ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Ulster Museum

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Ulster MuseumUlster MuseumUlster Museum - Outside Sculpture

 

Dear Sir or Madam

I was an avid user of the museum before the lock-down, and in particular, the art galleries, and have really enjoyed the exhibitions over the last three years since my return from Spain, where I had been living for a year.

I was wondering though if it would be feasible to plan ahead and have some exhibitions to cover the areas of:

  • Chinese paintings – maybe something to rival the ‘Masterpieces of Chinese Painting: 700-1900 put on at the V&A
  • An exhibition of Henri Matisse and some of his contemporaries
  • An exhibition of Leonora Carrington’s work,
  • Willy Conor’s work based around the book Conor’s Attic, published by Ormeau Books

It is difficult to suggest areas which might be explored, as I have no idea what the current breadth of paintings and other artistic artefacts are held by the museum and its contemporary institutions which you could borrow from.

I am also very conscious of the terrible burden that the COVID 19 virus both in terms of finances and staffing, has had on institutions like yourselves.

I look forward to hearing from you in due time.

 

Yours faithfully

Dave

 

Reply:

 

Today I received a lovely reply from the Ulster Museum.

 

…

Dear Mr McFarlane

Thank you for your interest and enquiry about future exhibitions. I have copied a number of colleagues into this reply so that your ideas and suggestions can be brought to their attention. If you would like to know more about the art collection at the Ulster Museum you can explore the Art UK website. Unfortunately as I am working remotely I can’t send you a link to this site on this email however I will try to send it separately.

With best wishes

Anne

 

…

 

What made this very satisfactory is that I made my first visit to the museum since ‘lock-down’.  It was a surreal experience in that I had to book my visit first online, then on arrival, I had to queue to have my ticket validated and have the route explained as everything is one-way.

Obviously the standing exhibits have not changed, and whilst I did stop at one or two, I moved quickly on to see the art exhibitions which are always my main interest points.

 

In the main gallery, there is an exhibit of Ursula Burke ‘A False Dawn’ which is on display carried over from lock-down.  Ursula’s work explores abuses of power in the social and political realms of the West (National Museums NI) The main room consists of busts and other individual pieces on separate stands. For me, it was interesting to look at the pieces and in particular the faces of what was white males and compare against that of the one black man’s head – the difference in the facial expression does stop you in your tracks and make you think.

There was another wonderful exhibition on art which had been produced before the realm of posters, postcards, television etc as a means of educating people about exotic places.  Two striking pieces are those of Susanna Drury (fl.1733 – 1770) which she had painted of the Giant’s Causeway.  It is even more poignant as the museum has pointed out that little is know about her.

 

East Prospect of the Giant's Causeway (c.1739)

National Museums NI
East Prospect of the Giant’s Causeway (c.1739)
There was another exhibit and also the main standing one – but you need to visit and look for yourself.

 

 

Movie List – “Adventure” from 2018

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What are Adventure Films?

Adventure Films are exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales.  Adventure films are very similar to the action film genre, in that they are designed to provide an action-filled, energetic experience for the film viewer…(amc filmsite). Whilst this list is not definitive, and indeed I have to admit that I have only seen one of these movies, the reviews I have read of them are very informative and do make me wish I had had the time (and the money) to see all of them.

Time Will Tell!

Maybe as time moves on, I will have that chance through one of the various movie sites, or when they finally get around to being played on television.

Black Panther February 13th, 2018 134 min Action Avengers: Infinity War April 25th, 2018 160 min Superhero
Maze Runner: The Death Cure January 10th, 2018 142 min Action The Incredibles 2 June 14th, 2018 126 min Animation
Tomb Raider March 5th, 2018 118 min Adventure Annihilation February 22nd, 23018 115 mins Drama/Thriller
A Wrinkle In Time March 8th, 2018 109 min Family Ready Player One March 28th, 2018 140 min Action  
Deadpool 2 May 18th, 2018 119 mins Action/Comedy Early Man January 28th, 2018 89 mins Animation/Adventure/Comedy

more New York Stories – Book Review

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Title More New York Stories
Place New York
Publication date 2010
Pages PB 293
Price £14.99
Author various
Publisher New York University Press
Edition  
Special features (maps, etc.)  
ISBN 978-0-8147-7655-1
more New York Stories
more New York Storeis

This month’s book review is ‘more New York stores’ (The Best of the City Section of th New York Times).  For some reason I seem to be drawn to these compendia of stories in books and I found this vignette about New York to be wonderful.

The ‘more New York stores’ are unique, well crafted cameos from authors who love and feel New York as a place, but not just a place, it is a welcoming and living body!  The describe New York as it is, was, and in some cases wonder about what it may become.

