Review: Going Public in Sheffield (EXHIBITION)

Going Public. Much less serious than it sounds. This is currently the situation in Sheffield. The entire city and its public art spaces have been taken over by private collections. Making the private public. Blending the worlds if you will. Showing works that we would never normally see. The whole programme exhibiting these works in different locations across the city are completely free!! So there is really no reason to not pay a visit if you are in Sheffield (or live in the surrounding areas!)

The work finds itself spread across five different spaces - each offering a glimpse of the taste of the collector in question. I'll quickly summarise below each location, what is on display and my thoughts on the exhibit, as not every gallery will not be to every taste.

1. The Graves Gallery

This was the first gallery that we hit up on our crawl. It features art that is part of the Marzona Collection (part of which is currently on display in Berlin, which you can read about here.) Now the stuff on display here was right up my street - mainly because it principally showing the work of art bae Marcel Duchamp. (The fame that he brought to urinals and toilets alike is admirable.)

What I enjoyed most about this exhibition is that although it did feature a couple of key works by my main man, (La Boite-en-valise and a pun with our dear lady Mona Lisa) it very much showed you works that wouldn't be collected by public institute. (Which I feel is the point of this programme.) It framed posters for exhibits as artworks, displayed trail and errors as finalised pieces, and gave us Pain Peint. (One of the best puns known to man. Visualise this: a blue painted baguette. By Mr Man Ray.) In essence, it gave time to pieces that normally wouldn't normally be given this opportunity to be considered the way objects are in a gallery. I particularly enjoyed looking at his posters - really looking - because a lot of them hold a lot more thought and work in them than you'd normally give them credit for.

The exhibition itself is only two rooms long, of a decent size. Once you come out of the temporary exhibition there are some other things worth looking at. (Most notably Kiss 2001 by Marc Quinn.)

In essence, you'll like this display of the Maronza collection if you enjoy Dadaism, Duchamp and quite a traditional display. It's a thumbs up from me.

2. Millennium Gallery

Next we found ourselves at the Millennium Gallery. The space has definitely more of a 'contemporary art gallery feel' than the one before. (That was more of a museum.) This probably added to why this collection was chosen to be shown here.

The Cattelain Collection reflects the collector's passion for Minimal and Conceptual art from the 1960s and 1970s - which really lends itself to a white cube environment. Aesthetically these things look very good in this space. At first you are greeted by the work of Do Ho Suh entitled Wielandstr. 18, 12159 Berlin, 2011. It really is a fantastic piece of work that needs to stand alone to be fully appreciated. I have to say that the curation of this collection probably impressed me the most, as certain artworks on display had different needs, and they managed to make them co-exist very peacefully. Now the piece mentioned above is a life-size representation of an apartment the artist stayed in whilst in Berlin. You are encouraged to walk through this installation, and as you do so you see little details such as a plug socket.

The lefthand side of the gallery is occupied by the rest of the collection on display. I'll only mention one more piece (so you'll have something to discover for yourself.) It's a light installation by Anthony McCall called Meeting You Halfway ||, 2009. It's a digital projection that is in a completely blackened space. Because of this, when you physically interact with the piece, you can dramatically control the light beam and create new shapes with your body. Visually it's very impressive, but it is even better when experienced live. I think we must have spent at least a ten minutes there, so it is definitely worth your time.

The contemporary art lover in me (as well as budding curator) really loved this display. It's another thumbs up!

3. SIA Gallery

This gallery is split across two floors, we somehow ended up seeing the display upstairs first before seeing the exhibition below. (The two floors aren't directly connected. Also, this gallery seems to be part of Sheffield Hallam University, so when you walk into the building, don't worry, you are in the right place.) The dsl collection is on display here. It primarily deals with Asian art, in particular with China.

The upstairs work dealt with second life. So had a lot of what looked like screen shots and digital art work - things that I'm not very interested in. I feel like there is a better way of dealing with the concept of second life than what was exhibited, but I know people that love that type of stuff so if you do, this will be right up your street.

Downstairs was much better. (But still a mixed bag in my opinion.) Many of the concepts themselves are very interesting - I just feel that the execution lets it down. For example, the piece One Hour of Pleasure, 1996 is a 1 hour video by Liang Juhui. Basically the artist played a video game on a workers' lift disrupting the progress around him. The performance itself is very interesting, however I feel that a one hour video is not the best way to show it. Sometimes it's easy to get documention confused as the artwork, and I feel like this video is trying to replace it. When in fact it was the action itself that was the work. (If that makes sense?) Anyway, the other piece that was my favourite (mainly for how the sound of the piece interacted with the rest of the exhibition) was called oh, my God/ Oh Dui, 2003 by Yang Jiechang. This is definitely worth looking up and seeing!! Loved it.

