The Harleston & Waveney Art Trail 2011

The Harleston & Waveney Art Trail, or HWAT!The Harleston & Waveney Art Trail Collective is a diverse and lively community of professional artists who live and work in the beautiful Waveney Valley, all within reach of Harleston, a small market town on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Harleston & Waveney Art Trail has taken place every summer since 2005. Each year we open our studios and workshops for three consecutive weekends.
The Harleston & Waveney Art Trail 2011 - see http://www.hwat.org.uk/
25th-26th June, 2nd-3rd July & 9th-10th July 2011

Entry to all studios and workshops is free, browsers are very welcome, and work can be purchased direct from the artists. All the studios are within ten miles of Harleston: you can tour by bike, on foot or by car (we hope the weather will be nice, and the roses out!). Two bicycles are available to hire from the Swan Hotel in the centre of Harleston.

The many artforms pursued by artists on the trail include drawings, paintings, sculpture, textiles, photography, ceramics, glass and mosaics.

Everlasting Light - a reflection on Sizewell

Devised by Netia Jones
EXAUDI vocal ensemble
Music director: James Weeks


EXAUDI's open air performance on Sizewell Beach (Everlasting Light, Aldeburgh Festival, 22-24 June) was nothing short of extraordinary.  So much more than a music concert, the event was a complete performance encompassing drama, science, and philosophy as well as music.  Its focus on the wonders of the universe, on light and dark, on the stars and the nature of time, on the value of science and on the very atoms that make up the fabric of everything, was felt all the more acutely on Sizewell Beach, under the massive hulk of Sizewell A, the nuclear reactor decommissioned in 2006, and the mysterious dome of Sizewell B, which is still in operation.


The performance took the audience, armed with umbrellas, cushions and blankets, from Sizewell Beach cafe through a series of rickety fishermen's huts, then down the beach as twilight set in to the final performance site.  The choir, who up till that moment had sung in small, sparse groups, were already massed in the shadow of Sizewell A as we sat on the hummocky sands.  In the gloaming, the clip-on lights they used to illuminate their scores resembled the very stars that the event celebrated so effectively.  There was some intermittent rain, in contrast to the drought suffered in East Anglia for most of this year, but just enough to enhance rather than detract from the performance.   The rain couldn't have been better if it had been choreographed, and the way that an army of helpers appeared to open red umbrellas over the heads of each and every singer was a performance in itself, adding a surreal dimension to the incredible atmosphere.

The music, spanning four centuries of madrigals and ending with Ligeti's Lux Aeterna, was electrifying, holding us spellbound as darkness descended.  Coupled with large-scale film projection straight on to the side of Sizewell A, the performance was infused with the qualities of extraordinary human endeavour, somehow humbling and affirming at the same time.   The hum of the functioning Sizewell B nuclear reactor in the background added edge and a dose of reality, while the wheeling of a pair of gulls against the hulk of Sizewell A, and the last call of a bird, perhaps an owl, over the sound of the sea, added beauty.

The music was perfect for the setting, and performed to the usual high standard by EXAUDI, under the direction of James Weeks.  James and Netia Jones,who devised the whole event, are to be congratulated on the quality and meaning of the performance.  I for one will remember it for many years to come.


Siham Bortcosh/Peter Simister

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids is an amusing film in which time passes quickly and easily.  It involves a story containing standard hard luck character as well a successful one with other characters infused into it to provide alternate moments of mirth and cringeworthiness!  It is fairly predictable all the way through and it manages to amuse and entertain all the way through. This however was not to the extent that the woman sitting behind us clearly thought, as she managed to gaffaw really loudly throughout the film making hearing the next line or quip almost impossible to hear!

