Thursday 21 March 2013

Turner Contemporary Margate Broken Again


Today I visited the JWM Turner, Carl Andre and Rosa Barba exhibition running concurrently at the Turner Contemporary Margate for the fifth time, whereas on the three previous visits two of the exhibits were out of order, today three were.

As my previous two blog posts have been about this problem and my dialogue with some of our county councillors about it, I made a special effort to go and check on the situation in the gallery again today.

I have to admit to being a bit lost for words on this one, photography is banned in the upper galleries where the broken exhibits are, so I was reduced to the quick sketch above to illustrate the problems.

I may put a few more pictures, my lunch or something and add a bit of text later.

 We had lunch in The Greedy Cow which was very good.



 The Turner Contemporary are erecting an exhibit outside the gallery, this is the first time I have seen this medium being used for art. I am a bit curious as to whether the artist constructs it themselves or just phones a glazier.


 The new sea defences are pretty much complete


 There were a larger proportion of the black headed gulls than usual.

54 comments:

  1. Have you actually tried talking to the curator at the gallery who I believe is called Lauren, who always seemed helpful anytime I visited and had a question?

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    1. Not really anon, I visit quite a few art galleries, sketch a few things if I get time and there is something to sit on, I usually manage to get the inspiration for a picture of some sort, which I did today. I am not much good at talking about art, my take being that if visual art doesn’t work without words, then it doesn’t work. I think the business of the exhibits being out of order is one that reflects badly on the whole enterprise and needs dealing with by the representatives of KCC who are putting a substantial amount of money into the gallery.

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  2. The new sea defences look wonderful, but I can't help thinking that those north facing steps are soon going to get very slimey and dangerous.

    I don't know if you've wandered down to the other end of the beach lately Michael, but they seem to be doing a nice job renovating the old boating pool (surprising really, as it hasn't been used for years - apart from that "art" walk a couple of years ago).

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    1. No missed this one completely Peter, between the book buying, checking the Turner, shopping, haircut and collecting the children from school there wasn’t much time today, I will try and get down there and take some pictures.

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    2. Walked on steps yesterday, they have an odd construction bit like fibreglass and one has split exposing its construction.

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  3. Hey it's a military dressed up do which one's Tom Clarke ?

    The little rascal ain't there cross dressing is he?

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    1. What a witty little chap you are, 8:06, with a truly infantile sense of humour. I hope that small contribution made you laugh, but please don't give up the day job. You are not going to replace Rowan Atkinson just yet.

      As for this post in general, over the years I have been to many galleries, museums and exhibitions where, on the day, some exhibits were not working or closed for repair, including those in famous national locations. Like train cancellations, it happens, but here Michael seems to be trying to promote it as a major failing requiring KCC intervention just to highlight that aspiring KCC candidate, Ian Driver, would somehow work the oracle.

      I am with 9:36 in suggesting that talking to the Turner management is likely to be much more productive or, at least, could elicit an explanation and a time scale for repair. Ian Driver hardly has an impressive track record in actually achieving anything other than noise and exposing TDC to the potential of massive damages for closing the port of Ramsgate to currently legal trade.

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    2. Tom I visited the gallery on Sunday February 10th two of the exhibits in the Rosa Barba exhibition had broken down, then on Thursday February 28th two of the exhibits were out of order, one that which was broken on my previous visit and a different one, I then visited on Thursday 7th March two of the exhibits were out of order, one that was the one broken on my previous visits and a different one, to those not working on my previous visits, I then visited on Thursday March 21st three exhibits were broken, two of which had been working on all my previous visits.

      I am a regular visitor to galleries and am used to occasional problems and disappointments but this is failure at a complexly different level and I think is significant enough to impact on the local economy.

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  4. Michael,

    Unless and until you can demonstrate you have contacted the appropriate managers at the Turner to address your concerns no sensible county councillor is going to take up your complaint. There is no role for a conty councillr here unless the establishments complaints procedures do not work. Otherwise we would be run ragged with unnecessary complaints which could and should have been dealt with properly by the organisation concerned.

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    1. Chris I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding here, this doesn’t really fall into the bracket of a normal complaint with a straightforward resolution. But has much more to do with what county councillors consider to be their remit.

      As far as I can see I can only complain about this as an individual who has gone the gallery to visit this series of exhibitions, on five occasions now, is that I didn’t get the aesthetic experience that I believe was intended by the gallery staff and by the artists. Perhaps the exception here being JWM Turner whose lecture illustrations are on display rather than anything he produced as works of art or anything he intended for display.

      My concern here is about KCC investing what I consider to be a substantial sum, over £1m per year in something that isn’t working properly, I don’t see that KCC can be spending this money for any other reason than attracting people from outside of the area to spend money in the area.

