Sunday 24 May 2009

Long weekend


So this was a long weekend and for some of it the weather has been gorgeous. I have been working on a new knitting project with some lovely green/blue yarn. Watch this space!

We visited a few of the art exhibitions which were part of the "Artistes à Suivre" events. The most memorable was a group of artists exhibiting at a Domaine which was a beautiful setting with a view over the mountains, some of which are still snow-capped. There was a collective exhibiting in a barn with some interesting photomontages and also pen drawings, but our favourite was an artist from Lille who exhibited in the chapel. He had just finished a residency in the north of France exploring the theme of eating and the meal (very apt in France, I thought!). He took some photographs looking down onto the table while his guests were eating. Visually they worked really well and he explained how he carefully chose the food so that it worked visually in terms of colour and form.

The work he prepared especially for this exhibition was a series of what looked like communion wafers with images printed on them. He explained to us that this had been a very controversial work and many people had discussed it and even been offended by it. He had the idea when he found out that he would be exhibiting in a chapel. There were a variety of images, some more controversial than others, images from art, a photo of the Pope, quotations... all printed with vegetable dye so that they could be eaten. It was interesting work and also interesting to hear that it sparked debate. Art still has the power to shock it seems.

Today was a complete contrast - the 60th birthday party of a friend in a nearby chateau. We spent a happy time relaxing, eating and drinking. Now we're getting ready psychologically for work and school tomorrow!

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