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Royal Blue run 2012
Leave a commentSome of my closest friends know that I have some interest in buses. I have a bit of a collection of model buses, but those who
have the real thing are special. I have never been a passenger on a bus run. The opportunity to join this year’s run was too good to let pass. So, we boarded a colleague’s 1961 Bristol MW on Friday morning (29 June) and headed out to Salisbury to meet up with a fleet of vehicles that once plied their trade between the South West and London.
It did turn out to be a bit of a tour of bus stations; notably Exeter and Plymouth. The drive through the villages and small towns with their tight bends and narrow entries and exits (the buses sometimes fitted these roads like the tube trains fit the tunnels) was delightful but more often than not frustrating. Whilst the vehicles in their heyday had the roads to themselves, modern tourism meant that we encoutered a lot of traffic in the opposite direction generating tight passing and a lot of reversing.
To illustrate the specialness of some of the owners, one has set up his own museum on his farm near Aveton; this was one of the stops on the tour – and memorable it was, too. Not only is there a collection of memorabilia with suitable descriptions and narrative, but also more buses. Hidden at the back of one of the barns was a truly immaculate Bristol Lodekka. Those in the know, know what I mean.
British design exhibition at the V&A
It is a little pricey at £12.50, but certainly interesting at a number of levels. There is the nostalgia surrounding design epochs and the objects that came to symbolise them. There is the learning – largely historical – about the objects and/or movements that encapsulate British design. And there is a great shared experience – I talked to more people at this exhibition than at any other I can remember. For example, at the balsa model of my former university, I met someone who recently visited with potential students and a former student who also went on to work at the university whilst I was there. A very nice encounter.
The exhibition is housed in three galleries. The first is a bit of a mish-mash of epochs, events and artefacts (e.g. the 60s, the Festival of Britain, transport/architecture). The second gallery revolved around popular culture – Bowie, Mary Quant, Factory records, etc. The final gallery, loosely representing innovation, had Concorde, the E-Type Jaguar, The Gherkin, Video Games and Dyson.
I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the galleries (it took me over three hours) but I was left wondering what the point was. What was the narrative? Why these artefacts and not others? Even more disturbing, however, is the question, where to now? The innovation gallery was surprisingly uninspiring. It was rather sterile. On leaving the gallery, rather than walking into a new world of opportunity, one walks into the gift shop. Rather unfortunate, I thought.
The exhibition continues until 12 August. The exhibition’s video includes interviews with a number of designers featured, including Margaret Calvert who worked on the road signs and who admits that the little girl featured on the ‘children crossing’ road sign is her own image of herself as an eight-year old girl (with her little brother). The video can be seen from the exhibition’s website http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-british-design/
The case for lawyers to head up the banking inquiry
‘Bob’ – we are all on first name terms now – Diamond wrapped the MPs on the Treasury Select Committee around his little finger yesterday. Despite it taking 3 hours, it was an incoherent tame affair largely because there was no strategy to the questioning by the MPs. To be fair, they are not trained interrogators, but there were some rudimentary errors made. For example, Robert Peston on yesterday’s World Tonight programme asked, when did Diamond actually learn about LIBOR fixing – when he first read the report last week as he claims or earlier when he in 2008 claimed that all banks were busy fixing the LIBOR? If he knew in 2008, why did he not intervene? And why did he say to the Committee that he learned only last week? And why did the MPs not pick him up on that contradiction? The now infamous Tucker exchange was also unsatisfactorily investigated.
Click on Peston above to hear the interview.
If ever there was a case for a lawyer led investigation, yesterday’s hearing made it.
Diamond resigns, Cameron announces limited inquiry
Bob Diamond has this morning resigned as CEO of Barclays. Clearly, the reputation of Barclays is under some pressure over this LIBOR-fixing scandal. That said, one is still incredulous to hear shareholders this morning defending him – or at least his aggressive banking style that they think suits their dividend requirements.
Yesterday, David Cameron announced a parliamentary review of banking – or rather professional and cultural standards in the banking industry to be chaired by Andrew Tyrie. Tyrie is now doing some back peddling in light of Labour’s call for a more substantive review of banking presided over by a lawyer similar to Leveson currently investigating phone hacking.
Emirates and the London Underground
So, Emirates airline has invested £36m on a cable car across the Thames between the O2 and the ExCel Arenas. Notwithstanding the fact that at the moment there are unlikely to be too many passengers for this piece of public infrastructure (the property of TfL) on the basis of price (£3.60 with an Oyster card) and, more significantly, a shortage of population between these two points. Though it may have some utility during the Olympics as both arenas are hosting events.
More worrying is the concessions that go with this £36m. Seemingly, Emirates can now tag their logo with the Underground map. This corporate image creep – which Emirates Airlines seems to be particularly good at – should have its limits. As a clean work of art, that map should not be besmirched with any other logo other than the Roundel.
