That time of year again

I am writing lists; to do this, to do that.. I must be kidding myself - I will not get all this done as well as having 'time off'..

Went to Newcastle 13-15th Dec 2012, to take part in a performance at Platform North East by Lucy Livingstone (with Heidi Saarinen and Liz Pavey) 'Something took Place' at the Star and Shadow Cinema. It was an interesting experience, and as I have wanted to go to Newcastle for ages, I was pleased to have had the opportunity. Could have been more alert and made some work - saw a great space, by some old tunnels/arches/bridge but somehow felt strangely paralysed. Sadly, my aunt passed away a week before the trip, and I could not get myself into a good place creatively or otherwise.

Blustery walk across the Tyne Bridge was quite an experience..the wind and rain was incredible, nothing like this is ever seen in London. I see now how the people I met are so 'used to the weather'. My hat almost blew off the bridge, my umbrella was all over the place.. When I got to the Baltic I was soaked. So I ended up not 'quite seeing' the exhibitions I swiftly moved through (but paused for a considerable time in the fantastic library - almost felt as if it was personalised to my interests and research!) and camped out in the restaurant until I had to get back to the performance at the Star and Shadow.

Came back with much needed inspiration.

Now trying to get lots done over the holiday - time off - work - write - edit work - blah blah here and there and then some sleep and cleaning and clearing stuff that takes up space..

Merry Christmas.

Time time time

Having a moment where I am not working, planning or thinking about work. I am in a restaurant, mid week, with my son. Lovely.

Goodbye Joe the cat

Joe, the lovely, strong (but scared, due to bad past experiences) and handsome adopted cat of my lovely neighbour and friend, Jan, died tonight.

Farewell, our friend, we shall all miss you. We will miss your chatting to us, sitting there on the window ledge (rain or shine), as you always did, and we'll miss the way you looked up when we opened the window to say hello. Very sad day, indeed. No more words to express this sadness.
RIP Baby Joe x Say hello to Pippi Langstrump, Friday, Petrushka and Roxy.

Unisphere Dance - Corona Park Flushing Meadows New York

Dancer: Heidi Saarinen

Part of my New York 2012 series of short dance pieces interacting and colliding with found/unusual space. 

The Unisphere - Corona Park, Flushing Meadows, New York (designed and built as part of the 1964 New York World Fair/Philip Johnson/US Steel Corporation). Aug 2012.

Alternative link to video preview

A real gem of a place, stumbled upon this by mistake. Such exciting history too, Designed for the New York World Fair 1964 by Philip Johnson (and the Unisphere in collaboration with US Steel Corporation). Just had to do some short pieces of ad hoc performances here. 

Links here to background/history.

What's going on with Blogger!?

I don't want to link my Blog with Google..!

Autumn again

Time swiftly moves on.. summer far away beyond the horizon.. Now brand new routines.. and spending all my money on petrol
Rock'n'roll

..my bike has a twin brother..!

yoko ono moderna museet stockholm

stockholm at night kungsgatan

'Like a gypsy she travels.,'

I think in another life I was born a gypsy. I have a loaded carriage of 'my history as stuff' that I "drag around with me, that I carefully manoeuvre around". Really, this carriage is not there to be seen, it is just a feeling, 'as if it were there'.

Back and forth

Back in London after fabulous adventures in New York.

Quality time with my son, sunshine, heat wave, glimpses and snapshots, food, water water everywhere, kind people helping along the way, interacting with people from far away, in between space, swimming in the Atlantic/Coney Island, Complexions Dance Company at Celebrate Brooklyn, Brooklyn Prospect Park, buying overpriced catsuit on 25th Street, dancing on the Staten Island shoreline, in a Chapel and parking lot on the Hudson River and the derelict Flushing Meadows Corona Park (including Raccoons) and socialising in the Mezzanine, dance workshop with Todd Lawrence Stone, Tricia Brown Dance Company .. Pete's and so much more.. I need to get back there soon!

Go slowly, come back quickly..

This is where the Judson Dance Company started.. 

Hudson River Park, NYC 

Staten Island shoreline, NYC 

The most expensive prop so far...

oh how I want to go back.......

Back in London after 10 fab days in N. Trying to get used to the other 'format' of living.
Will update soon.
x

Hudson River Park NY (unedited work in progress)

Staten Island shoreline (first rush, work in progress)

Chapel at E15th St NY (work in progress)

Working again

Working on some short pieces / new ideas.
Barn dance.

link to youtube

Truly magical

Spent the morning looking for things; receipts for expenses, notes, records of various kinds. Sent emails, wrote notes, made phone calls blah blah.