There are fifty essays in ‘more New York stores’, gathered together under a series of general collections:-

  • Characters
  • Places in the City’s Heart
  • Rituals Rhythms, and Ruminations
  • Excavating the Past

It is with regret that I found out that the City section of New York Times was published its final issue in May 2009 after 1 years.  It fell foul of economic forces, and the need for a bottom line!

The names of the authors will resonate with some, if not all readers, they are able to write and entice you into their piece of real estate that is New York.

I am only going to quote from one story by Christopher Sorrento “When He Was Seventeen”:

…At 17 my friends and I didn’t partake of sanctioned, homogenized “teen culture.”  We participated in culture, period, meaning that often we made it ourselves.  We were perfectly aware that certain aspects of Western civilization, whether or not they would appear on network television or play on Top 40 radio, had their point of origin in the fertile brains of teenagers…

Amazon Link: more New York Stories

Gilbert & George

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This Gilbert and George exhibition has now ended, and I was fortunate to be able to see all the exhibits on three different occasions. 

& George

Wikipedia says that …Gilbert Prousch,sometimes referred to as Gilbert Proesch (born 17 September 1943 in San Martin de Tor, Italy) and George Passmore (born 8 January 1942 in Plymouth, United Kingdom) are two artists who work together as the collaborative art duo Gilbert & George. They are known for their distinctive and highly formal appearance and manner in performance art, and also for their brightly coloured graphic-style photo-based artworks.

So the MAC brought three galleries of Gilbert & George’s work for display and discussion.  And indeed, if nothing else, the works do provide discussion items.  The exhibits are large, and you do need to take time to peruse each item, and the parts that make it up.  However, I must state now that it was not a body of work that excited me.  I came away from the exhibit looking for a theme, for a catch that made the series of displays of highly technical works gel together with each other, other than by colour – and for me, they don’t.

It was obvious that there were references to London streets, to various political statements, but I needed more context.  I was looking for the story and I didn’t find one.

Should the Gilbert & George exhibition be in your area, I would urge you to go.  Potentially you will see something that I missed – I hope so.

PS – having just been to the Ulster museum this weekend, there is one large piece by Gilbert & George on show on floor 4 – so if you missed the main body of work, at least you could catch up with one piece.

Location: The MAC [Metropolitan Arts Centre] – Belfast

Dates of show: 22 Jan – 22 April 2018

Horace – Book Review

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Horace by Chris d'Lacey
Title Horace
Place England
Publication date 1 July 2004
Pages PB 224 pages
Price £6.99
Author Chris d’Lacey
Publisher Yearling
Edition  
Special features (maps, etc.)  
ISBN 978-0440864455

Writing a review is a personal insight into you as a person, because your review whilst written by you is on display with the idea that others will be interested in your thoughts and ideas about something  IN this case I am writing about ‘Horace’ by Chris d’Lacey  This is a Corgi Yearling book, obviously aimed at the teenage audience, but those younger will enjoy the story as well.  Used as the central character is Joel with his friend Kenny as his sidekick (romantically in love with Joel’s sister); to these two are Joel’s family and I have to say it is nice to have a story which is warm, family orientated, and for once without violence.

‘Horace’ does bring together many themes, e.g.

  • family in trouble
  • theft
  • altruism
  • good deeds
  • love
  • infatuation
  • teenage angst
  • greed
  • cross cultural love

‘Horace’ was published in 2004 by Corgi, and the 15 years difference between then and now in terms of society is at once obvious, but you do wish things as described were still sustainable.

Chris d’Lacey is a well-known author of children’s books and Horace’s publication coincided with Chris’ 10th anniversary of writing children’s fiction; and in that time he has published twenty-one (21) books

Like Chris (and Joel) I  am also drawn to looking in charity shops, and I as they have done,  have seen and purchased forlorn teddy bear looking for a new home  In the past before hospitals had to make changes due to the superbug, I used to clean and tidy up my purchases and donate them for children in hospital, a little light for someone in what would have been a bleak time.

In the story of Horace, his role becomes pivotal in saving the family from potentially not having a home and having to make substantial changes in the family life  He is found to be a very well-known bear of pedigree, stolen and discarded by the thieves, almost a dustbin bear; and then like a phoenix is raised to new heights of love and being treasured.  Joel is at once his protector, saviour, hopeful owner, and also the person who has to decide what is right and wrong

I would urge anyone who enjoys a well written story, with a love of character, and especially teddy bears to read Horace, and dream!

