Artsy Saturday

Because of RNCM's lack of practice rooms (I think there are less than 50 for a school of 600!), and the presence of little children on Saturdays, it's impossible to practice on a Saturday morning. And given the small party Sarah and I hosted yesterday a small party to celebrate our new abode. Our Spanish friends stayed the longest, and we easily fell asleep after their departure.

That being the case, I woke up at 9, at a nice slow breakfast, read, and headed out for a little culture shock.

The first was the Cornerhouse. This is the closest Manchester has to the Little, although in addition to artsy movies and a cafe, they also boast a bar and a three-floor art gallery (free admission). The current exhibit was called "Pancea Hothouse" and featured several artsits' take on the current solutions to pain and discomfort, tension (both individual and international). One featured 9 green neon "+" signs common in France to indicate a pharmacy. The glare and constant fragmentation of light caused as much discomfort as it supposedly was supposed to allieviate.

The second endeavor was a bit further. Travelling along Deansgate, the primary shopping district, which goes on FOREVER, I eventually made it to Suburb, a restaurant/cafe that emphasizes fair trade and healthy living. There was an exhibit I saw advertised in the Manchester Evening News called "Naked Manchester". The photographer, Neil Roland, had models pose naked throughout the city and neighboring parks. The paper's interest in the exhibit was the response. Thinking about how this may be taken in America (I recall Java's had some close-to-naked paintings on the wall, but very little explicitly placed), and one may expect an uproar in "Prude-land"; however, the photos were such a success, people were paying $500-3000 to have THEMSELVES photographed naked in areas of personal importance.

I had an opportunity to talk with Neil, and I gathered that England is more relaxed than the US regarding nudity. Interestingly, I also learned he was schooled in law, and enjoys success enough so he doesn't have to do weddings, etc. I found his philosophy regarding differences between photographing men and women a bit divergent from my personal philosophy (something I recall reading about in the writings of Ken Wilber). But, I also imagine, since I am not a visual artist, my focus will lean more towards the signifiance of an object rather than the aesthetic (particularly of human form). But that's just my opinion.

I have a room booked in an hour, and I still need to pick up the daily paper to work on the crossword. More from the art world later!

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