4. Site Gallery
This is a small little place that only has two video artworks. These I enjoyed. The Site Gallery continues the display from the dsl collection housed in the SIA Gallery mentioned above by Chinese artists. The video pieces themselves aren't too long to digest, and because no other mediums are on display your whole attention is taken up by these pieces.

The videos deal with China's progress. And shows us regular morning exercises in different staff companies. An interesting view on a country we only know generalisations about.

5. Sheffield Cathedral
Perhaps most surprisingly on the list is this location. Showing work in a Cathedral isn't a new idea, but it can definitely add something to a piece. (It's all about context guys.) One thing I have to note first whilst I remember is this: we got to the Cathedral at around 5pm (the place closes at 6.30pm) and by the time we were leaving (probably just past 5.30pm) they had started to switch off light pieces and video projections, so I wouldn't get there too late, as it would definitely be a shame. That being said, one particular work that you can normally access was closed off as someone had locked the door that allowed you entry to the location of the piece. (I only knew this because my friend with me had seen parts of the exhibition before. I do think this took away from the artwork, as I wasn't able to experience the way the original installation had intended.) So don't get there too late!!

Now onto thoughts of actual things.

The work here is from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. What was most interesting for me rather than the work, was its new meaning from being in the Cathedral. There are some pieces that are more shocking than others - or proclaim to hold meanings of political ethical issues which really are hard to see without a label to explain it to you.

Pieces worth noting:
In Giru, Imus Nocte et Consumimur Ignir by Cerith Wyn Evans,
Your Hidden Sound by Micol Assael.

And I've written a novel so I'm going to leave it there folks! Far too much rambling for you. Do google the artworks mentioned, and if you can do go and have a snoop. What this exhibition does is question the role of the collector in contemporary art. How do they shape the way art is created? By lending their support to certain artists they fund particular practices and in turn shape our cultural landscape for years to come.

All these exhibitions are a short walk from each other, and a stone's throw away from the train station. This is definitely one of the strengths of the exhibit, because as well as exploring these different collections, you discover the city along with the art. They've done a great job of blending this international artwork with a Yorkshire town.

Each location has a luminous orange exhibition guide that has each location in, as well as a handy map so you shouldn't get too lost. Also as you might have seen from the photo way up top, the exhibition runs until 12th December 2015. So catch this quick - it is a lovely way to spend half a day.

Review: Jane Austen Centre (MUSEUM)

Another delayed review for you! And when I say 'review' this is just another 'you-should-really-go-and-see-this-because-it-was-great-and-you'll-just-love-it-yeah'. So let me tell you about the Jane Austen Centre in Bath! (You should really go and see this because it was great and you'll just love it! Yeah!)

Essentially, this museum is located just a stone's throw away from the famous Cresent. As well as this it is on Gay Street, where the author herself used to reside for some months in 1805.

Now, if you are an Austen fan this is everything you could have dreamed for and MORE. I know. How is it possible?! (I hear you ask.) What could possibly be there?! Well, let me just tell you now.

When you enter the house, you are greeted by a fine gentleman wearing traditional clothing of that era. You buy your tickets from the gift shop (which I recommend sniffing around later.) Then you make your way upstairs where there are scheduled times for a short presentation on Jane before you enter the rest of the exhibition. We ended up having to wait approximately 10 minutes. However. This was very lucky on my part. Because, I am particularly in love with Persuasion by our dear Jane. So if you are too - listen up! There are two rooms for you to wait in. Go through to the smaller second one!! Do it! We nearly didn't! Would have been the greatest mistake of my life! In this second room, everything is devoted to the 2007 ITV adaptation of the novel. It's Persuasion-galore! (I am also in love with this version of the story too. And Sally Hawkins who plays Anne. She is just fabulous.) In any case, they have one of the outfits used in the television film, on a life-size model. (Bonnet included.) So of course a photo shoot ensued. On the walls are facts and copies of scripts from Persuasion and it is just a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Now, I won't spoil the rest of the exhibition - I feel as if I could write about Jane all day - but there is one other important thing of note to get you down to Bath. Dressing up. That's right. YOU CAN DRESS UP IN THE CLOTHES LIKE JANE AUSTEN USED TO WEAR. I think we all just need to calm down a little bit. Needless to say, I did dress up. Yellow gown. Matching yellow bonnet. All whilst talking to Anne. (Did I mention that the staff dress up as all the heroines? I told Anne (the lovely staff member) that she was my favourite. She was even kind enough to have a photograph with me, which I really appreciated.)

