Wednesday 20 June 2012

It's Official: RAMM is Voted Britain's Museum of the Year!

Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter
Source: Guardian.co.uk

What do the Watts Gallery, The Hepworth in Wakefield and The Scottish National Gallery have in common? None of the are Museum of the Year; that title belongs to Exeter's own RAMM who also scooped a £100,000 Art Fund Prize!

Chair of Judges, Lord Smith of Finsbury, said of the Museum,  
“The new Royal Albert Memorial Museum is quite simply a magical place. The Victorian aspirations to bring the world to Exeter are stunningly realised through some of the most intelligently considered displays on view in any museum in the UK. Every exhibit delights with a new surprise, and provokes with a new question, and at a time when local authority museums in particular are in such danger, this brilliant achievement proves how daring, adventurous and important such institutions can be."
I couldn't be prouder of the Gerald and the gang! Everyone in town has known how great the museum is since it reopened.  More than 200,000 people have been through it's big Victorian doors since December and I can't say enough about the Cafe scran from Dartmoor Kitchen. But it's amazing to awesome hearing everyone else say it so eloquently.

My favourite quote is from Guardian reporter and competition judge Charlotte Higgins who said:
"Again and again, I felt that the museum had been put together not only by people of real intellectual rigour, but by those who understand that, at heart, the museum is a place of wonder, and of emotion. It is a curator's museum.
The real miracle in all this is that RAMM is run by the [Exeter City Council]. Many local-authority museums, and in larger, richer cities than Exeter, are neglected by careless, incompetent or plain cash-strapped councils. RAMM, however, stands as a shining example of a museum that is cared for by the public realm, and cherished as a civic good at the heart of municipal life"
I love it when a plan comes together.
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Good on ya Gerald!

Saturday 16 June 2012

Exeter Steiner School and West Town Farm present the Festival on the Farm

http://www.hatherleighfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/FOS-Brothers1.jpg
FOS Brothers
Join Exeter Steiner School and West Town Farm for a gurt lush fund raiser, West Town style. Festival on the Farm, Saturday 23rd June 2012 will see 20 bands on 2 stages, food, beer, crafts, workshops, bouncy castle, family activities, games, stalls, camping and more. On the main stage Colourful Genre, Matt Calder, Mae and the Midnight Fairground, FOS Brothers, Exeter Samba and Audio Razor.  And the Acoustic Stage will feature Kate Knight, Fiona Riches, Chris de Graal Kate Hubert, Kneace Daly, Annie Rew Shaw and Lazy Mouse.


Tickets are £12 per adult, £5 per child (under 3s free)  Available online at http://fb.eventpal.com/ or in town from Exeter Steiner School Office and Capital Taxi Office St Davids

Thursday 14 June 2012

Will Devon Diva Joss Stone return to Mama Stones to promote her new Charity Single?

Joss Stone DAve Stewart Mama Stone 2 300x200 This Is Devon: Joss Stone And Dave Stewart Try New Songs In Surprise Gig
Source: ThisisExeter.co.uk



Devon born soul diva and part owner of Exeter's Mama Stone's music venue, Joss Stone has teamed up with long time producer and musical partner Dave Stewart, of the Eurythmics, to create a charity single in aid of Amnesty International's Campaign For an Effective Arms Trade Treaty.  The new version of her single, Take Good Care, will be released on iTunes from 05 July with proceeds going to Amensty International.  But the real question is: will she and Dave be making a return visit to Mama Stones to promote the new charity single? The duo made a surprise appearance in October 2011, but we reckon it's time for them to come back, you know, for charity.

Take Good Care was orginally released as part of her LP1 album back in 2011, but the song has been revived because of it's haunting lyrics about the consequences of armed conflict. According to Amnesty Magazine's recent interview with Dave Stewart, the song was inspired by true events. Stewart told Camilla Kinchin:
One day I phoned Joss and asked her to come and record in Nashville. She was with [war photographer Paul Conroy] at the time and asked him about a song he had been singing. He sang it to her and told her the story about a war photographer he knew who got shot in the head, and Joss started crying. She took a recording of it and when we were in Nashville, I said 'We've got to record this'. Amnesty suggested that it would be good to use in the ATT campaign.
In February this year, Joss Stone and Stewart came out to publicly support the Amnesty campaign to create an effective arms trade treaty.  Joss explained why she supports the cause in a statement from Amesty:
We’ve seen how weapons in the wrong hands can have utterly devastating consequences. Not just for the victims themselves, but also for their community.  That’s why I fully support Amnesty International’s call upon world leaders to deliver upon a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty, with human rights at its core.
Joss's partnership with Dave Stewart has bore beautiful fruits in time that they've been working together and it's nice to seem them put these efforts towards a cause like Amensty.