RB

An Alehouse Session - Village Underground (Spitalfields Summer Festival)

An Alehouse SessionBarokksolistene
Bjarte Eike
Per Buhre violins
Fredrik Bock guitar & theorbo
Mattias Frostenson bass
Håkon Stene percussion
Members of I Fagiolini


Barokksolistene's alehouse session at Village Underground (Spitalfields Summer Festival, 23 June) entertained and moved the audience in equal measure.  Part of a growing trend to present "classical" music in more immediate, accessible settings, the event reproduced the alehouse atmosphere of the 17th century, when due to the closure of theatres during the Commonwealth, many alehouses were turned into so-called Musick-Houses, where musicians gathered to play intimate concerts for an enthusiastic and beer-thirsty audience.  The combination of live performance, high musical standards and humour made for a wonderful evening in an unusual setting.

The strains of Celtic folk music were instantly recognisable, evoking the mystery of highland landscapes, while England was most ably represented by the, as ever, gorgeous music of Henry Purcell, infused with a little bit of drama and laughter.   The English madrigal, usually performed today in formal and, dare we say, rather po-faced settings, took on quite a different meaning in the bawdy atmosphere of the 17th century alehouse, when, apparently, beer consumption averaged 9 pints a day.

Most arresting of all was the sheer enjoyment of the musicians as they performed.  Dressed casually, and freely moving about the stage, they let the audience into the secrets of performance, sharing their commitment to the music and to the exhilarating fun of bringing it alive.  We left the performance smiling.

The only problem was that for an alehouse session, the beer was really not very good, being canned lager rather than good English ale on tap.

For a taster, see this extract from a similar but more formal performance at Kings' Place last summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrN2TuazQ6Y

Siham Bortcosh/Peter Simister

Hackney to get new cinema

The Hackney Picturehouse is due to open in November on the site of the old Ocean on Mare Street. For £30 you can become a 'founder member' which will not only entitle you to discounts and priority booking across the chain, you will also have the chance to have your name on a new art installation at the cinema.

Mr Stink - Hackney Empire

Musical adaptation of comedian David Walliams's novel about a girl who befriends a (smelly) tramp. Scratch 'n' sniff booklets were handed out to provide real life smells although I couldn't tell the difference from one smell to the next to be honest. The kids said they could so they either have a heightened sense of smell or they are more open to suggetion. A fun evening, the play held everyone's attention and was enjoyed by young and old alike.

Broadgate, City of London, EC2

Broadgate is an office and retail estate in the City of London which is the centre of some controversy at the moment over whether it should be listed. I quite like Broadgate, especially Broadgate Circle which reminds me of a picture I saw once of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but I do wonder about the wisdom of the listing. I agree with the idea of listing buildings that are seen as outstanding examples of their time. As a member of English Heritage and The Twentieth Century Society I should support this listing I suppose. But an office complex I'm not sure about. The Twentieth Century Society believe the ongoing vitality of the City rests on it retaining and valuing the best buildings of all periods of its construction.  The business world believe exactly the opposite. I suppose you pay your money and take your choice.

David Lamelas – Comma 36 at Bloomberg SPACE

This is a reworking of the artist’s minimal work from 1966 exploring time and space. The space is made up of two rooms, the first has an internally illuminated frosted glass on one wall, the second area has reduced lighting and two more planes of frosted glass and a large atrium surrounded by the Bloomberg offices. 

Now I like minimalist, give me a Donald Judd and I’m happy, but this was ‘challenging’. One had a feeling of being short changed even though there had been no charge for admission. The Bloomberg offices look very nice though.

Southern Tenant Folk Union Album Launch – What’s Cookin’

To Leytonstone’s legendary What’s Cookin’ club at the North Star pub for the launch of Southern Tenant Folk Union’s new album. Unfortunately we missed the support acts Deer Park, Ghost Town Showdown  and Paul Handyside as we were on our way back from a visit to the RSPB nature reserve at Fowlmere near Cambridge (a lovely, peaceful place if you enjoy that sort of thing).

The STFU are an Edinburgh based septet with a wide range of musical styles and influences. With mandolin, double bass, harmonica, banjo, fiddle and guitars the celtic influenced folk and bluegrass songs went down a storm with the appreciative audience, especially impressive were ‘The Rights and Interests of the Laboring Man’ and ‘The Tide’. With time running out What’s Cookin’ main man Ramblin’ Steve led the band and audience outside for an encore that was performed on one of the picnic benches at the front of the pub.

