and back to art....

Re the posts on k-punk and undercurrent. Lots of interesting discussion on art and the burning of the Saatchi collection. Well, I'm not too bothered about all that, if I like a piece of art I like it and if I don't I don't. It was sad to lose so many cultural objects but I won't lose any sleep over it. I love "The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah" by John Martin in the post below and I'm lucky enough that it's housed at the Laing in Newcastle so I can stand infront of it and consider the terrible state of my being whenever I want.

I wouldn't think that many people know about the aforesaid painting being in Newcastle. But everyone knows about Gormley's 'Angel of the North' that you can see whenever you're getting the train into Newcastle. I'm not from Newcastle so my opinion on it may not be as valid as a native. My friends from Newcastle have varying opinions on it; one of them used to go there to smoke spliffs, she lived in Gateshead and it was a handy place to go when she lived with her parents. Other friends are mostly non-commital about it, they don't care whether it is there or not. I personally like it, but my liking it is only because when I see it I know the bastard train journey from London is almost over. So what then does the Angel represent in my sphere of experience? I guess you could take a Heideggerian turn on it and say that it sets forth a world (kids smoking spliffs) and sets it back upon the earth (the hill that its stuck on). That's probably stretching it a bit far but meuf. Other arguments could be that it encompasses the spirit of the north... I don't know about that. There's alot of people who really couldn't give a shit about art up here, and some despise it. Outside of central station there is what looks like a bin with the reproduction of a Grecian type village on it. At night the little lights turn in the windows. I was looking at this one night and an aul gadge came up and had a go at me:

"Look at the shite they're spending money on!"

"But it's kind've cute. Imagine if there were tiny people living inside."

"Fer fucks sake gerl, you need ta learn somethin aboot leef."

And then he stormed off, ranting about the money spent in the north on art rather than sorting out serious issues in the estates.

All the money that has been put into Newcastle is making it a lovely place. The Quayside looks wonderful; the Millenium bridge, the Baltic and the Giant Pupae have really made a difference. But I'm biased towards Newcastle, I think it might be one of the best places in the world to live....

I've gone a little off tangent.

ANYWAY, that wasn't very conclusive. However, I'm off to London in a few weeks so I am going to drag myself to the Tate and Saatchi galleries and see if there is anything that might impress me. I doubt it but I will try, and I will try to go in with an open mind. Also my friend's exhibition is opening and I'm going to see Carmen (joy of joys!) so it looks like I'll be absolutely full of art and culture. After that I will make a more 'educated' post on whether I can be arsed with britart.

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