A trip to Chester yesterday for the launch event for the 15th Grosvenor Open. The exhibition is unusually starting in February, it was historically April or May. It was different from former Grosvenor Opens in many ways, still reeling from the departure of dear Peter Boughton; the exhibition was his child. It was the first in four years. The artists were crowded like cattle into the Roman Gallery, where the self-gratifying speeches by the council (these sort of speeches are always about politicians patting themselves on the back, if they actually cared about art, perhaps they could increase the prize from £1,000 to £10,000 or £100,000, or perhaps show some art that might disturb the status-quo; of course no government of our times would do either). The awards were read out like the minutes to a meeting with no handing out awards or glimpses of winners, no applause or speeches; and all in the cramped and cold gallery, where the artists in their winter coats huddled.
The exhibition was an usual mix of good and bad. About 25% of the 425(?) submitted works were hung. The walls were painted in midnight blue, not as good as the crimson or green of a traditional art museum. The space felt cramped, but the hanging and catalogue design good . I wore my white 'Arazmax Kane' wig for the day.
We spoke to no-one. I recognised a few names but saw no friends. Prices were unchanged since pre-Covid; which for me shows a lack of touch with the contemporary art world.
I ate on the way home. For me, a highlight of the day was popping in to Abakhan and buying some lovely violet velvet to drape over the keyboard stand for Fall in Green performances. I wanted to make a fixing that I could put over the stand ends that would hold the curtain on a rail; thus allowing me to change the curtain. I also wanted the hole placement to be changeable so that I could make or fit different ones for different stands, because each stand is a different size.
I have three X-Frame keyboard stands: A light Duronic, a heavy Adam Hall stand, and a heavy Rock-Jam stand. The latter two are similar in spec and design, although the Adam Hall allows a top tier. All have similar settings and angles, but not exactly the same. Each has a different diameter of tubing. So, my first job was to measure each one in my normal 'sitting' and 'standing' configurations, and work out the spacing of the corners, and height for the drapery. I did this first.
Then a simple design; a board with holes. I also needed a curtan rod (I had a spare 10mm metal tube), and to make little holders for the rod. I made the latter by drilling into a wooden cube and sawing the hole half way, to make two semi-circular recesses.
Here's the board so far:
I'll need to paint it black, then cut the material for the curtain. My mother has volunteered to sew it, how nice.