On first play the album, titled Pencaitland, sounds pretty damn good as well.

Whats' Cookin' - East London Music - North Star

"East London" sometimes I hear called souless, not to mention Leytonstone Village....Where is that?

Well every Thursday the backwater erstwhile known as Leytsonstone Village comes alive to the rythmic beats of music. Yes, indeed some you will like and some you will not be sure about, one thing is sure your pulse will be racing as you sample the hidden delights of this backwater of fun.

So for those who have not sampled this (It must be one of the 100 things in East London to do before you die!) you will have to visit and sample the delights for yourself....shhh don't tell all, argh alright then do bring your mates.

http://www.whatscookin.co.uk/wchome.html

RLJ

KANT

What can I know? What ought I to do? What can I hope?

RLJ

Chicken Soup with Barley – Royal court

This revival of Arnold Wesker’s play from 1958 follows an extended family and their friends of east end Jewish communists from 1936 to 1956. At the start of the play the family are full of hope for the future as Oswald Moseley’s fascists are stopped from marching at the Battle of Cable Street. The central character is Sarah Kahn, mother of the family, always positive and forever making tea and feeding the family. Her husband Harry is forever losing his job and lacks fight much to Sarah's chagrin, over time this lack of fight is legitimised by a series of strokes. Harry’s sister Cissie is a union organiser, their daughter Ada is married to Dave who is off to join the International Brigade to fight in Spain and son Ronnie is an aspiring ‘Socialist’ writer. Monty and Prince are comrades from the Party, highly committed to the fight for socialism.

By 1946 disillusion is setting in and by 1956 with the Soviets having invaded Hungary everyone but Sarah have lost their faith in the cause.  Cissie is retired from the Union, Monty has become a capitalist with his own greengrocers in Manchester and Ada and Dave have moved to the country to build their own little piece of socialism (as Wesker did). Ronnie, who critised  Ada for retreating from the fight, returns from Paris where he is a chef, to confront his mother. He has lost his faith in the Party and he finally understands his father’s lack of ambition. He cannot believe his mother is still a member of the CP despite what is going on elsewhere in the world. Sarah though is still optimistic, she is still proud to be a Communist and her final, passionate message to her son is ‘If you don’t care, you’ll die’.

The play is highly recommended, it was over two hours long but the time rattled by.

Immanuel Kant

"Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for." 

A simple set of rules

Degenerate Kunsts

A number of people have asked about the name of the blog and on a related topic a perceived bias towards German culture of the blog. As to the question of whether we have a liking for German culture here at the Kunst Collective I would plead guilty as charged your honour! When Monty Python made the famous philosophers world cup sketch Germany were in the final against Greece, it is our belief that had they made the same sketch but for culture then Germany would once again made the final at the very least. The list of German artistic favourites of the KC  is long and covers most of the arts – the music of Bruckner, Mahler, Wagner and Kraftwerk, the plays and poems of Brecht, the art of Richter etc. as well as the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who's major work was the Critique of Pure Reason (and who can forget the Goombay Dance Band?).

As to the name of the blog, Kunst is the German word for Art of course and yes there is the love of the good old British double entendre, some of the greatest British contributions to the arts over the years have been the Carry On films and the seaside postcard both of which made a living for years out of double entendre’s (and not much else at times) and were all the better for it. The name also reminds us of the largest attendance for a modern art exhibition in history, over 2 million people, for the Nazi exhibition, Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) which was intended to show modern art as a degradation of the German spirit. To paraphrase Voltaire we at the KC might not like everything that is done in the name of art but we will fight to the death to allow artists to do what they want (ok not to the death, in fact we probably won’t fight at all, we’re lovers not fighters but we’ll support freedom of expression for artists at any rate).

Degenerate Kunsts of the world unite!

