Above The Media

I finally found out what “mind the gap” means. It’s the gap between the train and the platform - not some infinite abyss hidden in the depths of London as I have always thought.

While getting to know the lay of the land a little better, I decided to focus the bulk of my attention on the Tate Modern art gallery today. I saw some impressive displays including some which I had learned about in History of Design but never imagined I would see with my own eyes. the main exhibition at this time is on Futurism, a movement roughly spanning 1909 - 1915.  The whole concept can be summed up as rejecting the culture of the past and welcoming modern turmoil. A lot of the work is very abstract and colourful featuring unsettling pallettes. The futurist movement was started by a gentleman called FT Marinetti who wrote the “Founding Manifesto of Futurism”. The first line of this manifesto reads:

We intend to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness.

They even had a technical manifesto as guide to approaching their artworks, here’s a line from that:

We declare that all forms of imitation must be despised, all forms of originality glorified.

Some of the futurist works that impressed me most:

• “Large Nude” 1907-08, George Braque, Oil on Canvas
• “Girl Running on Balcony” 1912, Giacomo Balla, Oil on Canvas
• “Funeral of the Anarchist Galli” 1911, Carlo Carra - avery large painting in dark, warm colours
• Two triptychs by Boccioi entitled “States of Mind” 1911. The theme of these very abstract pieces struck a chord with me since they represent the excitement of travel and the simultaneous wrench of separation - The Farewells, Those Who Go, Those Who Stay
• The creators of modern science fiction characters such as Darth Vader and even the Terminator certainly drew inspiration from futurist work like “Torso in Metal from ‘The Rock Drill’” 1913-14 by Jacob Epstein (a dark menacing bronze sculpture which immediately caught my eye) and “Unique forms of Continuity in Space”, a bronze sculpture by Umberto Boccioni
• “Eiffel Tower” 1911, Robert de Launay, Oil on Canvas
• “Head of a Woman” 1909, Pablo Picasso, Plaster
• Two very interesting works by Luigi Russolo - “Memories of a Night” 1911 and “The rebellion” 1911

A few other random artworks that I found inspiring:

• “The Pack” 1969, Joseph Beuys. This features 24 wooden sleds equipped with survival kits piling into the back of an old VW minibus. Apparently this piece references Beuys’s personal experience of being rescued from a plane wreck in Crimea by a band of nomadic Tartars who saved his life by coating his body in a layer of animal fat and wrapping him in felt…
• “Thirty Pieces of Silver”, Cornelia Parker. Thirty groups of flattened silver objects arranged in circles suspended from the ceiling about 20cm from the floor. Weird…
• A massive Table and four matching chairs by Robert Therrien explores the concept of scale.
• Very impressive trees chiseled from industrially sawn units of timber 12 metres high. Guiseppi Penone carved these in the early 80s by following the knots in the wood. A real WOW moment.
• I loved the meticulously created typographic works in acrylic and pastel by Edward Ruscha exploring his fascination with the language and culture of Los Angeles.
• “Standing Nude” 1907, Henri Matisse, Oil on Canvas
• “Clarinet and Bottle of Rum on a Mantlepiece” 1911, George Braque

I saw a few works by And Warhol, including a large synthetic polymer and silkscreen self portrait, but finally, the highlight of my day was “Whaam!” 1963 by Roy Lichtenstein. An iconic pop art masterpiece.

Oh I also saw some weird stuff like a german guy who took a whole series of photos of him burying himself vertically in the ground. The sequence of photos was aired one a day for about two seconds each on German TV during peak watching time, interrupting whatever was on at the time without any explanation. Also some woman who filmed herself covering herself in blood from a vase and then rolling in feathers… that’s modern art right there.

1. Nick, Lana and I at the sushi place - Hare & Tortoise. I think I called it Tortoise & Hare by mistake earlier.
2. The 85 bus from Kingston to Putney, eyes still swollen from sleep :)
3. St Paul’s cathedral
4. Overall not much eye candy in the line of design so far, but I do like this packaging design from EAT - the real food company
5. Cool glass building with colourful pipes… Not sure what it is, 88 Wood St. if I’m not mistaken.
6. Capuccino on the 7th level of the Tate Modern art gallery overlooking the Thames
7. Nice paste-up street art. I spotted this jackelope somewhere near Clapham Junction on the way to Putney.

*Ah man! The photos are published in reverse order!

Please excuse the crude style of this update, but I am a little pressed for time. Here’s a rundown of the highlights from my trip so far:

Turbulent, cramped but enjoyable flight aboard a Boeing 777 from Cape Town to Dubai. Sat between a medical practitioner from Paarl and an elderly Malay women (who took up way more elbow space than she needed). Had the fish. Impressive selection of  movies, tv shows and music to choose from. Watched Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie (2008) - very boring! The ability to watch live footage from cameras attached to the outside of the plane and access information about the hight, speed and distance travelled is something I enjoyed. Watching the landing as though on the nose of the plane is awesome!

Walked straight to the next plane, a more sophisticated new Airbus A380 in Dubai, boarded, but then the flight was delayed for over an hour. Sat in the middle again! This time between a middle aged American man from Ottowa Canada and a strange young middle eastern man who sat with a blanket over his head for the duration of the flight.

Arrived in London amid a “Tube strike” so no underground travel. Took about four and a half hours to get my bearings and find Nick’s house in Putney. This involved a bus, an overland train that kept passing Putney station to and fro, another bus and a wander through the suburbs on foot.

Nick and Lana treated me to some fine sushi at the Tortoise & Hare and then we had some Ale at The Boathouse, right on the Thames. After a quick stop at a large 24hour supermarket (where you can check out and pay for your own items without anybody checking) we got home, had some fine coffee and planned Friday’s sights to be seen. So without further ado, I am signing off with the first thing I saw when looking out the window this morning. A fox sleeping on the shed.