      If their intention was to provide something that was aimed at local people then it would be much more like the newly reopened Beaney in Canterbury also partly KCC funded and on the last few occasions I have visited on an ordinary weekday, much busier than the Turner.

      Now my understanding is that KCC councillors get an allowance from the council, I think last year you got about twenty three thousand pounds, to represent the interests of local people at the council and ensure local Thanet KCC funded work functions properly. Are you saying I am I have misunderstood the role of county councillors and that there only remit would be to follow trough local issues when all else has failed? I thought this was the role of the judiciary.

      I on the other hand receive no funding from KCC, I do however have an interest in the arts and therefore notice if anything has gone awry with local galleries.

      My stance here is that all I have done is to be courteous enough to point out issues relating to the gallery to local councillors and my expectation would be that those councillors would then wish to take up those issues and see them satisfactorily resolved.

      Obviously if you are happy with the gallery not functioning properly then you will take no action, or perhaps you feel that the gallery is functioning properly, your answers seem to me to be a bit evasive.

      In your email response you said “I can talk to the management there,” an I guess I assumed that you meant you would, now in this blog comment you seem to be saying you won’t, could you please confirm exactly what action you will take even if this is no action whatsoever?

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  5. In the time it has taken you to compose this rather pompous piece of combined moral blackmail and special pleading, you could have phoned the turner Contemporary, expressed your displeasure and asked for an explanation - and got one. Your rather off hand assumptions that somehow this is laggardly, deliberate or someone's fault are neither helpful nor accurate. Furthermore, I have spoken to the relevant person, got a full explanation, know what the problem is and why - as you could have done. Clue 01843 233000, press 5 and speak. Not that hard. I look forward to your apology to the Turner Contemporary and all involved in due course.

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    1. Chris sorry you didn’t like my reply, but why on earth are you not passing this explanation on?

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  6. Michael, sorry you did not like my reply, but why on earth are you not able to ask this question for yourself?

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  7. Perhaps I simply called in order to ascertain if any member of the public could get a sensible explanation, without trying to twist this into a political judgement, or expecting special treatment because they run a blog.

    People often ring up with highways issues, and are surprised when I ask them to register the issue for themselves, and get a customer reference. It is my job to ensure the system works, not register the issue myself, which I may not have seen; get the reference; track the reference; and then get back to the original informer at every stage of a process designed for them to use themselves.

    If they do that and it does not work then it is my business to find why the system does not work. Your way of doing things always through others and complaining if they do not do your complaint justice for you is a clear route to increasingly bloated bureaucracy, with multiple unnecessary layers...a betrayal of your socialist sympathies perhaps?

    It is my job to help you help yourself, not disempower you and undermine your confidence by permitting you to be the person who cannot help themselves. I have been utterly consistent with my answer given above; you with your own peculiar view of what a councillors role is.

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    1. Chris I have just discussed it with the gallery staff, apart from agreeing with what I had to say, their plan for dealing with the problem didn’t seem to be one that was likely to work. It seemed to be more along the lines that they had learned from the experience and when they have another exhibition involving technology they will make sure they have better communication, better parts supply and back up exhibits.

      I made some suggestions as to how they could turn the situation around and they are going to consider my ideas, which are roughly having a booth with film of all the exhibits working properly and film of the exhibits being mended.

      This would have the advantage that at least visitors would know what they were supposed to be seeing. Also the very unreliability of the art form could be promoted as part of the appeal, something they hadn’t considered.

      When I phoned today it seems the situation was even worse with four exhibits not working.

      They certainly agree that the situation is reaching a point where it may impact on visitor numbers, I will and write out some sort of detailed plan and email it to them, but frankly I think it will be KCC councillors making a fuss that will get things sorted in a timely manner.

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    2. KCC Councillors or one aspiring KCC Candidate, because promoting his campaign is what this is all really about.

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    3. I consider Cllr Wells' replies replies to you to be patronising and unhelpful. His "shoot the messenger" reaction, rather than displaying any concern that our taxes are being misspent and seeming to suggest the Turner's shortcomings are no concern of his, illustrates yet again why so many of us are disillusioned with our local politicians.

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    4. I have just signed the petition against the Leveson proposals which Louise Oldfield has highlighted on her Margate Architecture Website. I don't really understand it, but it seems blogs could be badly impacted and just cease to exist in any meaningful numbers?

      At least through this dialogue here between a councillor and a resident we might all learn something? I see blogging as a major component of the Big Society, and Louise showed great insight when she expressed her fears over Leveson at the Red Hall meeting a couple of nights ago. Apparently we all might just have the weekend to save our voice?

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    5. Well, since Cllr Wells has given us his email address why do you not send him your concerns direct or would that involve you putting a name to your complaint instead I hiding behind your anonymous smokescreen. In my view Cllr Wells has given a perfectly reasonabler response and Michael is seeking to make a mountain out of a molehill in his attempt to promotoe Ian Driver's KCC candidature.

