Personal reflection’s from Duration, Newcastle

Personal reflections

AV (Audio Visual) Festival is a biennial event of contemporary art, music and film.  The Festival is thematically curated to engage audiences with current ideas across art, society and technology and I attend the conference Duration held over two days 29-30 March by Culture Lab, Newcastle University .

National representatives came to the conference from across the globe including the USA, Canada, Johannesburg, Australia and more. It was brilliant to have the opportunity to hear such a range of views discussed on the subject of ‘duration’.

Neville Gabie was the key note speaker; it was a fantastic opportunity to hear his views of the role of art in the public realm. He gave an over view of previous work such as Cabot Circus Cantata, the Promised Land The Architecture Centre Bristol and his residence on the Olympic Park in London. I particularly liked Freeze frame, 2011. The picture is based on the Bathers in Asnières by Seurat , using the workforce that have contributed to the creation of the Olympic park. You could learn more about the people in the picture via the website, I felt this added an additional depth in narrative and preserves the people contributions. I felt all his work had people and the public at the heart of all his creations which managed to be featured as a two page spread in the metro (which I can remember getting on my way to work).

Freeze frame Original image source: http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/888434-neville-gabie-turns-19th-century-art-into-olympic-masterpiece

More moving was his video twelve seventy, Neville filmed Semina (Sam) Yousef – a bus driver on the Olympic Park with a passion for swimming. She was filmed in an Olympic pool swimming the distance of her 1,270-metre route. Interestingly the film almost wasn’t allowed to be shown has the brand of her swimming costume wasn’t of one of the official Olympic partner’s.

Twelve Seventy, 2011 Original source http://greatlengths2012.org.uk/

The first session I attended was by Julie Crawshaw. Her PHD study is anthropological, looking at how we interact on a daily basis, what we do, how we behave with each other as social actors. People are put into situations with an expected outcome; however there are internal and external factors that change and evolve the situation.

JuIie Crawshaw, image source http://www.sci.manchester.ac.uk/people/postgraduate-students/julie-crawshaw

I was moved because she made me think like a curious, naive child and ask ‘Why do we behave like this?’  Crawshaw’s research is publicly funded, she analyses communities of people who work together, rather like David Attenborough observing and narrating a nature programme.

The small things she picked up on were interesting; like the fact the office had a list of hot drinks preferences, how people turned up to work a bit hung-over and how this affected their mood for that day . I am looking forward to her completing her PHD so I can discover more about how we interact with each other, as I found myself asking. ‘Why do we act in this way with each other?’

The arts are usually a method used to reflect ourselves and the world around us. Crawshaw’s approach was aiming to perceive what people do on a daily basis from an outsider’s perspective then analyse these moments, rather than focus on the art. Her focus was on the how people work together as a process to create a piece of art.

Bow Bell project, Image source http://blog.stylesight.com/lifestyle/art-design-bow-bells-at-create-2011-festival

Colin Priest discussed how his Bow Bell project was received when people interacted with his work. Priest secured 100 bicycle bells situated at critical experiential points along the Greenway, Capital Ring towpath and Stratford High Street. The aim was to stimulate interest to the local environment and generate a piece which could be enjoyed by a large audience as they pass through.

Priest secured 100 bells across a tow path on railings and street corners, but, within day’s people started to remove the bells and take them away. Priest lamented that every time he heard a bell it reminded him of the project and how others might now have a bicycle bell, Priest even hoped this could have saved a life. Priest appeared to bean innately nice person who wanted to deliver an interesting project however he appeared to have an expectation that there was a common understanding of good behaviour and respect for another’s work.

Priest described acts of vandalism and displayed images of how people destroyed the securing sticks in order to take away bicycle bells. He even referred to these unknown individuals within a male context. I found this assumption interesting in itself as there didn’t appear to be evidence that the individuals involved were male? Who can say if it was vandalism anyway? These individual could be perceived as though they were returning the environment back to its original setting before his intervention.

Another aspect of the outcome of the work that really intrigued and surprised me was those who gave him the bells said he had been able to give away more bells than they themselves had been able to when they had people trying to hand them out for free. This is an fascinating discovery and I felt could be exploited further as a different method of marketing. Perhaps it was because people  discovered a gift found on the on a route, loosely secured, meaning: It  had value, but yet could easily be removed by a small amount of force. (Therefore the original owners fault for not secure the bell more vigorously). Finding this ‘gift’ from the city, as no other owner is present, has a charm of discovery and curiosity. This provides a moment of temptation, to claim something, abandoned but not lost?

