Simulacra And Simulations

OK, I was being subtle.

I have finally calmed down enough to blog about last month’s trip to Oslo: http://helend-blackbird.blogspot.com/2010/11/ha-conference-and-exhibition-oslo.html

The overexcitement of seeing the man from that iconic video standing right there in front of me made me post this blog in advance of it: http://helend-blackbird.blogspot.com/2010/11/take-on-me-d.html

I feel incredibly lucky to have managed this, Morten also suffered a recent bereavement (his mother) after I went to Oslo and before the UK gigs. I really wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d just been driven off, but he very graciously stopped to have photos taken with myself and my boys, giving my eldest some handy photography advice for this photo, which will make a nice addition to his G.C.S.E. portfolio!

I now realise the difficulty I experienced attempting to find a gallery to exhibit some work at during the British Art Show was because I had no idea that there was going to be a British Art Show until it was publicised. And I was disappointed to note that whilst in Nottingham on Monday, Nottingham Contemporary, the castle, and smaller galleries weren’t open.

Therefore it was fortuitous that I exhibited some work at Notts Trent Arena on Sunday evening, appreciated by none other than Magne Furuholmen (as ever!) and relayed on screen for the delight of the entire audience of fans attending. It brings my work full circle. From early accidental Take On Me style animation, to the banner I made initially for a joke, it has all culminated in this exhibition as part of The British Art Show.

On reflection today it occurred to me that none of this would’ve happened if A-ha hadn’t decided to launch their final Farewell Tour. I would’ve made some kind of Jan Svankmajer animation instead, carried on with doll-related work, happy to go to the odd gig not minding whether I bumped into Morten or not. But once they announced they were retiring as “A-ha” (but not musically, and certainly not creatively), I realised that this is the last chance I’ll ever get to have that elusive photo taken with Morten, and since then I’ve felt it was inevitable that this would become reality, and so it has. It was that inevitability that I’ve just gone along with the whole time, drawn inexorably into this realm where the imaginary becomes real, which is sort of what art is isn’t it? Aren’t we all here creating something out of the intangible daydreams and imaginings that would otherwise disappear into nothing?

A-ha themselves won’t have had time to see Elizabeth Price’s “User Group Disco”, which I came across at New Art Exchange whilst going to see Christian Marclay’s “The Clock”.

At first I was enamoured with the A-ha theme, but have since been left with a strong sense that Price unwittingly panders to a certain stereotype that would suit a more definitively 80s band than A-ha, such as Wham perhaps. Maybe their 25^th Anniversary tour is lost here, Is that the point? Is it supposed to rip off the traditional British media stereotype that annoys A-ha and fans alike? Whatever, A-ha had to go to London to have Alan Titchmarsh twitter on about Morten’s orchids, that he shriftly dismissed as an early hobby that he no longer has time to pursue with A-ha, so they won’t have seen this homage to embarrassing faux-pas either.

It does intrigue me in some ways, especially that having heard them perform their iconic hit “Take On Me” live the night before, Price didn’t use the actual single, it was some rubbish cover, so was this another simulation? A simulation similar to the one the media would have us believe?

The weather this week is a bit Scandinavian. It comes as no surprise to me.

“The image is an artwork of which I am the artist” Well, no, it was a photograph taken by my son, but yes, because it counts as a truly remarkable piece of existential work.

Michel Foucault never has to put up with this kind of stuff!

What a busy half term I’ve had!!

I had to move house recently, against my will – I hadn’t planned for my landlord to seek possession, (I really don’t know why I pay the rent) I still have lots to sort out, but that’s one massive hurdle out of the way. It hasn’t helped my career much, I’ve missed out on several opportunities because of this, but I’ll get back on track now.

Meanwhile, I have been to Oslo for the Conference “Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale: musical interactions in the decades of Postmodernism” and Exhibition “Hunting High And Low A-ha gjennom 25 ar”, both of which were fascinating and well researched, enjoyable even to a friend of mine that has less interest in the band.

I met up with a few Norwegian publishers that I know, there’s also a book being produced, so I may have the opportunity to contribute to that, as suggested by a certain Hakon Harket, with whom I spent some time chatting to.

As well as attending the conference and exhibition, which included original drawings for Take On Me by Michael Patterson, Morten’s old wrist straps, comics made by fans, but not mine… and band memorabilia, I spent two more days in Oslo, stumbling upon the Oslo Blues Club, “exhibiting” the comic existentially in Hard Rock Cafe, Oslo, and visiting the Munch Museet, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and having our photograph taken in the Nobel Peace Centre with Fridtjof Nansen, we were particularly impressed with the artwork there, and really enjoyed our time in Norway.

Especially *ahem* Summit 21 bar at the Radisson, where we met 3 French oil prospectors who bought our drinks for us!!

I may have been faced with potential homelessness, but a temporary upgrade to the Radisson came very nicely! I definitely plan to go back sometime, next time, without the threat of homelessness hanging over me preferably.