What Art Means to Me

If you had asked me a couple of months ago "What is Art?" I would most likely have told you it was oil paintings in museums, sculptures, maybe even music and theatre. After attending the Art in Society workshops I now realise that Art is more than that. Art is everywhere and is a large part of our lives. Art takes its shape in many forms and some forms can be quite obvious. However, its the hidden Art which I now see. From children's paintings of scary purple monsters, carefully designed graffiti on the railway walls or the traditional ceilidh dancing at a family wedding, Art is a welcome addition to every day life. The area I have found most interesting through the workshops is theatre. As someone who has just begun in an amateur theatre company, I have been paying more attention to how a production comes together. From the atmosphere of a venue and the comfort of the seats to the technical side of special effects, casting of actors and actresses and musical score, I now realise how much needs to be taken into consideration when putting on a production. The first performance we saw as a class was the Whitechapel Murders where a very talented Clair Hume captured the audience's attention and sympathy for her character. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance and in particular the very simple way in which the story was told without the use of gimmicks and technology. Leo Tolstoy once said " And it is upon this capacity of man to receive another man's expression of feeling and experience those feelings himself, that the activity of art is based." With regards to Clair Hume's portrayal of a murdered prostitute it was clear from the audience reaction that she did capture the essence of her character.

We can look at Art on a much wider scale however .If we take Glasgow as an example, it is overflowing with an abundance of quality art. From the Art Gallery and Museum, the Burrell Collection and the Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow plays host to some of the most prestigious collections in Europe. When Glasgow became the European City of Culture in 1990 it deployed a strategy to use art as a means to rejuvinate the city. By showing the art world all it has to offer, Glasgow reaped the benefits of increased revenue and a newfound respect from the rest of the world. This to me shows how powerful Art can be if it is shared, just as it should be.

A Little Cup of Blues

Tchai Ovna, Otago Lane

When you think of refreshments and music in Glasgow's West End you could be spoiled for choice at the range of venues available, however for an evening out with a difference I checked out Tchai Ovna in Otago Lane.It has to be said, this was the strangest venue I had encountered for a while. I wasn't even sure I had the correct place as I walked into a tiny rundown shack overlooking the river. With its ecclectic mix of seating from armchairs to deckchairs my first reaction was to turn around. However, as I was there to see Glasgow blues band Wing and a Prayer I gingerly stepped further in and found the most comfortable seat I could. I was feeling slightly uneasy as I wondered why there were 'bongs' on the tables until I realised that Tchai Ovna was famous for its worldwide teas and that not all of them came traditionally brewed in a pot. Sticking out like the visitor I was I chose some plain old breakfast tea (in a cup) and waited for the band to appear. As they came on to what could loosely be called a stage the guys, Jim and Dave set up their guitars and away they went. Kicking off with the aptly named 'Here comes the blues', a pleasant number to get you in the mood, I began to feel like I was sitting in someones messy sitting room having my own private gig. As the tea flowed, so did the music through blues tracks from various eras with no too tracks the same. The band members themselves give a long list of influences including Robert Johnson, Ry Cooder and John Martyn to name a few. My favourite track was the cover version of a 1930s track 'No matter how she done it' by late blues legend Tampa Red. That was an uplifting track and one which even never having heard it before had a comfortable familiarity about it. The guys stopped for a small break where a book reading was given by a up and coming Paisley writer; a nice change of entertainment for me. When Wing and a Prayer returned they delivered a very fine second set full of nostalgic bluesy tunes, a great bit of scottish banter and great chemistry that would put even the most hardened critic at ease. The evening showed me that you don't need fancy venues. You don't even need a happy hour or a licence for alcohol to thouroughly enjoy this night out and not unlike a recent trip I had to the Celtic Connections festival, real musical talent doesn't need any frills. I hope to visit Tchai Ovna again in the near future for more of Jim and Dave's version of the blues. Check out their music for yourself http://www.myspace.com/wingandaprayer373

