2013 about to start ...

OK - it's now 21:14 on 31 December 2012. Seize the moment ...

Retrospection: a Saturday in Paris

Moriyama, Brancusi, Billy Purefoy in the theatre Bouffes du Nord, Le 6ieme Continent, all rolled in one Saturday on 10 November 2012.

Moriyama - Polka Gallery

Brancusi

After the show - with Billy in theatre des Bouffes du Nord

After the usual little excursion buying film for Simon's Rollei  we accidentally came past the Polka Gallery, which to our amazement was just launching Moriyama - off all photogaraphers just the very one who is on Simon's list seriously high up. Apart from the exhibition I really loved the gallery, with its excellent position, two different parts in different sections of the building. All in black and white, including two young smart guys, one the owner of the gallery, the other a photographer. Forgot his name. Got to ask Simon, who has the card which apparently I was supposed to receive. We moved on to Centre Pompidou, enjoying a stint of didgeridoo music, a bit of Parisienne atmo, a virgin Mary, a mono cyclist, a street pianist (piano on wheels) and then the Brancusi studio, or rather it's re-build version. A little bit of shopping (sweater for Jasper), and then a vast shower happened to come upon us. Panic. I just did not want to get wet and cold, thinking of the evening ahead, with theatre and all! The weather until that moment had been quite amazing, especially for taking photos. Clouds simply make it so much more interesting.

Getting back, mostly dry (I had selfishly hogged the mini umbrella, but after all I had been carrying it all day), we put a little bit of effort into 'the looks'. Mainly it meant changing into smarter shoes. Re-discovered black spiky boots felt very appropriate for an evening out in Paris. The metro delivered us to the road we had to walk along to reach our destination. It felt a bit like little India, silken saris, glitter and food places. Overtaking an endless row of cars stuck in a traffic jam which occasionally broke out into helpless hooting concerts heightened the joy of moving on foot towards our destination, the Theatre des Bouffes du Nord. We arrived far too early, and had plenty of time to spend in the theatre restaurant, with good food and a bottle of red. It seemed very sudden when the place filled up with people. As it happens, time flies when the times are good. And then, finally, our entry into the theatre, which turned out to be spectacular. A place from another era, unearthed rather than restored. I just loved it. Subtle colours, darkish red and brown. It's an old theatre, a discovery, unreconstructed in the best sense of the word. A compact space for the audience, arranged in a half circle around the large stage. 

Wikipedia article link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_des_Bouffes_du_Nord

The 6th Continent was interesting, with a brilliant screenplay, and despite not understanding French I managed to make sense of what was going on. Despite better knowledge and hopeful aspirations corruption takes over and smothers the planet in plastic rubbish. That's it in one sentence, which - of course - doesn't do the play justice. But it's really short.

Description on theatre website:

"Small streams make great rivers and all rivers flow into the sea. But the beauty of fluid mechanics turns into a nightmare when we know rivers transport with their shameful foam our daily trash. Glued together by sea currents, all this rubbish soon joins in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, an immense floating dump which is already the size of a continent.

Using ecological facts to denounce the existence of  this 6th Continent testifying of our scandalous inconsequence, Swiss director, Lilo Baur, uses the metaphor of a man who sees himself  robbed, one after the other, of his social attributes to become a naked monkey reigning over the chaos of a world transformed into a mound of garbage.

Humorously punctuated by Daniel Pennac’s text which pin with cutting irony our guilty incapacity to respect the planet, Lilo Baur’s show transforms this huge historical migration of waste into a joyful opera bouffa served by a theater company, without boundaries, made of actors who are also dancers and singers."

Note: I found both names of the guys at Polka Gallery: Jean-Kenta Gauthier (owner) and Ethan Levitas (photographer)!

And I do need to mention, last but not least, Niki de Saint Phalle:

Beaumont Street at night

Christmas lights event

Autumn mood

Some blue sky behind autumn leaves, snapped up on the way back from bread shopping.

Just for fun

Trying to use new device.

Brief encounter

Today I heard that Michael Stanley died. I met him on occasions. He left an impression. And it will last. He was there, in the very moment. Did not look around (or over shoulders) if there was someone more important to meet and greet.  He wasn't about who to impress. He just happened to be where he was, open minded and with great curiosity.

I want to make his memory last. I'll miss him. Without ever having been close to him or anything. That's how important he was - and is!

 Michael at MAO, 19 April 2012

One fine rainy summer's day ...

... we had a great street party in Bartlemas Road.

The torch has been and gone ...

... in Cowley Road, at the bottom of Bartlemas Road, on 9 July 2012!

Tracey and Marilyn

My latest finding: a gathering of Marilyn and Tracey in Ron Freeborn's studio:

Coming second, but it's the first!

