Rubbish Conversation with Lars Tharp at the Hepworth, Wakefield, 19/01/14
The Hepworth ran an #ICollect this weekend with Lars Tharp and I booked onto the Sunday morning session: WHAT IS IT WORTH?: “Ever wondered if you’re sitting on a small fortune? Bring in one or two objects from your ceramics, glass or oriental goods collection to learn more from BBC Antiques Roadshow expert, Lars Tharp.”
As Wikipedia details: “Wikipedia Lars Broholm Tharp is a Danish-born historian, lecturer and broadcaster, and one of the longest running ‘experts’ on the BBC antiques programme, Antiques Roadshow, first appearing in 1986. [..] He studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University.”
Archaeology is, essentially, studying old rubbish and you cannot study rubbish without studying anthropology to some degree, so this was a great opportunity to pick Lars’ brains about value, worth and rubbish.
I arrived at The Hepworth, booked in and took my ticket. The Hepworth staff were bemused by my collections and seemed also keen to see what Lars said about the value. The social media guy found me, got some pictures and we had a chat about rubbish in art. He recalled a show he’d seen at the Hayward last summer The Alternative Guide to the Universe with Congolese ‘Outsider’ artist Bodys Isek Kingelez who makes models of fantastical cities out of cardboard and discarded materials. Another one for the compendium!
Whilst I waited my turn in the room I’d previously curated Pecha Kucha Night Wakefield in a couple of years ago, Lars talked to other collectors about their pictures, glass ornamental vases and the like. People were beginning to fill up the space and as my turn was called he announced he would be speeding up the proceedings to fit everyone in. The following 10 minutes of conversation are transcribed in the following post.
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