YES, I believe he is...or at least, the most visible one

White Cube - Candice Breitz

oh cool...

I saw an ad or something for this, the fact that she was South African caught my eye. The fact that the flyer was Faye Dunaway looking very "mommy dearest" and there was something to do with Madonna fans...

Went last night with the mad one. Had to laugh - I was looking more formal than usual and she was out of her usual, sharp office attire. Swap...
Hoxton - a veritable herd of trendies...free Asahi (yum). Woman with maribou high heel pumps on...the Irish pointed them out to me, and I, as I do when caught gawking, blurted out that I though her shoes were fab. She said something about them getting caught in a shower and then looking like drowned rats. Irish said something about her hair and her shoes looking the same. True. Like when pet owners start looking like their pets.

Exhibition was fab. The first room was 6 large monitors with leading ladies showing. Each had been digitally excised from the movie - and were looped and scratched and edited..mmm, hard to describe. Stong images talking about motherhood, children, etc but seemd to be focused on the characters feelings more than any "child". What really grabbed me was which actresses were used. Whether it was because the artist is relatively near me in age and therefore cinematic influence or whether they were just the ones that had those themes in their movies, I don't know. Anyway...Faye Dunaway, Diane Keaton, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep. Wow.

The next one was the same format but with men. Dustin Hoffman, Tony Danza, Harvey Keitel, Steve Martin, Donald Sutherland and Jon Voigt. Great choice of actors. Interestingly, their body language was very similar when talking about difficult or emotionally challenging issues. As with the facial expresions of the actresses.

Upstairs we went, into the last room. A wall of 30 television screens - each with a different face/ person showing. All were standing in front of something that looked like those funny curtains in photobooths. I sat an watched and after a while asked the Irish if she thought the blokes were gay. Dunno - just a high quotient of facial hair, twirling of hands, feather boas/accessories...( later it transpired that they were Italian guys so likely just style more than queerness). They were all singing but without the benefit of a backing track. I didn't recognise the song at all, thought it was some spoken poetry or something. All of them sung their little hearts out. Bless.

Turns out that the artist had recruited Madge fans in Italy and they had stood there and sung their way through the Immaculate Collection. Apparently there is a concurrent showing in a New YOrk gallery of another of these, King - featuring Michael Jackson. And she's done another featuring Bob Marley. Mmm, love to see that one.

Popped into Zigfrids - reminds me of San Fran bars..nice. So, an arty outing and enjoyable evening in all.

snap and grab of video wall from whitecube website

madge singers

freecycle

freecycle

ok, I adore Freecycle. Its ethos, the way you can post something on the board and someone will pitch up and haul off your tat, the mild aura of virtue as you are thanked profusely...
I don't believe for a moment that humans do anything for altruism only. We may think we do but c'mon...you telling me you don't like being thanked for your help, or enjoy that rosy glow of having helped out your fellow man? pah!

Anyhow - on London's freecycle today, there is a heated thread going on about whether people should read the WANTED ads before posting an OFFERED ad. ( FYI - you can post OFFERED when you have something to offer, WANTED if you want something, and TAKEN to let everyone know they can stop filling your inbox.) When I joined around a year ago, it was understood that the etiquette of posting dictates that you offer something before asking for something. Nowt was mentioned about taking stuff without offering, which, I believe, is what most people do.

Anyhow, irate person no. 1 was going on about how they wanted something and saw 3 similar items get offered ( and taken ). They said that there should be some rule that says that people should read the wanted ads and offer their stuff to the wanting ones, before posting an offer. Hmmm, needless to say, this person didn't manage to get what they want...if they had gotten it, would they have posted an irate message? No...methinks not.

Heated emails shot back and forth, clogging up inboxes the length and breadth of London. Personally, if I have something to get rid of, I am going to post it under OFFERED and let the damn thing go. I am not going to trawl the old emails to see if someone wants it. And, how, pray, will somone know if they WANTED something and they got it..? huh? post a GOT IT message? foo! If I see a wanted add and it reminds me that I have the item that is wanted, gathering dust, then, great - I contact them and they can have it.

Anyhow - another interesting fact is that whenever a chattering classes broadsheet publishes an article on Freecycle, not only is it inundated with new users, but they are rather vocal users. As in demanding top of the range appliances ( spot the difference: need a telly please as mine has broken, with remote if possible. Will collect anywhere AND I want a 32" flat screen television, working only, will collect in SE6) and as in having lots to say about the way freecycle is run, which type of person is deserving of their unwanted stuff (only unwed mothers it seems, anyone else obviously doesn't need a helping hand). Or am I just seeing a slice of society?

When something is free, it's amazing how ordinarily polite people are changed into ravening, righteous, greedy beasts. Oh, nothing new there then. Rant over.