poppy

Matt's Gallery, Mile End

Susan Hiller - Channels
Went in here first. A bank of tv's with static noise. The flickering was making me feel a bit spinny so left promptly. 

Mike Nelson - More things (To the memory of Honoré de Balzac) 
After leaving our bags outside as requested we walked into a room of carefully placed junk. Some of the junk had been made into crude stick figures. Don't know if you were supposed to walk in amongst it but as bags weren't allowed we assumed so. It would be silly to stand on the periphery. While wandering around I scanned the info sheet and saw the Susan Hiller thing said " is a vast audio-sculptural installation in which disembodied voices report on 'near-death' experiences." So we went back to hear the voices.

Susan Hiller - Channels
Back again and there was a voice talking and some of the tv's had a soundline pattern, gradually more voices were added, some overlapping, some you could hear well. If a video is on a loop couldn't there be some indication of that. I assumed the work was just the static and would have completely missed it if I hadn't read the blurb.  It was pretty cool. I didn't know if it was a shame about the pillar in the middle of the room or not. Quite hypnotizing. 

We had a wander around the Ragged School next door. Very enthusiastic old chap. Very refreshing to hear him saying what nonsense it is when people go on about 'the good old days'. I thought Jez would be getting annoyed by being accosted but he said it was good.
Then we tried to discover a pub called the Palm Tree because we'd read reviews and haven't had much luck finding pubs over that way. We found it but it looked dark and creepy so we walked back along the canal and stopped in a studenty bar/pub called the globe or something. It wasn't overly comfortable but it was cheap - 2 pints of carlsburg for £6.

posted by poppy @ 2:39 pm