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Film Review: Prometheus

prometheus-movie-image
Source: Gamingshogun.com

I have been thoroughly excited about the release of Ridley Scott's new film Prometheus in the UK for sometime now. Lase week I dragged my husband and in-laws to to the cinema to feast my eyes on this 3D beast.

So, how was it? Beautiful, well made, and very open ended. Hmm. Is that good or bad?

Well, I remember leaving the cinema thinking that it wasn't quite what I was expecting. My husband asked me what exactly was I expecting, and I couldn't quite answer. But it's been a week now and the film has been rattling around in my head for all this time. So there must be something to say for that.

I've heard a few people give similar reviews - that it didn't quite live up to the hype or was a little bit flat, but I think that people who left the theatre with a ho-hum feeling, like I did, might have been expecting something more along the lines of the definitive, philosophically driven, sci-fi that has come to light since The Matrix. Films like I Robot, Minority Report, Avatar, District 9 and even Disney Pixar's WALL-E, all come heavily laden with thinly veiled political agendas that Michael Moore would be proud. By the end of these films, you feel that the director has told you something and that you job has been to absorb this message.

But Ridley Scott is old school. His last sci-fi film was Blade Runner and the reason why that's one of the best sci fi films of all time isn't because he gives you all of the answers, but because it's a good film. The acting is stellar. The cinematography is beautiful. The the story is timeless. And you want to watch it again because you're confident that you'll get something new from that second or third viewing. I believe that to be the case with Prometheus.

[Spoiler Alert!]

I can't stop wondering, what exactly are the android's motivations? Or what the hieroglyphics were supposed to mean? What exactly is that black stuff? Are there more makers on the planet? Within the film, what exactly is there relationship to us? What was going on in the beginning with the bowl?

I like films that make me think. I like films that spark interesting discussions. I like films that make me want to watch them again, not for the one liners, for the experience and the opportunity to dissect it's nuances.

So how is Prometheus? It's beautifully done with gorgeous cinematography. The acting is superb throughout. And like a proper film, the the story leave much to the imagination.

See it this week in Exeter, as it's still the best thing out, at The Odeon, Vue Cinema, or The Picturehouse.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Me and the Old Mac Visit Exeter's Apple Store

I've arrived here, the floor of the  Exeter Princesshay Apple Store, because of Ebay. This is my story in two parts. 
Apple Store - Princesshay
Source: Apple Store

iPart 

My husband knew that I was on the look out for a new computer and happened across a little Powerbook G4 for only £50 on Ebay. It's a sold as seen affair, but for £50 we'd figure we'd give it a try. The battery and airport successfully replaced, I began web surfing only to find that the version of Safari that I have is from about 2008 and can't really handle pages like Twitter, Facebook or the latest Hotmail. After trawling around the web for fixes, I decided to take the Mac to it's maker at The Apple Store.

I walk straight past the iPods and iPads and serenely sleek PowerMacs up to the much more realistic IT help desk that they call the Genius Bar. From here it's the bits of broken tech and confused faces that you'll see in any IT space or doctors surgery.

The place is packed and the head Genius in charge tells me that I should have booked an appointment. Which means that I'll have to wait for 30mins. Except there's no chairs. So here I sit on the cold hard stylish tile waiting for my turn.

Looking around, the whole space feels like the bit in your trip to Ikea when everything goes from lovely Scandinavian vignettes of idealistic middle class life, to the last scene Raiders of the Lost Ark where you have to 'find it yourself' like an Argos recruit.

Now my Old Mac and I wait.

iiPart

Five minutes after my scheduled appointment, my PC veteran scepticism is melted away by Rob, a charming techie who is familiar with the Powerbook and listens to all of my complaints with at sympathetic ear.

Seeing the other people around me, paying bits and pieces ont their box fresh tech, I was convinced that anything I'd need would be absurdly expensive. He explains that they don't really keep old hardware at the Apple store, but if I can get the parts, they'll help me out and install the best operating system a G4 can handle for free. Yep. Free.

Thanks Rob.

The whole diagnostic and conversation took about 10 minutes and as I stole away home, I could help but think, maybe there's life in the Old Mac yet.

To be continued....


Arts: The Red Ball Project comes to Exeter

Source: The RedBall Project Toronto by Rob Burke on Flickr
Exeter will be one of five UK cities visited by the internationally mysterious RedBall Project from artist Kurt Perschke this summer. I am extremely excited about this and hope to see it in town at one of it's installation spaces during the 3 day visit from Friday 15 June to Sunday 17 June. From what I can gather, it is just what is says on the tin, a big red ball, a really big red ball, placed in various locations around the city. It's been all over the world - Chicago, Toronto, Barcelona, Perth, Dubai and more - and everyone seems to agree that it's awesome.