So there you have it. An Austen dream. Ticket price for an adult is £11 (and steadily gets cheaper, a student ticket is £8.50.) For me, and my flatmates, it was worth the price. We had some good old clean Austen fun!

You can find out more about the Jane Austen Centre here.

Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 (FILM)

Director: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

So, I imagine you don't really need informing about this film. You probably don't even need the trailer above, or for me to tell you anything about this, because you've probably seen it already.

But I felt like it needed mentioning because it seems particularly relevant today.

The film itself is what you would expect from The Hunger Games series. Bleak in its cinematography, President Snow at his chilling best, and death, death galore. And it's at this last point that I want to speak. So this won't be a 'traditional' review in terms of the film as a whole. I want to purely talk about its message.

Currently, there are eerie parallels that can be drawn between the two worlds. Ours and this fictional one. Continually, throughout the film, there is the talk of 'death not being personal', the sense of 'they did this to us, so we will do it to them' and action that cries 'no mercy'.

'This is a war', we are repeatedly told. And with this comes the dilemma. At what cost? When does an eye for an eye end? As we all know it makes the world blind. That's exactly what we are blinded with here. Each side, recklessly attacking the other, without thought to the lives lost. Killing civilians, destroying people's homes and bombing each other is not the way forward. You cannot fight hate with hate. It breeds and spreads into this contagious disease that rots everything it touches. In the end, after whatever 'win', new hate will grow in the hole left behind. It's cyclical and will never end. Only if one party decides to fight a different way, to think about the consequences of each action and to not forget the lessons of the past. We have a funny way of glossing over history: easily forgetting the atrocities that happened.

Of course this is a Hollywood version of that. With fictional monsters. It is made for a 12A audience. But the message remains the same to the current state of the world we find ourselves in. Remember: hate only breeds hate. And in this film, we see lost lives of characters we love. We see homes destroyed. We see children die. We need to remember that at the end of the day, we are all human. Amazingly, humanity is so easily forgotten. If this film, based on a Young Adult fiction book reminds us of that, then it is worth a watch (and the extortionate price of the cinema ticket.)

Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2015

A mention of something. Of secret art spaces in public Nottingham places. I'm so amazing at rhyming recently. The New Bloomberg Contemporaries has opened in Nottingham ahead of its launch at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London in November. It's been open since the 18th September and closes this Halloween. (It's true I'm late on the mark but I'm here now!) You can see this year's selection of recent art graduates from across the country at these three artist run spaces across Nottingham:

• Backlit Gallery
• Primary
• One Thoresby Street

Have a click. Google a map. And have a gallery crawl.

Big Brother is watching you.

1984. A book I probably shouldn't admit to having never read. But I went to see the play anyway. And it was amazing. And now I need to read the book.

The acting was fantastic, backed up by some very clever staging. The bleak one room set for the majority of the play really added to the controlled nature of the material, creating an erie atmosphere that lingered from the get-go. This was wonderfully contrasted with a live screen that inhabited the very top part of the backdrop. (Bringing to life Big Brother.)

The whole thing was confusing, engrossing and scarily relevant. It seemed as if the book had been written for stage it felt like it translated so well. (But then I might be wrong, as I now need to read the book.)

If you can - go and see this! It is currently showing at the Nottingham Playhouse until 26th September. From then I think that it is touring. (This might need a google.)

Berlin Hamburgers

Very late post about this. Should have really arrived on your virtual doorstep a couple of months ago.  So please enjoy this late offering about Berlin Hamburgers.

Or as it's more commonly known, the Hamburger Bahnhof, a modern art museum in Berlin. This particular post is about the 'A-Z The Marzona Collection' exhibition. As the name would suggest, it's an exhibition that charts this collection from A to Z over the course of 2 years. During April, MNO was on display. The presentation is changed every quarter year in keeping with the sequence of the alphabet. Which makes this exhibition a little more interesting than normal, as you can re-visit the same exhibition within the space of a couple of months and be guaranteed to seeing something different.

This exhibition is a celebration of the conceptual art of the 1960s and 70s and illustrates the contemporary relevance of the works from this era. Now, although the display of the exhibition itself was something that wasn't particularly exciting or new, there was one thing about this exhibition that was particularly interesting.

This room here! What I'm just going to call the archive room. All the past letters and exhibitions are archived for you as the viewer to go and explore. You can sit at the table and search through the folders. There's even a photocopier to copy what you find interesting to keep. It's a really nice way of involving any letters (like ABC for example) you may have missed. Also allows you to still be part of the discussion conceptually if you weren't there physically at the time. Which I feel is the best way for the exhibition to exist past, present and future. (Because they have purposefully left empty shelves for the coming display. I feel this adds to the anticipation of the ever-changing show.)

I would definitely recommend you going to see this if you are in Berlin or just visiting like me. The only slight down side about this exhibition is that you do have to pay to get in and see it. Normally, I don't have an issue with this, but I feel like it is a little bit cheeky to demand that you have to re-buy a ticket every time that you go and see the new set of letters that are currently on display. I feel like they should have a special ticket or allow a discount of the production of your past ticket. Something to add the incentive to go and see this exhibition more than once, because I think that's the aim of this interesting new display.

And in any case the Hamburger Bahnhof is worth a ticket on its own (the ticket price does include the rest of the collection on offer.) So go on, treat yourself to some Berlin Hamburgers.

#perfectstrangers

This is just a quick little note/shout out to a lovely magazine that does lovely things. They are called 'Oh Comely' and you can find them here.  They do lovely things that remind you of the loveliness of people and the everyday. 

The above photograph is a collection of the things I was sent from America as part of the perfect stranger parcel exchange. You send a parcel. And you hopefully receive one back! You decide whether or not you want to send one over seas or simply within your own country. If they end up doing this project again in the future, you can find that particular website here.

A little reminder of the kindness of strangers and the pleasure of snail mail.

Persephone Books

This is just a little note about a lovely independent book shop in London. As the title suggests, the book shop is called 'Persephone Books' that reprints forgotten fiction and non-fiction usually written by women from the 20th century. The photo above is the swag that me and my flatmate ended up walking out with.

Their books are a little pricey (£12 each, or at the time we went 3 for £30 making them a tenner each), however you can forgive them for this for the beautiful versions they publish of these stories. (Also that, and the fact that they ain't no Waterstones, and need to survive somehow.) Each book has a beautiful grey cover, with a special painterly pattern inside, that somehow relates to the story. When you buy a book, you can pick up a free corresponding bookmark. They also have a free bi-annual catalogue that you can pick up in store which definitely helps with the decision making, as there are so many to choose from!

So if you're in the Bloomsbury area, have a little mooch around. I'm sure they'll be something you'd like the sniff of.

Review: Everyman (PLAY)

So I had the luck of seeing this play at the beginning of last month. (Like, right at the beginning. I think I saw this on the 1st.) And it only cost me £15. (A bargain.) Now at this price, I thought that I would be sat quite far back (in fact, I thought I would be sat right at the back) but as it turns out, I was right at the front. In fact, I was so close to the sat that I could have spat at the actors (as my mother would say.) My seat was A25 and that's where it was at I have to tell you! Somehow, a lot of the stage direction was pointed towards the area of this seat. So those numbers are worth booking!

Onto the play itself. The main thing that attracted me to this story that I had never heard of before was that is was a rewrite by Carol Ann Duffy. Got to love the Duffster. She reworked a 15th century play originally entitled: 'The Somonyng of Everyman'.

Here is a brief summary from the National Theatre website:

Everyman is successful, popular and riding high when Death comes calling. He is forced to abandon the life he has built and embark on a last, frantic search to recruit a friend, anyone, to speak in his defence. But Death is close behind, and time is running out.

It really is quite a journey that you're taken through. Visually and verbally. Duffy manages to balance her fantastic ear for the modern day voice with the original morals of the play. It felt as if she had rewritten this with a Shakespearean twist. And the mix of those two things worked fantastically well.

It's a fantastically choreographed moral spectacle, that leaves you thinking about it's themes long after the curtains have closed. (These being metaphorical curtains, as there were none.)

