6/7 British Museum & Greyworld

This morning we went to the British museum which was a lot of fun. There were these adorable little schoolgirls in uniform on the steps of the museum taking pictures I just wanted to steal one of them! Inside the museum the main room had a beautiful glass ceiling with lots of light. We saw the Rosetta Stone which for some reason I thought was small enough to hold in your hand although I guess I missed something important in Social Studies all those years because the thing is bigger than I am. The Parthenon Sculptures were really cool and I was really interested in the detailed friezes that they had depicting battles and mythological creatures. Alicia and I found the Mexican art exhibition and stayed there for a while until we decided we needed art supplies and went in search of a store.

That afternoon we went though London’s little India and found ourselves meeting with Andrew Shoben of Greyworld. Listening to Andrew talk was so inspiring because ideas literally poured out of him. He had to write things down while we were there so that he didn’t forget. He asked for our opinions on projects, and was just so exciting to watch I could have at there all day. I don’t know if anything could top this visit. Greyworld is a group of artists who create work in urban spaces. Their work is for the public, and much of it is sound based which has a lot to do with Andrew’s background in music. They have made pieces where if you run a stick along a fence the girl from Ipanema starts playing. They carpeted a bridge with a blue rug and every step a person took on it would coincide with the sound of leaves crunching or something water flowing. They created the sculpture that sits in the center of the British Stock Exchange that has balls moving up and down telling the time. They created an electric tail. Yeah, and it really works. They gained a lot of fame for creating the project for the stock market, and were commissioned to other projects like that but turned them down simply because they didn’t want to do the same project twice. They also told us that their projects have really simple names, like “Park Benches” and “The Source” (the balls). They said if you have to put a fancy name on something maybe something clever is lacking in their work.

Words of Wisdom from Andrew Shoben:
-More than making a thing, it’s making an art system (speaking about their work).
-“Anything written in Latin sounds clever” (referring to their sculptures that move according to your movement, Monument to the Unknown Artist).
-Don’t edit the idea before it comes out of your mouth.
-Water your geek…be nice to the people that help you.
-Ideas are all cheap; don’t quantify them because they can be endless.

(The pictures are of Alicia and I at the British Museum immitating the sculpture, and also of the gorgeous ceiling in the musem.)