Source: The RedBall Project in Norwich by Leo Reynolds on Flickr
Source: RedBallProject.co.uk

According to Perschke, The RedBall Project is about creating a 'catalyst for new encounters within the everyday. Through the magnetic, playful, and charismatic nature of the RedBall the work is able to access the imagination embedded in all of us.' And I can see exactly where he's going with that. There is something so universal about a ball - the fact that you just want to touch it or kick it or poke it or something - which brings an immediate sense of childhood and whimsy. The fact that it's SO big totally reinforces that.

The project is remeinscent of Carsten Holler's Test Site giant slide installation that was part of the Tate Modern's Unilever Series back in 2007. For that thoroughly successful installation, the artist built three giant slides in the turbine hall in order to capture 'the visual spectacle of watching people sliding and the ‘inner spectacle’ experienced by the sliders themselves, the state of simultaneous delight and anxiety that you enter as you descend'. The title of the project, 'Test Site', was an invitation for towns and businesses to integrate slides into everyday life. Though London did not permanently take him up on this offer, thousands of grown up visitors became part of the 'inner spectacle' of his artsy indoor play area.

img Tate slides
Souce Duvet Dayz
And I guess that's what it comes down to. While I fully respect the statements of both artist here, with regards to 'imagination' and 'visual spectacle', this sort of art - installations based on exaggeration and recontextualisation of childhood experiences - is good because it's really about creating an opportunity for grown ups to do things that they should have grown out of years ago, in an intellectually acceptable space. Don't get me wrong, I think there should be more of it and I am extremely pleased that Torbay Council and Dartington Trust worked to get this project here in the South West. That said, I'm sure that intellectuals looking for something to deconsturct would get the same stimulus from putting a fun fair in the Tate or an adult only ball pool on the Cathedral Green, whether they called it art or not. And every music festival in the UK will have a similar 'installation' in place, not for the sake of art, but for the sake of fun. 

I love a good laugh and the colour red, so I'm planning to go along on Friday to the Guildhall for this very reason.

Monday 11 June 2012

Debating Devon: Did James Ravilious capture real reality in rural Devon?

Ivor brock carrying holly for Christmas decorations by James Ravilious © Beaford Arts
Ivor Brock carrying holly for Christmas Decorations by James Ravilious from Beaford-arts.org.uk

Tonight, Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) will host a debate on photographer James Ravilious' depiction of rural life in North Devon.  The subjects will be the pictures in the photographic exhibition of achive images from of one of the UK's most renowned documentary photographers, James Ravilious: Reflecting the Rural (at RAMM's Gallery until 29 July). 

A panel chaired by Sir Harry Studholme, Chair of the South West RDA and Forestry Commissioner for England, will discuss how Ravilious depicted rural Devon during the 1970 and 80s. Fellow panellists, Prof Michael Winter, Director, Centre for Rural Policy Research, Exeter University; Dr Mike Moser, Chair of North Devon’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Partnership; Dr Robert Fish, Exeter University, author of Cinematic Countrysides; and Mary Quicke, farmer and cheesemaker, will no doubt create a lively and frank discussion on the continuing cultural relevance of his images.

Street scene  by James Ravilious © Beaford Arts
Street Scene by James Ravilious from Beaford-arts.org.uk
The Reflecting the Rural exhibition will feature a selection of images from the 70,000 Ravilious images in the Beaford Archive as curated by by photographer Liz Nicol and agriculturalist Martyn Warren (University of Plymouth).  And James Ravilious's black and white photographs of North Devon are described as showing 'a largely unspoilt, but vulnerable, country area'.

For what it's worth, I think the thing that makes these images so striking is that they are not just landscapes - they are portraits and vignettes of the people who existed in these spaces. So often, depictions of rural life don't show much life at all. We've all seen those beautiful landscape photos or windswept trees in Dartmoor and solitary ponies standing beneath Hay Tor, but Ravilious has a way of capturing the people of these spaces in a way that is much more akin to an urban photographer like Garry Winogrand. Here the people are the focus and setting is the frame. 

Dick French and family watching the Cup Final by James Ravilious © Beaford Arts
Dick French Family watching the Cup Final


American Legion Convention, Dallas, Texas, 1964. © Estate of Garry Winogrand

The debate is on Tuesday 12 June at 7pm. £4.50 tickets can be purchased from the museum reception or by calling 01392 265858, concessions £3.00.