However, if you aren't lucky enough to be able to get into London to check this out (don't get me started on the London-centrism for culture that we have in the UK) but the National Theatre have this fantastic scheme in place. They broadcast live certain performances in cinemas across the UK. This particular play, 'Everyman' is going to be shared live on 16th July so check out your nearest cinema to see if they are showing it. I've already seen two other performances via this live streaming service in the cinema, 'A View From The Bridge' and 'Man + Superman'. And they were really enjoyable that you didn't feel like you were missing out too much at not being there. So definitely recommended!

Wot? No Fish!!

A sneaky little exhibition that is currently hiding under a passage way that's part of the Southbank Centre.

Wot? No Fish!! is an exhibition that displays the doodles by Ab Solomons drawn on his wage packet given to his wife, Celie. (Who was often the subject matter of these mini artworks.)

This beautiful, quiet, unassuming exhibition charts the relationship between two people. The good and the bad. Everything is displayed very simply, to allow easy digestion of this very human story. It is definitely worth a peek, particularly as it is free!

Review: Decision (EXHIBITION)

Today I went to see the current exhibition on at the Hayward Gallery in London. It's a solo show featuring the work of Carsten Holler (imagine the umlaut) who is probably most remembered in London for his slide installation at Tate Modern some time ago. (I'm not going to lie, the slide that you see in the photo above was the main swung it for me.)

The exhibition is a little pricey (even with the student discount) unless you are an Art Fund Member. (I may write a post about this a different time.) With this discount it only cost a cool £6.75 to get in (otherwise it is £15 for a full paying adult.)

Now I came out of this exhibition thinking on thing: this is an art exhibition for people that don't like art. And that's because a lot of it didn't feel like art, because the form the artworks take can be interpreted as closer to objects of play than the preconceived notion of 'art'. So not necessarily a bad comment, or a good one to be fair. Some of the time it felt as if this work was just offering itself up the public, in a desperate attempt to be liked. This attitude towards making art is definitely one I enjoy, however, it can easily feel gimmicky and cheap. And occasionally, I felt like some of the pieces did this. At times it felt like more of an amusement park, than pieces of art. 

However, there were two stand out pieces for me. The first, was the very first piece you were confronted with. And confronted is completely the right word. 'Decision Corridors' basically does what it says on the tin. Immediately, after stepping foot into the exhibition you are in a corridor. A metal corridor that very quickly turns pitch black. You are given instructions before you enter. Walk slowly. Keep one hand on the wall at all time. I felt like I was in some sort of Greek Myth. Anyway, you slowly negotiated your way around this one way in one way out maze, until it spat you out into the florescent lighting of the gallery onto the next part of the exhibition.

The second, is, you've guessed it, the slides. 'Isometric Slides' are big. And fun. And reminiscent of fair grounds. Once you decide to go on these, there is no going back. These are the point of no return. Basically, it's how you leave the exhibition. And what a way to do so. Leaving in style. (Who cares about arriving anyway.) What I'm trying to get at, is make sure you've seen all the other parts of the exhibit before you slide on down. I found myself giggling/squealing as I went down (it was much more bumpy than I thought it would be) and it was much fun. I didn't really think about much though apart from how I can kind of see bits of London as I slide down this thing, and of course the bump thought and wondering what I sounded like to other people. It was kind of cool to think that I was the sliding down person that someone saw, just as I did before I went inside. (As a participant of the slide, you do essentially become the spectacle.)

All in all, I'm glad I went. However, I'm not sure I would have paid £15 to see it. (I do understand the reasoning for this cost - it's purely because of the amount of invigilators needed for each artwork, due to health and safety I imagine, because they are very participatory and things could easily go wrong if someone wasn't there to ensure the smooth running of the exhibition and the protection of the artworks.) But if you like art disguising itself in something else, or appearing to be something its not, this might be the exhibition for you.

Review: The Audience (PLAY)

After a brief absence we are back in business with an onslaught of posts! The first being a play that I saw on Monday. The Audience starring Kristin Scott Thomas in its second rival on the West End.

We paid the princely sum of £25 for a seat in the Grand Circle (a.k.a the Balcony as there is no higher level) and the view was really good! I was worried that we might find it difficult to seeing properly but for the price we paid I was very impressed! Unfortunately, most of the closer seats soon shot up in price to £50 and higher. (If you're interested, we were in Row E, with the seats closest to the aisle.)

