June and a time of midsummer. I celebrate, but know the sun is now moving away from the earth – or at least my part of it – or at least the earth from the sun – or my part of it.
Anyone who reads this Blog knows that the Lavender bush is a summer high for me – always full of bees as, but only at the right moment when the nectar is richest!!
I go to London for three art exhibitions:
First, art from Siena in the C14, including various artifacts (weaving, rugs, wall hangings). Amazing patterns:
The second one is of the painter Ithell Colquhoun – the St Ives expo has transferred to London:
Readers will know I have done quite a lot of work on her:
http://www.michaelgrenfell.co.uk/ithell-colquhoun-painter-surrealist-feminist-magician/
Thirdly, an exhibition by the artist Edward Burra – good in a German expressionist sort of way but doomy:
Good series on BBC TV about Britain in the last decades of the twentieth century – Shifty: rather explains a lot. Many of my friends outside of the UK have a very positive image of England. This programme explains some of the underlying trends. It is made by Adam Curtis – with contributions from Massive Attack.
Sadly, one of my all time heroes died this month – Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
Again, I have done a lot of work on these, at one point arguing that ‘the sea’ – surf – should be read as a kind of metaphor for Heideggerian dasein. One of many pertinent tracks is Surfs Up
http://www.michaelgrenfell.co.uk/bourdieu/bourdieu-and-the-beach-boys/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyOYQ8qfFng&list=RDtyOYQ8qfFng&start_radio=1
It is a struggle to pick a favouriite but this track comes very close. However, my final choice has to be the Our Prayer/ Cabinessence sequence on their 20/ 20 LP. When I first heard this, it blew my mind – I still cannot imagine another ‘pop’ band making such a thing!!!
Our prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76ejh4EIV4&list=RDX76ejh4EIV4&start_radio=1
Cabinessence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA_kZR1kPug&list=RDWA_kZR1kPug&start_radio=1
More wanderings in the West Country and to a favourite corner – Bathampton:
I have been reading transcripts of Gurdjieff’s sessions in the 1940s:
I have been listening to a Playlist of Meditation music:
And so, to Argentina and Brazil and Musica en Moviemisnto:
