A genius exposed in The Imitation Game

This has to be one of the best films I have seen in ages, on so many levels. The story is complicated; Alan Turing is a seiously talented mathematician who ultimatly breaks the Enigma code to fast track the end of WW2; he models the basics for computing and artificial intelligence, and yet was chemically castrated for being gay. Equity was a non-issue, rather the brilliance of diversity shone through. While he was a true genius, in a nerdish way, Alan was also clearly on the autistic spectrum. He was emotionally independent of others, and he was so focussed on building his machine that he considered it his best friend. The acting was also superb; Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing in such a convincing way, that we believe in him totally. Instead of focussing on the ultimate tragedy of his life, we are captivated by his brilliance and the way he works with a small group of similarly talented geeks. He was also gently influenced to be more likeable by the subtle attentions of Joan Clarke, his fiancee, overacted appropriately by Keira Knightley. I really enjoyed one of the film's guiding mantras: “Sometimes it is the people whom no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” So true that I want to find out more about Alan Turing and his enormous legacy to our world today!

Ladies lunch at l'Ortolan

It was great to be invited to save up for a splendid annual meal, and to have chosen l'Ortolan, a restaurant just outside Reading with a long history of French chefs and Michelin stars. We set off early from Oxford, driven in limousine comfort. On arrival, we enjoyed champagne on the Chesterfield in the large bar. It was complemented by wasabi popcorn, blue cheese shortbreads and deep fried haggis balls. I am so glad we opted for the 7 course gourmand menu with fine wines. The food range is too great to be described here; except to say we enjoyed fresh passionfruit, crab, scallops, venison and over 20 different cheeses. They were all delicately presented and the flavours and textures were complimentary. As was the impressive glass of wine with each course, brilliantly introduced by our French sommelier. It was such a shame to stop eating, so we extended our meal with a digestif and coffee; always a good end to a great experience. And then the walk past a giant fish tank which bordered the impressive aluminium open kitchen, to the toilet was a pleasant parting surprise!

Ai Weiwei complements Blenheim Castle

The more I see of his work, the more impressed I am. Ai Weiwei is an artist with a strong political message and a capacity to engage people across the world. While under house arrest in China, he used digital photographs to create modern installations to both complement and challenge one of England's most stately homes. Over 50 art works are displayed inside the palace and throughout the grounds. It is a little like a game of hide and seek, with a written answer sheet; although at times it helps to ask the guides to offer a more detailed explanation. There is a most stunning chandelier in the entrance hall, which kind of mirrors the large gold christmas tree; then in the bedroom where Winston Churchill was born there is a set of hand cuffs on the bed and a golden wire coat hanger twisted into Winston's profile on the wall. The dining hall has a fully set table in gold and white crockery, complemented by large golden busts of the 12 chinese astrological animals. And in one of the last rooms, there is a large bowl of single pearls; which are just out of reach! Outside he has set up patterns of large blue ceramic ovals in lines on the lawn, and hidden several pieces in the secret garden. It is such a great way to appreciate contemporary art within a living castle...

Effie Gray...a story behind the art

It is interesting when 2 films are released at the same time now about artists who were alive at the same time then. Compared to Mr Turner, which I have already criticised for lacking a narrative, the film Effie Gray provides us with the narrative behind John Ruskin's life, so we can appreciate the art and the people who are not only the physical models but the psychological contributors. Perhaps, it is because Emma Thompson has scripted this film to contrast upper class Victorian society with Effie's unconsumated marriage. We assume now that love and sex were the dark underbelly of a very prim and proper society; and that artists were perhaps best placed to capture and share this in their work. However, this film shares a very personal, but contrasting story in a respectful way. We see Effie, played by Dakota Fanning, try to uphold her social status in the claustrophobic family of John; he is the only cherished son, responsible for his father's legacy but emotionally ruined by his overbearing mother, played by Julie Walters. She sees a glimmer of humanity in Lady Eastlake, played by Emma Thompson, as the wife of the President of the Royal Academy, and shares her personal vulnerability. She also develops a real relationship with John Everett Millais, one of John's proteges and an accomplished pre-Raphaelite painter. I really felt for her, ignored by her husband, and increasingly adored by his best friend! So it is somewhat confusing to call this a love triangle, as history has done. However, there is some resolution as Effie seeks annulment of their marriage and she can become more than just an artist's muse.

