h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thought I wouldn't send the misheard lyrics conversation off course but wanted to say that it's nice to have you back How did you enjoy Cruel and tender? Row

I found it absolutely absorbing, but was thankful to get out on the balcony during the gap between the rooms. I will offer more succint analysis tomorrow, but I am rather tired today due to the fact that I had to get up early and effectively take charge of a solicitor's office (see my journal for more elaboration on that).

If I'm not required to run things tomorrow, you can expect me to be on raving about the inherent brilliance of the way Walker Evans captured snapshots of American history, but for the time being I need to sleep!

right, i'm out of the office, so here's some raving:

I thought cruel + tender was fantastic, if rather exhausting to go round. HAving studied Walker Evans during the only Art module I've done in two years of university earlier this year, it was great to actually see his photographs en masse in a gallery, rather than in boks or on slides. No matter the quality of the copies, the photographs themselves are a revelation.

Ib found the work of PAul Graham recaptured the essence of Evans. His photographs of dole offices in the 1980s demonstrate the effect of rising unemployment in the same way as Evans' depression-era works.

I also though Fazal Sheikh's pictures of Kenyan refugee camps really captured a level of pain and despair that few people have to endure and managed to make one feel a reeal empathy towards his subjects.

I'll reave about the rest of it at a later point, and maybe even put a colelctive review up, but I do just feel i should say that the exhibition suffered for trhe fact that Dorothea Lange's work was not included. Now, whether this was for reasons of space, expense or whatever I don't know, but along withE vans she was a seminal depression era documentary photographer and the chance to compare the work of the two is an oppurtunity I think the Tate missed, but that is just a minor quibble compared to the overall quality of the exhibition.

Well it's great that you enjoyed it so much, there was some wonderful work there. As always a review on Collective would be great. There's a conversation about it here in the mean time: F127425?thread=286056 and a review here: A1076942

I never did get round to writing that review. HAd quite a hectic summer. That's my excuse anyway.

You had a hectic "summer"...! I thought you lived in Sunderland, not Cyprus. It's February, it hasn't been summer for *ages*!

Yeah, I know, but it was summer when we started this thread! And then i kind of forgot about it, until i inadvertantly got up four hours early today and decided to try and pass the time by resurrecing old threads. Oh, and entering eBay auctions.

I like that public art thread on collective- i do have an urge to buy a camera and take pictures of some of the statues etc up a long the coast and the river. Very good stuff. Especially this red stone room tthey've got which is very, very realistic. They've even got a red stone coat hanging over the red stone bannister, and a realy comfy looking red stone armchair. I need to go down there this week, I've decided that now.

I have to confess that I nearly always miss conversations on other sites.

I reckon you should go for it if you've got the cash - I love my digital camera.