Ghost Bikes

photo from here
"When we make ghost bikes, we tap into the hurt of the world. Each person is part of the soul of their city. These stories can make headlines one day and are forgotten the next - we try to make the city remember. We choose to honour that stranger we know could just as easily be our friend, our sister, our own self. That choice makes us whole."
From an article by Geoff Dyer and more details from Ghost Bikes

I used to ride around a lot on my bike before the children were born, I am not sure I could any more so much more traffic, buses and lorries are the worst. Even as a child I would roam the country lanes of my village and of the local estate Bramham Park I did get quite wistful when LLG described riding her bicycle through the streets of New York but now Emin has had his pinched it will not happen for some time. I think the ghost bikes are a wonderful way to remember loved ones killed by thoughtless drivers and if it makes people slow down and check their mirrors and their speed all to the good.

The day I've had

Marking and moderating it is all I do. Non of it good or original. Which interestingly is Daisy's prognosis on Shakespeare. apparently he does not have many original ideas, so my year 12's are in very good company.
Her very important Maths exam cost me £7. £3 for a coffee and hot chocolate whilst we waited for the next train as our usual one was cancelled. £4 for a cab as she was almost vomiting with the fear of being late. Thank you Network Southeast.
I rather stupidly rented the film version of Vanity Fair. It appeared to have a good pedigree, writers actors all looked sound however all were hopelessly miscast not least the character of Becky Sharp. It was an anathema to me how anyone could choose a vapid pramface, (ooh I am so smug, Ive learnt a half way decent English accent) American actor playing one of literature's strongest female characters. I gave up half way. The sets were lovely, but the dialogue turgid.
In solace I turned to a new book, In The dark by Deborah Moggach. I loved Tulip Fever and hoped this would be as good, but I swear this is a Mills and Boon meets Jackie Collins shag fest. Every character bonks his way through the book. No plot just 20 ways to get a shag. I give up, I shall stick to galleries and go and see Tim Walker at the Design Museum instead.

• Oh, Emin had his bike pinched, unlocked of course, slung outside the front door, a rather cavalier way to spend £270, I could have spent it far more wisely and enjoyed myself.
• My sisters cat has not returned, there is nothing worse than having no closure.
• It's bloody freezing again, how can it go from 27 to 7 in a week?
• Leeds made the play offs, but she can't seem to get tickets.
• I will be having a large Wisdom tooth extracted at the end of the month,
• But on Friday afternoon I will be at The Chelsea Flower Show, Yeah, and maybe a bite to eat at ths fabulous sounding place The Botanist Every cloud

George Plemper

From here

Thamesmead #7 ~1980, originally uploaded by Mak'm.

Wonderful atmospheric photos from the 70s.
The clothes bring back painful memories of the lack of any sartorial style around at that time. Any revival could not possible hope to reflect the lack of choice for young teenagers. It is no wonder we all looked the same, every look lingered for months just like the clothes in the shops, you were lucky to get 4 collections a year.I have memories of Bus Stop and Chelsea Girl but little else.

Compare this to the choice of not only shops but actual clothes my children have and who would ever want to go back? I was luckier than most though, because through natural curiosity and a desire to look different I would trawl the upper levels of the Victorian arcades in Leeds as well as make a bee-line for the iconic Boodle-am and mix with charity shop finds, I may not have looked any better but I felt better.
The photographs were taken where the film Clockwork Orange was set, it was, and to a certain extent still is, a desolate place. The estate floats like a lost spaceship over scrubby wasteland and it is only 30 years later, a whole generation, that the rest of the area has stared to close in. Nasty little cheap Barrett houses that sit low to the ground only serve to highlight the awkwardness of Thamesmead. They have been promising a Thames crossing for years but I suspect they are worried that if they do everyone will leave and never come back.

One final thought.

Can you imagine any teacher, especially male, being allowed to do this kind of photography now? This record of photographs built up over a long period of time is an amazing achievement, and one that would be deemed an act of paedophilia in today's society (you only have to look at the response to Sally Manns work to see the kind of hysteria that bubbles under the surface) It is such a shame, I suspect most historians will have to refer to photographs from Facebook and videos from You Tube to get a flavour of those adolescent years, but they will all lack the cohesiveness and particular eye that someone like Plemper can bring to this subject matter

SATC come to London

I can't decide whether to go without reading a word from the critics or scour the reviews, sigh, and wait for the DVD.

You just know it's going to get panned.

Robert Rauschenberg

www.medienkunstnetz.de

www.sgallery.net

arthistory

www.tate.org.uk

The US pop art pioneer Robert Rauschenberg has died at the age of 82, his gallery said today.
Rauschenberg - described as a "titan" of American art by the New York Times - died on Tuesday
"I'm curious," he said in 1997, in one of the few interviews he granted in his later years. "It's very rewarding. I'm still discovering things every day."
finish reading

I could post hundreds more images, Rauschenberg was a wonderful, unique artist, versatile and creative. In many way as much of an icon as his work was. He was Art Teacher gold, inspiring many of my students.
More about him here

When is short, too short?

Last week, Leyla called up to ask where her school tights were, I said they had not been put away, but should she not where socks anyway since it was so hot, and unless she was planning on sitting on a chair outside a whitewashed house on some Greek island scowling at tourists she might eschew the tights for once.
Leyla "Baba* won't let me"
Me "why on earth not?"
Leyla "he says my skirt is too short, so I have to wear tights"
Me " Oh, well maybe trousers would be cooler"
This takes me right back to one of my first dates with Emin where I was castigated for wearing a short dress, I was in love and so went and bought some cycling shorts to wear underneath, coupled with my armour plated underwear I am often rather hot. Longer skirts require a slip so its a no win situation really.
So with a heavy heart and a sense of deja-vu, I bought Leyla some shorts. Problem solved? no she was teased because they thought she was wearing boys boxer shorts. So now I have bought her a knee length dress instead. bloody expensive summer this is turning out to be.
Now if you thought this was a cultural difference think again, last week Daisy told me she had seen THE most fantastic Mambo skirt in the sale, a bargain at £10, so she asked her father to buy it for her, he said no, why? too short!

* Turkish for Daddy

Never have too much pink pt 2

The Year in Pictures questions whether we can have too much pink, well I have been addicted, I think it has been a very good year for blossom, this is my final photo. The tree is just outside the school and emerges a luminous pink, over the last week the sun has bleached it white and like my Lilac finally frazzled the blossom brown. I never photo shop my work, I hate it, the colours really were that bright.