The point of this abstract work lies in the dynamic that is within the different colours - and it is this gives life to art... all art. Visual and expressive. Push and pull - expansion and compression - heavy and light - high and low - fast and slow - a moment of suspension.
Out of this - just when we thought it couldn't get any more abstract - we had to chose a painting by a master artist whose work compelled you in some way... and then through abstract movement we had to bring the painting to life... the colour, the dynamic, the architecture and ultimately the sentiment that painting leaves you with. The feeling that sticks to you.
We chose Munch... Not The Scream luckily. Although the work was heavy and really quite hard that we did want to scream rather often. Munch completely freaks me out. Makes me feel uncomfortable. His work is frightening, horrific, tragic and depressing. And of course we chose a totally down in the dumps painting of a woman looking out of a window at a world she is apart from... well that was my sentiment at least. And so we moved it. We found a balance between abstract and figurative - where we each found a moment to manifest her... her look, tying the knot in her gown, putting on lipstick, pinning up her hair. The rest of the performance took us through a whirlwind of colour, perspective lines, window frames, brush strokes... evoking a world out of which the figurative images could appear... and in some way to tell a story of a woman standing on a veranda looking out a window - not just any window anywhere - a window in Munch's world. From here we developed a linear narrative that contained within it the dynamic and the architecture that the painting had given us... the painting provoked the writing. Completely divine.
A movement studio transformed into an art studio...
That weekend on a manic colour high - we caught the bus to Siena. So pretty.
Cultural experiences with Vika - the Danish Queen - are simply divine. She's somewhat of a history book... filled with wonderful facts that enrich sight seeing tremendously. So this is a statue of the Wolf who brought up two orphan brothers, Senio and Ascanio who founded Siena. Apparently sons of the famous Remus (who founded Rome along with his twin brother Romulus - quite a family)... anyway the twins got lost somehow... and were luckily found by this Wolf who brought them up as her own cubs. But apparently this cannot be true... because actually it was the Romans who founded Siena... Yes... How spectacularly dull to change a perfectly believable story with fact. So now this bizarre statue of two young boys suckling on their Wolf mother is a rather regular sight on the cobbled streets of Siena.
A lone tree fighting for the smallest promise of sunlight in a city of high art and architecture... but a bit bereft of nature.
The Duomo of Siena... it's black and white... the one in Florence is green and white... thanks Vika. I would have missed that.
The old city wall.
The floor of the Duomo... you know - like where you walk. But hey we have loads of trees in the city... and Elephants... not in the cities... but you know what I mean. The Italians don't have Elephants. Elephants rock.
Middle age music books. With detail you cannot imagine and real gold detail - obviously.
On the ceiling of the glittery gold room that houses the massive music books... this is a classic image used to show the style of dresses back in the day... thanks Vika. Vika would like to dress like this on a daily basis. But that would be weird.
Freya and Tara in another of the many meeting rooms in the City Hall with grand chairs that looked very much like place for very serious wedding vows.
The main reason to visit the City Hall... two fresco's showing good and bad governance... this, in the good governance fresco, shows 'Peace' reclining on a pillow hiding the armor that has no place in a society at peace with itself. But should peace not be possible... at least they know where the armor is hidden... that's all I'm saying.
Tara, Vika, Lucy and Nicole looking out over Tuscan hills... an ice cold breeze picks up as the sky slowly begins to change... Vika sighs and announces 'This is Africa.' Yes, perhaps. If you have never been to Africa.
The sun sets. A fab day in Siena. Yay.
