Wednesday 10 March 2010

Inspector Morse...

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for the invite for last night, it was really good to see how the space developed, sorry if it didn’t seem that I was outwardly contributing, sometimes speaking out isnt my strong point, and I think some of what Andy and Yvonne were saying later on in the session was very relevant especially in a new situation… about speaking out and been abit worried that everything you say might be deconstructed and assessed, especially when its art related…then I suppose you go through the next stage which is why would anyone bother to do that…what I say isnt that important!!! But I really got a lot out of the session and as it developed quickly saw it wasn’t like that, so I thought I would explain as I didn’t want to seem like an ignorant mancashire and as the motto seems to be ‘learn through doing’ you might not be able to shut me up next week!...Though I maintain my right not to be held to account for anything I have just said!

Anyway to important matters of art business, I have been working on a project which seems to be relevant to last nights discussion (I probably should have mentioned it at the time…see above!). I have been looking at commercial TV detective series as a format or tool to dissect/dicuss elemnets of art theory, looking particually at the role/myth of the artist, the social production of art, the slippage of roles for certain objects etc etc. Anyway I have proposed an event on 22nd (Monday) called the artist as detective, during which I propose to watch one of my favorite episodes of Inspector Morse called ‘Who killed Harry Field?’ where they deconstruct the artists studio and practise to try and find his killer….

Episode Guide (http://epguides.com/InspectorMorse/guide.shtml)

“An artist, fun-loving drinker and raconteur, Harry Field seems like a man after Morse's own heart. But when Morse and Lewis investigate his mysterious death, they discover that he was not such a lovable character. He had few original ideas, and was a copious imitator of the style of other artists, but all his paintings seem to be of the same woman, and it is not his wife. He did a good trade in made-up family coats-of-arms with joke latin mottos, but was he involved in more serious fakery?”

And then just talk about it, nothing too forced or pressured, if people bring there favoraiite inspector morse watching brew…ovaltine perhaps, I will bring the quality street! I will prepare some readers which people can read on the night or before hand, and also there are 3 episodes of midsommer murders which are relevent which I can show clips from though this might be abit over kill (pardon the pun!...that just made me laugh for ages), I have copies of all these so am happy for them to be in the library along with all the supporting texts.

I hope this isnt too vague, it would be good if people could just drop me a quick email (elizabeth.murphyart@googlemail.com) if your interested in coming so I can plan to get over etc etc, I am going to start a research blog for this project anyway sometime this week (fingers crossed) so I will link it on here, in case you want to have a more in depth look before you commit to coming….

Thanks

Liz x

6 comments:

  1. Hey Liz, this sounds ace! I'd really love to come. I'm working in the day but if it's in the evening (like 5pm onwards) I can totally make it! I'd be very interested, sounds like a brill idea. My personal favourite is Columbo, and after that I think Quincey was a bit of a dude (tho a total italian womaniser!) and the way he was so passionate was such a nice contrast to Columbo's self-deprecating and humble yet persistent intelligence and good humour. Actually both of them had good senses of humour. What was Morse's humour like? I'll be thinking about this, as I'm sure you can tell! xm

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  2. I am aiming for a 6 oclock kick off I think? Morse too was a tad of a scoundral, womanising and sarcastic thats why I find alot of similarities to the way artists are potrayed in fictional films/tv dramas....often, witty, charming, filandering, intellegent but slightly removed from socitey, abit like way the bbc portrayed the artists in desperate romantics...http://www.bbc.co.uk/desperateromantics/paintings/bocca_baciata.shtml...a programme not noted for its historical accurancy though I should say, or the way or even worse the russian artist in sex and the city.....!

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  3. Wow, yes! And you know the way the detective is always brought in after the deed has already been done, and their role is always to find "who is responsible" and place blame somewhere, and protect people from it happening again. But a bit like the classic hero in western films, the detective can never really be accepted into the society s/he "saves" because they are seen as too destabilising an influence, they have to ride off into the sunset (and a bit of skirt on the side is their pay off!). A bit like the trickster figure in myth, an "upsetter", a sort of mischevious "Loki". It's true that the detectives totally LOVE what they do isn't it! Maybe that's the reason they can't fully be accepted into society - because of their relish of the "dark side" they're investigating... like in that tv programme "Vice Squad" and certainly "Cracker". They're too close to it for comfort. Love it. I'll be there on 22nd. xm

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  4. hi Liz,

    sorry I was sure I had already left a comment on this. It sounds great - could you put it on the google calendar if you haven't done so already. Also it reminded me that Black Dogs did a video presentation for No Fixed Abode a while ago using an episode of 'The Good Life' as a foundation. Some youtube version is here http://black-dogs.org/index.php?/projects/the-good-life/ but I haven't seen it for a while so can't vouch that it isn't wazz.

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  5. I'll come along to this if I can get there from work quickly enough.

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  6. Hurrah what an excellent response! I will sendsome reader stuff round tomorrow probebly...i will definatly have a look at that episode of The Good Life Andy....even if it is for the sole reason that you have brought the term 'Wazz' back into my life!

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