Tuesday 31 May 2011

Where did the RAF Harriers go?

Nice to see in these days of austerity that the Tate Modern artists can still exhibit massive installations that must cost the taxpayer thousands.(Why is it that every time I say the word installation I see a figure doing the inverted comma finger sign?)
The recent contribution was from Fiona Banner who has exhibited two RAF fighters. A Harrier is hung by its tail having been covered by feather motifs. It is meant to represent a huge game bird hanging in the larder. Unfortunately, when you follow the thought process through a Harrier is only marginally more edible than its duralumin partner. Unfortunately for poor Ms Banner the RAF would never countenance buying a Boeing Partridge or an Avro Pheasant (though I think there was a Snipe once). Our cat enjoys eating tiger moths though I think the Shuttleworth collection may have some objections there. Interestingly, when Jeremy Clarkson put an English Electric Lightning in his front garden, it was removed by the local authorities as an eyesore…. so beauty must be in the eye of the beholder.
When I was a member of the Guild of Aviation Artists, they would often go through terrible angst as to what type of aeroplane painting represents 'real art' perhaps Ms Banner could show them the way. I would nominate her for membership though I fear she would be rejected because her work is too representative, anyway, the Guild would have to get an exhibition venue bigger than the Mall Galleries...
Footnote; A professional artist colleague recently visited the Tate modern and was seriously unimpressed with the show until he happened to stumble into a side room which had on display an interesting collection of modern tools, a set of steps and a workbench. After commenting to a curator that this was the best exhibit he’d seen he was taken aside and informed that the room was closed and was currently being decorated in preparation for a new exhibit!
His comments as he left over the millennium bridge was that he wished the ‘E’ would fall off of the word Tate!
Tims Top Tip for cooking birds of prey
(1) Take one oven ready Harrier and a brick. Place both in oven at gas mark 5.
(2) Keep checking brick
(3) When brick is tender, eat Harrier

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