RED LION E11 Opening Night - Wednesday 15th JUNE 2011

It has been a period of great anticipation with expectations growing on a daily basis - Ever since the inaugural reports of a gastropub in "Leytonstone" hit the news back in January time I have been waiting. Finally after a few false starts the doors opened.... WOW

I really feel that Antic Pubs have done a grand job, the pub still has work in progress however the potential vastness and vibe are all positive and lets hope that the throng that was there in the hundreds will come back again and again.

The staff were first class and dealt with the numbers of drinkers in a fashion one would expect from a first class outfit. Well done you certainly earned you money last night. The interior is what you would expect despite certain elements of work in progress - I digress to the toilets however part of the charm and they were fully functional which is all I want from a toilet.

The selection of drinks and value/ prices all seemed to be good and I drank the Black Sheep as I rather think of myself as one! And mighty good it was too. The music was loud enough and the selection catered for all ages who were in attendance supporting the new venture. I really liked that and I feel that something of real potential has come alive in the hub of Leytonstone. Antics used the slogan the roar is back  - My preference is the pulse is back in Leytonstone and long overdue!

As a building it has some architecture delights which are being shown off and the rawness or should I say ROARNESS! is endearing. And the decor is wacky with the chandeliers over the bar, cool.

This place should continue to impress as the full product range is rolled out - I will write again as each component to the Red Lion develops - Dining experience - Garden and continued build out - and a Ballroom!

Like the opening hours too!

RLJ

Red Lion E11 Leytonstone -Opening Night

The Alps

Spent yesterday in the Alps - awe inspiring!

Pinakothek Der Moderne - Munich

Deadly & Brutal. Movie Posters from Ghana.

The Pinakothek Der Moderne holds some of the best of the German modernists in its collection so we checked out the usual suspects – Kirchner, Beckmann, Beuys but the most memorable part of the visit was a temporary exhibition of movie posters from Ghana. Hand painted by artists who had never seen the films (most of the films were made in Nigeria), the posters are what the artist imagines might have been in the film and therefore not necessarily anything to do with what actually happens in the film. A bit of a strange concept as they are meant to be adverts for the films but why not – we all know that form is more important than function. No subject is seemingly too extreme, babies being butchered, dismembered penis’ and huge breasts all feature but the pictures have the effect of making the viewer LOL rather than experience any feelings of revulsion.

The day was rounded off with an amusing encounter with an over officious attendant who told off one of our party at length for sitting on the floor and then proceeded to follow us around like an amorous pigeon in pursuit of a mate in order to ensure we did not commit any other grievous transgressions. This resulted in a game of hide and seek inbetween the exhibits as we tried to evade capture by zee guards.

ROBERT BREER @ Baltic

ROBERT BREER 11 June 2011 - 25 September 2011

The Baltic is always a must when visiting the northern city of Newcastle, a vast building on the south bank of the River Tyne, yet still in the shadows of the steel magnificence of the"Tyne Bridge" and the contemporary  silver bullet taht is The Sage.

Robert Breer takes you from abstract to reality in a breathtaking fashion - Maybe shock really. I get the abstract to reality piece but really sometimes contemporary art does not sit well with me -  I see the strength of his cinematography and how that impacts his work, but some of the artefacts on display I do notsee the same link. In the vastness of the exhibition hall there was a scrunched up piece of golden foil - I am not sure of this, OK it was not foil. Another artefact being the hedgehog like sponge- yes I can see within maybe the interpretation of art or am I confusing it with the skill in the making? Yes, that was clearly visible but on background of the light wooden floor I was not sure.

The white dome shape objects and the abstract paintings all left a mark, they certainly opened the mind to let in a different thought process.

I enjoyed the visit and it is always refreshing to let your mind wander.....Art, it is all good stuff.......... Recommend a visit 7 from 10.  RLJ
 

Haus der Kunst - Munich

Took the Easy Jet special to Munich yesterday & after some (vegetarian) dumplings (a Bavarian speciality) and some of the local beer of course, headed to the Haus der Kunst. After showing solidarity with the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who exhibited recently & is now being held by the Chinese authorities we went to a group exhibition titled Aschemünder - film & media art from the Ingvild Goetz collection which is showing in the building's former air-raid shelter. The works, by David Claerbout, Willie Doherty, Harun Farocki, Omer Fast, Mona Hatoum, Anri Sala and others, make reference to war, dictatorship, torture and persecution, some of which are very moving. Showing the works in the air-raid shelter adds to a feeling of imprisonment and confinement.

