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I have been extremely busy for the last few weeks, hence the lack of updates. This is what I have been up to:
On Tuesday I went to see the Anette Messager exhibition that was being held at the Hayward Gallery. The central piece was titled 'Casino', and was a theatrical interpretation of a portion of the story of Pinocchio. It played on rotation, lasting fifteen minutes total, and was contained within a room with a doorway at the far wall with another room visible beyond. The floors of both rooms were covered in a red material that would raise and lower as air was pumped under it from an unseen source, making it ripple and move as if it were liquid. Underneath the fabric there lit up small fabric constructions that looked like illuminated buildings, while black organic-shaped 'entities' descended from the ceiling and a projection of a clock appeared in the background. The first instance the fabric rippled to life and the air pump sent waves moving outward was chilling, reminiscent of the scene in Kubrick's The Shining when the elevator opens to reveal a tide of blood.
I also really liked a piece titled Articulated-Disarticulated which consisted of various animals, including cows, some moving or being dragged and some still, which was influenced by the outbreak of mad-cow disease and seemed to highlight the frailty and whimsical tragedy of human and animal life. Messager's work conveyed a dark playfulness that was both morbid and humorous, and genuinely interesting.
Later that night:
The following day:
This is me on stage at Alternative Miss World:
On Sunday I went to the Tiga Ciao! album launch party hosted by Bugged Out in a warehouse on Scrutton Street with my friends Becky and Al. We hooked up with Matt Walsh, who was sharing the bill with Tiga, and danced for many hours. The Proxy also played and was superb.
On Monday I went to see the Art Against Knives exhibition set up by Katy Dawe, Oliver Helmsley and others, which was held at the old Shoreditch Town Hall. The exhibition featured works by high profile artists ranging from Banksy to Antony Gormley, but also showcased pieces by art students and up-and-coming talent, and it was excellent.
On Wednesday I attended the Disco 24 re-opening, hosted by My Beautiful City, which featured a performance by Johnny BlueEyes and music from guest DJs Alice Dellal and Pixie Geldof.
Thursday night, Hannah Holland's popular monthly party Bastard Batty Bass at The Star of Bethnal Green:
On Friday Mmmélanie (Pump) DJ'd at Beach Blanket Babylon with Lucile Troquet (Night Bright), and they were both amazing.
This is a photo I took of Daniel Lismore:
This is where I'm DJing on Thursday:
and also Friday, which is going to be amazing:
Right now I'm listening to Low (the band, not the David Bowie album, though I do love Bowie).
About Low, and why I love them: Low are a band from Duluth, Minnesota, that formed in 1993 and consist of Alan Sparhawk on guitar and vocals, Mimi Parker (his wife) playing drums and also providing vocals, and (currently) Steve Garrington on the bass guitar. Their music is often labelled under the 'slowcore' sub-genre of rock, which is characterised by sparse and minimal arrangements and slow tempos, though the band generally show disdain for this term, and not all of their songs adhere to this style. What draws me to Low the most is the way Alan and Mimi conjure the most striking and powerful imagery from meticulously crafted but very simple and short lyrics, and this, coupled with their gorgeous vocal harmonies, creates some of the most beautiful and haunting music I have ever heard. It's been around six years since I discovered Low, and I still listen to them almost every single day. Unfortunately they're probably most famous for their cover of Little Drummer Boy which was used for a Gap Christmas commercial. They do seem to like Christmas though:
My favourite Low songs (click the song titles to listen):
Dinosaur Act
(all through the dust/you feel you must hear the strings of a dove/but it's a dinosaur act)
Closer
(hold me closer than that)
Starfire
(let's take a ride/starfire tonight/ten thousand miles away)
Immune
(does it taste like home/only when your eyes are closed)
Soon
(soon it will be over/I laughed under my breath over your shoulder)
In The Drugs
(breaking like dolls/singing like birds/we always get what we deserve)
Over The Ocean
(if I belong/then I'll be longer than expected)
La La La Song
(sometimes I could choke myself with laughter/sometimes everything's so true)
Two Step
(the light it burns your skin/in a language you don't understand)
Sunflower
(with your half of the ransom/you bought some sweet sunflowers/and gave them to the night)
They have released eight studio albums thus far, with a new one supposedly coming this year. Their best album, in my opinion, is Things We Lost In The Fire, followed by Secret Name. The Great Destroyer is interesting in that it's a big departure from their signature sound, and quite a noisy album, but it's probably their weakest, although it has some great songs on it. Their most recent album, Drums and Guns, was partially inspired by the war in Iraq, and featured quite a claustrophobic and tense sound with more electronic aesthetic influences.
On Tuesday I went to see the Anette Messager exhibition that was being held at the Hayward Gallery. The central piece was titled 'Casino', and was a theatrical interpretation of a portion of the story of Pinocchio. It played on rotation, lasting fifteen minutes total, and was contained within a room with a doorway at the far wall with another room visible beyond. The floors of both rooms were covered in a red material that would raise and lower as air was pumped under it from an unseen source, making it ripple and move as if it were liquid. Underneath the fabric there lit up small fabric constructions that looked like illuminated buildings, while black organic-shaped 'entities' descended from the ceiling and a projection of a clock appeared in the background. The first instance the fabric rippled to life and the air pump sent waves moving outward was chilling, reminiscent of the scene in Kubrick's The Shining when the elevator opens to reveal a tide of blood.
I also really liked a piece titled Articulated-Disarticulated which consisted of various animals, including cows, some moving or being dragged and some still, which was influenced by the outbreak of mad-cow disease and seemed to highlight the frailty and whimsical tragedy of human and animal life. Messager's work conveyed a dark playfulness that was both morbid and humorous, and genuinely interesting.
The following day:
This is me on stage at Alternative Miss World:
On Sunday I went to the Tiga Ciao! album launch party hosted by Bugged Out in a warehouse on Scrutton Street with my friends Becky and Al. We hooked up with Matt Walsh, who was sharing the bill with Tiga, and danced for many hours. The Proxy also played and was superb.
On Monday I went to see the Art Against Knives exhibition set up by Katy Dawe, Oliver Helmsley and others, which was held at the old Shoreditch Town Hall. The exhibition featured works by high profile artists ranging from Banksy to Antony Gormley, but also showcased pieces by art students and up-and-coming talent, and it was excellent.
On Wednesday I attended the Disco 24 re-opening, hosted by My Beautiful City, which featured a performance by Johnny BlueEyes and music from guest DJs Alice Dellal and Pixie Geldof.
Thursday night, Hannah Holland's popular monthly party Bastard Batty Bass at The Star of Bethnal Green:
On Friday Mmmélanie (Pump) DJ'd at Beach Blanket Babylon with Lucile Troquet (Night Bright), and they were both amazing.