Opening at The Mill, Banbury

Und nochmal - es geht um eine Zeit

Hanna und Werner waren zu Besuch in Oxford. Eine Woche lang konnten wir gemeinsam erkunden, was immer die Zeit erlaubte, denn sie brauchen viel Ruhe so zwischendrin. Einmal unterwegs, geniessen sie jede Minute, vor allem wenn mal ausnahmsweise (!) die Sonne scheint, hier in diesem Lande dass seinem regnerischen Ruf gerecht wurde in dieser einen wunderbaren Woche. Hier sonnen sich die beiden in Dorchester, an Werners Geburtstag, an dem - wie er sagte - immer die Sonne scheint. Und allen Vorhersagen zum Trotz, hatte er Recht:

 

Auch der Besuch bei Caddy Attewill war in Sonnenschein getaucht! Es war der Besuch bei einer Künstlerin - ohne den geringsten Hauch von Künstlichkeit, einfach und entspannend:

Beginn des Ausflugs nach Oxford war selbstverständlich Simons Ausstellung 'Artists & Studios: Private Views' in Modern Art Oxford. Sie wurde eingehend betrachtet, kritisiert, und - mit Recht - sehr bewundert in ihrer vielschichtigen Faszination:

Trotz vieler Pausen in Bannister Close gab es immer neue Entdeckungsreisen, unter anderem spielten die beiden im 'Moral Playground' von Barbara Gorayska in der Said Business School:

 

In einem letzten kleinen Spiel mit der Zeit kommen wir nun zur Ankunft der beiden bei uns in Bartlemas Road. Hier feiern wir mit den beiden ihre Ankunft, Paella and all:

 

Oh ja. Da ist noch was ganz Wichtiges, was dem kurzen Bericht hier einen würdigen Abschluss verleiht. Ich hatte das grosse Vergnügen, mehrfach bei Kazem in der Iffley Road Fish and Chips holen zu dürfen, denn das ist nun mal Werners Lieblingsessen, das sogar mit der Paella gleichzieht. Und eindeutig die beste Qualität gibt es nur bei Kazem - alles frisch:

Dies war nun die kurze Zeitreise: Momentaufnahmen der vergangenen Woche!

Once

Once. Was it upon a time? It seems ages ago. Old and new seem to amalgamate in their own strange ways, ending up in time-less-ness. Yet: painfully aware of time gone by and time to come. It's a strange thing, ticking away and keeping you going, jumping. Then hesitate! Surprise? Or just floating. All becomes clear when you cut it against white?

 

Tomorrow is the opening of Artists & Studios, a Photography Exhibition by Simon Murison-Bowie. Here's the artist himself - in his darkroom:

Master of the Dark Room 

Sunday - Sunshine - Reflection

 

Sunday evening 2300 - too late for words, some images will do!

More OxJaMs coming soon!

 

And a new CD - RAAHE 99, for Paul Rutherford:

View point

Patti Smith 1969-1976. Photographs by Judy Linn. The perspective of a photographer who is able to crawl under the skin of her subject. Images so close that it seems almost intrusive. And yet, there's still no doubt about the reserve, kept by the taker of the image as much as the subject. It's like an invitation, and as soon as you try to join in you discover a distance. Which gives you some unexpected freedom to just observe, as much as you like, without inhibition.

Wintery

Icy no snow, dry and cold, just what the black sheep from Niederrhein used to praise. Bright blue winter light, missed again today. A short vibrant breath of cool air in transit. Too short. Sharp bites of regret, with return to desk. Lift the cup which says 'Surprise me'. More to come.

All things trivial - winter walk January 2012

Yesterday, Saturday 14 January, it was sunny. Really sunny. And cold. Something I'd been waiting for, and it really had begun to be a bit of a long wait. (At least is seemed so to me.) A day off, and cold and clear weather. No need to see anything special, just seeing light everywhere was such a joy. I took myself on a mission trying to catch a glimpse of this beautiful light on a winter walk into Oxford:

Oxford Jazz Master Series - 7 January 2012

Spoiling true jazz fans - another OxJaMs evening with core trio George Haslam, Steve Kershaw and Richard Leigh Harris, this time the special guests were Paul Dunmall and Tony Marsh, again in the Burton Taylor Studio. I was hooked by the utterly amazing stuff the 'gentle giant' Tony can do with his drum kit, joint by Paul's virtuoso sax play. The evening came to a great finale in which all five musicians joint their powerful, poetic and playful sound!

Tony Marsh

Tony Marsh, Paul Dunmall

Tony and Paul getting closer

George and Paul: Two saxes in conversation

Tony, joint by Steve and Richard

Grand Finale

Oxford Jazz Master Series - 6 January 2012

my poster for the event

The core OxJaMS trio George Haslam, Steve Kershaw and Richard Leigh Harris played together in the Burton Taylor Studio with Steve Waterman and Robin Jones in various combinations - a great evening of sharp and focussed jazz:

 

Robin Jones

Steve Kershaw

 

George Haslam

Richard Leigh Harris

Steve Waterman