Tony Cragg once said, as cited in the catalogue for the exhibition of Cragg’s sculptural work and his co-curation of that exhibition, in the house and gardens of Castle Howard that the ‘disquieting flux and flow of [his] sculptures express a state of mind or a mental picture … I am interested in expressing thoughts … More Seeing the Tony Cragg exhibition at Castle Howard on Monday 16th September 2024.

Fady Joudah  was asked in an interview by Aria Aber In The Yale Review in February 2024 that was deliberately focused from the start on how the current war in Gaza might have changed his work, ‘What do you think the responsibility of the poet is?’  He replied: ‘The poet does not have a single … More ‘A language of life’. This is a blog on Fady Joudah’s volume named ‘[…] Poems’, London, Out-Spoken Press.

A great film worthy of the inimitable Lee Miller: Lee seen by Geoff, my husband and I at the Odeon De-Luxe Durham at 2.15 p.m. on Tuesday 17th September 2024.. There are lots of reasons why I love Lee Miller. For many years she came up in biographies of artists I read: of Picasso, Man … More A great film worthy of the inimitable Lee Miller: ‘Lee’ seen on Tuesday 17th September 2024.

Geoff and I went to York last weekend. Preview of blog theme: As I watched The Critic, I wondered how or why it was legitimate for characters in it, like Jimmy Erskine, who thinks being in a painting might do it, to desire immortality. Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter obviously saw this too for … More This blog is on ‘The Critic’ (in cinemas now). I saw it at York Vue cinema on Sunday 15th September.

‘Action Man / takes the measure / of the enemy, // or perhaps / he’s back home / pegging out nappies // wondering, / what has he been / reduced to’.[1] What is the role of poetry in mourning and celebrating the political past. This is a blog on Sarah Wimbush  (2024) Strike York, Stairwell … More What is the role of poetry in mourning and celebrating the political past. This is a blog on Sarah Wimbush  (2024) ‘Strike’ and The Miners’ Strike of 1984-1985.

‘I could hear the father talking / through the window to his daughter. / It was low and tender. / Intensely private. / dark field, dark road, / the night sky clouded over. /  It felt rude to listen, even to the cadence of his words.’ [1]Speaking to Emily Dinsdale of Dazed (online magazine), Ella … More Speaking to Emily Dinsdale of ‘Dazed’, Ella Frears says of her new artwork that: “It’s not verse, but I guess when I started writing through this angry voice, I found a cadence that makes it slightly unsettling”. Why do cadences unsettle us? This is a blog on ‘Goodlord’ (2024) by Ella Frears.

It is ‘not for those above us to tell us what we believe’, says Anne Askew (Erin Doherty in Firebrand (2023 film). This blog discusses the problem of enacting what you believe yourself capable of becoming for female actors in that film. Poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2024/firebrand_xxlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77103656 We have to forget about any idea … More It is ‘not for those above us to tell us what we believe’, says Anne Askew in ‘Firebrand’. This blog discusses the problem of enacting what you believe yourself capable of becoming for female actors in that film.