Most notably was when Priest caught a couple with a child walking towards him and he noticed the child had a stick with two of his bells. This affected him enough to go back and explain the work to them and how it should be returned. He said it was the fact that they had taken away two bells rather than just one. I thought of how this appeared to be a moral educational intervention to the child and I wondered if he would react with the same regard under different conditions?  If the person was by themselves and very attractive to him? Or if there were teenagers would he have been compelled in the same way? I certainly wouldn’t!

Art engaging on a public and social level at that moment became even more fascinating subject matter. Authority, ownership, community, empowerment all artificially suspended under the heading of art. This reflection I think has also been nudged by Dr Julie Crawshaw’s current study when thinking about Priest’s interactions with other actors.

When a bell is taken, the work’s life continues on and engaging others in a different and invisible ways. I observed the duration of his ownership of the project, to the moment he releases it to the public hadn’t actually occurred. He had clear intentions of how the work should be perceived and noted he struggled with the unexpected outcomes that his work produced. The real duration of the work still continues in the homes of those who naughtily took the art away. What is the impact of this? Do they feel greedy, guilty, bad, good, proud, excited? Like Pavlov’s dogs, will they feel the same at moment they hear the sound of a bell? Or reversely has it affected them at all? Was the experience as quick as the ring of the bell itself? Perhaps Priest should have been clearer about his intentions for his work. He made a great many assumptions about the public’s understanding and willingness or ability to engage in his unexplained thought processes. He assumed that the public would interact in a particular way. It could be argued that, his untested assumptions were challenged by the public. Did they enjoy the instillation more or less than Priest had hoped? What did he hope for as an outcome?

Maeve Blackman and Lorna Hards presented on persistence, permanence, and urban traces.

Spirit & Enterprise, Tom Lomax (1989-91). image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centenary_Square

Forward, Raymond Mason, (1991), image source: http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/birmmail/apr2012/1/8/image-10-for-birmingham-s-top-ten-statues-gallery-787540445.jpg

Hard’s paper focused on early 1990s Birmingham city, which unveiled a range of public artworks in its new international conference centre, after 20 years only one of the five  pieces of remain in centenary square .

A new commission by Ikon Gallery will be unveiled in 2013 by Gillian Wearing; A Real Birmingham Family of a family sculpture which is voted by the public immediately brings a starting point to include them into the dialogue of the ‘real family’ household.

Trueman Family, Image source: http://arealbirminghamfamily.com/

Is this an impossible task for the people of Birmingham? Popularity of the family plays a key role but developing appropriate criteria draws out interesting challenges. How is this family to be chosen? How will it be truly reflective of the ‘real’ diversity in the society of Birmingham? Who is worthy? Is worth to be chosen by merit? Such as the family of a councillor or charity worker? Popularity? Ossie Ozbourne is from Birmingham what about his family? What will make one family important to the local audience? Is Birmingham trying to build their own public iconic family that people can relate to universally? What are the values Birmingham is trying to portray here and why? Is it more about the symbolism of a family unit and if so what is that now?

Family Monument Trento, Gillian Wearing, (2008), image source:

http://aajpress.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/gillian-wearing-a-real-birmingham-family/

There are other family units that exist who are not by blood, those who are estranged to their bloodline but have a sense of family among their peers and those who have a multiplicity of family units through step parents and siblings, so I find this concept of a ‘real’ family unit even more difficult to understand within a single family.

Bambi Yost, image source: http://www.design.iastate.edu/FACULTY/byost.php

Bambi Yost noted that we hadn’t discussed representation during the first day of the conference. Regarding this particular piece of public art, which will have an unknown life line (preferably more permanent than not). I hope that a family is found that reflects aspects of the diversity of the families in Birmingham so that in the future when I’m gone the next generation will have a sense of who we once were. I doubt it would be possible to find a family that represents everybody as it would be equally hard to find an ‘average’ unit, as what would that look like anyway? Perhaps the concept of ‘family’ should be broadened away from the nuclear family concept to that of a group affiliated by consanguinity or co-residence. Maybe representative from ethnic, age and gender groups would make a ‘family of consanguinity’ that would represent the family of those who live in peace together that makes up the residents of Birmingham.

