Liverpool

We went to Liverpool by train on Saturday to march in the Support Jeremy Corbyn rally and look around the galleries. It was a day of sunshine and showers so we took our coats and brolly. First to the Walker to see our favourite exhibit - the loophonium. Had a look round the Pre-Raphaelites and modern galleries - mostly stuff we'd seen before. Then went looking for this illusive rally. It wasn't where we thought it was so had a wander about the streets listening out for chanting and clapping. Eventually found it quite by chance as we'd almost given up looking behind the Bluecoat gallery. Quite a decent crowd considering the weather - nearly 2,000 it was said. Inaudible tannoy/megaphone which was annoying but we clapped along and booed in the appropriate places - we assumed the one's at the front could hear and we got our signals from them. Eventually after having a hasty sandwich on the hoof we walked and chanted to the main drag and stopped outside Primark for more speakers to murmur in the distance. "Tories OUT - Corbyn IN!" was a favourite, as was "Corbyn, Corbyn, Corbyn, CORBYN!" Amused to see a nun with a Corbyn mask on the back of her head. She gave Hazel a nice smile and was overheard to say the austerity marches were rather poorly attended compared to this. We drifted away from the main rally to sit down on a bench nearby and eat our remaining sandwich and crisps. Then into the Bluecoat as the rally broke up to grab a quick coffee before more Corbyn fans came in and joined the queue. We felt good we had supported him and hopefully his fellow Labout MP's who have deserted him will see sense and get their act together. Then to the craft shop where Hazel chose some earrings for her upcoming birthday present. They were rather like small acorn cups made of silver with a gold leaf interior. The other galleries including the Blucoat were getting ready for the Biennale at the end of the month so not much on. We went back to the station and luckily a train was just about to leave. Home by 3pm.

Liverpool Trip

Another week or two has flown by and I'm lagging behind with my bloggage.
I've forgotten most of it but last week we went to Liverpool , all three of us and met Adela and Will at Hartford station. No room on the car park so had to park down a side street. A nice sunny day after all the rain and wind. A and W took us to a nice tea place they knew called Brew close to Oxfam- where all the trendy shops are. Had time for a chat and a croissant and coffee before heading round the corner to FACT where the first part of the Nam June Paik was on. Mostly videos alas but some interesting rooms - one with a big cone you could lie underneath as spirals of multicoloured light were projected upon it from above - rather like falling down a rabbit hole . Most alarming so had to get out of the room quite quickly before I was sick! The chap sitting in there looking after it said he found it very relaxing! Hah!
Then to the Bluecoat to see a nice mixed show with general theme of "Underwater" and included a Bill Viola video and a huge submarine propped up on one end made of wood and frottaged paper ( see above ). Also a nice sub automata attached to wriggly squid. Also nice were several trumpet shaped fog horns with sounds of the sea playing through them suspended in mid air. Went for lunch in greasy spoon type cafe nearby and had cheese toasties.
Then to the Tate to see earlier Nam June Paik stuff which had some nice robots made of piled up old televisions. Lots of old TV's with new innards playing Fluxus type videos of jangled image bank stuff. Starting to get a headache after all this and all arted out! So we made our way home soon after W & A headed back to station. Popped in a few shops first including the Pound Shop but didn't buy anything.

Today I am waiting in for the gas men to dig up our old pipes and replace with new plastic ones. They are doing the whole of Northwich it seems. have been noting their progress - getting closer and closer - with much trepidation for months now. Finally in our road and making a right mess - traffic chaos and parking chaos too. Hazel luckily found a spot over the road on a neighbours frontage while they were away on holiday. Now they are back and she is still there - so don't know where she'll be parking next. Hoping the pipe would be fixed today but doesn't seem likely what with the holes full of water and slow progress generally.

In the meantime making some collaged and rubber stamped pages for Issue 21- an assembling book thing for a friend of a friend. Only 14 pages so quite manageable. Have found a few old camera adverts and finished it off this morning - enveloped and ready to post.

Liverpool Biennial

We went to Liverpool on the train today. Hazel had been before but keen to show us round and some of the things she'd discovered.
The car park was full at the station so it was touch and go whether she came along with Archie and me. Luckily she found a parking space nearby down a side road and joined us on the platform before the train arrived. It was pretty packed but we managed to get seats and enjoyed the 25 minute journey.
Most of the Biennale work was spread out over town in various old buildings and galleries around the old cathedral and down towards Chinatown and the more seedier parts of town.
A great deal of video work and installations to view and not so many paintings and 2 dimensional work. In one old tower a huge sword hanging from the ceiling. In FACT and great swathe of old clothes rigged like a mighty sail. In an old foundry an oriental lady like a modern Repunzel sat on a high platfom and cut white paper continously until it flowed down the walls and up into a huge hanging festoon.
Further on was the Young Contempories and art from Asia and the Netherlands. Art from all over the world infact.
Had a nice cheeseless toastie ( cheese lorry stuck up the M6 apparently ) and sald for lunch in CAC. More video and installation.
Popped in a nice antiquey junk shop on the way and found three old scratchy records so I was well pleased. Expect them on my Flickr stream and audio blog any day now.

Liverpool

An eventful day starting with Hazel feeling ill and then to compound her stress a stupid woman parked her car on out white line so that we couldnt get out. Our train was due at 9:12am and it was now 8:35 and Hazel was seething and wandering the street wringing her hands. Eventually the dozy woman emerged and got an earful from Hazel who by this time was at boiling point. I've never seen her so angry. What made it worse is the fact the woman was totally un-repentent and laughed it off, which made Hazel even more angry. Archie and I hid indoors at this point.
Anyway, eventually we got to the station and got our train. Archie had to walk to college as no time to give him a lift.
The journey was pretty uneventful and didn't take too long. Seemed quite fast infact - the new train probably helped. Hazel was very envious of the comfortable carriages and accoutrements , so unlike the cattle wagons she has to travel in on the Manchester to Chester line.
Thankfully she had calmed down by this time. We had a late breakfast ( slice of toast and tea ) in the Bluecoat cafe. The gallery has been re-furbished but seemed strangley empty and lifeless - the once comfortable and human sized spaces replaced by large,cold and austere spaces that made you want to leave straight away! The nicest rooms were given up to the shop and studios at the back beyond the peaceful courtyard. The latest exhibition didn't help either- some rather depressing paintings and prints by local artists like Adrian Henri etc. based on the novel "Under The Volcano" by the troubled writer Malcolm Lowry.
Time to be cheered up by some Jean Tinguely sculpture at the Tate!

Slightly underwhelming - the show curated by Michael Landy was very thin and contained hardly any large works and very few that were working. Indeed many looked so fragile that they would probably self destruct if plugged into the mains!
Even so it was light relief after the Bluecoat and I enjoyed very much seeing the short film of the "Homage To New York" and the documentary of Michael Landy talking to people who knew Tinguely and witnessed the "Homage To New York" event some 49 years ago.
Hazel was pleased that so many of her students had turned up despite the weather.
Hada nice lunch of soup and roll in the Tate cafe with Nick who teaches on the Interactive Arts course. Expensive but we were hungry and need to rest our weary feet.
Considered walking further to other galleries but we decided two was enough for one day and Hazel was still feeling under the weather.