In a quiet place- an exhibition with haiku

For the last 2 weeks I have been involved in an exhibition 'In a quiet place' in Rye with two good friends, Ali Stump and Birgitta Wilson. They are both very talented printmakers.

We share a love of nature, of stillness and quiet, and of words.

So in the quiet times between customers, what better way to spend our time than by writing haiku about the works hanging on the gallery wall.

The format of a haiku is one of three lines, with five, seven and five syllables in that order.

Short and sweet.

A not too challenging way to pass time.


Starting with Conversation Piece 1 ...

Conversation Piece by Caroline Fraser

light on a small stream

dances across the water

speaking silently

and then for some bowls and jugs

upon the table

fine white china jug and bowl

remind me of home

prints by Ali Stump

'all is calm' by Birgitta Wilson

deep in the forest

branches coated thick with snow

lie quietly sleeping

Olive, my typewriter has typed out quite a few of our creations, but then decided to do her own thing....

olivetti type 5x7

She is a bit obsessional.... and enjoys patterns more than poems...


And then there are the sea wall stories.

sea wall stories and other works 

For these I have written a longer poem, which is going to get me started on making my next book.

I will share it when the book is ready, which might be a while. 

 sea wall story 2019

 sea wall story  2019

 It has been the quiet times, sitting in the gallery that have allowed new words to be written, and new ideas to form.

For that, and for the friendship that I share, I am truly grateful.

gallery view 'In a quiet place'

I will leave you with some words shared with me last week;

'The present is a magic time'.

And so it is.....

Inside Reading Prison

 I dragged my family to Reading Prison to see 'Inside' by Artangel.

It was a dark rainy afternoon.

Inside it was dark and gloomy, particuarly in the cells.

A case full of photographs of early inmates was compelling.

The overiding feeling was of oppression and a shock at the small spaces that prisoners were confined in for 23 hours per day.

When allowed out of their cell they were not allowed to see the faces of other prisoners; made to wear a hood.

More recently the prison has been used for young offenders until it closed in 2013.

A stainless steel sink, toilet and mirror.

A metal table and stool.

Enough to test the sanity of the toughest.

Art made in response to the site focussed on light/absence of light, the absence of free running water and letters of separation.

 Oscar Wilde was incarcerated here from 1895 until 1897 for reasons of his sexual orientation.  He wrote De Profundis when finally allowed writing materials towards the end of his stay.

 Nan Goldin's work makes direct reference to the reasons for his incarceration.

Steve McQueens gold mosquito net bathes a cell in light,

and a bird is free to fly in the corridor in work by Gonzales -Torres.

The chapel held the original door to Oscar Wilde's cell. The plinth is the same size as the cell, and from it readings have been given of De Profundis.

I can only wonder what happens next to the building.

"outside the day may be blue and gold, but the light that creeps down through the thickly muffled glass of the small iron-barred window beneath which one sits is grey and niggard. it is always twilight in one's cell, as it is always midnight in one's heart"

Oscae Wilde, De Profundis, 1897

Southcoasters head north

That's me.

And several others.

There were five in a bed...… on larking about, shoes and fashion photography…..

There were five in a bed

And the little one said, 'roll over'…….      

are the words that come to mind when I look at this image by Guy Bourdin, fashion photographer , (1928-1991).

His work is currently showing at Somerset House, and I can't remember when I last had so much fun at a photography exhibition.

Guy travelled around the UK from Paris in a cadillac on a road trip in the 70's to make images for Charles Jourdan, the French shoe designer.

The images that he made using a pair of mannequin legs were inspired, and make for an exuberant and amusing first part of this large exhibition.

He painted in his spare time, on  similar themes to those of his photographs. Ladies in underwear and intimate interiors, lounging on chairs.

My how fashions have changed in the world of underwear.

I can't say I am sorry not to have to wear a Playtex living girdle or equivalent as part of my under garments.

Anyone who knows me will know that I don't do shoes……….or handbags either. Most fashion photography leaves me cold. Not so with Guy's work.

punters at somerset house

Guy used polaroids to test his carefully composed scenes for light and structure in the way that current photographers might use their mobile phone.

His use of light and shadow was masterful.

He was quite good at making cine films too……….

The whole exhibition is beautifully laid out at Somerset House, and I went home completely uplifted by his sense of fun and stunning photography.

I'll leave you with some legs……….


and some more shoes.


Not a high heel in sight.


Visual poetry for photographers and leg lovers alike.

You can find out much more at 'Guy Bourdin:Image Maker'  on the Somerset House website.

Open studios are this weekend at The School Creative Centre, Rye.

Open studios are happening again.

Time to say hello and inspect the artists' shoes.

Eat cake.

Listen to a fascinating free talk by Chris Cleere, conservation consultant, about preserving the past for the future.

See art on the make.

Say hello....... buy stuff.........

And see a fabulous exhibition of new works entitled "Realms" by all the resident artists in the clean white room downstairs.

I hope to see you there.

School Creative Centre, Rye

a bit of culture on a sunday afternoon

walking the dome

What to do on a Sunday afternoon after the dog has had her muddy walk in the country?

That was the dilemma facing other half and I on the sunniest day of the week thus far. Over lunch I pored over the options for exhibitions and galleries in London. Manet? Tate Modern? White cube?

Each had good reasons for rejection ...........too busy.............exhibition that I wanted to see not yet open..............not something OH would enjoy................... I was not getting enthusiastic vibes for a trip to London. Going by train to London at the weekend has less appeal to those who do it every day in the working week.

Then I remembered.........we haven't taken the sky-ride over the Thames. I half heartedly mentioned it to OH and before I knew it we were off on a mission to ride in the air on a sunny afternoon. No trains required; we would go by car. We checked it was open and within half an hour were parking the car underneath the dome on the Greenwich peninsula. We mused over the NCP parking meters that need £13 in pound coins on a weekday. Who ever has that many pound coins handy?

I am ashamed to say that I have never been to the dome before. Not liking loud music I can't do pop concerts, and have never had good reason to visit. But here it was, right in front of me, with a group of tiny people battling the wind, climbing over the roof for the 'millennium dome experience'.

On we walked past buildings that looked like they have popped up from somewhere on the continent.

Peninsula architecture

We arrived at the cable car station.

Just one thing missing. The cable cars.

Nice birch trees though.

In the half hour since we left home the rides had been cancelled due to high winds.

So we took a stroll down to the river bank and admired the view. OH remarked that the view looked quite rural. I can only assume that he was referring to the reeds on the river bank. Or that possibly he needs new glasses. But we did get to see a bit of art in the form of a giant metal sculpture.

sculpture 

On from there to take a stroll through the dome. What a soul-less experience that is in daylight. One chain restaurant after another. Tex-mex versus pizza versus steak. Or if you really can't decide go to Jimmy's, where they have everything.

covering all options for the indecisive diner

We explored Nissan world with interactive badges. Almost cultural if you are under 10 years old.

not quite in control.....

OH drove and spectacularly crashed a car into the safety barrier ( at 30 mph) , and we didn't book a test drive in an electric car.

After all those new and exciting experiences it was time for a cup of tea. And home for a quiet Sunday evening reading the papers. Next time I shall go straight for a London gallery, train or not. But at least I can now say that I have been to the millennium dome, even if it is 13 years later than most people.