hang em high

i arrived at the gallery at 12 noon, the appointed time
having trotted bravely through horizontal rain with work in tow
the wind was so strong that my wheeled bag blew out horizontally behind me from time to time
the sort of weather in which you could ride a skateboard uphill
if you didn't mind becoming utterly sodden

fortunately i had the good sense to invest in some cutting edge fashion whilst in my beloved Vermont
where [at the Fairlee Feed Store, an excellent establishment run by delightful people where you can buy all sorts of really useful stuff] i equiped myself with a pair of muckboots, an oilskin hat and a cheap but extremely effective waterproof coat.

when adorned in these treasures i resemble Worzel Gummidge

i may well reprise the outfit tomorrow evening after the opening
- should be perfect for trick-or-treating

but i'll spare you the full catastrophe. i have, after all, many others to share.

back to the gallery, where the previous exhibition was still in place
somewhat unexpectedly
[perhaps the pre-Halloween parties are really good around here]

luckily however i had nothing else to do on my rainy sunday afternoon in Halifax, as the Port Campus [where my studio is located] is only accessible with a swipe card and i didn't fancy hanging around in the rain trying to convince a passing student of my bona fides.

in any case, the Anna Leonowens Gallery is nice and warm
and looks out onto the street
where the occasional dripping wretch can be seen tottering past
[better than television]

i apply myself to drybrushing marks on the wall and offer thanks to Silver Harris [set designer and founding Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre Gallery] for teaching me this useful skill some several lifetimes ago. Ben Webster kindly plays [on the batfone] while i reminisce.



we discover the letter 'r' is missing from the signage
good thing it wasn't the "o"

they find a spare and the exhibition title makes a little more sense. if only other gaps in my life could be filled so easily

i get on with hanging the show

at left 'windfall map' at right 'anywhere is walking distance if you have the time'

'cloudland' [I,II,III]

a reference to Aotearoa that some might recognise

'worn'

a piece of two parts

and a couple of details

[the gold is from onionskin, for those who are wondering]

a draught from a gap in the door proves perfect - gently rotating one of the garments as though mechanically created for the purpose





and there are nice marks on the ceiling



i manage to hang the show quite quickly, then spend two hours staring at it
some of you will recognise the work
it was after all shown at the Katherine Nash Gallery in Minneapolis earlier this year
since then it has been sleeping in a box
in San Francisco
and one or two of the pieces have found homes in various places
if Qantas doesn't get its act together, i might be sleeping in a box in San Francisco myself shortly
but
i'll cross that bridge when i come to it

meanwhile
it's 5.24 pm local time and i haven't yet had breakfast
attempts to coax cash from an ATM have failed
so
i'm off to thrash the credit card and take supper at the Five Fishermen