Now I need to move away from my chat on seating otherwise I'll never stop. The play itself was very interesting. I have never thought about the relationship between the monarchy and elected politicians before. Although I am not a fan of the monarchy, the Queen has been the stable pillar for the past 63 years in between a revolving door of politicians. 12 to be exact. From Churchill to Cameron. And from the looks of it, she simply listens and nods to what they say. It was interesting to see these imagined audiences between the Queen and her Prime Minister. And much more amusing than I thought it would be. The tone of the play really was impressive as it balanced poignant moments with a handful of laugh-out-loud ones. It gives you insight to what it must be like to have a certain path forced upon you (in this case, to become the reigning sovereign.) Additionally, in a way, the play also acts as a history lesson.

And that's how it ends. The Queen, standing in front of what she calls 'her dirty dozen'. It is quite spooky to see these famous figures, leaders of the United Kingdom standing in one group together, solemnly looking out onto us, the real audience, as the curtain falls.

Definitely worth a ticket if you can grab one. On until 25th June 2015.

Review: A Victorian Obsession (EXHIBITION)

The beautiful painting that you see before your eyes, is called The Roses of Heliogabalus by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

And this beautiful painting is currently on show as part of 'A Victorian Obsession' at the Leighton House Museum.

I'll keep this brief and to the point. The house itself is worth visiting, purely for its Arab Hall. The famous painter Leighton (whom the house belonged to) found himself inspired by the Middle East during his lifetime, and as a result decorated his house to reflect that. This hall is one of the first things you see, and really does take your breath away. (Something you wouldn't expect in the sleepy streets of Kensington.)

Also the price of the ticket included an audio guide, which is definitely worth mentioning as you feel you get a little more for the entrance fee.

Then, as you make your way through the house, more and more paintings are on display (quite honestly I'm not sure whether or not these are part of the permanent collection, or part of the current temporary exhibition. Which has now been extended until the 6th April.) And as you can probably tell, I have a favourite painting that was on display. All the others seemed to lead up to this moment that you would meet the above artwork.

You enter a sectioned off room. Immediately, your nostrils are filled with a heavy sent of roses. Your eyes are then proceeded to be assaulted with this lavish, overflowing, large painting, arousing all the senses. Normally, I find it hard to engage with old paintings, I foolishly have begun to file them away somewhere labelled 'dusty relics' and 'outdated'. Yet here I am, imploring you all to go and see it if you can! Or if not, google it, make the image as large as possible for your screen and just stare.

The painting is based upon a (probably fictional) event concerning the Roman Emperor named Elagabalus (as known as Heliogabalus.) Depicting one of his lavish parties, it shows Elagabalus smothering his guests (to the point of death) with rose petals, released from the ceiling.

And with that I'll leave you.

Now google that painting! (Or stare at the tiny example above.)

Review: Romeo and Juliet - Rose Theatre (PLAY)

Romeo and Juliet. Infamous for their love. A story that we all know. The one that Shakespeare is probably most famed for.

This love story has been retold for over 400 years, and due to such familiarity, it poses a tricky task. Yes, it is probably a safe bet in terms of drawing in various audiences (who doesn't love a doomed tale of star-crossed lovers?) but it is equally risky. Do you change it? Do you add your own interpretation or even words to the masterpiece of William himself? How can you make a 400 year old love story something that contemporary audiences can resonate with?

This current version of the play has a run until the 21st March at the Rose Theatre in Kingston Upon Thames (a leafy suburb of London.) And most likely because of its location, the prices for this play are reasonably cheap. Particularly the tickets that we paid for on our visit last night. The Rose Theatre do this fantastic deal, where (for certain productions) you can pay £8 to sit in the 'Pit Cushions'. This basically means that you sit on the floor in the space in front of the stage. You either bring your own cushion or borrow one from the theatre. Simple. This deal is so fantastic, as you get a very good view. (If not one of the best.) Now, I naively thought that only young people would be snapping up these tickets, but to the far right of me, a pair of elderly ladies seemed to be quite content soaking in the Shakespeare with their cushions. I really think this is a great idea - and it's something I've never experienced before. I'm not sure I could really go back to normal seating again. There is something much more comfortable and informal about watching a play on the floor. (I did cheekily take my shoes off.) I think the reason I loved it so much was because it reminded me of being in Primary School and sitting cross-legged for story time. And this is exactly what theatre is. Just a shinier-more-glorified-adult-version of it.