Then I decided to go out - leave all the chores to later - the sun was shining!

Cycled to Hampstead / Ladies Pond.
Truly magical. Truly truly.

Creative journey up north

Just back from a most inspiring trip to Leeds and Wakefield.

View from my hotel window

I went to attend the Land2 Close to Home Symposium, hosted by the East Street Arts, and private view on Friday 20th July. It was an intensive day of talks and papers, discussions, listening and observing and networking. Sadly I didn't get to meet Iain Biggs, as he could not attend. I had very much looked forward to meeting Iain. My very best wishes to you, Iain.

Iain Biggs 

I enjoyed the day and it gave me a kick up the backside. I met some interesting and like minded people, it is always refreshing to talk with people who stand out from the rest. I regret not having had time to check out the bric a brac shop next door.. that I noticed on the way there. It looked great, and I will have to come back to investigate further.

Leeds at night 

In the evening I flaneured around Leeds and stayed the night in a hotel. I went to a quiet bar to take notes from the day whilst observing goings ons around me.

Leeds Parish Church

I walked to Leeds city centre and stumbled into Leeds Parish Church, where I admired the space and appreciated the quiet ambience and thinking space. I lit a candle too.

A beautiful violinist entertained me and all of the market square in the sunshine at 9am. I had breakfast, read the paper and enjoyed the moment of newness and sudden freedom. I felt strangely emotional most of the morning (and I think some of this was there already yesterday and  last night) - in a good way - but had to pretend I had a cough as I fought back the tears. I think I felt some sort of much overdue release. Stress has plagued me over the past eight months. Suddenly today, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I felt free to think of nothing. No plans to make (well, none immediately anyway) and no acute work issues looming or haunting or slowly killing me..

Just me in a summer dress feeling like 15. Bare arms and legs and plans to have more time off. I found it so hard not to show my strange mixture of happiness, freedom and some peculiar sense of enormous longing.. and loneliness.

Maybe this is the repressed feelings from months of torture at work, leaving my body, to fly off into wherever. It was a special day.

After the breakfast and violin concert, I visited Leeds Art Gallery. Lovely space and probably my favourite event of the day. A Wyndham Lewis painting, Praxitella (1921) caught my eye and stayed with me all day. Another Wyndham Lewis, Female Nude, was another favourite.

A Zebedee Jones painting also interested me, as I have met Zebedee a few times. A gentle soul, unlike some if his friends.

The Calder (Chicago Black c1952) and and Keith Milow's fibreglass Untitled Horse 1972, also excited me. The fibreglass reminded me of the smell in that studio I used to spend do much wonderful time in.. Rewind restore revisit, I wish. I so still wish.

Then a swift in and out and glance of the Sarah Lucas show at the Henry Moore Foundation next door (well, almost) to the Leeds Art Gallery. This was purely to tick the box I have been there and seen the space. I think not a lot of SL's work. I did get inspired though, to go back to casting concrete. SL's concrete casts were super poor.

2xbananas and 1xapple at the market, bus 110 to Wakefield. Free City Bus from Wakefield Bus Station to The Hepworth Wakefield. Great building and space. Lovely time spent in there. Barbara Hepworth is a fave. Tools and images of her at work; wow. Reminds me of another similar solitary journey and adventure many years ago to Barbara Hepworth's Garden and studio in Cornwall. A very memorable and heart warming experience, just like today.



Bus 96 to The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) - almost missed the bus but the driver kindly stopped for me. Fast drive on the bus to YSP. When I arrived, wow. What a place. I wandered around the fields with sheep all around me. Actually, I enjoyed that so much, that I think that was the highlight!

My gps tracking of walking up the 71 steps

Great day, tired legs but happy and sunny day. Then bus back to Wakefield and the train at 17.17 to Kings Cross. Bus 17 to Archway and W5 from there.

After all this I cooked a fabulously simple yet tasty pasta with lots of broccoli, creme freche, garlic and lots of Parmesan.. Big glass of wine and time to reflect (and write this!).

I will travel again soon. What have I been waiting for!!? Next is Margate, Turner Contemporary and then Scotland, I think. Robert Mappelthorpe shows happening there this summer/autumn. Just read Just Kids, Patti Smith and going to see Patti Smith in September, and she is still so much about Robert Mappelthorpe.

Then, of course, in 3 weeks, New York here we come.

Thank you Yorkshire, for the freedom.

Anthony Gormley