Last Friday on Fish Island

Current mood: PERFORMANCE.....
Category: PERFORMANCE..... Art and Photography

I pride myself on not knowing anyone on Fish Island other than Mrs Giovanni.

Yes boss, living in a place for 3 years and only knowing the wife is some achievement - or else a clear sign of medically treatable social inadequacy...

Whichever - I don't much care...

The fact is, I like privacy and peace and quiet - and I don't have time for a great amount of company, designer mental diseases, or folk knocking on the door every 10...


However, there is now a slim chance I've found a local haunt, whereby lay another slim chance I might make fishy friends....

Yes boss - I could be branching out - but don't hold your breathe..


Now, I'm not prepared to reveal the exact location or name of this place because it doesn't play by the rules when it comes to drinking and smoking, and the those who don't play by the rules deserve privacy so they can keep not playing, until they either get found out or decide to start playing by the rules.....

Suffice to say, it's location is a short stones bobble from Fish Island, it's an art gallery and if you want more info contact me direct, do some research or work it out...


The first time I went to this locale was to see Sculpture...

That was a pretty good evening - it was nearly all music, but as per usual the quality seemed to go in reverse order, with Sculpture playing first...


This last Friday held an evening that was mostly about performance art...


Performance art is a wierd one...

Yes boss, I'm not sure I fully understand it - but like all and everything, I've been able to ascertain that there's degrees of talent vs pretenders. There are also those who are simply and blindly going through the family line:

My Dad was a Bohemian - I'm a Bohemian...


If I had one, I suppose the main problem with some of the performances on Friday, were that they didn't make me feel anything...

No boss, with the exception of a few, I was left either scratching my head, or in a state of simple boredom, and that isn't what i want from art or performance....


But never mind the bollocks - hereafter follows the highlights:


One guy had 5 (I think) tape players all stripped down to the mechanics. These mechanics + some other mechanics were spread out incredibly neatly on a perspex sheet upon a table. This guy then played Viola and it would go all around the machines in a loop and he would play with two knobs on an amp and something else to create great feedback drones....

THIS WAS THE BEST BY FAR - IT WAS WONDERFUL!!! I COULD HAVE LISTENED FOR YEARS!!!


The headliner was a guy playing a pre-recorded tape of a speech about cocks - he then played with a dead chicken, before SMASHING THE DEAD SHIT OUT OF IT WITH A HAMMER THAT WAS TAPED TO HIS HAND!!!!


Earlier in the evening was this:

Boy shouts to clear a space. He erects a stepladder and hangs a few Tescos bags at it's peak. He then tapes a section of yellow sandpaper to the wall and announces the piece. He continues by rubbing his upper arm on the sandpaper several times. He then climbs the ladder, throws 6 or 8 plants against the wall and tops it off with a pinch of glitter....


Lastly and all-nightly:

Still smarting from the chaos of the previous evenings vodka throwing (and knowing it's never a good idea to go out on the town on the back of the domestic row (especially not to a gallery full of wonderful looking artsy looking girls)) Paul Giovanni £rd makes an unofficial and unlisted performance entitled

SILENT PAUL!!!

In this performance, Giovanni says nothing to anyone from the moment he enters the gallery until he leaves it 4 hours later...


So...

It was a mixed bag, and in general, I'd have to say I remain unconvinced by performance art...

I do however love the feel, view and the attitude of this gallery and I'll most likely be back there for this Fridays Private View...

Currently listening : Dvorák: The Symphonies Release date: 1992-02-11