My goodness me, we've been very, very busy most of this August, so haven't had time to write about it here. But Alice has at last caught up with editing the photos she's taken of our various activities. She's such a perfectionist it takes an awful lot of hours where she's totally absorbed, forgets to eat, doesn't sleep when she's tired and so on, while Ba and I get bored.
But the results are worth it, I hasten to add, before she gets all sniffy and retorts, "Who's in most of them!" or starts muttering about the trials of being creative and misunderstood . . .
There was an exhibition called Surreal Encounters at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One, where we've often been before. (If that's your sort of art, it's on until 11th September.) Ba doesn't "Do Art" like Alice and myself, but consented to come beause she likes spending time in the gardens.
Arriving somewhat after our lunch-time, we first went straight to the truely excellent cafe. They had a salad with spicey roast parsnips! It was so yummy we're going to try making it ourselves this very evening. If you click on the photo, you can read about the StreetSmart charity, which persuades diners to donate and help the local homeless and hungry. Cunningly good idea.
As for the exhibition itself, Alice admits she was glad she's a Friend of the Galleries, and doesn't have to pay for entry once her subscription's gone out, as there actually wasn't a lot in it we particularly liked. There was some interesting SalvadoR DAli work [ I think we should keep that typo, he would have liked it, I'm sure.] It included an absolutely gigantic Triptych, which we simply can't do justice to. See it online here, and let it fill your whole screen.
Despite herself, Ba was absolutely delighted by one of the famous Lobster Telephones (plural, as there are a few of them in the world.) It made her giggle a lot. I acknowledge it was amusing. But is it Art?Alice and she were both quite drawn to Max Ernst's jungle paintings as well, with all their weird and wild greenery. Click on it and take a closer look at this one!
But we soon made up for our indoor disappointment, when we went into the totally real green garden outside. Here, in keeping with the exhibition theme, the gallery had set up a kids' playground called Surreal Adventures.
Where are we?What's out there?
As ever, click on the images to see bigger versions.
Just take a look at the photos below: we won't bother to explain too much.
Outsidelooking in. Note what looks like the back of a grey sofa.
And inside,
looking out.
There were quotations like this on several of the "cards."
Looks comfy? Alice cheated and "took out" the edge of the text fully visible in the next picture.
There were helpful hints on how to make your photos look Surreal as well.
The Blogger interface here
isn't WYSIWYG at all (you Google that one!) and Alice is getting extremely frustrated trying to make it look how she wants, and swearing with terms I refuse to let her type in.
I've told her to give up gracefully, and just add the last few photos any old how. Oh dear, it seems from the next round of swearing that's as good as sacrilege to a perfectionist like her. But I was only trying to help.
This fallen over clock is very Lewis Carroll, isn't it?And no, we didn't actually have a surreal ice-cream. They were just things like strawberry flavour, coloured green. And expensive too.
But it was a jolly good visit all round, I must say.
What else?
Most of our Edinburgh Fringe Festival time was spent at Summerhall, attending the varied programme put on by the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards.
It was their first visit to the UK, and Alice says we were privileged to be able to see them here for nine days. It was quite an experience: it blew my socks off, as they say. (Why socks? Have a look at Quora and the video there.)But it needs a completely separate post, with more photos of the venue plus some of the company, and a bit of history to explain what it's all about. Be patient, please.
The Sublime
Alice was keen to hear them, though I thought it would probably be rather old hat. (Why hat? Try here.)
They were joined by Polyhymnia, a dance trio who perform Renaissance dances. Some of these were so very slow and stately, they were barely dances at all, but they did liven up at points.
Alice took a bit of video, and hopes she'll eventually find time to edit that too. Watch this space. . .
Ba stayed at home with the geraniums and missed a treat. I have to admit, after all, that it was really very beautiful, even if in a weird kind of way. You can hear a sample of the music on YouTube.
