They Can't All Be Winners

So, I went to my first event here the other night that I considered to be a flop.  It was an art exhibit at the Hayward Gallery called "The Light Show".  I got suckered into it by the ads in the tube stations.  The concept behind it was artists that use light to "explore how we experience and psychologically respond to illumination and colour, and also encompasses more conceptual and political concerns".  In my mind, it was a bunch of hooey.

There were about 20 exhibits and only about 3 of them were cool.  One of the best ones was the one displayed in the ads that suckered me in.  It was by a dude name Leo Villareal and it was called "Cylinder II).  I have no idea was "Cylinder I" looked like, but this was like a waterfall of light.  

Cylinder II

It was cool looking, but I have no idea what it's commentary was supposed to be.  Other than the one exhibit that constantly flashed declassified US government documents on ticker-tape like display boards, I have no idea what any of the exhibits were trying to say.

There was another exhibit that you had to wait in line for and then you sat on the floor in some dark room and you were supposed to stare at the exhibit.  Apparently, "the longer that one spends there the more one sees."  Sure....

I think that I just don't get modern art.  

Taking the Pollyanna view, even though the exhibit sucked, it gave me the chance to see the South Bank in full action.  The Hayward Gallery is part of the Southbank Centre on the south side of the Thames right near the London Eye.  After I escaped the exhibit (I probably moved through that thing in record time), I walked along the South Bank and people watched.  It happened to be a nice day, so the Londoners were out in full force.  Every bar/pub was mobbed.  People were spilling out on to sidewalks and parks.  Unlike in Chicago, nobody was corralling the people and making them stay in a little pen.  I talked about this with some of my London friends the other day.  In Chicago, if it is a nice day out, outdoor tables are impossible to get and once the tables are gone, you are SOL.  In London, it doesn't matter if there is a table or not.  People spill out onto the sidewalk next to the pub and possibly the park or the sidewalk across the street.  Nobody cares and nobody tries to rope you in.  One of my friends said "I don't think anyone in London would stand in the way of enjoying a nice day."  I like that attitude.  I might have to port that attitude over to Chicago.