Part 1…
Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the 55th Venice Biennale. This was made possible by a Go and See Bursary from a-n, which is why I’m posting this blog; part of the terms of receiving the bursary were to post a blog or review relating to the biennale. I was asked to do some paid reviews too, so consequently spent the three days I was there dashing around seeing what I had to see, with little time to meander and see anything else. I’m not complaining about this, at all, it just means I don’t really have anything else to review that I haven’t already covered. If you want to see those pieces, you’ll find them on the a-n site. I hope you enjoy them.
So, what do I write here?
I just figured I’d write a bit of a report of my experience of the biennale. So, it’s not a review and it’s not a blog either (I’m not there, sending you live morsels of juicy Venetian art-tattle, nor will there be a follow up to this under this blog heading). It doesn’t really fit anywhere. Which, I guess, is as good a starting point as any for an experiential account of the biennale launch.
Although I live in Cardiff, I decided to fly out of the East Midlands, as by the time I had gotten round to looking for flights etc., it worked out cheaper for me to catch the train to EMA and fly from there than to fly more locally. The only downside was that you can only fly to Treviso, about an hour away from Venice proper. The full full round trip meant a train to Nottingham>Bus to EMA>Plane to Treviso>Bus to Venice – Biennale – Bus to Treviso>Plane to Bristol>Bus to Cardiff. All to save myself about £130. I’m not sure it was worth it. The saving of the money, I mean. Though this bus/train/plane algebra is a game that any artist gets very good at as they move through their career. Boarding the train to Nottingham didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary as I teach at Nottingham Trent Uni, so am used to doing the three-and-a-half hour train journey, each way, about once a week; another insight in to the working life of an artist – totally impractical commutes for little financial gain, but the pay-off of professional satisfaction. I always kid myself I’m going to use the time productively and do some work, but in the four years I’ve been making this commute, I’ve rarely managed to drag myself away from ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Louie’ or whatever else I’m working my way through at the time. Even ‘The Metro’ acts as a distraction, primarily for the animal picture you normally get around page 5. The potential to work is always there though. Potential is good.
As is par for the course in any given life-experience these days, I posted on facebook, ‘Anyone else on the 18.00 from EMA to Venice tonight?’