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    6. Shame our posts can't change places Tom. lol.

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    7. We were probably posting at the same time and you just beat me to the draw. Still think Anon 7;22 will know my remarks are directed at him. Chris Wells is one of the few councillors who regularly engages with us voters yet idiots like 7:22 condemn him for it. Then he would complain if no word was ever heard from our councillors, except of cause old rent-a-gob who might benefit from shutting up sometimes.

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    8. I posted at 7.22pm as I wished Michael to know that I felt his questions were reasonable. Why this makes me an idiot I am not sure, but perhaps "Tom Clarke" enjoys gratuitous abuse.

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    9. Where exactly did I use the word 'idiot' in my earlier response to you. I simply asked why you did not refer yourt question to Cllr Wells direct and fail to see how that can constitute gratuitous abuse.

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    10. My apologies - you said idiots, not idiot. "Chris Wells is one of the few councillors who regularly engages with us voters yet idiots like 7:22 condemn him for it."

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    11. Which you have still not answered.

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  8. Thanks, SOlo Gays for signing the petition re Leveson regulations. I think none of us know the full implications, It's never a good idea to rush through legislation and leave it so widely open to interpretation. Interpretation by the courts is likely to favour those with the funds to do so. It's also clear technology is moving fast and there are questions being raised such as - who is a publisher? What is a website? What size? Does it make money? How many authors? etc etc...

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    1. The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible
      reductions. In this way the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reverse.

      Beware of the Milligrant.



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  9. Tom Thank you for your kind remarks. I refer, of course, to your suggestion that I have a day job. It was equally kind of you to suggest that I am little. As for whether I am "Witty" I must say that, in my circle, my contribution above was universally well received.

    My circle is the "Work Related Activity Group" of ESA. Those of us caught out by the new Work Capability Tests. Only caught my twenty stone carcase down the gym didn't they ? They even took my motability car off the car park.

    I protested "how do I get home ?"

    "Walk" they said.

    "But I can't walk twenty metres ain't you read my DLA forms ?" I pleaded.

    Anyways up I have chosen the water colour option on my work preparation training.

    So Turner Centre watch out.

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    1. Remind me to stay away from your circle if they found your earlier comment witty. As for this latest offering, more funny peculiar than ha ha I would suggest.

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  10. Hi Michael,

    I used to enjoy reading your blog and the comments about your postings. I no longer enjoy it. Tom Clarke, John Holyer and, more recently, John Hamilton insist in dominarting any discussion and having the last word. Most of what they post is inane rubbish aimed at putting down the views of other posters. These individuals clearly have a lot of time on their hands and choose to waste what little life they have left niggling away at other people who just drop in when they have a few minutes spare. Farewell.

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    1. Anonymouse,

      Your reference to age in saying, "what little life they have left" indicates to me that you are the Manston Aquifer Man.

      Farewell to you too - Oh would it be so.

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    2. With you all the way, John. Don't you just love grand exits from Anonymous posters, like how would we ever know he had gone. Also really enjoyed his bit about us never contributing anything to the discussion. What does he think he contributes apart from attacking everyone whose views he dislikes.

      As he has gone directly to Michael, the blog administrator, perhaps we will all be banned so 'anon' can have the comments section all to himself. Now that really will make for interesting discussion. However, talking statistically for the moment, anonymous contributions on this posting outnumber those of you or I so, presumably, he/they must be using up their remaining time as well.

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    3. Tom,

      I agree.

      On a different subject. Did you notice that an RAF Sergeant in Afghanistan has just been awarded an MC for defending the airfield. I don't know for a fact but I assume he was a Rock Ape?

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    4. Correct, John, of 51 (Field) Squadron, RAF Regiment and there was a MiD to a Rock as well plus several Force Commander Commendations.

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  11. If that's the case anon, then why don't you try contributing something useful yourself, just as I (hopefully) do occasionally?

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    1. Peter,

      anonymouse is the Manston Aquifer Man fresh from 'voting' against your site. He is a buffoon.

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  12. "Buffoon", "idiot", "troll" - and worse terms - seem to be the stock in trade of the rent-a-gob mob made up of Holyer, Clarke and their cronies. They purport to contribute materially to threads, but much of what they offer, as someone else has observed here, is gratuitous insult. And for Clarke to chastise anyone for not answering his question when he has become a local legend - if an anonymous contributor (as he is) can become a legend - for running away from direct questions himself and misrepresenting facts is pure comedy.

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  13. Clarke, Holyer and Hamilton could almost be a local tribute act for the Marx Brothers. Unfortunately, they would probably think that was a reference to Karl Marx and collectively hyperventilate. They'd need a cup of sweet tea, a paper bag, and a copy of the Daily Mail to achieve a recovery to their own normality. Mind you, they might regard the Daily Mail as a "pinko rag"!