Now to talk about the actual play (rather than my love for the floor.) This production took some bold risks. From the fact that Mercutio was a woman (which I very much appreciated) to the addition of a character that doesn't exist - Pedro. (Basically a servant of the Capulet household.) It took me a little while to settle into this version and to let go of the Baz Luhrmann adaptation (step aside Leo) but once I did I was swept away by the direction of Sally Cookson. She and the music maestro Benji Bower created a very intense story that pulsated and exploded in key moments throughout the play. There were moments of dance and physical theatre to highlight important emotional points that really gave this adaptation its edge.

Apart from the fantastic portrayals given by both Romeo and Juliet (especially the Nurse, she stole every scene she was in) praise must be given to the set designers. They've created a very dynamic stage, with different levels, that were used most effectively throughout the performance. I was very surprised at the athleticism of the actors, as they ran across the stage, climbed up the set and jumped down again. It really utilised the space and made for a fast-paced dynamic show. By having these explosive moments, they made the emotional scenes even more reflective and more powerful. Having this stark contrast really worked to the play's advantage. And equally made the dance/musical elements of the play make sense and hold more validity in their addition.

All in all, if you fancy a lovely evening (or afternoon) I heartedly recommend paying a visit to Kingston and seeing this adaptation of one of the best love stories to have ever been written.

For never was there a story of more woe,
than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Review: Whiplash (FILM)

Welcome to Whiplash. A film I only went to see because of its Oscar nominations, and because of its focus around jazz.

Both valid reasons, but if there is one reason that you must simply watch this film, it's because it is great.

It tells the story of a young aspiring jazz drummer and his unorthodox mentor at a fictional prestigious music school in New York.

Throughout its entirety you feel yourself completely enveloped by the film. I was sat in my seat for at least half of the film furiously shaking my foot to the beat (which I hope was neither dragging nor rushing, but simply on point.) What I think is most captivating about this film is its portrayal of honing a skill or talent. JK Simmons' character (the teacher named Fletcher) within the film states that the two worst words within the dictionary are 'good job'. It raises the question of whether they are really? Does it breed complacency or encourage growth? Fletcher believes in the former which partially explains his unusual teaching methods. Is he really inspiring greatness? Or simply breaking the souls of those that have the possibility to do so?

The protagonist, Andrew (amazingly portrayed by Miles Teller) goes throughout the film fighting to reach what seem to be the unattainable standards that Fletcher sets. His fingers bleed, his relationships suffer and so does his sanity.

The film brilliantly plays with its face-paced moments as well as its quieter ones, allowing each scene the space it needs to breathe, much like the set of a drummer. It ticks along nicely, turning in different directions that you don't see coming. This isn't your average run of the mill music film.

Expectantly, the score is fantastic and truly on point, with the musical performances from every actor true if not completely believable.

I'll leave with a simple note on the ending: it's probably the best moment we could hope for. And as with the end of a performance, it ends with a bang.

If you can, go and watch Whiplash. It stays with you long after you've finished watching.

From the RCA to Egon

Today a little trip was had. A trip of worth. A trip of note. A trip worth noting. 

This unusual outing was to see the Work-in-Progress Show at the Royal College of Art School of Fine Art. (Primarily this was seen for purely selfish reasons - inspiration for my own end of year Degree Show.) Now, I'm stating here and now that it really is worth seeing. However, (hence the haste for this post) it's only on this weekend. (10am - 5.30pm) So if you're in the London area get yo'self to Battersea and sniff around those open studios! 

Still being in the studios, and with many of the students still milling around, it's a very casual format of a traditional gallery experience. And I think that, that's nice, because with that comfort comes the ability to experiment and take risks, and that's what some of the pieces on display did. There was one piece in particular (whose name I have no idea of unfortunately) made the most magical thing I've seen from pieces of cardboard and torches. It really proves that you don't need bucket loads of dollar (or the Tate) to make something quite extraordinary.

Now onto the Egon. 

This is my newly discovered Schiele. One of his sister. And although it said she is wearing a hat, I like to think that she has very triangular hair. (But this is all besides the point.)

This is something that is ending very quickly. Tomorrow to be exact. It would help if I mentioned what this was about really wouldn't it? I'm talking about the exhibition currently being held at the Courtauld which ends tomorrow. (It costs £7.50 excluding the £1 donation for adults, or £3 for a student. Which for now is a category I fall in to.) 