The Collini Case – Book Review

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Title The Collini Case
Place West Germany
Publication date 4th July 2013
Pages PB 208
Price PB £7.18
Author Ferdinand von Sabruch
Publisher Penquin
Edition  
Special features (maps, etc.)  
ISBN  978-0718159207

Firstly I must note my self-interest in legal stories, and ‘The Collini Case’ delivers for me in every way. whether it be in book form, TV, radio or movie. 

I remember watching Perry Mason, The Defenders, and lately (ITV Series taken from USA).  But also The Client by ….. Grisham which I read as a book and then watched as a movie and TV series.

I am also an ardent fan of police/detective procedural, having read the Moonstone when I was 8 years old, all of Sherlock Holmes, and most of John Buchan’s books; never mind the various police TV series over the years.

Yes I love the law, but I am not a lawyer/solicitor/or policeman!

So when I picked up this book, ‘The Collini Case’ second hand in a charity shop for £0.50, it was firstly because it was about the law, more specifically the law in Germany; and that it was about the second World War, the Nazi and economic regime over that period, and the fall out after the war, and it was about people.

The people are easily defined:

  • the lawyer
  • the murderer
  • the murdered person
  • the love interest
  • The mentor (?)

The law in this case is that of the law in Germany following reunification of West and East Germany.  The German legal system is that of civil law which is founded on the principles laid out by the ‘Basic Law for the Federal Map of Germany, … but many of the most important laws were developed prior to the 1949 constitution.  It is comprised of ‘public law’ which regulates the relationship between a citizen/person and the state…  This area of law has also been subject to a wide array of influence from Roman Law to Napoleonic law.

I have already mentioned the main characters in general terms, the story is relatively simple; ‘a man walks into a hotel and kills another man.  The murderer is a well-respected Mercedes-Benz worker, Fabrizio Collini – a man of unblemished record, and with no apparent reason for committing the murder. He doesn’t run away but refuses to defend himself to the police.  His lawyer, assigned by the court, gets nowhere with him, and even though he is almost concerned with ‘just’ doing his job, he follows his legal nose, discovers his client’s past and therefore his reason for the murder and then he has to put together a mechanism for the prosecution to introduce the evidence so that he has the right of rebuttal.

Apart from the initial murder, there is no further ‘American’ style action.  It is a story about thinking, about research and also about the good, old-fashioned dogged investigation.

The sting in the tale is the impact that this story had on the German legal system and the German government after its publication.  The outcry over ‘war criminals’ escaping justice led to the German government reviewing its legal system.

Links:

  1. Amazon: The Collini Case
  2. Cineuropa trailer:

The Waiting Time – Book Review

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The Waiting Time - Gerald Seymour
The past brings a Cold Front –
The Waiting Time
Title The Waiting Time
Place Europe including the United Kingdom
Publication date 1998
Pages Large format 389
Price £9.99
Author Gerald Seymour
Publisher Bantam Press
Edition
Special features (maps, etc.)
ISBN 0593042492

The Waiting Time, by Gerald Seymour, is about the past, yet it is set in today. It is about a murder during the time of the ‘cold war’, when East and West were jockeying for position and power. It happens before the ‘wall’ comes down and reunification of West and West Germany, but we follow the four main characters of Dieter Krause, Tracy Burns, Albert Perkins, and Josh Mantle through their trials and tribulations as one is chasing to prevent the truth coming out, and one is searching for evidence of the truth, and one is looking for redemption, and one is being puppet master.

This is not a whodunit as we already know who got killed, and where, and when, and by whom! It is an exploration of stamina and willpower to continue with all the odds appearing to be against you, and that includes governmental agencies.

As with most stories, yu develop a sympathy for some of the characters, what is unusual in this story, is that you have sympathy for both the hunter and the prey. The hunter is trying to protect his past and his future, whilst the prey is trying to let go of the past and to pay homage. The two ancillary characters have their own motives and it is interesting to see how they play out against each other.

I would recommend reading ‘The Waiting Time, by Gerald Seymour. It is not an easy read, but it is one which engages and which is definitely worth persevering with.

Links:

  1. Amazon – The Waiting Time
  2. Gerald Seymour at Amazon

Goodbye Dearest Heart – Book Review

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Goodbye Dearest Heart
Jim McVeigh with his new book, Goodbye Dearest Heart, The Story of Lieutenent General Joseph McKelvey 1898-1922.

Goodbye Dearest Heart – this short book is ‘almost’ a reflection of Joseph McKelvey’s life. Bright interludes, with lots of dark, misty areas of speculation. This is not a reflection on the author, but more to do with the period and the fact that so many people could not read or write, records were often lost (or more frequently destroyed in fires and military actions).

The period from 17 November 1922 to 22 January 1923 saw (between 77-81) people executed, however a considerable number of others were sentenced to death by military tribunals to act as a deterrent to those republicans who were anti-treaty fighters.