Image source http://www.dur.ac.uk/sass/staff/profile/?mode=staff&id=8926

I Angel of the North. Antony Gormley, (1994), image source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150187787195981&set=t.653236740&type=3&theater

Blackman discussed her work in evaluating the impact of the Angel of the North, interesting debate was raised regarding the subject of well-being, how does a piece of art like the Angel of the North improve well-being and does it? I was interested to know if she was asking negative questions about how they felt about the work. Do people hold any resentment about the piece of work which has been introduced to them?

Image source: http://www.researchingpublicart.com/

(You can read her article in this journal)

Blackman research aims to survey the different local communities of Gateshead and ask them directly how they define ‘well-being’? She will then distil the results into common points of view through the analysis programme Nvlvo and map out common themes.

After Blackman’s presentation she was questioned as to why the council would fund her PHD to evaluate this piece after ten years? She explained that Gateshead council felt it is important to have a real and clearly defined understanding of the Angel of the North and its local impact, and by really taking the time to establish the public’s view and true understanding could its value be obtained.

That night I spoke to a taxi driver and he told me had he had taken a group of people to visit the sculpture. They had come to visit England and didn’t know about the Angel of the North however were interested in seeing something cultural. The taxi driver has been actively promoting the site because he occasionally generates income by talking about his passion. He liked it when  in 1998 the Angel of the North had the football shirt with Alan Shearer on it and thought it was an excellent ‘fuck you’ to those who had put it there in the first place. He thought the sculpture was ‘shit initially’ and didn’t understand why it was there, but now he sees it like the ‘Sign like Hollywood’ and when he’s travelling on the motor way back to Newcastle he knows he is close to home when he sees the Angel of the North. It has become something so well-known he now feels proud to come from this area that has such an iconic piece of public art.

Angel of the North, Antony Gormley, (1994), image source: http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/12/19/dedicated-fans-put-their-shirt-on-united-campaign-61634-25426626/2/

I thought this was a brilliant insight into a cultural piece over a period of time, how it takes time to become valued and how the general public respond and place a sense of personal ownership for themselves.

The next day started with Elly Van Eegham, Graffiti/ Urban Interventions, she focuses on urban cracks and draws attention to overlooked areas in urban environments, such as areas of land which appear uninteresting or get trash dumped upon them. Eegham presented an example of a site where she cleared up a soiled crack and uncovered railway tracks underneath. Councillors came to a site she was working on and said that it could be a way for denouncing illegal dumping, by drawing attention to the issue and making the area appear nicer or relevant in some way. However Eegham didn’t know if her work was actually about denouncing legal dumping?

11/39, Elly Van Eegham, image source: http://www.ellyvaneeghem.be/index.php?/photo/test-photo/

There was a statement made by someone regarding their own experience of local councillors in Johannesburg saying they provided limited input to local delivery, stating they didn’t do very much. This personally really annoyed me as I thought it was an unfair sweeping generalisation, which showed a lack of appreciation for the complexity of the work involved by a local council and little appreciation for what they do (my own counter sweeping generalisation of a place I’ve never visited).

Dr Janey Hunt, image source: http://radiclexchanges.wordpress.com/

Dr Janey Hunt’s workshop was very difficult for me to grasp, my understanding of her  discussion is that it focused on re-presenting work to audiences by trying to replicate the ‘experience’ a person has. Hunt’s background is as an artist who uses art as a vehicle for social change. I liked that she emphasised that raising awareness is not enough in terms of change, that there should be more occurring than awareness alone to demonstrate a real change through an art intervention. However recording and evidencing what ‘more’ is and demonstrating ‘change’ is complex.

It was difficult to connect these concepts with temporal art that has a short life such as a live performance piece. Work that doesn’t result in an art product, for example an art work, publication or recording by audio/film; all of which can be reproduced and disseminated further and continue existing in different forms. The flow of the work lives in different forms, by conversations from those who experienced the work who talk to others who were there. Hunt was more interested in the rich dialogue of people’s experiences and interested in how it can be re-presented rather than the recording of an experience which is then stored somewhere and forgotten.

Theatrical experiences was raised by Priest, theatre allows people to have the same experience repeatedly and as often as they want. I thought about how we do this through touring art works as well as listening to music. However our individual interpretations are different and our ‘experience’ can be affected by how we are feeling internally at that time depending on our moods before we enter the experience. Equally we are affected by the surrounding world, in the theatre did all the actors get enough sleep the night before, was the person in front of you more obstructive of your view of the work than last time? Listening to music is a different quality from seeing a performance live and listening through head phone or on the radio in your car. There are so many variables to every experience we encounter can we truly have a re-presented experience?

