02/08/2011 by admin.

Reclining Nude by Dorothea Tanning

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17/05/2011 by admin.

I’m no musician, but these stunning scores make me wish I was! Cornelius Cardew (7 May 1936 - 13 December 1981) creator of the graphic score Treatise, a composition that was heavily informed by the visual art world of the 60’s. This brilliant flash animation examines some recurring themes and offers some interpretation. As a non music playing person the notations are lost on me, but the animated guides reveal many universal ideas that we can all relate to.  

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21/01/2011 by admin.

If you own a multi region DVD player you can enjoy the original in all it’s expressive glory (it only seems to be available on region 1???). For the rest of us, we will just have to hope that out local Arts Picture house decide to screen it sometime soon. This excerpt features Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light score.

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12/01/2011 by admin.

Seb Patane

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11/08/2010 by admin.

A small collection of works by Robert Therrien is currently on display at the Gallery of Modern Art, in Edinburgh. Therrien’s everyday objects become spectral-like as he represents mundane items in splendid isolation. The giant size bowls and dining room furniture are definite crowd-pleasers, but it was the simplicity of his graphite drawings that seemed truly otherworldly.

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06/06/2010 by admin.

Stretham Engine House is a working pumping station, and home to collections of fenland tools and artifacts, but it’s the old steam/diesel engine that is really bonkers. The information provided to me by (the tired, but lovingly assembled) displays, and the friendly volunteer staff, gave a genuine sense of what life must have been like for the station staff charged with running the engines 24 hrs a day.  Open days offer visitors a chance to see the huge flywheel in action too, albeit at a fraction of its top speed. The remaining 2010 open days are: Sunday June 13th, Sunday 11th July, Sunday 8th August, August Bank Holiday Sunday & Monday 29th and 30th, and Sunday 12th September. Adult entry - £3.00, children - £1.00. Meanwhile, the Wisbech Fenland Museum boasts everything from a 15cm diameter hairball found inside a cow’s stomach to a copy of Great Expectations written in Dickens’ own hand. The museum at Wisbech reminded me of Ipswich museum. If you’ve ever visited you will be familiar with it’s resident wooly mammoth, and in a similar vein the collection at Wisbech ranges from the bizarre to the poignant, the ornate to the terrifying. There really is something for everyone. Kids will love it, especially the plethora of giant stuffed birds and mammals on display (the albatross was my favourite). The collections cover natural history, decorative and fine art, social and local history, locally and internationally important archaeology and anthropology, historic book and manuscript library….all of which can be enjoyed free! (donations gratefully accepted of course)Large image of Stretham Engine House. Inset: is a picture of the Wisbech Fenland Museum.

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05/04/2010 by admin.

Pumping stations continue to maneuver water from one wet level to another so with this in mind, it’s worth mentioning that Stretham’s Old Engine House will be open to the public for a mere…15 days this summer. If you fancy doing something different then take the opportunity to see this place (the engine should be up and running, I think). It’s wonderfully windy out there in the potato fields of Stretham, and if nothing else it guarantees to blow the winter cobwebs faaarrrr away. Farmed land surrounds the strangely out of place Engine House, its empty chimney is one of the fens more elegant industrial landmarks. See also the wikipedia entry, there are some lovely pictures of the internal workings (William M. Connolley), empty chairs, oil lamps and other paraphernalia.The term Breedlings apparently originated in the late middle ages, and refers to the amphibious folk that inhabited pre-drained fenland. (See - The Human Geography of the Fenland…) For obvious reasons the native peoples were not taken with Mr. Vermuyden and his ilk. Industrial-scale drainage would render their ancient way of life redundant over a relatively short period of time. A couple of centuries later and the fading battle-cry of drainage protestors could still be heard. A bog spirit called Tiddy Mun was said to have placed a curse on the Lincolnshire fens as punishment for mans’ meddling with the natural flow of the waters. Locals worshipped the Tiddy Mun in the belief that he would protect their settlements against flooding and perilous fen mists… This part of East Anglia has inspired many a storyteller and soothsayer. Below: a tarot card gives an artist’s impression of a mutton chopped Tiddy Mun. (credits unknown)

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09/10/2009 by admin.

From Punt to Plough - Rex Sly.   The Drainage of the Fens - Rev. Dr. Richard Leslie Hills.   Waterland - Graham Swift (fiction).   Stonea and the Roman Fens - Tim Malim.

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18/09/2009 by admin.

Love him or loathe him, Jonathan Meades does present familiar topics in unexpected ways. In 1997 he presented a 3-part documentary series about the fens entitled Double-Dutch. You Tube, 1/3. This satirical documentary explores the identity of the area through its rich and varied history .  

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