Art From London Markets, a-n feature

WEDNESDAY, 29 JUNE 2016

So on Friday I will be taking my piece in to Folkestone for the aptly titled  show, “Both Ends of Madness”.  While the  current political climate may make this title appear to be social commentary it is actually about mental health, and my piece is concerned with the slow process of distintigration of the self that is presented by dementia.

This weekend is the last chance to come to see me with my work at Open Art Spaces, Faron Sutaria, 506 Fulham Road, I would love to see you there. Saturday 11-4 and Sunday 12-3.

I have just started reading “The Silk Roads, A New History of the World” by Peter Frankopan. A look at the history of the globalisation of trade, and an illustration of how important trading blocks and trading relations are.

From next week I will begin charting food market prices once again, as they become affected by the flailing pound, and changing relations within the EU.  They had reached a point of some stability in my research over the last year and a half, where it had become unneccesary to keep recording that you can buy cheap fresh produce from standard street markets, feeding the needs of a family of four in fresh fruit and vegetables for around £25 a week.  And that you can currently find whatever luxury, organic,traditionally grown and fancy imported goods at farmers markets and places like Borough.  So that strand felt done.  In light of what is happening, and in this period of instability, it is not done.  We import such a large proportion of our food (around 60%)  that the prices of our most basic needs can only be affected by a fluctuating pound and changing trade relations.

These are worrying times.  We have the power vaccuum created by a Parliament which is imploding.  We have some of the most disaffected groups in our society feeling betrayed by liars and cheats, finding that what they voted for is not what they will get.  We have almost half of our society who wanted to remain in the EU feeling distressed by the result.

And I have Things Fall Apart  popping into my head at the most unuseful times.  A hundred years on from the first World War what have we learnt?

This is a time for building unity.  The cracks in our society are exposed for all of us to see, and while it may be tempting for people to play a blame game and stand on either side shouting at each other it is really important that we find areas of consensus.  That love triumphs over hate and that we put our efforts into creating social cohesion and a more inclusive and outward looking society.