Through the conversations that were raised at the conference I felt the overriding theme was the desire to preserve the voice of an idea, so the work can continue in different forms ( like hearing the ring of a bell). There was discussion of methods to extend engagement and how it could have a further reach. This was where the summing up word ‘multiplicity’ was raised, a myriad of interlocking issues and points of view were being drawn out and there was no one straight forward answer. I felt this happened with lots of the presentations.

There were three discussions on walks, I had not come across walks in arts practice before but am aware of concepts of Psychogeography and was interested in this relationship under a framework of the arts, and how ‘artists’ created a piece of engaging work.

Six Birds of the Coquet Valley, Northumberland, Mike Collie, Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wygd/2572196007/in/photostream/

Barbara Lounder, image source: http://assist2010.ning.com/profile/BarbaraLounder

Each person had a different approach; Dr Mike Collier used local wildlife, bird’s flora and fauna which had been turned into graphics as a product to connect audiences to their environment. Barbara Lounder used more theatrical elements, reading out stories wearing customs, using props like blinding the participants with ‘escape scarfs’, silk scarves with hand drawn maps of the local area  which appeared to look like the design of the scarf( as used by people during World War II). Or other props like inscribed walking sticks with the participant’s name and using an iPhone with a small projector for night walk projection onto clothing. Whilst acknowledging surroundings and the history of the land making the walk more stimulating visually as participants walked.

Dr Tim Brennan’s approach had its own person focus and I really struggled to understand the values within his work because it appear very private and required a lot of understanding of the research he had under taken. He was very accepting that the construct is not for everyone, it was tough to follow the meaning in his work and who it was for? He started by discussing how he wasn’t interested in the walking aspect of the content. He stated he was interested in walking but more a guided tour where a person describes objects and informs others about facts of different articles. He also talked about his perceptions of ‘truths’ I felt he had found his own perceptions of truths however  he was unable to properly convey what he meant during his discourse. It appeared to be a very personal journey that required more time on an individual basis to connect to and as a result I felt I couldn’t connect within the conference setting to him or his work as I didn’t know the conceptual background or history he was referring to making it difficult to follow or appreciate what he was saying.

I found the discussion of art and walking and temporality interesting and outside of my comfort zone, as I hadn’t connected art and walking together before. I found looking at what each of the artists were doing individually and comparing their process the most rewarding of all. Through their discussions with each other I sensed that they appreciated each other’s goals and approach to the process. I was greatly interested in their differences and how I interpreted these values for myself.

Barbara Lounder, image source: http://spacingatlantic.ca/uploads/atlantic/SouthNorth011-600×450.jpg

I felt for me individually Barbara’s work was the easiest to access and most empathic to the participant she was welcoming on her journey. She had found ways that provided more interaction with the audience in unique ways. The other two did facilitate learning through the process of walking in a different ways and if anything all of them made walking in different environments more interesting.

Dr David Butler, image source: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sacs/staff/profile/david.butler

The conference was really welcoming and Dr David Butler was key influence in making this happen. Upon arriving at the Culture hub he immediately introduced himself and asked a few questions about my interest in the event and recommended other people to talk to over the event.  During the question and answer period and the plenary sessions Butler called out people by name and tried to ensure that everyone who wanted to speak had the opportunity. His chairman skills opened up contributions from the floor and made me feel able to contribute when I wanted to, in comfort.

Yost identified the fact that a common language is lacking across different disciplines that interact with each other. A lady in Hunt’s session raised the issue of multiplicity and how we have so many different ways of working and engaging. I thought multiplicity was an absolute key word.  Multiplicity is an ‘umbrella’ term that encompasses the richness of the art world. It is a term that is both inclusive and diverse. It allows for labelling and defining of work, yet it also encompasses the undefined and the fact that we can accept different approaches and different relationships and accept that understanding can be drawn from the same subject. Even our intentions and can be perceived differently as discussed by Crawshaw and Paterson and this changes and evolves over time as discussed further by Eegham, Blackman and Hunt.

What is a shame for me is that this is only half a story of the conference I attended; I’m missing the rich discussions of the sessions that I missed out on over the course of the conference. However I will be looking out on the culture hubs website to see what they up load. Everyone’s contribution has really challenged and broadened my views which excites and enriches me and I recommend the experience to everyone.

