Moving Things Round

[poliphilo]

Ailz is studying 20th century art this year. The course actually starts in March, but she's got most of the books and wants to establish a head start. And the first thing with Ailz is always to set up a working space.

Last year's working space no longer pleases her, so we spent yesterday afternoon creating a new one. She's now in with the rabbits. We've just got to hope they don't find a way of jumping up onto her desk and eating her homework.



She wanted a big desk- and the only big desk we have (it used to be my father's) is the one on which I've been displaying my model village. Well, we solved that by moving the village downstairs- and now it's spread out over the furniture alongside my computer- so I can play with it whenever I like.



Talking about modern art, I read an article  this morning which likens the boom in the art market to the boom in the market for tulips in 17th century Holland. Mad prices are being asked and paid for items whose intrinsic value is- ahem- questionable. The only difference is that the art market hasn't collapsed- yet.

Comments

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

This price boom is nothing like the mid-eighties. Then crazy prices were being paid for everything. Now the maxed out prices are for selective works by only certain artists . There are real differences. If your really interested you should log on to Southeby's.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that. I thought we'd been on a rising curve since whenever.

I remember- in the early 70s- wandering into a Bond St gallery and seeing a painting by Lord Leighton (which I really liked) on sale for less than £1000. I could probably have found the money- or at least arm-twisted my parents to cough up, but I didn't because I wasn't psychic and had no idea it would shortly add several noughts to its value.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I like the curtains and plants in your window-a cheerful room-on the ground floor, which surprised me--I thought you worked upstairs.

It's fun to think about your rabbits in and out and all about!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I used to work upstairs. Ailz just loves moving furniture around.

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

Jackie, perhaps because I read your
New Year note which I had missed just
after reading this by Tony, I at
first read yours as saying that
the curious thing was that the
fireplace and the pizza could not decide
which room to stay in.
which would be unsettling for people in the
house until it was worked out I guess.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

"the curious thing was that the
fireplace and the pizza could not decide
which room to stay in."

I much prefer your version, which is making me smile.

Happy New Year to you!

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

Is that the St Leonard's Tower
you were speaking of?
You broungt it home did you?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Having first reduced it to a manageable size with my special shrinking ray.

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

Yes. I deduced that as holmes
said when the impossible has
been eliminated(in this case that you
your house and Ailz are of vast
porportions compared to those
of the surrounding countryside
or perhaps all of Britain ) what
remains must be the truth odd
though it may seem.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

Your whole house seems like a workspace!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You know, There's some truth in that! :)

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Ailz looks really pleased to share her space with the rabbits. Are they happy, too?
What do you model your village from ? (material, I mean)
Are these real places you've seen?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I believe the rabbits enjoy the company.

The buildings are imaginary and generic. The materials are polystyrene, cardboard and papier mache.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

That is a really nice picture of Ailz. I can see how happy she is with her new work space.
Like Ailz, I like to move things around - at present I am trying to figure out just how to do this in my one-room bed-sitter apartment. I need to plan carefully so as to be able to walk through the place without tripping myself and falling on my face.
I like your model village. Is the concept original with you, or did you have a set of instructions for making it?
"...so I can play with it..." Yes, I too like toys-for grownups. We are never too old or too "grown up" for toys of one kind or another.
Ailz, while you are studying 20th century art, I will be studying old writings in my Great Books class at Suffolk U. Happy studies!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My father used to say, "a change is as good as a rest". I think Ailz subscribes to the same philosophy.

The village is entirely my own work. I built it from scratch to house my collection of "wargaming" figures. i love anything miniature.

So what old writings will you be studying?

[jfs.livejournal.com]

"Wargaming"?

D20 or old-school D+D? :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Old school D+D.

I'm not a purist- if I like a figure I'll buy it- but a lot of my figures are chunky, lead castings from the 70s and 80s.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Mine too :-)

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Ailz looks happy. Her smile lights up her face.

Now, that model village is something I want to see more closely--and perhaps play with!

Can we get more and closer pictures of that?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The model village isn't easy to photograph. I've tried- and never really liked the results, but I'll see what I can do.:)

[airstrip.livejournal.com]

Art markets don't tend to get as bubbly because people aren't as motivated to sell most of the time. It's kind of a cop out, really.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I just wonder what's going to happen if the critics decide- as they might- that the work of Damien Hirst (say) is a load of overpriced kitsch.

[airstrip.livejournal.com]

He'll be in a slump like what hit Schnaebel when he received a similar appellation, IIRC.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And now he (Schnaebel) is making movies. Very successfully, too.