We then headed to the Goldene Bar which is located at the side of the building. Built in 1937, possibly as a nazi casino, a wine tavern or an officer's club, the former curator's of Haus der Kunst must have felt this was a burden for they left it's golden walls with original paintings of the wine, liquor or champagne areas of the world by professor Karl-Heinz Dallinger covered and the premisses closed for the larger public for decades.  The original room opens in a glow of gold and is very impressive, the minimalist arrangement of the laid-back furniture and the chandelier make for a lovely room.  The atmosphere is relaxed and the service excellent, hence this not being posted untill the morning.

Off to Pinakothek Der Moderne today to take advantage of the EUR1.00 entry fee on a Sunday. I'll report back on the visit later.

REM - Automatic for the People

Listening to Automatic for the People tonight for the first time in years (Man on the Moon is a great song, and film come to that) it occured to me that REM are one of the few bands that have managed to make more than two decent albums. Innovation and freshness are generally more important than ability in popular music and most bands have run out of fresh ideas by their third album. There are, of course, some notable exceptions alongside REM, the Beatles and Rolling Stones come to mind, but on the whole you can safely bin a band after they have made their second album (and often after one to be honest).

Leytonstone Film Club renamed

Renamed  Leytonstone Pop-Up Cinema held at the Library in Church Lane on the first wednesday of each month. Tickets £5 (£4 Concessions)  http://www.leytnstonefilmclub.com/  and to add to the culture the ticket includes a free drink at the Star of India, High Road Leytonstone after the show.    RLJ

Our War - BBC3

Ambushed - First part of a documentary series to mark ten years of the war in Afganistan. Shot by the soldiers themselves on helmet cameras and personal video cameras and interspersed with personal testimony it showed war in the raw, from the adrenilised high of soldiers in contact with the enemy to the low of one of their number being hit and having to cope with his subsequent death. The anguish of his parents was also shown. The excitment felt by the soldiers at a (revenge) killing of a Taliban combatant was squemish to liberal instincts; however there was at least a perspective on the situation by those involved, one of whom stated that in Afganistan he could see progress being made & life returning to village's under their control as opposed to Iraq where he said it felt like 'we were the problem'.

There will, of course, eventually have to be a political solution because, as the British & Soviets have found in the past, Afganistan is tough place to go with its montainous terrain and therefore an unwinnable war. As a great man once sang, 'War, war is stupid and people are stupid'. Highly recommended.

The Berlin Novels - Christopher Isherwood

A historical novel giving a true insight into the rise of Nazism without that completely dwelling on the story - A good insight into Christopher and his exploits in Berlin. A very good read 7 from 10.

Rambert Dance Co - Sadlers Wells, 25th May

Three sets - Cadoon Club, Roses, and Monolith.

First up Cadoon Club & sparkly chains dangle as a
woman in cocktail dress and long nails appears . A slow start to a
routine which at times was comic but at other times pointless, not sure
about the element of the dancers performing a puppet show with what
seemed to be sticks. It was not boring but just not dance in my opinion.

Roses brought it back as classic ballet moves and gentile costumes
raised my interest, loved this set especially the slow acrobatic twists.

Finale Monolith was a good contemporary mix of great motion & use of set,
this showed off what Rambert does best.

Overall a very good ensemble and whilst the first set was mediocre in my view it was still a very well presented show. 8/10.

We've got nothing to say & we're going to say it!

Welcome to the Kunst Collective cultural review. This blog will provide a review of art/literature/music/film/theatre/dance etc,or anything else that we deem, however loosely, to fall under the banner of culture.

We are based in Leytonstone, East London, UK so the blog will have a bias towards what is happening in London but we also regularly get out & about to other parts of the UK and further afield and so will provide feedback on the cultural zeitgeist wherever we find ourselves. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.