Standard morning at the Art Farm...I know you've seen 'em all before but I just can't get over these frickin bunnies...
Dooooooh!
Dooooooh!
Afternoon at lovely Treehouse where I love them cos they let me eat in the corridor while watching Iris do her dance class.
Evening - theatre jazz with Peter Dehing. It is fair to say that he is slightly mental, in the good eccentric way that all artistes are. He is Dutch. He is cool. He was v. helpful. All the B'way Centre teachers are soooo into alignment which of course is tres good for misaligned people like me. So I had a great class with a super hardcore warm up - the toughest yet. Enjoyed it a lot and was told to come back to all his classes so he can work with me more, which is encouraging. Sadly found on my walk to the subway that I had strained something and it was getting stiffer and stiffer the more I walked (probably cos it's so flipping cold out at the moment). *Update - this has now gone away but the odd strainy feeling in the top of my right ankle remains, though is gradually depleting. Sleeping with frozen peas on seems to help.*
Decided Friday night to take a trip way downtown to Tribeca, to visit Duane Park (Marissa's restaurant that I went to on my first Friday here).
This was definitely the right decision as the place was packed and buzzing. Marissa welcomed me in and I met her husband who has been in Germany for a while. Then in walked a pair of their friends, who I knew immediately were British just by looking. Call me judgemental, whatever, its true you can totally tell if someone is English. Me and Lynne can anyway.
Anyhoo, after I was introduced to this very pleasant couple from London, it was revealed to me through snippets of the conversation that I was talking to Antony Gormley. Look him up if I haven't already bent your ear about having met him. Corrrrrr. Can't quite believe that one.
***
Sunday was an extremely cultural day. After eating pancakes with ice cream for breakfast (ahahahahaaaaaaa!This was not in the cultured bit) I braved the rain and walked to MoMa, the name commonly given to the Museum of Modern Art. It was packed out cos of the weather outside. But with a winning combination of expert knowledge, a great sense of direction and an instinct fo
r avoiding crowds, I managed to get round every exhibit.
Not.
I did however spend a lovely few hours drifting through white corridors and gentle lighting with slightly damp feet. My favourite points were the paintings floor as it featured lots of Rothko, which I have liked lots ever since we learned about it in year 8! Also really really like some of the design exhibits, e.g. holographic light, beautiful chandelier made of broken china and 'Cinderella' table.
In photography my favourite thing was definitely the selection from 'From here I saw what happened and I cried'.
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A7177&page_number=1&template_id=1&sort_order=1
And finally, the top floor was bonkers. Marina Abramovic is a performance artist from Yugoslavia who has been going since the 70s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Abramovi%C4%87
She is somewhat loopy but also very fascinating as she just gives these calm rational explanations for the mental performances pieces she does/has done.
Hoooooow cool! They were so sweet bless them, all bopping away and singing their little hearts out. These are the real live Gleeks. They were on tour from Ohio!Anyway. My evening started here........................
(Pictured: the oh-so-smooth Brian Newman with the other two members of his jazz trio and his fantastic voice)
(Pictured: the oh-so-smooth Brian Newman with the other two members of his jazz trio and his fantastic voice)...................................and ended up here. 
I'll let you make up your own details but suffice to say I am apparently very good at sneaking past doormen, I owe Michelle Chris and Patrick for a great time and I am so delighted to have met Tucker the dog. And what an interesting way to experience Chinatown for the first time.
I'll let you make up your own details but suffice to say I am apparently very good at sneaking past doormen, I owe Michelle Chris and Patrick for a great time and I am so delighted to have met Tucker the dog. And what an interesting way to experience Chinatown for the first time.***
Saturday was a special day - it was the day of the La Cage sitzprobe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitzprobe). And me and Iris were allowed to sit in and observe. V.v.v. exciting since obviously they all have such wonderful voices and also cos everyone was clearly v.v. excited. Also got to sit there being starry-eyed at Kels
ey Grammer (yup, still) belting out his numbers. And him and Doug Hodge generally being funny - can't WAIT to see the full thing cos it is going to be a-ma-zing, your heard it here first.
