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We got a much needed break, Brendan was well, we booked late and I am currently up early with lots of pics and thoughts to upload onto the blog. Driving into London , the journey full of anticipation, dropping my stepson to Euston so he can travel to Scotland to see his brother and family for a few days. I explained the city and the locations of the river in relation to where we travelled, recalling that this was the journey commentary my father used share with us. Places of interest, snippets about the City of London, passing the hotel we were to be staying in later, opposite the Tower of London. After parking at St Catherines docks, a now luxury development of flats and oversized yachts, we were able to check in to the hotel, and settle, the hotel, is full of art, art that is more commercial in its focus, there to please or enchant the viewer to feeling that they are in a place of contemporary quality that has the flex to purchase original works. They are everywhere, Almost claustrophobically and they cant be viewed as pieces very easily. Its 5,45 in the morning of the 30th and I have finally managed to capture the works. It brings to mind how art is viewed - a subject very relevant to my practice in the forthcoming months. I am interested in why the art does not have signatures of plaques in some cases, therefore leading the thoughts to the works being of mass produced for hotel lobby Art, a decorative purpose to make the space look a little different but little deeper meaning beyond this. On enquiring with the hotel, they do not know the origin of the pieces, purely that when the hotel was refurbished many pieces arrived plus a couple of commissioned pieces that acknowledge the artist. This I suspect is the juncture between Art created for exhibition and white wall spaces and that that is placid and less engaging, it's function to be neutrality on the eye which makes for a pleasant surroundings. On exploring this further - i found articles around art hotels, I have stayed in many some that were at the forefront of putting artists in their space. One such is https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/1844456/art-museum-your-hotel-lobby, but larger chains like citizen M, Hilton and the four seasons, Kimpton, where design of the spaces has been thought through and is considered have used these as platforms for artists to sell, as well as using prints and photography to bring profit through the creation of the spaces. I wonder - this is a stream of consciousness, but I wonder if these creative pieces get the acknowledgement of the fact that they make the space more profitable because it appeals to the sensibilities. Like has been seen in the earlier design times, there will be a backlash, already it is seen that the design of such spaces is becoming more minimal, the experience more around the client experience to go within rather than look without. The reliance on the interactive platforms becoming more and more prevalent, one hotel I will be staying in next year offers the guest the VR experience in their room. So therefore changes the reality of the space they are staying in. I sense that this is just the beginning of the journey. Design in the outer space may well become more simplistic because it wont be as important as the VR will provide the colour and adventure. https://creativeindustriesclusters.com/partnerships/national-centre-for-immersive-storytelling/ While exploring this idea, I came across different organisations that are focusing on the immersion, this is something that is of interest to me in my practice. although not tied down, I am interested in playing with realities and the feeling evoked by this. so putting the world outside in a space, the allow the viewer the ability to trigger the experience through their motion, but I am also interested in the experience of being in an external space with VR on showing indoor spaces, as an artist the subject of exploration is the juxtaposition and the responses and the reactions of the viewer. To share a story in a place that has no relationship to the piece at that point, becomes then like a third party experience and observation but to be immersive is to tap into the humanity of the viewer as the brain is fully involved. I have found this research : Do VR and AR versions of an immersive cultural experience engender different user experiences?☆ Isabelle Verhulst * , Andy Woods, Laryssa Whittaker, James Bennett, Polly Dalton. Yesterday 29th - we also took a visit to the Whitechapel gallery to participate in Mend piece for London - Yoko ONO www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/yoko-ono-mend-piece-for-london/
and also looked at the collection : www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/christen-sveaas-art-foundation/. I will write a separate post about these shortly. Today we head across the river to the Tate Modern, fingers crossed for Brendans wellness. Today is a day of walking the city and exploring the old part.Last night When we were in the apartment, I watched a really interesting programme about the Blitz campaign which occurred 81 years ago through the l=night of last night. I learnt so much. It has not been something I was really aware of, the accounts and personal writings of those who had been there were shared. The daughters and sons of those lost on that night, some of the fire fighters still alive showed how absolutely traumatic the experience was. One poignant moment was that as the City of London was being bombarded by the phosphorus in-sentry devices, the wealthy and well to do ate cake in the Savoy as if nothing had happened to their city not half a mile from their dining rooms. The german bombers on this particular night targeted the national icon of St Pauls and in doing that hit the East End of London, the place for those who were more typically immigrant, working class workers. The loss endured during the one night was similar to the losses in one day from Covid in the first wave. I wonder how this period of time will be remembered. The Blitz : London's Longest Night - www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFlIY-YVB8s 1/2 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCdIyRoK_2U 2/2 Red hot brick, safety being the encased tombs. Comments are closed.
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