This is an awful thing to say, but Reading is really easy to get away from! It is incredibly well served with transport links to the M4 to the south and rail links which lead pretty much anywhere.
One such destination is Oxford, which is only a cheap 20-minute train ride away. It is a historic and beautiful place, with the money shot being that of the Radcliffe Camera, which features in pretty much every episode of Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour, as well as Down Cemetery Road and the film Saltburn.
Oxford is also stuffed full of museums and galleries, many of which are free— although you are encouraged to make a donation. It was these museums that I was here to visit today.
This is what you get, Ashmolean
I confess I’ve already been to see this exhibition earlier in the year and enjoyed it so much I wanted to go back. This show explores the relationship between the music and the art of the band Radiohead (and associated) and the artists Thom York and Stanley Donwood.
You don’t need to be a fan of Radiohead to enjoy the exhibition but you do need to like modern art (actually to be strictly accurate it’s contemporary art) which I very much do. I have some friends that are a bit sniffy about contemporary art and don’t understand why I don’t enjoy classical art but it is each to their own I think.
This time I went round accompanied by the audio guide which includes interviews with the artists and gives more insight into their work and working methods.
It’s amazing to see artwork that you might only normally see as a tiny thumbnail on a streaming platform or at the very best on a 12” record sleeve, as full sized pieces. More than that to see the texture in the paint and appreciate them as three dimensional works rather than as flat objects. Of course, many were created on computer without that extra dimension but the process, the interaction between Donwood and Yorke is fascinating.
John le Carré Tradecraft, Weston Library
Just around the corner on Broad Street is the Weston Library which holds regular exhibitions of works that are held in the Bodleian collection. In this case it was that of David Cornwell, better known by his pen name of John le Carré.
It’s a small space and as befits a library, very quiet with everyone whispering. Displayed in cabinets around the room were artefacts from his life along with lots of pages from his working manuscripts which were fascinating with all his hand written notes and changes.
The exhibition was done in chronological order highlighting a different book in each cabinet by once past his early and university life. The accompanying notes talked not only about le Carré’s meticulous planning for the books but also the political background and stories that helped shaped the books.
The Sky was the Colour of the Death of the Internet, Modern Art Oxford
The final stop was somewhere I’d not been before – Modern Art Oxford which is tucked away Dow a back street in a building with a very sparse interior befitting a gallery.
In the ground floor was an exhibition of works by university students which was interesting but not really my thing as they were installations.
Upstairs was dedicated to a single artist Suzanne Treister and an exhibition called Prophetic Dreaming. It was this that I’d actually come to see. I’d seen a flyer for the exhibition on a coffee shop noticeboard proving that is a worthwhile exercise. Who knew?!
The works were a mashup of technology and tarot cards. Treister would probably hate to have it simplified to such an extent but I’m not sure how else to describe it. The technology aspect was interesting as Treister had worked with places such as CERN to produce a series of science fiction outlines based on conversations with scientists there. Others were the history of technologies and the important people associated with them in detailed works.
Ultimately, I think that I found it a bit overwhelming as there were so many works on display, many of which were visually similar.
All in all a very good day.