Tourist in my town: Topsham Day Trip



Topsham is interesting because even though Topsham officially falls within the boundaries of the City of Exeter, residents of Topsham and most of the rest of city tend to agree that it has the sense of being village in its own right. They have their own Fire Station, High Street, Estuary Port and special way of saying 'Topssam' that makes this little hamlet feel like it's a world away from Exeter High Street even though it's just down the road. It is the independent spirit of this 'village' that make it a great attraction for a day trip. The independent character of Topsham make quick an interesting day trip from Exeter city centre - so here's some of the sights that I saw.

Topsham High Street has some great independent, antique and charity shops as well as places to buy art and various nautical bits and pieces. There's more info on Topsham shopping at the Topsham Town website.

MatthewsHall is one of Topsham’s greatest resources. The people of Topsham like to support their creative endeavours an most of these activities pass through the doors of Matthews Hall at one point or another. At any given time, hall can play host to fitness classes, arts and craft fairs, theatrical productions, dances, concerts or almost anything else you can do indoors. The space is always well used and if you’re interested in finding out what is going on in the village it’s a great place to start. They’ve recently refurbished the foyer with a Matthew's Hall Café and alfresco dining. The new umbrellas and folding seats under the rowan tree canopy make it a beautifully inviting place to pass the time.
Family Swimming
Source: Topsham Pool
Topsham Pool is Exeter’s only public lido (there is also one at Exeter University) open throughout the summer months. The pool is small, 25m long with 5 lanes, but it is heated, welcoming to families and open for all swimmers from May to September.

The Bridge Inn has been one of Topsham’s most iconic buildings since the 16th century. I first came here when I was as student at the University of Exeter and was astounded by the fact that it was older than America. The layout of the pub is complex with lots of small rooms off the main bar area and a large barn like back room that they use for functions and live music. They always have a top quality selection of ales on tap, so it’s a must go for beer drinkers.
Darts Farm
Source: Exeter Shopping

Darts Farm is a fabulously posh farm shop come restaurant that seems to just keep getting more and more awesome every year. I remember when it was just an empty field, and now it's become a real feather in Topsham's cap. Like Daylesford Organic in the Cotswolds, when you visit you can expect top notch grub in their award winning restaurant and a shop full of locally sourced organic vegetables, meat, cheese and fish to take home. Outside they’ve got piggies, llamas, green grass and play park with a climbing tractor for kids to play on. It’s the kind of place that you could easily spend all day in.
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Source: Geograph
I’ll be honest, the Quay is not my favourite bit of Topsham, but I think that’s because I’m not lucky enough to have a boat or any sealegs to speak of! Unlike the Exeter Quay, the Topsham Quayside doesn’t have much ambiance for someone who is looking to visit for more than boating, fishing or canoeing. I generally come here to park or to visit Quay Antiques, beyond this I don’t normally stick around very long. But I’ve mentioned it here because it’s something that every Topsham visitor should check out for history's sake and because if you are nautically inclined, you might well be interested in the Stuart Line Cruises and boat hire from here.


Wanna come visit?  Here's the skinny on how to get there and where to park in Topsham
Topsham is located to the South East of Exeter and is one of many villages along the river between Exeter and Exmouth. You can get there quite easily from Exeter by car, bus, train, or bicycle.

Topsham by Train: The best way to get to Topsham from Exeter or Exmouth is by Train. Topsham is part of the Avocet line on First Great Western’s Exmouth to Paignton service and the trains run through the station about every half hour. The walk from the station onto the High Street is about 5 minutes. It’s also cheaper than the bus at around £2.50 for a return and you don’t have to worry about finding a place to park or getting caught in traffic on Topsham Road.

Topham by Bus: Stagecoach runs the T and 57 bus service to Topsham from Exeter City Centre. It’s always been my opinion that this service is slow and over priced (about £4 return), but if you have a bus pass it could work for you.

Topsham by Car or bicycle: If you’re driving or cycling to Topsham from Exeter city centre, you can get to Topsham High Street via Topsham Road from the Countess Wear roundabout. From the M5, take exit towards Sidmouth, and then follow signs to Exmouth and Topsham at the roundabouts. If you miss the turning at The St George & Dragon pub, you’ll need to turn around and come back.

Parking in Topsham is tricky and sometimes nearly impossible. There are four public car parks in Topsham: Matthews Hall, Quayside, Tappers Close and the Holman Way car park near the rail station. I generally head for the Holman Way car park near the doctors surgery as it avoids the Topsham High Street queues that sometimes happen because of deliveries on the one lane street.