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    1. anonymouse 11:54 & 11:59

      You are one and the same person. Talking to yourself, agreeing with yourself, gets you excited. And sometimes we reply giving you the attention that you desperately seek.

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    2. I thought anon had said goodbye. He didn't stay away long or change the record on his return.

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  14. Both the posts are indeed - and rather obviously - mine, Mr Holyer. I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I simply had a further thought I decided to put forward. You and your posse may play games like that, but I don't. I am smiling at your delusion that attention from you would cause anyone to get excited. Oh dear oh dear.

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    1. Anon 9:19, I rather think it is the rest of us who are smiling at how quickly you returned after your dramatic farewell. You seem to forget, we have all been following the blogs a while and are all too familiar with your style, your attempts at drama to support your case, like 'telling ones cancerous grandchildren' and your constant dismissal of others on the grounds of ageism. On the other hand, if such pathetic grand jestures are what make your day, who am I to deny you your little pleasures.

      You enjoy your weekend.

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    2. Anonymouse 9:19 am

      You are missing my point. I am saying that you become excited simply by your own act of posting nasty comments. You remind me of a man who used to stand outside Tesco hurling abuse at passers by.

      Anyway, you told us that you are saying farewell. Is this now perchance your come back tour?

      It's good to hear that you can actually smile. I had my doubts.

      PS: You refer to me politely as MR. Thank you, but there is no need. You can simply call me SIR.

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  15. Clarke, I fully appreciate the difficulty that anonymous contributions represent. Your own are distinguishable from others because you use a particular "name". But you create the problem for yourself by trying to pair up and link contributions based on an inexpert analysis of style and language - and also by trying to "out" bloggers by piecing together bits of information you have assembled over time. You are usually wrong, as you are here. I have not used the words you have quoted nor have I bid you farewell. You are confusing me with another.

    Holyer, not only are you repetitive - you have deployed the Tesco character so many times - but you also have an obvious interest in S&M that I am afraid I do not share. I wonder if you go for the full performance - whips, handcuffs and so on - as well as insisting on being called "Sir". Did you ever visit Cynthia Payne?

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    1. Well, whoever you are Anon, you have a nice weekend for, in the greater order of things, does any of this really matter. The choice, if one can call it such, still lies between Milliband, Clegg and Cameron unless, of course, one gets across the border before the independence referendum.

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    2. Anonymouse 12:07 pm,

      Well I have certainly rattled your cage. You are clearly judging me by your own standards and predispositions. You are demonstrably an obnoxious little twerp.





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    3. No Holyer, don't persist with your apparent arrogance and assume you have that much impact or significance. Also be good if you eased off on the abuse too.

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    4. Anonymouse 4:44 pm

      Buffoon.

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    5. buffoon 4:44 pm,

      What makes you believe that I did not rattle your cage. I teased you about calling me 'Sir' and this has set you off into a tantrum of daft abuse.

      I enjoy your posts in that they reveal much about you and your thought processes, such as they are. Now off you go on another rant.

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    6. Holyer, you really do have a very singular understanding of the word "rant", don't you. Whatever, you are probably best left to your immoderate, thuggish language and contributions. I don't class this as a rant, but undoubtedly your Daily Mail blinkers will give you a different perspective.

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    7. Anonymouse 12:08 pm,

      You are piqued by my use of the word 'rant' to describe your uttering. I choose my words carefully. The OED definition of 'rant' is: - to speak vehemently or wildly - in these circumstances my choice of the word rant is invariably an apt description where you are concerned.

      I do not understand your obsession with the Daily Mail. Presumably it is your paper of choice. Or maybe the Daily Mail often disagrees with your point of view. In which case you should address your argument to Mr Dacre.

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  16. As you say, none of these exchanges and none of these contributions matter one jot.

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    1. Agreed save they give some of us a little idle pleasure, some comments are funny and, just occassionally, one digs out an interesting fact or two, particularly amongst some of Michael's historical and photgraphic items.

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Comments, since I started writing this blog in 2007 the way the internet works has changed a lot, comments and dialogue here were once viable in an open and anonymous sense. Now if you comment here I will only allow the comment if it seems to make sense and be related to what the post is about. I link the majority of my posts to the main local Facebook groups and to my Facebook account, “Michael Child” I guess the main Ramsgate Facebook group is We Love Ramsgate. For the most part the comments and dialogue related to the posts here goes on there. As for the rest of it, well this blog handles images better than Facebook, which is why I don’t post directly to my Facebook account, although if I take a lot of photos I am so lazy that I paste them directly from my camera card to my bookshop website and put a link on this blog.