Saturday 20 October 2012

27 June Glasgow

I had a great couple of days in Glasgow – trying to pack it all in.

I went to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  There are several days’ worth of visits here.

021 Elvis

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026 Yet another St Kilda mailboat, this time made of  wood and sealskin

027 Various flying objects

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032 More Mackintosh

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George Henry’s “Japanese lady with a fan” – one of the Glasgow Boys

029 Donald Dewar

Back outside -

093 Donald Dewar and gull

035 Tribute to the fight v  Fascism in Spain

037 Former cabinet makers, now a Wetherspoon’s

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038 Good pun

I went to the Sharmanka (Russian for hurdy-gurdy) Kinetic Theatre.

Russian Eduard Bersudsky started carving in his 20’s, while making a modest living as a metal worker, electrician, skipper on the barge, night guard and a boiler man.   In 1974 Bersudsky joined a movement of artists who wanted to avoid the control of the official Soviet ideology and he found a job in the park department to carve giant figures out of fallen trees for children playgrounds. At the same time in his only room in a communal flat he began producing the kinetic sculptures driven by electrical motors and controlled by sophisticated electro mechanical devices, incorporating pieces of old furniture, metal scrap and grotesque carved figures which were only seen by a few friends and acquaintances.  He was driven out of Russia by economical depression and lack of support for art in 1993 at the same time as the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art bought some of his works and invited him to make a personal show at McLellan Galleries.  The Sharmanka Kinetic Gallery/Workshop has been open since 1996 and it has, rightly, gained a reputation as one of the  city’s hidden treasures.  Still photos in no way show the exhibits at their best:

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