Sophie Calle - Whitechapel - Art and truths

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one suggestion for something to do if you have lots and lots and lots of free time in London - like me


Tuesday - Art

i've just been to the whitechapel and now i'm sitting in this scummy place WITH WIFI in brick lane that i remembered when i was seeing len. you'll probably know it, it has scaggy sofas and chipped paint and old tables and an amazing atmosphere and all around are people competing with hair up hairstyles - boys not girls. the man next to me has spattered paint all across his lap top, i'll comment in a minute.

The newly refurbished Whitechapel has a Sophie Calle exhibition called 'talking to strangers' i love loving loved it.

here are my notes - dun bother reading if you don't have time - it's self indulgent.

i am sitting in the most wonderful exhibition at the very beautiful Whitechapel.

Sophie Calle showing (in every beautiful way possible) 107 professional people's response to an email she received from her boyfriend finishing with her.

i love it.

room after room of well presented responses. if i stayed all day, i would not hear or see all the details. i sit and listen to the looped videos and the one featuring a famous woman (from Bridget Jone's Diary) i can't remember, is so funny. this amongst other things is why i returned to the UK.

i laugh at and wonder at and am inspired by the work.

upstairs is older work. it's an extra thrill on top of downstairs. there is an interactive piece except no one interacts - 'cept me.

written on the wall is an introduction by Calle about her trans siberian trip in 1984. i, too, have taken this trip and knew that Sophie had so I became more interested - the words on the wall are about her carriage partner. in front of the writing is a table with a chair. on the table are loads of b/w and colour 6 x 8 photographic prints.

i pull out the chair and sit down. i go through every photo on the table looking at it then stacking it. the photos are of the russian carriage partner eating, drinking, walking, talking, sleeping, shouting, playing chess. his things. food, shoes, bags, clothes and hands. i look at every one and start stacking. it takes me 10 minutes to go through them all and a large neat pile grows and the invigilator becomes very nervous and i am aware of her totally.

i know i can touch although i doesn;t say i can. it also doesn;t say i can't.

after a full long ten minutes of stacking (there must be 300 prints) and people watching me, i sit back and view my work. apart from one sideways smile at a man passing, i was not distracted. after i finish, i stand, tuck the chair under the table, walk directly to the invigilator and say, 'I assumed I could touch ' right?' and she just says 'yes' and i realise that it seemed a little weird thing to do and then afterwards i realise it didn't seem a little weird, i suppose it was weird.

but sophie inspired me.

additional exciting things

seeing nelson
eros and the lights
the view from Embankment both down and up the Thames
the falling light on beautiful tiles in the brasserie
gooooood food - oh my god it's good after being away
walking and walking and finding my way around
talking to the flower man at hammersmith station
looking at the georgian houses and wishing

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Photos

High Rd Brasserie floor
chiswick - mmm