My Day at Frieze 2011

Frieze 2011 is a six day, fun packed, arts delight. This is the place to be if you have a passion for participation in the visual and contemporary arts sector. It is a ‘meat’ market for the culture vulture and arts collector elite, who walk in and consume this ‘stuff’ as though they were on Manchester Arndale food court. The fair is even arranged in the same style as a super market. With wide, spaces provided for the richest galleries, dominating the entrance to the venue, capturing the high footfall traffic that enters into the fair.

In passing I overheard one of the organisers say that they will receive roughly 10,000 visitors a day. Meaning there is plenty of human traffic, however within a sea of small fishes, there are some serious sharks and other tropical fishes you can usually identify from their dress code and conduct.

I travelled first thing in the morning on the train (with coffee and my laptop so I could do this week’s reading like a good student). Once I made it to Regents Park before going into the Frieze exhibition I had a quick wander around the temporary sculpture park (Thomas Houseago’s Hermaphrodite, 2011 is outstanding), before meeting up with the Contemporary Arts Society (CAS).

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CAS are fantastic if you’re an arty geek like me and want to be with a range of people from different backgrounds who are all friendly and enjoy discussing the contemporary art scene. They have a North West and North East Branch which is linked to the main London based CAS.  We were given a map, some recommendation as other treats in a goody-bag and then after a quick introduction to the layout and background of the Frieeze provided by Mark Doyle (Head of Collector Development, North West Collector) and  Rebecca Morrill, who was leader (Head of Collector Development, North East) tour at 2pm

However upon arrival there was a minor problem! I just had to get inside the fair first…

I queued for over 30 minutes whilst saving a space for an elderly man who was in front of me. He needed to sit down as he was stood for so long meant his cane was no longer supporting him. (ACCESS ISSUE FRIEZE- if you’re going to make us wait could you at least provide seating or toilets or a café nearby not just inside where we’re all desperate to go in!)

I had booked late which resulted in me receiving a ticket which was only active from 1pm (should always read the small print Oliver). So I was hiding from security near the cloak room for an hour. They were physically removing stupid people like me, who came expecting to be able to enter the fair when they wanted and they were escorting them back to the queue.

To entertain myself while queuing I used Frieze Wi-Fi and logged on to twitter. Adding ‘following’ to all the galleries that CAS had recommended from their brilliant A-Z guide in the fair. It included info on how long the gallery had been running and the type of work you could expect to see. Awesome for those interested in the international market place.

So I finally enter Frieze and start to explore the unique atmosphere, each booth contained a representative gallery with the cream of their crop with artists that they represent. I felt as though I was attempting an Olympian hurdle circuit, desperately trying to complete a single lap without falling for an undiscovered treasure. Not that I’m complaining, there was just SO MUCH.

There were the expected  Young British Artists (YBAs) raised through the Saatchi farm. Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Marc Quinn, Sarah Lucas, Fiona Rae, Jake and Dino Chapman and newer additions to Saatchi like Karla Black. There were also other familiar character’s outside of the Saatchi portfolio like Takoshi Murakami, ‘Bunbun-kun Carbon Fiber’ 2011 through the Gagosian Gallery. Raqib Shaw, had a great triptych within the Pace gallery space. I can’t share these with you because when I discovered it my phone had died! However it was titled “The trilogy of the serpent domain” 2011.

There were over 170 Galleries contributing, including a section for recently opened galleries that dare to raise their youthful heads among the giants such as the White Chapel Gallery, Lisson Gallery (with 44 years under their belts) and Gagosian (with a mighty eight venues across the globe).

When finding a new name I had not come across, and wanted time to absorb and understand the meaning of the work, I scanned over it with my smart phone, documented it alongside with an additional snap shot of the name of the artist and representing gallery, before tracking onto the next. Something to enjoy on the train home!

To try and explain all the different work I had seen would result in a hot pink ooze, leaving my ear which was once my brain.  Taking a step back, I will attempt to re account the day, talking through some of the journey to give a sense of my experiences.

The best part of the fair for me however is the work that I don’t know about and the range of artists across the world that comes together giving people opportunities to broaden their horizons, Some highlights for me:

Laurie Simmons, Li Songsong, Tara Donovan, Zhang Huan, Tim Eithel, Robin Rhode, Lynette Yiadom, Jonas Burgent, David Hahlbrook, Jockum Nordstrum, Glenn Ligon, Danny McDonald, Max Frisinger, Sakshi Gupta and Ida Applebroog

I failed to find other galleries representing England outside of London. Did I miss something? However my favourite discovery of the day was by Jim Lambie, the Gallery representing him was The Modern Institute in Glasgow. His work  Knightclubber (Rave On), 2011 is contemporary representation of urban night life summed up simply and beautifully. I first discovered him at Modern Art Oxford’s  Upper Gallery Male Stripper in 2003 and his name popped up in different places at the Frieze.