Barclays and the LIBOR
On 6 November 2011 (see below), I reported on Bob Diamond’s Today lecture and his subsequent appearance on the programme the following day (that interview was uploaded to this blog). Well, now we find that Barclays made a lot of money from manipulating the inter-bank lending rate at the expense customers and citizens. The corporate price to pay is roughly £290m with £60m as a straight fine. Job done!
Well, not quite. Was this illegal? The suggestion is that this practice was systematic; i.e. orchestrated by the senior managment of the bank in which CEO Bob Diamond, at the time, was certainly a player. If so, surely it is time for a criminal prosecution? Giving up a bonus will not do.
Some of the reporting from this morning’s Today Programme, including a clip from Bob Diamond’s lecture on corporate culture, an interview with a former Barclays CEO, Martin Taylor, and the inevitable Robert Peston comment can be heard here.
Cigarette advertising, Summer 2012
On this ongoing topic, two new players have entered the advertising space with two different types of campaign. First the Parisien brand goes for the wacky, happy, let the packets say it all approach (left). Parisien is one of the British American Tobacco brands which is particularly popular in Switzerland. The advertising reflects the brand’s alignment with non-mainstream film directors such as Jean-Luc Goddard, David Lynch and the Coen Brothers. (Most of this detail is drawn from Wikipedia as I had never come across the brand before. I will see what else I can find.)
The second new brand has a very male image. 
This image shows five men enjoying themselves in some indoor dark place, perhaps some bar or club. Though there is light suggesting that they have come from a bright outside to be there. However, the headlines defy my german. Normal ist Montags Mädelsabend. Normal kann jeder. My translation would have it that Monday is girls’ night. Perhaps there is an accompanying campaign that would make the whole thing clearer as the Malboro ‘Maybe’ campaign has become?
Wikipedia notes that L&M is a product from the Altria Group, Inc., formally Philip Morris. It is an American brand that is very popular in Asia. It clearly has remarkable properties if this youtube advertisement from 2009 is anything to go by: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoFlb3UsMJk Oddly, terminal cancer is not mentioned.
The best of British design and the Olympics
It is starting to get a little bit tedious, the constant references to the past in terms of design: Pillar boxes, buses, etc. These posters, moreover, are embarassing. Does Richard Branson really equate with being Great?
It is also unfortunately very true now that what makes cities distinctive now is their past. The present and maybe future in terms of artefacts – buildings, products – are generic and global. The same artefacts appear in many of great cities across the globe. BBC Radio 4 seems obsessed about this point, and are discussing it at length. This is the debate’s latest instalment.
University of Brighton degree show, 2012
This is always a great event with lots of excitement from students and visitors alike. It takes a lot of org
anising with stress all round that is dissipated once the doors open. I sensed some conservatism this year, not least reflected in this work by Dean Mills (right). The flowers are fantastic; against the backdrop of an entirely different style in the form geometry, doubly so. These two familiar forms are both conservative and innovative at the same time. 
The work of Kate Longdon (left) uses colour to counter the pessimism in life and death cycles. There are the natural and human worlds, space and time in there somewhere.
So, next on my list of highlights is the work of Julia Arabadji. Arabadji provides the ‘glamour’. The picture (right) is stunning in the flesh, though I’m not so sure about those shoes. But the colours, contours and sheer si
ze of the picture just say indulgence. There is real menace, however; the titles of Arabadji’s painting suggest that our woman is part of an undesirable set: Money Laundering, Euro up the Ass and Mind Games!
Next on the wow! list is a collage by Lucy Mazhari. Mazhari is a fine art printmaker. This one goes under the undistinguished title of Scroll #2. The cinemascope presentation gives it a voyeuristic quality 
that means one has to look and look closely not to miss anything. It is so busy.
Then there is the work of Richard Willan. This was the spookiest piece. These Dalek-like creations are erected in a black space but investigate visitors as they e
nter the cubicle. This investigation is accompanied by an appropriate noise. They could be friendly and they are made of familiar materials (mainly CDs). But anyone who has seen ‘Prometheus’ knows not to trust such unfamiliar ‘creatures’. The piece is called Auto-Form; unfortunately, I cannot upload my short video.
Finally, the conservativism and pessimism this year come out in the work of Jessica 
Illsley. Three young women are depicted as the Dagenham Belles oil on canvas. Forgive my photography, but there is not much fun going on here.
Tandem now in Hove
Yesterday I brought it from Gargrave where it was assembled to Hove where it will start its journey to Munich. It is pictured here with me prior to being loaded into the van. However, prior to doing so, I stayed overnight in Malham and visited a rather dank but spectacular Malham Tarn. Recommended.I’ve uploaded a few pictures below.
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Limestone pavement, Malham Cove |
| Self portrait on limestone pavement |  |
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At the base of Malham Cove on the bank of the river. Climbers can be seen in the background. |
| Malham Tarn on a bleak Monday morning |  |
Be informed 