This is my favourite orchestra member. Why? Cos he was only flute and oboe. Well, two oboes. Who else do I know who is flute and oboe? xxxxxxxx!!!!! (among other things, obviously)xxx
ey Grammer (yup, still) belting out his numbers. And him and Doug Hodge generally being funny - can't WAIT to see the full thing cos it is going to be a-ma-zing, your heard it here first.This is my favourite orchestra member. Why? Cos he was only flute and oboe. Well, two oboes. Who else do I know who is flute and oboe? xxxxxxxx!!!!! (among other things, obviously)xxx
***
Sunday was an extremely cultural day. After eating pancakes with ice cream for breakfast (ahahahahaaaaaaa!This was not in the cultured bit) I braved the rain and walked to MoMa, the name commonly given to the Museum of Modern Art. It was packed out cos of the weather outside. But with a winning combination of expert knowledge, a great sense of direction and an instinct fo
r avoiding crowds, I managed to get round every exhibit.Not.
I did however spend a lovely few hours drifting through white corridors and gentle lighting with slightly damp feet. My favourite points were the paintings floor as it featured lots of Rothko, which I have liked lots ever since we learned about it in year 8! Also really really like some of the design exhibits, e.g. holographic light, beautiful chandelier made of broken china and 'Cinderella' table.
In photography my favourite thing was definitely the selection from 'From here I saw what happened and I cried'.
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A7177&page_number=1&template_id=1&sort_order=1
And finally, the top floor was bonkers. Marina Abramovic is a performance artist from Yugoslavia who has been going since the 70s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Abramovi%C4%87
She is somewhat loopy but also very fascinating as she just gives these calm rational explanations for the mental performances pieces she does/has done.
Anyway the top floor was a special exhibition of her past works, either being shown on video loops or being recreated by new performers. As bizarre as I find some of this stuff - sitting back to back for hours on end tied together by the hair unable to move, anyone? - you can't deny it takes a special kind of person to be able to do it. That level of focus is not something I possess in great quantities myself. Also, Marina Abramovic herself was actually present in the museum, in a new piece entitled, appropriately enough, 'The Artist is Present'. In this she had a table with one chair either side set up in the atrium, in a large cordoned-off square space lit by big stark floodlights, one a
t each corner. She sat motionless in one chair while the other was occupied by members of the watching public. It was open to anyone and I saw 3 different people in the chair while I was there...they just sat, as motionless as Abramovic, and looked at her. Again - don't thnk I could hack it. I'd laugh, or fidget, or fall over on the way or something. Was unexpectedly transfixing to watch.
It's an inflatable chair.
Yup.
I took a whole loada pictures so I may just be really lazy and put a bunch of them in a separate post. With no explanation. You should recognise them, we're all educated art connoisseurs here. Cept me.
t each corner. She sat motionless in one chair while the other was occupied by members of the watching public. It was open to anyone and I saw 3 different people in the chair while I was there...they just sat, as motionless as Abramovic, and looked at her. Again - don't thnk I could hack it. I'd laugh, or fidget, or fall over on the way or something. Was unexpectedly transfixing to watch.
It's an inflatable chair.Yup.
***
My weekend ended with a roll through the Lower East Side. Got off the train at Washington Square Park, which was partly by accident but happily so because it led me to these guys:
Walked further East and stumbled across Screaming Mimi's on Lafayette St, where I purchased my new most brilliantest thing:D Which I am sure will feature in some pictures soon. If it ever stops raining.
Walked Further East and found a little cinema that was showing 'The Runaways' in 5 minutes' time, so in I went, bought some popcorn, found a seat, spilled my popcorn and settled down to enjoy what was an ok movie. Lead performances were pretty good but really not that rock 'n roll - they occasionally took some drugs or like, drank some alcohol or whatever...but they had v. little attitude. I'm more rock 'n roll than Dakota Fanning. If anyone contests this I will gladly prove it. But hey, everyone loves 70s costumes and not giving a damn about their reputation.
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