When it came to 2pm I met back up with the CAS crew and we were introduced to three of the new galleries represented at the Frieze. Frame is a section within the fair dedicated to solo artist presentations. Frame was established in 2009 and shows young galleries from around the world that have been in existence for less than six years. This can be a make or break opportunity for a lot of galleries as they can really build up their reputation and form new relationships with collectors and artists. Frame exists in the end corner of the fair with considerably less space (similarly as with suburbs away from the urban centre)

Frist was the D+T Project, from Brussels, who had taken the ‘bold’ decision to only exhibit two pieces by Elena Bajo. There was a framed newspaper cutting which had been edited with water colour and a rolled up piece of corrugated card, which had foot prints on it. The gallery space owner said this could be stretched out as a ‘landscape’.  Rebecca Morrill, leader of the tour and Head of Collector Development, North East commented it was refreshing to see just two pieces used in a space which was a constructive comment that I would agree with. However the content of the two pieces I seriously question. The galleries’ brief described the work as:

“A series of site-specific performative art works sculptures and paintings in response to the context of Frieze Art Fair, created by using discarded and leftover materials…

The whole operation of rubbish collecting, disposal and arrangement is open and visible. The materials enter into new relationships and encounters.”

Personally, my view; they’re deluded. I’ve seen the homeless being more creative with rubbish and space and produce something more appealing and interesting. When surrounded by examples of high end art in this current economic climate I think viewers care less about critical, conceptualised art and want to see some skill and craft demonstrating unique value in the work that is progressive art.

I understood the intensions of the artist, the methodology and process of the work; resolutely though I have no interest in the final product and I doubt this was a smart move for the gallery trying to convince consumers to subscribe and support this work. Providing a limited number of pieces for audience members means that the work will stand out more and stay in memory longer, however if the work is literally rubbish, I doubt it will create a lasting impact. Saying this though, I have now looked up her work and warmed to other pieces she has created. It can be found at http://www.elenabajo.blogspot.com/

I was exchanging ideas and comments regarding this work with one of the CAS members, later the man revealed he is the deputy Chair of the Arts Council England in the North West, Peter Mearns. I’m not one to name drop usually, however I really want to get across that attending events like these and being confident enough to have a conversation with someone near you can be really positive. I also learnt that another member had actually brought a work of art from the fair of Yuko Someya, from the Tomio Koyama Gallery.

We then walked onto Francois Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles, showing the artist Patrick Jackson. He was stood above what appeared like two members of Kasabian lying dead on the floor whilst adverting Levi’s.  It was interesting to gain insight to the artist directly; he made me look at the work in a different light. This was an opportunity I would not have had without being a member of CAS. He talked openly, if not a little awkwardly about his work.

The third place we visited was the Rampa, from Istanbul. We watched a film installation by Nilbar Güreş, Open Phone Booth. The piece was across three screens in a cool space. The work is about the isolation of a Kurdish and Alevi village in East Anatolia, where the villagers have to climb up the hills in order to make phone calls. It was great to have the opportunity to see this work however, I did sneak off early because I felt like there was just too many other things I needed to see as well.

So my exploration continued and I hunted down more work which I snapped up on my smart phone as though I was scanning barcodes form my shopping in a supermarket, all until the poor phone died from exhaustion.  I then retreated to the book store to get a discount book, yearbook and the most recent Frieze magazine.

My last error, and unwelcome discovery, that somehow, somewhere I had let the bottom of the Frieze get wet damaging my £19.95 year book and ruining my copy of Frieze magazine completely. I was able to salvage an article on Ryan Trecartin, for my train journey home. He is, if you don’t know, FYI, amazeballs. I had the privilege of seeing his work at the Liverpool Biennial  last year and the work was something that I went back to on two more occasions, so that could see all his films, in full, without distraction.

The day had been full of everything wonderful within the arts sector a whirlwind mix of galleries, artists, collectors and the general mass of visitors, brushing up against each other. Anyone with a love for the visual arts will enjoy the Frieze Fair.