40 Steps Backwards and A Pirouette. : July 2015

Sunday, 19 July 2015

Cardiff Capers - Part 4

Day 4 - Strange Rustlings in the Wetlands - 25th June 2015.

Today was my last full day in Cardiff. I awoke this morning with no firm plans. As such, after breakfast, I returned to Cardiff Bay. The walk from the hotel to Cardiff Bay was good exercise and as I seem to feel more subdued around water, this seemed like a good idea.

I did visit somewhere that I didn't visit yesterday. I stumbled upon the Cardiff Wetlands. I loved the peace and quiet of wandering around long grasses, ponds and birds minding their own business. At one point, I heard strange rustlings in the long grasses and wondered what arcane practises were afoot. Probably, just a couple of birds asserting their territorial rights.

Having spent some time simply being quiet, I headed back to central Cardiff looking for somewhere to eat. By chance, I stumbled on the Portuguese restaurant I can see from my hotel window. I was their only customer. Having eaten a starter and main course, I enquired about desserts and the waitress offered simply tiramisu as though that may have been the only dessert they had, I replied yes and enjoyed said dessert then headed back to the hotel room. I spent the afternoon reading, prior to going out to the Elvis Costello gig at St. David's Hall.

As expected, Elvis Costello was blindingly good. His support act, Larkin Poe, joined him for several songs during his set. Their harmonies and musicianship contributed to a memorable evening with a curiously eclectic audience, some who seemed to want to be there, whilst others clearly preferred the subtle lures of the bar. The gig finished at 11pm and I got slightly lost finding my way back to the hotel in the dark. Nothing new there.

Barry Watt - 25th June 2015.

Flower in the Wetlands.

Cardiff Wetlands.

Dandelion in the Wetlands.

Poster for Monsieur Costello outside the St David's Hall.

Afterword.

St David's Hall is a rather lovely venue in Cardiff. Modern and has pretty good acoustics. Here's their website:

http://www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/

Saturday, 18 July 2015

Cardiff Capers Part 3

Day 3 - 24th June 2015 - It's Bigger on the Inside.

Amazingly, I slept last night. I guess walking miles helps the act of sleep.

This morning after breakfast, I walked to Cardiff Bay. The area reminded me of both Albert's Dock in Liverpool and also the dock area in Barcelona. The Wales Millennium Centre seemed very impressive from the outside (I did not enter it). I visited the Doctor Who Exhibition, purchased a timed admission ticket for 12pm and was informed that today they were very busy owing to a couple of school parties. You could almost see a couple crying when they heard this. When I eventually entered the exhibition, the experience began with a little immersive production where the crowds got to walk around and follow the instructions of Peter Capaldi's Doctor and a guide dress as a Gallifreyan. My moment of stardom involved jumping up and down on a marked area of the floor with several other people in order to escape the Daleks and Skaro. Once the tour group and I had saved the universe, we were free to look around and take photographs of the exhibits including lots of different versions of the Daleks and Cybermen.

I left the exhibition and explored Cardiff Bay a little, stumbling upon Ianto Jones' Shrine. Ianto Jones was a character in 'Torchwood' who died whilst saving the Earth. The shrine occupies a wall where all sorts of stuff has been attached. Baudrillard, you were ahead of your time, here is your 'hyperreality' made flesh! I then walked around looking for somewhere to eat again. Eventually, I returned to the hotel room with a couple of snacks and resolved to eat out later in a restaurant called 'The Smoke Haus'. I overate here and I am currently recovering in the hotel room, watching the sun set.

Barry Watt - 24th June 2015.

Some of the inscription on the Wales Millennium Centre.

Ianto's Shrine.

No comment! Enjoy!

Hands up who wouldn't wear a Cyberman costume as fetish wear?

Everyone loves a Weeping Angel!

Welsh Gull called Sarah.

Afterword.

All references to 'Doctor Who' and 'Torchwood' refer to the BBC programmes and as such, they own the copyright.

Jean Baudrillard was a French philosopher etc who became primarily associated with concepts of Postmodernism. 'Hyperreality' draws upon the idea that it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction. I can't really recommend any books off of the top of my head at the moment about the subject, but it has been a key concept within popular culture for many years. See for example some of David Cronenberg's films such as 'Existenz'. The world is a very strange place.

BW.

Sunday, 5 July 2015

Cardiff Capers - Part 2

Day 2 - The Falcon and Assorted Friends - 23rd June 2015.

Typically awful night's sleep in a relatively comfortable bed.

I awoke, showered then I journeyed down to the land of breakfast. Muesli, tea and a slightly abridged full English breakfast were my companions. Being the hardcore tea drinker that I am, I opted for the Cranberry and Raspberry tea. Weird yet refreshing, somewhat like me.

I went back to the hotel room and read for a while. 'Don Quixote' is still amusing me. How something written several hundred years ago still resonates and amuses, staggers me.

I left the hotel and visited Cardiff Castle. The most memorable aspects of the visit for me were the wartime tunnels (essentially the corridors inside the walls that were temporarily used as shelters throughout the Second World War) and also the falconry. This small area included a falcon or two and an owl etc. They were attached to plinths by something like string and I mentally questioned whether I found the practise cruel. The official reason given was to prevent any harm from befalling the birds if they are shocked or surprised. I did see one of the staff exercising one of the falcons, so at least they are allowed to fly if only short distances.

I subsequently visited the National Museum Cardiff. This proved to be a curious mix of natural history and art. The exhibition of Chalkie Davies' work from the 70s and 80s proved to be a pleasant surprise (Chalkie Davies ended up becoming an NME photographer, taking lots of photographs of pop and rock stars, both onstage and offstage). Images of pop and rock stars adorned the walls including a wonderful photo of Soft Cell where Marc Almond and David Ball are on the floor with bits in their mouths, whilst an unknown individual is standing behind them and simulating whipping them.

I am pleasantly surprised how this museum used audio in Welsh and English. They also did the same with the captions next to the exhibits and art works. It is important not to let languages die as a result of other languages becoming dominant.

I then left the museum and wandered around and around anxious to find somewhere to eat yet unsure where to go. I opted for a pretty average fish and chip restaurant then headed back to the hotel to rest for awhile, only to discover a ladder and wires hanging from above a flap above my door. I felt oddly disheartened and went back out determined to find the Chapter Arts Centre, the venue where I will see a pre-booked play this evening. Canton may as well be a different world from Cardiff. The venue was slightly hidden. Nonetheless, I found it and I am currently writing this entry in the venue's cafe. It's certainly cooler in here than it is outside. Gosh, it is hot!

(Whilst in the cafe, I wrote this random bunch of lines that may or may not be more coherent than I originally intended. I include them here because they possibly sum up how I was feeling.)

Still waiting,

The crumbs of your blessed

Indifference,

Smother me in their

Textual complexity.

The movement of the ashes

from the mantelpiece to

the dining table,

marks some kind of

Progress.

If only...

Nature flatters and flaunts,

Technology sprays and

Disarrays.

Art can't mirror life

in a can.

The dancer trips and falls,

The acrobat soars in a southerly direction.

The nonsense emitted by the

Silent dreamer as they scream.

Collision at the point of

Addition.

Multiplication at the point of

Subtraction.

A light glaze,

A fanfare for the religiously abstracted.

'This Is How We Die' (the play I attended) was a perfect blend of dysfunctional language and culminated with a white noise cacophony that forced the audience to endure physical pain. I have learnt that your body vibrates when subjected to high volumes.

'Don Quixote' - Please see last blog entry for further details.

Barry Watt - 23rd June 2015