Wing and a Prayer

The Scotsman

I very recently took a trip to the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum in the West End of the city to see what difference the recent £25.5 million refurbishment had made to an already fascinating art venue. On approaching the building I was happy to see that the beautiful exterior was as magnificent as ever and on entering the building found that the unmistakable smell of the Art Gallery or ‘The Artys’ as it was known in my youth, was still there too. I had a look round a few things and as well as some recognisable pieces from years gone by, was somewhat surprised to find Sidney Devine LPs and record players among the exhibits. Further references to Glasgow’s Line Dancing passion were also dotted around. My first reaction was that the museum were clutching at straws to come up with new exhibits and I was about to be somewhat unimpressed. However, after making my way through displays of stuffed animals, a suspended Spitfire and some very bizarre ‘floating heads’ I made my way to the art gallery rooms on the upper floor. One area that caught my eye was the Scottish Identity in Art section. In particular the huge print on the wall entitled The Scotsman by Ron O’Donnell (1987). Ron O’Donnell is a well known contemporary-art photographer and this brilliant piece of work shows inside a Scotsman’s house or at least depicts the Scotsman the way non Scottish people may see him. It asks the viewer to look at the picture and see how many things show that this is the house of a Scotsman? The picture shows everything from a tartan rug, shortbread fingers and bottles of whisky to the more discreet items like the television and the telephone, both of which were invented by a Scotsman. At first I thought I should be offended at my nation being depicted in this stereotypical way but after a while I realised that many of the things in the picture could be found in my house and the houses of almost everyone I know. They may not be displayed all at the one time but they are there none the less. I realised that Art can often portray the way we see ourselves and the more I looked at The Scotsman the more inclined I was to agree with the portrayal of Scottish life. There was a space for visitors comments underneath and when I read the affectionate messages from all around the world I realised that the picture had various purposes; one was to entertain our foreign visitors and depict the Scots as they see us, another was for Scottish people to laugh at themselves but at the same time be proud of how much Scotland has achieved in the field of technology. After finally managing to move away from this entertaining piece of work it was back downstairs in time for a recital on the Art Galleries beautiful organ, a cup of tea and a slightly overpriced slice of cake. Overall I would have to say, yes, the millions have been well spent!

Having a Wizard night out!

On the 15th of February this year I took myself off to the King’s Theatre in the centre of Glasgow to watch the visiting Paisley Musical and Operatic Society’s performance of The Wizard of Oz. I had not visited this magnificent Council owned venue for many years and was surprised and somewhat pleased to see that it had not changed very much. It was the old fashioned feel to this venue that made it an ideal location for a musical version of the much loved 1930s movie. The theatre had a traditional layout and sadly traditionally uncomfortable seats. However, I settled down and took in the excited chatter of the audience which consisted of young and old alike. The performance began with some introductory music from the fantastic live orchestra before the curtains rose to present us with an open stage. The first dialogue to be heard was Dorothy shouting on her beloved dog Toto. There was a bit of a pause; however, when Dorothy emerged with a beautiful white terrier (played by 3 year old Hayley) the audience were smitten with plenty of oohs and ahhs being shouted out. The first few scenes were in keeping with the film version I knew and there was little going on to enthuse the audience. Slowly other characters were introduced to the storyline such as the farmhands who would shortly reappear as the tin man, scarecrow and lion among others playing multiple roles. I was curious as to how the twister scene would be carried out as I remember being excited and terrified when watching this part as a child and thought it would be difficult to recreate on stage. Sadly my thoughts were correct as the twister scene was lacking in special effects. This crucial part of the story saw Dorothy swinging from an invisible harness for rather longer than seemed necessary and I found this disappointing. Over the course of the next few hours the audience belted out well known songs such as ‘We’re off to see the wizard’ and ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ with great enthusiasm. However, I became confused as to who the Winkies were in this version of the story as I didn’t remember them from the original film. I was informed that they were added by the Royal Shakespeare Company when they adapted the story many years before and that was when I realised the significance of the letters ‘RSC version’ on the front of the programme. The Winkies were pointless irritating characters who had me cringing for the actors who were playing them. In one of the Arts in Society workshops pertaining to theatre performances it was pointed out that the casting of parts could make or break a performance. If this were the case then the 24 children who portrayed the Munchkins made the performance very special. These young children of around ages 10-14 were unbelievably talented and very professional. In addition to this the Wicked Witch of the West was very believable and the actress who played her Sam McClelland stole the show. The only part of the evening I did not enjoy was that the Kings Theatre allows alcohol to be consumed inside the seating area and this led to lots of rowdy catcalling and silly comments being shouted out during quite moments. As a result it was quite often difficult to hear the dialogue being spoken and led me to becoming a bit distracted from the performance. Overall however, an enjoyable night out and worth the ticket price.