A place that exists only in moonlight: Katie Paterson & J. M. W. Turner at Turner Contemporary and other Margate diversions.

Inevitably our arrival at the exhibition was late,

we had bought books in Herne Bay and Margate. I had very little time to view the exhibition and really just went through it taking a few photos.

Here is the link to them

The last gallery of "A place that exists only in moonlight: Katie Paterson & J. M. W. Turner" is a tad disorientating a sort of son et lumiere made from what returns from space. I would have preferred to have been able to see the piano strings and hammers, but otherwise ten out of ten.

Turning Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into morse code, bouncing it off the moon and playing what comes back. well I am still thinking about that one. Particularly about how morse code would transcribe. Would it be the letters of the notes? What about the sharps and flats? Rhythm?

I have an interest in both art and science and for what of a better phrase. The way scientists communicate what is going on in science to non scientists.

The whole business of the relationship between art and science is well worth exploring. I think it lends itself to the installation exhibition.

There is a whole raft of both contemporary art and contemporary science that falls into areas of communication that doesn't work in a conventional way.

Not sure what the effect will be on the gallery attendants, I can see a danger of unintentional hypnosis.


Hopefully I will get back there soon with a bit more time. Perhaps even write something a bit more coherent about it.

I went off to the cafe and did a pen sketch over PG Tips and a chocolate wosisname

Ok on to Margate and time. The reason for the rush in Margate is that everything seems to close so early. The bookshops, the kitchen at Turner Contemporary Cafe, I suppose I am used to doing Canterbury at the end of my winter out and about days.

I think Turner must have had a lot more time to sketch Margate than I had today

This sketch of his from 1830 (not in the current exhibition) appeals to me.

Old photos next

 The only Margate scout one I can find

 Troops departing from Margate Station
Update from the comments.

fujiyamaJanuary 31, 2019 9:56 pm

I think that the troops are actually French "poilu" who have just arrived!

Replies

1. 
   Michael ChildJanuary 31, 2019 10:01 pm

   I think you are right having given the photo a second look, so WW1.

Another update from Michael Cates The French soldiers are evacuees from Dunkerque in 1940 - it's a standard press shot in all thecontemporary publications on the subject. Ironically although the French troops brought to England accounted for c.120,000 of the 338,000 soldiers rescued, almost all of them returned to France within a couple of weeks.

and of course painting in Margate

A few Ramsgate ones

Here is the link to the books we put out yesterday