Tuesday 2 April 2013

showdisplaythegoodandthebad


A couple of days in London to see in the beginning was the end, an immersive site specific theatre piece. Held in abandoned spaces under Somerset House the work was a labyrinthine broken narrative exploring exploration, science, invention and global trade in scientific ideas, very good with some moments of darkness interspersed with naked wit.
Some visual recommendations – Schwitters at the Tate was meaningful and often beautiful http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/schwitters-britain but not Lichtenstein which was just very bad. .... some of the worst sculptures I have ever seen. The real joy is the Merce Cunningham the dance projection in the oil tanks http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tanks-tate-modern/eventseries/tanks-art-action. Běla Kolářová  at Raven Row was superb – http://www.ravenrow.org/current/bela_kolarova/ intricate collections of small objects and wonderful photographs that show collections of objects - the whole display is delicate and thoughtful. Bernadette Corporation at the ICA presented an interesting way of doing things. An overview of how a group of people got together, using fashion as a model along with corporate language to disseminate ideas, strangely it felt like punk would of looked like if it had of started in the 90s. http://www.ica.org.uk/?lid=35536  An odd but vast number of eccentric puppets at the curve gallery by Geoffrey Farmer: The Surgeon and the Photographer http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=14389. Finally a 360 projection by Charles Atlas at the Bloomberg space that dances with a wonderful rhythm within the space whilst meditating on the power and abject beauty of global capitalism http://www.bloombergspace.com/artists/current/charles-atlas-2/