Now, as I approached the gallery to join a queue which I was not inspecting, I was wondering whether or not this would be worth it. Particularly when the lady approached me to inform me that the next available slot to purchase tickets, were for 6.30pm. (It was roughly around 2pm as I stood in the queue.) And I wondered is it really worth the hype? It felt that as though because everyone was rushing to buy these tickets, and because they were selling out fast, that you had to go to see it. Simply because everyone else was, rather than the substance of the actual exhibition. Which is a feeling I hate. But it must have worked, because I bought a ticket, and busied myself until I could go to see some works about an artist I didn't particularly know much about.

And I'm very glad I did.

Mostly, when visiting exhibitions similar to this, that exhibit a very famous artist, I wonder why are they so popular? Why this artist? And it's very rare, that I'm in an exhibition, looking at a work, and feel as though I can see the genius that everyone talks about. But it happened this time. Throughout the exhibition, but especially with the image above. This small, pixelated copy does no justice to his mark making, his colour choices, or the shapes he conjures out of the simplest of lines. And maybe that's why I've never been terribly interested in Schiele before. Because in this format, you can't really see it. You're looking, but you can't see. 

And simply because of this revelation, (and the bonus of the cheap student ticket) I would go and see it if you can. It's not the largest exhibition, but it is one of the finest I have seen in a long time.

London Short Film Festival: Animation Selection

Letting you know about a little bit of film biz. LSFF as the title explains is short for the London Short Film Festival that this year is running from 9th - 18th January 2015. This is its 12th year and long may it continue! They have a large variety of different selections, myself choosing the animation one, as I do love seeing how artists interpret this medium differently.

Showings are at various locations I believe. (But for certain being shown at the ICA which is where I went - it lives just off Trafalgar Square.)

It was a rather enjoyable format, cramming almost 2 hours with films ranging from 2 minutes to 17. It made for dynamic viewing, with your attention being held for the duration of the allotted time. There was only one film in the selection that, for me, didn't reach the standard of the others chosen.

And now, it leave me to tell you of my two favourites.

The first is 'Fruit Fruit' by Peter Millard, and I don't need to say anything about it. Because I can show you: http://vimeo.com/82895384

The second is 'Half Wet' by Sophie Koko and unfortunately I can't find this online, so a trailer we have to do: http://vimeo.com/98162947 (I feel the trailer doesn't quite express how amazing this film was, all 7 minutes of it, but if you ever get a chance to see it you definitely should. And you'll know why when you do.)

If you get a chance to grab one of these tickets to see something, definitely do!

Review: Theory of Everything (FILM)

This is a little quick thought burst on the film Theory of Everything. I won't bore you with film details on how long it is or who the director is - but instead I'll bore you with my opinion.

Strangely enough, as I sat there in the lovely cinema that is the Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, I couldn't help but feel like this was an origin story of Steven Hawking (you know, like Wolverine, but only a famous scientist instead.) Not to say that's a bad thing, that's exactly what this film is. It charts the early parts of Hawking's life following his relationship with Jane Wilde. 

In essence, it's not a love story, it's more of a life story. It depicts a man condemned to live only two more years from the discovery of his health condition that causes the muscles in his body to shut down (which he defies). It follows the brave woman who decided to stand by the man she loved, marry, have children, and look after them all as his health deteriorated. It follows the struggles they faced, and what feels like a real-life relationship, rather than one of those written in fairytales (the ones I love so much). 

It is a touching story, which is made more poignant by the fact that is actually happened. And although I did enjoy it immensely, it wasn't a film that I cried at (which is normally unusual for me with films like this.)

The film is rather beautiful and effortlessly flicks through decades very subtly. You could have just literally walked in on their lives during the 70s.

The acting was superb from minor characters to Felicity Jones' portrayal of Jane. In particular a standout performance was Mr Hawking himself: Eddie Redmayne. His transformation was incredible. There were moments within the film when he could only act with his eyes, no bodily movement, no speech, nothing. If anything the film is worth watching purely for his performance. 

And I have but one last thing to note. Although this story is portrayed about being about a scientist that we all know, someone who was overlooked turn out to be the true star of this film. To put it quite bluntly, it's his wife. She did everything for him. She put her dreams on hold to do a PhD in languages, she raised their three children almost single-handedly, all whilst running a home and being the sole carer for her husband. This just proves to show that we never truly know all the facts and how things play out behind the scenes.