Central Hotel
Photography, digital manipulation
2015
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– Central Hotel (I), 2015 –
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– Central Hotel (II), 2015 –
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– Shadows and Light, 2012 –
Archives for posts with tag: Peter Hammill
– Garden II (sketch), 2015 –
Thanks for all your good wishes – I’m feeling a lot better now. Here’s a sketch from Thursday night. All the photographs used were taken earlier in the week. More substantial stuff on the way…including another gallery visit with David Cook, a collaboration with Dan Parnell and some (yes, I’m going to use the term), diptyches I’ve been working on.
In the meantime you could visit Ashley Lily Scarlett and my dialogue in pictures, Between Scarlett and Guest. You can read/ eavesdrop on the conversation here. Or take a look at the project Barry Comer and I recently completed.
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Today’s post title is taken from the forth track on Peter Hammill’s 1974 album, The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage. You can listen to it here.
Untitled (Mutie #1), 2015, acrylic on paper, digital manipulation
During my break, (and as a result of working with Barry Comer (our project can be viewed here) and Dan Parnell (a post about our collaboration is coming soon) I began to wonder what it would be like doing my thing with one of my own paintings as a starting point. The answer is: very different from working with another person (and the anonymous others whose markings I photograph around London and use in my regular digital constructs).
While I like certain aspects of working this way, there’s a slight feeling of airlessness and claustrophobia about it (and I think I went for a wilder composition as a result). It’s kind of like when a recording artist plays every instrument on their latest album. Paul McCartney has done this, as has Prince, and most of Peter Hammill’s albums are made this way. Sometimes it works spectacularly, but on other occassions there’s something a little too “regular” or realised about a track. A fine line…I’m going to make some more.
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This post is named after the track Gog on Peter Hammill’s 1974 album, In Camera. It was his first to be almost entirely played by himself. Drumming is by the great Guy Evans. Backing vocals on one track by the great Chris Judge Smith.
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Ashley Lily Scarlett and I have started a blog called Between Scarlett and Guest. It’s a dialogue in pictures. You can read/ eavesdrop on the conversation here.
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– An Endless Breath, 2014 –
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– Set Me Free, 2014 –
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– Complicated Game, 2014 –
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The Birds (II), 2013
In Slow Time #1, 2013
Later…
“It’s an unusual one for Bamtree,” said the Coroner. “Normally speaking I get people who’ve slashed their own wrists, not ones who’ve had a little helper. These are very careful, deliberate incisions. Someone took the time to do the job properly. Of course, the aconite was a big help in this. Our victim was paralysed – probably got to see his own lifeblood draining away. Nasty, if that’s what our murderer did. Hypothesis, of course. Any idea who did it, Rufus?”
“No,” said Quinnell. “Our victim’s got form though and connections with some of the usual Bamtree lot.”
The coroner let out a whistle. “So this was done to convey a message?”
“He was holding a piece of paper with Fin written on it,” said Quinnell.
“Bloody Hell, Rufus. Our killer has a dark sense of humour,” said the coroner.
“Yeah.” Quinnell smiled.
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So why use aconite? And the focus on the veins. Was that part of the message or just a method of torture? What it did mean was that despite Mark Savage’s size, the killer did not need to be a big man. Mark Savage had been incapacitated by a herb. And then drained of blood, possibly while still conscious. Rather than narrowing down the list of suspects swarming in DI Quinnell’s head, the coroner’s report had just enlivened them.
There had been no aconite found in Savage’s nostrils. So he had not mistakenly snorted the powder. The poison had been swallowed along with a chicken and bacon sandwich, some tomato, rye bread and mozerella cheese, and several glasses of red wine.
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In Slow Time is the sixth track on Peter Hammill’s 1980 album, A Black Box. With the exception of some sax and flute (courtesy Peter Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator) and synthesizer and tambourine (played by David Ferguson, co-writer of In Slow Time and member of Random Hold), all the instrumentation was performed by Hammill. Side one of the original LP is made up of seven songs, side two one: Flight (19:36). It was the first time, post Van der Graaf Generator that Hammill had recorded a complex, multi-section song. And it’s a doozy! You can see a video of Peter Hammill dancing to In Slow Time here. I’m not putting a link in to Flight – I’m sure you can find it if you want to or, you know, go and buy the album.
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This Side Of The Looking Glass, 2013
“That’s for later. If you want to get away with this, you must go back to your flat. Make a pretense at normal life. Leave only when it’s believable to do so. When you do, go to this address.” He handed her a folded piece of white paper. “The police will come in the next couple of days, so get yourself prepared for that.”
Tipping the ash from the end of his cigarette, he said, “Sorry I wasn’t there for you. Something unexpected -”
“Forget it,” she said, and stepped from his car onto the rain-slicked road. He had not actually betrayed her, he’d only let her down.
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This Side Of The Looking Glass is the fifth track on Peter Hammill’s 1977 album, Over. The album’s about a break-up and is considered to be one of Hammill’s most intensely personal works. It’s a complex piece and he spares no one (least of all himself) as he skillfully dissects the situation the protagonists find themselves in. Over is passionate and at times crazed. This Side Of The Looking Glass was the only track to utilise a full orchestra. There’s a fantastic video of Peter Hammill performing the song on, (I think) French TV here.
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So, I begin my travelogue at a desk, where I ate two ham sandwiches and stared at a computer screen. Not the most auspicious start perhaps.
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Pass the ear-trumpet! This post is dedicated to Andy, David, Jeff and Simon.
The Future Is Papier Mâché 