Joseph was an intelligent man who was fortunate to have two parents who both worked and whose work required an element of education; his father was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary and would achieve the rank of sergeant, his mother (Rose O’Neill) was a Post Office employee. Joseph studied to be an accountant, gaining part of his qualifications for this profession.

Joseph’s involvement in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1928) is detailed in this book (Goodbye Dearest Heart), and in websites listed at the end of this review, and whilst the journey to being a follower to being a leader is detailed, for me the area I wished we had more detail on is that of his repudiation of the Treaty and his support for the anti-treaty in March 1922.

To this we then are led to his capture in June 1920 after the shelling of the Four Courts by the ‘new Irish Free State’ Government…to assert its authority over the militants defending it…

Almost 6 months to the day of his capture, to be precise 8 December 1922, Joseph with Rory O’Connor, Liam Mellows and Richard Barrett were executed by an Irish firing squad in Mountjoy Prison. Before his execution he wrote a short, but poignant letter to his mother (hence ‘Goodbye Dearest Heart). It is a clear legible hand, but refers little about his past, and reflects his love and worries about the family. What is also doubly sad is that both the father, Patrick McKelvey, and son Joe McKelvey were laid to rest in Belfast MilltownCemetery, one a British soldier and one as a member of the IRA – 30 graves apart.

Patrick McKelvey, whilst having been in the IPF, was during the war posted to the Northumberland Fusiliers having enlisted in the special reserves of the British Army. And during 1917 he enlisted in the Special Reserve of the British Army. His headstone thus being that of a British soldier. Joe was buried in Milltown Cemetery with a funeral oration given by anti-treaty republican Sean Lemass, who was to become the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) at a later date.

As I have said earlier, Goodbye Dearest Heart, is a short booklet. It was for me a way into an era on which I know little, and will undoubtedly lead me to research and read more on this period of Irish history.

Further references:

Joe McKelvey

Milltown: Connection between British soldier and IRA man discovered -Mark Simpson

Milltown Brought To Life

Casualty Details

Executions during the Irish Civil War – 

The truth behind the murder of Sean Hales

MACinternational

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Last year I wrote a short piece on the exhibition and said I would revisit it when I had the opportunity before the Macinternational finsihed its run (9 Nov 2018-31 March 2019). This exhibition will have been on show for just over 4½ months when it closes, to showcase a snapshot of the very best contemporary visual art from around the world (as they have stated).

Being shown across all three galleries in the MAC, MACinternational has brought together a formidable array of pieces, which are interesting in concept, but I cannot see how any of them would or could be shown in a private home, or indeed even into a public space in a work environment.

As I indicated this is my second viewing (or is it my third?) to the exhibition; and again I was drawn to only one selection of work – that of
Renata Poljak and her work from ‘Galerija umjetnina split’.

I love the atmospheric loneliness of the phtographs. Even when there are groups of people they stand seemingly alone as individuals. The beach shows ripple affects, which we are assured are natural, and then there is the relentlessness of the sea. For these few photographs alone I am I’ve been to the exhibition.

However, on another point, I wonder what it is that so many of our gallery spaces in the last few years have been showing installation art (by this I mean, mixed media constructions, often designed for a specific space or for a temporary period of time)? I continuously try to understand the various artists(s) viewpoint but in the main, I usually fail. Perhaps this is my failing or lack of artistic education! I would welcome other peoples thoughts and comments

Adventure Movies 2018

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According to one pundit,

Adventure Movies (Films) are exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales. Adventure Movies (films) are very similar to the action movie/film genre, in that they are designed to provide an action-filled, energetic experience for the movie/film viewer.

Another describes an adventure as an event or series of events that happen outside the course of the protagonist’s ordinary life, usually accompanied by danger, often by physical action. Which when you look at the 17 movies I have listed, and these are not all of those I could have listed, you can see that they appear to be nominated under the correct genre

  • Adventure Movie 1
  • Adventure Movie 2
  • Adventure Movie 3
  1. Venom
  2. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
  3. Alpha
  4. Incredibles 2
  5. The Meg
  6. Avengers: Infinity War
  7. Christopher Robin
  8. The Spy Who Dumped Me
  9. Ant-man and the Wasp
  10. Aquaman
  11. Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween
  12. Solo: A Star Wars Story
  13. Johnny English Strikes Again
  14. Robin Hood
  15. Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2
  16. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
  17. Black Panther

Those of yo who read my article about movies, will have noted that I have bypassed the genre of ‘Adult Movies’ This is not because I am in any way prudish, however as everyone’s proclivities is different, no list for this genre would work I leave it up to you as an individual to delve into those places and find what takes your fancy

Further research: