PKIMAGE - MUSICFOOTNOTES: July 2023

Monday 31 July 2023

Banksy Deconstructs at First Exhibition Glasgow

He deconstructs art and is radical, surprising. Dismaland, anti-war,

It’s easy to understand Banksy’s desire to have this first major show of his 25 years of art making at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) Glasgow (once the Royal Exchange) with the coned Duke of Wellington proudly outside – coned comically now for 40 years after the council gave up trying to remove the cone.

Glasgow is a challenging and vibrant place – a place of a multitude of music venues, both big and small, where impressive stone architecture sits side by side with glass modernism, acute poverty and impressive art and architecture – tall Rennie Mackintosh design, merchant city venues, westend wealth, Clyde ships (now mostly silent like past ghosts) and swaying walkways that connect north and south Glasgow; the meetings and protests at George Square, down Ingram street and along Nelson Mandela place.

Glasgow is very much about its people and street art makes sense in a city that won’t be silent.

We first enter a dark, enclosed space with flickering lights, sounds and movement to represent street life – rather than the usual quiet of art galleries. There’s Banksy’s anti-war images – throwing flowers and hearts. There are many images of children.

For Brexit - 'VOTE LOVE'

Banksy early on realised the power art activism and art as protest can make. He eventually realised that the backgrounds didn't matter on the walls, where space played an important part too.

It was important to be seen and out on the ordinary city streets. To express how we are lost at times and our inhumanity.

It's also a protest to art elitism. Towards the end of the exhibit he shows us how he shredded his girl with a heart image, after a bidder at Sotheby's bid 750K! One thing missing after occurs though - where is nature except in his bunch of flowers?

Hope in humanity sits alongside despair here – can we forge new pathways? Often surprising, questioning,

“The purpose of art is not to hold up a mirror to life but to take a hammer to challenge it"

Brexit Cancellations for UK Musicians & the Arts

Costs of Brexit –

The UK music industry WAS worth 6 billion before Brexit!

NOW

There is a 5 stops rule for British musicians touring Europe

Touring is down 32%,coampared to 2017 – 2019 figures.

The Serial number of very cymbal must be recorded for tours Eyrope.

Truckers and Roadies - Britain used to run 85% of this business across Europe before Brexit.

Now the trucking business KB Events ltd, which has a fleet of 20 lorries, has set up in Ireland.

The costs to retrain their drivers to EU certificate is 20 million.

Sound engineers and Lighting crews are relocating.

Orchestras require extra staff for paper work, for work permits and can no longer use UK tour buses.

Tours require -

Carnets – custom passes

The cost of £1500 for one truck.

Merchandise – British lands can no longer sell T shirts and other merchandise, due to costs of import duties and export duties.

Brexit has caused arts and music festivals to be cancelled, as well as affecting the income of major UK arts festivals such as Edinburgh International festivals. There's been a loss of around 50,000 music related jobs.

Brexit also hinders cross collaborations and prevents and discourages European artists and musicians from touring in the UK.

Its especially damaging for emerging talent to be able to tour and gain experience of the different audiences in Europe. This comes on top of the Covid crisis and now the rising cost of living /inflation crisis UK.

80% of musicians income comes from touring.

Black & White Photos at Edinburgh book festival

Mark Baeumont

Tarqi Ali

Some portraits from the Edinburgh international book festival, because of their contrast go well into black and white, which is my favourite art form.

We’ve had many famous faces and well known authors from across Scotland, the UK and the world, over the past twelve years.

While some images only work in colour.