Walking To The Riverside Stadium
My purpose in going to Middlesbrough was to see Ipswich play Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. On a pleasant day, it is one of the better walks from a station to the stadium, as there are things to look at.
I even popped into the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, where I went over their current exhibition called Art and Optimism in 1950s Britain. It was interesting, but it was an exhibition, that would have been excellent to visit with someone of my own age, as a lot of the things shown, would bring back memories for those like me, who can remember the 1950s. I can’t actually remember the Festival of Britain, but I have seen photographs of myself, there in my Cumfifolda pushchair, with my grandmother.
I was a bit disappointed to see that some of Middlesbrough’s liths had been vandalised, as had the statue outside the court. There’s a report here on the latter, but the other damage looked like thieves were after the metal.
Ariel On The Bank Of England
I’ve never thought that the actual building for the Bank of England, was much more than a functional one. Wikipedia says this about the building.
The Bank moved to its current location on Threadneedle Street, and thereafter slowly acquired neighbouring land to create the edifice seen today. Sir Herbert Baker‘s rebuilding of the Bank, demolishing most of Sir John Soane’s earlier building, was described by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as “the greatest architectural crime, in the City of London, of the twentieth century”.
I’d thought it was much older.
As you walk alongside the building up Princes Street, it looks very much like an over-grand prison.
There is though, a gilded sculpture on the roof.
Ariel On The Bank Of England
Surely this isn’t the best place to put a work of art!
The Smoking Shelter At Liverpool Street Station
It isn’t that, but it seems to be used as such. There were a couple of people puffing away, in it, as I walked past.
I’m not sure if the artist intended the sculpture be used the way it was this morning. Incidentally, Richard Serra, who designed this sculpture called Fulcrum, also designed a lot of those, I didn’t warm to in Bilbao.
Underground Art
I had a letter published in The Times yesterday, under this heading.
I’ve been thinking for a long time about the way large bronze sculptures and statues keep getting nicked by Philistines and criminals, who don’t care one jot about our artistic heritage. We also have the controversy over Tower Hamlet’s Henry Moore statue, that they may have to sell.
So when The Times published a piece on art on the Moscow Metro, I wrote to the paper. This is what I said.
Your report “Moscow’s Metro is transformed into a real work of art” (Nov 7) offers a solution to the problem of what to do with the Henry Moore sculpture owned by Tower Hamlets council, as well as other statues owned by local authorities.
Many of our stations have a suitable space, and given that they are pretty secure why don’t we move some artworks there? Statues would interest more people in a station than they do tucked away in a park or housing estate, as they are now.
The more I think about this, the more I think the idea could be a runner.
Tower Hamlets incidentally, has three major stations; Canary Wharf, Shoreditch High Street and Whitechapel. The latter is currently being rebuilt for Crossrail.
All it needs to find a space for the Henry Moore, is a bit of creative and artistic thinking! To site the statue in public in a station, may actually cost less in the long term, as surely insurance would not be so expensive.
Preston Martyrs Memorial
I like to look out for large sculpture as I travel around.
This is the memorial to those, who died in the Preston Strike of 1842.
I’d never heard of any of this until I saw the memorial, but I do feel that the sculpture does not do those who died, justice.
Endless Stair
Endless Stair is according to its publicity, a striking sculpture composed of 15 Escher-like interlocking staircases. For more about M C Escher look here.
The structure was certainly attracting attention by the Tate Modern.
Note the picture from the Millennium Bridge which shows it in front of the Tate Modern at the right.
An Explorer And His Cat
They had a news item on BBC London today about a statue to Matthew Flinders being erected at Euston, which is where he is buried.
I did know a bit about Flinders, but I was puzzled to see that he is being shown with a cat. This story on Wikipedia tells the tale of the cat, Trim.
There aren’t many cats, who have their own page on Wikipedia and even fewer who appear with their master (?) in statues.
Walking To The Tate Liverpool
After visiting St. George’s Hall, I walked down to the Tate Liverpool, having lunch at Carluccio’s on the way. I took these pictures on the way.
They show how much public art and the number of clocks there are in the city.
I think it is true to say that you could spend a couple of days looking at all the public art in Liverpool.
Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy‘s work is all over Liverpool. but at the present time there is an exhibition in St. George’s Hall.
What surprised me was the range of subjects in his sculpture and paintings, including surprisingly to me, Margaret Thatcher and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Funnily enough, when I arrived in Liverpool, I had had to explain who the people were in his twin statues entitled “Chance Meeting” of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock, to some puzzled Chinese tourists.
Liverpool incidentally has more public works of art, than any other location except Westminster. There is a list here and Tom Murphy has done twelve of them. He is certainly very prolific!
Inside St. George’s Hall
I’ve been inside St. George’s Hall before, but never with the floor revealed.
I had thought that someone I knew at University had seen the floor in the 1960s, when I was there. A guide confirmed that it had been revealed in 1965! So my recollection might have been correct.
But whatever, it truly is a must-see building, and it is sad, that it is only open until the 18th of August.
Note the statue of Sir Paul McCartney by Tom Murphy.
One strange thing, is that there has been no television report on BBC Breakfast. Surely, something as noteworthy as this, deserves a small report, whilst the floor is revealed. There is a report on the BBC website from when it was last revealed in January 2012.
The Anonymous Widower 