Hours spent underground: oh approximately 17
The equation Art + Booze = Happy CJ is never more true than when poverty is thrown into the mix. So, with a famished soul and an empty belly, I made my way along Sauchiehall Street from the depths of despair (Basement Level 2, the Archive) to the Glasgow School of Art Degree Show Opening. The hottest gig in town, the free-est flowing free booze in Boozeville (sort of), and I managed to get an invitation!
We downed as much pink ginger vodka stuff as possible, without looking like gluttons (there are special techniques for this); I reminisced about my art school days; I stopped myself (just) from insulting artists; and I didn't knock anything over.
I wasn't blown away, but then I rarely am at these things. I know what I like and I know it immediately. When I love something I love it and I must know everything and I must get the artist's details so that I can look them up when I get home and I must have a postcard and I must buy the book if there is one. There is nothing like it, but it wasn't happening here.
Nicely tanked up and ready to go, we headed off briefly to Sleazy's for a packet of crisps and a glimpse of my barman, before arriving at Moskito to meet the rest of the gang for cocktailz and archive-related chat (oh yeah!). I didn't really take to the place, but we all took to the cocktailz like flies to a rotting carcass. I believe we bundled into a Bunker and on to some dire dive afterwards where the drinks got cheaper and cheaper, but enough of my rambling.
I will miss Glasgay.
Happy Friday everyone!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
16-Jun-06 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
By jove, I do love a good degree show opening (oo-er). Only ever been to Edinburgh ones, but they have been good fun, up until last year when the booze cost money. Like yourself, I normally don’t like the actual art itself, a good deal of this is due to me being incredibly bitter, all “bah I could do that in my sleep” (then why don’t I, huh?), and also a lot of it is pretty medicore.
I recall walking out of the animation show, disgusted (and drunk) as the animation (what little animation there was, it’s all slidey one-drawing After Effects guff these days)was all jerky as fuck. I am not a good person around art. But a single awesome piece of art can totally make one forget aw that.
Didnae get a ticket this year. Boo. I guess the art college dream is over. Or is it? ECA Revel tonight. Why can’t I just LeT iT gO?!1!?
Is it true that the ECA degree show is utter pish compared to Glasgae and Dundee? I could see that being the case.
16-Jun-06 at 7:07 pm | Permalink
>Is it true that the ECA degree show is utter pish compared to Glasgae and Dundee?
I don't think so. But I've been to enough of all three to see obvious house styles, which haven't really changed over the past few years.
>booze cost money.
That's plain wrong!
>But a single awesome piece of art can totally make one forget aw that.
Totally agree.
The first time I was blown away by art was when I saw a big Robert Rauschenberg exhibition when I was a teenager. It has only happened a few times since.
It's like a search for something that seems to be elusive because you will encounter 100 times more tosh than good stuff. I think people that say they "just don't get art" don't realise this.
It depresses me when I see tosh art making intelligent enough people question their own discernment. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people standing in front of some tosh art wondering if they are being conned or if they are just not intelligent enough to get it. I wish I could tell them, "no, it is tosh, move on." I may waste a few squid on some rubbish exhibition, but at least I don't waste time. Of course it's all subjective, but some stuff is just plain rubbish.
22-Jun-06 at 5:22 pm | Permalink
Had a wee look around the ECA show at the weekend. It was alright, really, didn’t see anything turd-droppingly awful (but then, I didn’t have time to see evrything). Saw some illustration I liked, I’d link to one of them but I’ve lost her postcard. It was good Vic Reeves/David Shrigley sort of stuff, the best piece featuring a sort of cat-thing with tassles on the arms. Neato. Hell, I am a sucker for wide heads with tiny eyes. OMFG CRAZEE.
Someone seems to have sculpted some sort of hulking monolith that suggests an abstract Pivo.
I also noticed Mr. Fraser Caulder/Calder was in one of the short films. I think it was some sort of sci-fi, but it may have been his biopic.
Enjoyed the usual brightly-voloured splotchy painting with texty scrawls, and one-image-on-white minimalist balls.
Art Alive! Like on Megadrive!
I’d quite like to go see the degree show properly, but I am staying in for 3 weeks with my Saturn and King of Fighters 95. Oh well. Same old story.