The Brits love their vinyl too! Picked up many treasures like Prince’s “Purple Rain”, couple of Led Zepplin classics, Depeche Mode singles and Steve Vai’s “Passion and Warfare” among other gems. And how cool are those hollow body Gretsch guitars?
I was on my way to Honest Jon’s record store in London when I stumbled upon the best tasting falafels in town!
Exhibition on early electronic musical instruments is also showing at the Science Museum in London. Shapes painted on to film strips are translated into sounds by light sensors. I also liked the LED circle sculpture which poses the question: “If you were given a loop of energy, what would you do with it?”
“Only in England” is now showing at the Science Museum in London and is a must see. It is perhaps one of the most lovingly curated photo exhibits I have ever seen. The show consists of many unseen works by Tony Ray-Jones which were selected by Martin Parr – who cites the former as a major influence.
Parr also displays in the show his own early photos from the 1970s. Although the two have never met there is a very intimate dialogue between the bodies of work. Each room in the exhibit alternatively displays photographs from Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr. Their styles are different but there is a continuity between the rooms. This could be the result of the shared subject matter and sensibilities alluded to in the title of the exhibit.
Having admired the prints I also spent a significant amount of time combing through the contact sheets from Ray-Jones. They were displayed strikingly on a large wall at the very back of the exhibit. Looking at the sheets closely you can see the creative process of both photographers. Parr definitely brings his own aesthetics to the table when making photo selections for the show from these contact sheets. They are also testament to the talents of Tony Ray-Jones as a photographer.
After my training in Vienna, I spent a couple of days to check out photobooks at the Paris Photo exhibition at the Grand Palais. It was definitely a good idea to buy the ticket ahead of time as the line to get in was much shorter.
I had a limited budget and baggage space for acquiring photobooks. “The PIGS” was an easy choice as it was 10 Euros and the size of a magazine. Shiga’s “Rasen Kaigan” almost broke the bank and the luggage but was well worth it as the photographs inside the book are stunning.
From the shortlisted titles I also got the last copy of “Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives”. I just love Hatje Cantz’s books for there no nonsense design and hard hitting subject matter. Finally, I pre-ordered “The Photobook: A History – Volume III” by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger which is coming out in March 2014. Phaidon was offering free shipping of autographed copies so how could I resist?
Holy Bible
Photographers: Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin
Publisher: MACK, London / Archive of Modern Conflict, London
The PIGS
Photographer: Carlos Spottorno
Publisher: Phree and Editorial RM, Madrid
A01 [COD.19.1.1.43] — A27 [S | COD.23]
Photographer: Rosângela Rennó
Publisher: RR Edições, Rio de Janeiro
Rasen Kaigan
Photographer: Lieko Shiga
Publisher: AKAAKA, Tokyo
Silvermine
Photographer: Thomas Sauvin
Publisher: Archive of Modern Conflict, London
KARMA
Photographer: Óscar Monzón
Publisher: Dalpine, Madrid / RVB Books, Paris
Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives
Photographer: Simon Menner
Publisher: Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern, Germany
Nine Nameless Mountains
Photographer: Maanantai Collective
Publisher: Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany
There are something like 70 museums located in the Museum Quarter. I spent a couple days exploring The Leopold, Mumok and Kunsthistorisches, where they were showing the Lucien Freud massive figurative oil paintings.
Also saw some more low key exhibitions like the Typo Passage and paid €2 for a pack of dairy company graphic design inspired postcards. I didn’t send the postcards on the spot as there was sufficient postage only to send to inside Austria.
One of my favourite museums is in the Innere Stadt 1st district of Vienna. The Museum of Applied Arts or MAK has an amazing permanent display called Wien 1900 which showcases beautifully designed everyday objects from the turn of the 20th century.
There were also two interesting exhibits on interactive fabrics used to create music; and 100 best posters from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Best thing about MAK is that it’s totally free and opened late in the evening.
Museum Quarter’s Typo Passage
MAK
Interactive musical fabrics
It is widely known that Viennese love music so it’s not surprising to find that there are many record stores in the city dedicated to all genres of music. I spent several nights gold digging after my classes and brought home a few good blues albums. Best of all I was able to discover some new music at a record store called Transformer. It’s a pop up record store at the Transporter bar in Vienna. This place has the best coffee and also a Ping Pong table for regular tournaments.
Moses Records
Substance
Sharing music on the streets
Rave Up
Transformer
This imposing palace once belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy who helped win the war against the Ottomans. Originally from France, Eugene was rejected by Louis XIV for service in the French army. He eventually moved to Austria to prove his prowess as a military commander.
The palace is now a museum hosting works by famous Austrian artists like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Austria’s independence was declared on the balcony of the main building.
Ten minutes walk south of the palace grounds is the 21er Haus which is the contemporary art wing of the Belvedere. You can purchase a combo ticket which gives you access to both. I saw the Ursula Mayer exhibition “But We Loved Her” which features her enigmatic film Gonda – based on the Ayn Rand play “Ideal”.
Lovely views of Vienna’s city centre can be seen from the hill top Belvedere.
Adventures in Photography 