(

the weekly world news will be no more come august

my favourite story: two-headed woman pregnant! one head wants to have the baby — says the other, “absolutely not!”

note to self re notes to self: plz provide translation and/or TARDIS, yr pal LORD SUKRAT

ok this one (and it’s NOT THAT OLD) reads:
• read ziz — [what? which bit? ALL OF HIM!?]
• = suss’n of BNs — [actually translated by pure chance -- see below]
• zizek/banksy — [yes? and?]
• g04 — [are these like separate articles i'm reminding myself to write or is there some logical route implied?]
• stockholm — [monsters? syndrome? possible holiday?]
csi: interzone — [see THIS i recall! it was a stand-alone rfn idea anent the war in lebanon and the privileging of internet forensic in ref photographs over reported accounts from witnesses: the "EVIDENCE CANNOT LIE", as grissom sez, suggests the VICTIMS ALWAYS DO]
• age of heroes — [this is most likely shorthand for my favourite adorno aphorism: "horses are the survivors of the age of heroes", epigraph to "in search of wagner" -- i'm certain i had no plan to write a stand-alone piece on THIS, so that makes the list stages in an argument... but WHAT?]

• paris vs alger — [horatio alger? alger hiss?]
to be fair (to who? YOU? ahahaha) this is separated on the page so issume not part of this er “idea”

translation (FSVO): on another bit of paper, i find the following: “sussuration of betes noires — BANKSY, a GEEZER, a little bit whoo, a bit wahey” — AHA er

Skooby Snacks & Spotty Man

So I had a little wander through the snazzy Brunswick Centre today. Mainly to go to the bank, but i thought I would sniff around. And I thought I would reacquaint myself with Skoob. Skoob being a rambling old second hand bookstore belov’d of old in the manky, pre-re-fit Brunswick Centre. Whilst their new Aladdin’s Cave of second hand stock is not in such a prime place as the old one, I am glad that it was deemed to be an important part of the The Brunswick (as the Centre now calls itself). It is possible that it is due to long leases as well, but I would liek to think that in any snazzy mall there is a space for a down at heel second hand store. … read on …

Glastonbury 2007 sez

I guess its too late to go round Mr and Mrs Suns gaff and see if little Jimmy Sun wants to come out and play? Am watching Gypsy nonsense in puppy parlour!
– Pete, Sun 20:30

Who? Doctor The Who?
– Pete, Sun 19:40

VITALiC! Fucking COME ON!
– awesomewells, Sun 19:30

Ooh my feet! Mark Pompom and then Vitalic and then potential bin death. Only the calamacho can save me now!
– Pete, Sun 18:15

We’re sitting having a lovely pint of real ale about 10ft from whisperin’ bob harris
– Carsmile, Sun 17:15

Sweary old Dame Shirley has got this party started
– triffidfarm, Sun 17:10

I have realised what glastonbury needs! A “supporters trust” so the concerns of the fans can be articulated to the management
– Carsmile, Sun 12:00
… read on …

Night At The Museum: Kylie Comes Alive

I went to the Lady Museum on Monday. Sorry, the V&A. My parents referred to it as the Lady Museum when, as a child, a trip to South Kensington would inevitably split between me and my Dad heading to the Science Museum and Mum and sister to the V&A. So whilst I have spent quite a lot of time in their archives (Theatre Museum archives, which is all part of the V&A) it had been over twenty years since I had been in the Victoria And Albert Fashion and Design museum. Ostensibly there to see the surrealism exhibit for free (YAY - Cheers Sarah), the fact that the rest was cordoned of made me itch to go back. Skirting the edge of the Cast Courts in an nearly empty museum was really inspiring. I went right home to try and find if I still had my Paddington Bear plaster cast set. … read on …

This Is The Review That Goes Like This

We dine well here in Camelot
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot

In the comments of this piece on This Is England, Emma notes that during a film or a show, if the title of the show is mentioned one should take a drink. Thankfully I had already taken a number of drinks before this moment in Spamalot came up, and so the pain was ameliorated a touch. But MAN ALIVE, this is a bad show. … read on …