So much to say so little time

So much has happened lately in terms of interestingness and I feel I've had no time to blather on about it, unless in conversations where there has been gin or wine involved.

Breakdown:

Birthday (turning 28). Standing next to Bridget Riley in a small gallery space listening to her speak about how her work is heavily inspired by Cezanne (and thus Matisse) whilst also discussing the hypnotic influence of listening to Jazz as she works (and leading me to then think about the similar methods of one quite brilliant Jackson Pollock who did the same).

A few minutes after leaving the gallery seeing these:

(Big dead turkeys, taken on my LC-A+)

Quite.

Right, now so memory... hmmmm, this is where I suffer from goldfish syndrome.

I photographed a lovely exhibition launch in Pimlico, exhibiting the work of Tim Richards. There I heard the wonderful Dan Cruickshank speak about the rebuilding project of the mighty Euston Arch (which once stood rather near where I went to secondary school).

Here's the lovely man himself with one of Tim's pieces:

(Dan Cruickshank behind Tim Richard's model of the Euston Arch, photo copyright Lucy Johnston)

I saw the Kienholz installation at the National Gallery and was left deeply moved and pensive by what I saw and experienced whilst walking around The Hoerengracht. I urge everyone to see this work. Its free and its very very interesting (try and get there before the crowds so you don't hear annoying people say loudly and uninterestedly 'Why have they got that metal thing on their faces?' and want to smack someone and shout ART IS TO BE RESPECTED AND EXPLORED AND ISN'T JUST A SPECTACLE TO TICK OFF A TIME OUT LIST. A subject I have since discussed in length and will not bore you on here with and isn't a question of being snobby - far from it, but seriously, read the fucking intro on the wall yeah?)

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/kienholz-the-hoerengracht

Then there was the Warp20 event, where I shot some live photos for Warp (was lovely to be asked by the kind folk there!) Lights were a shocker to shoot in but we got some alright shots at the end of it and highlights definitely included seeing Nice Nice live and dancing to Plaid djs.

(Broadcast @ Warp20, photo copyright Lucy Johnston)

And then it was ATP 10 years, which I only got back from yesterday. My body is tired and my mind somewhat all over the place. I was asked to submit some shots to NME and get them through to them 10am yesterday (which meant working on shots of Lightning Bolt at 4am - HUZZAH). Gutted I didn't get a photo of the Todd Trainer wall - apparently some of my shots were up there... and I spent the whole weekend 98% sure that it was my photo of Todd Trainer that made the overall shot but apparently it wasn't... DAMN.

Photos to come as soon as I finish them off. I think ATP deserves a whole entry all on its own.

London Shop Fronts

Just stumbled across this.... I like it, a lot.

linky: London Shop Fronts

One of the best gigs I've been to this year:

http://wildbeastshoxton.dominorecordco.com/

Genuinely, one of the finest live performances I've borne witness to. It was a sheer joy seeing these lads perform one of the best albums of this year in my childhood stomping ground (yes, Hoxton!). Two Dancers is really a work of sheer brilliance, in my personal opinion.

So second to Kraftwerk in Croatia, this one is up there in my top five gigs of the year.

Aaaaaand if you watch in full, you'll see me get in the way of the camera man... sorry. I was taking these 3 photos...

Inside out

1957 J No.2. Clyfford Still

Was just reminded of how much I love Clyfford Still's paintings. I first fell in love with his work at art A' level where I became obsessed with american abstract expressionism. Barnett Newman was another favourite of mine... cue many attempts to emulate said works in a project which was about interiors and exteriors (my whole thing was about the inside of a home - skeletal structure of a building versus the human energy within it - house versus home type thing...). Was trying to find a photo of one of my final projects where it was rather obvious who the inspiration was (I told you, I was obsessed!) but sadly that was before the days of digital... saying that, I've just had a peek around two old files in my flat (which hadn't been moved since the day I moved in... erm, 2 and a half years ago) and found one! All the proper pics for my portfolio at the time are, funnily enough still in my portfolio, hidden in my parents house. I say photos, as the pieces were about 3 foot high and something like 5 foot long (maybe bigger) and there were 3 of them. Not ones my parents could easily stick on the fridge...

Anyway here's a little photo of my attempt at being an abstract expressionist when I was a little young 'un (I had to take a photo of the photo on the floor, as my scanner is too much work to set up...)

painting by me, aged 17 and a half.

Pointless post really... bit of a stream of consciousness with a tinge of nostalgia. Seriously though, do check out Still's work. Some of it really is quite beautiful.

A start? http://tiny.cc/MQP74

New addition to the family...

Photo by Lucy Johnston

Pretty little Felica packed with 120mm Rollei Retro 400 film. Photos on here soon, as soon as I take them... I'm hoping for some nice black and white portraits. Any volunteers, please drop me a line.

Thank you Dan! (it was a birthday present)

Bown's Beckett and Bjork

Samuel Beckett portrait by Jane Bown

I find Jane Bown's work truly brilliant and utterly inspirational. I'm so gutted I missed her recent London exhibition (only found out it was on!)

An interesting video with her talking about some of her work (including how she took one of my most favourite portraits of my most favourite writer of all time, this photograph of Beckett)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2009/oct/22/jane-bown-exposure-photography

When there's photo editing to be done, be sure that you'll find a tremendous website to distract you for hours...

This site is wonderful: http://atlasobscura.com/

My particular favourites this morning have been the Biosphere-2 in Arizona, the fascinating Aokigahara suicide forest next to Mount Fuji and the strangely beautiful Blood Falls in Antarctica.

I really need to do some work...