The Casual Vacancy...politics of suburban life

I thoroughly enjoyed reading J K Rowling's first adult novel, having waited for the release of the paperback! Like many great stories, it begins with the unexpected death of Barry Fairbrother, a 40 something year old stalwart of the local community. We then build the jigsaw puzzle of his life, through the eyes of those around him; his wife and children, the other local councillors, the girls rowing team that he coached, local families and many more. The plot thickens when we realise that there is competition for his position on the council; all for different motivations, of course! We hear perspectives from both the adults involved and their children. It is great that the teenage children have such a strong voice, as they add their own form of manipulation to the melee. It is a pleasure to read and become a voyeur to this small rural hamlet that is fighting all of its own demons; can those who have more really share with those less fortunate, can parents really influence their own children, how do we live with mental ill-health, and of course who is really sleeping with whom? So it is not a surprise that the book does not have a happy ending, because there is no ultimate resolution of all these inherent tensions of suburban life. But it does feel like a real experience, empathetically written...

Mr Turner; a beautiful film of an ugly man

The cinema was full on Sunday evening, of the opening weekend; probably in response to brilliant reviews. I was keen to learn about this painter of light, clouds, storms and mist who broke with tradition, but also managed great fame and fortune in his lifetime. So it seems that William Turner was born into an ordinary working class family, where his mother was mad and his father doted on his son. But it soon became apparent that this artistic genius was oblivious to his wife and children, used women to meet his own needs and was fiercely competitive in the traditional art circles of the time. Turner was convincly played by Timothy Spall, as a growling, rotund and callous man. In contrast, every scene in the film was aesthetically beautiful, with early and late sunlight glowing gold and amber on the surrounding countryside, docks and city streets. I think it was quite an artists' film, with many of his masterpieces recognisable in their evolving and final forms. It was fun to see other contemporary artists such as Constable in the Royal Academy scenes. But the film was a long and largely disjointed set of scenes, which lacked a common narrative across time.

Discovering Tutankhamun...in Oxford

The Ashmolean's summer exhibition, Discovering Tutankhamun, recounts the story in 1922 of finding the tomb of this Eqyptian boy-king. Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter led the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun and painstakingly began to document every object in the 4 hidden rooms. The exhibition begins with Carter's diary open at the page where, in November 1922, he recorded finding the stone steps leading down to the door of a royal tomb with its seals still intact. When he broke through a second door, and used a candle to illuminate the underground caverns, he reported seeing many "wonderful things". While we can only see drawings and some very old photographs of masks, beads, carriages and painted boxes, of originals which will never leave Cairo, there is a sense of the enormity of his find. Although Tutankhamun only ruled for 4 years, died in his late teenage years and never had children with his step-sister wife, there is a sense that this find gave him an international reputation that is larger than it could have been at the time of his death...

Poppies surround the Tower of London

This is one of the most impressive displays of public art I have seen in London. This progressive installation, titled Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Exactly 888,246 ceramic poppies have been hand made by artist Paul Cummins, to represent soldiers who lost their life, and have progressively filled the Tower of London’s moat. It was great to see the crowds of people out to see this spectacle, without entry fee. It was also fun to hear parents telling thier children of the significance of each poppy. And it was amazing to see the enormity of this vision...wow...

Sigmar Polke: linking the Tate Modern with New York and Nazi Germany

Art reflects reality, or so it seems with the wildly divergent creativity of Sigmar Polke. He grew up in what is now Poland, and his family fled to East Germany, and later to Dusseldorf, and then Cologne. It seems he lived through Nazi Germany without having to leave the country. But it also seems that his artistic skills took him on many journeys away from the norm and the establishment. Tate Modern has teemed up with the Museum of Modern Art in New York to co-curate an impresssive exhibition of paintings, sculptures, movies, books and other objects. The interesting thing, for me, was his use of different materials for his paintings; he used fabric, felt and bubble wrap as a basis, and then used various elements such as meteor dust and sand in his paintings. He even exposed uranium to create a wonderful pink hued set of abstract shapes. He also documented his experiments with hallucinogenic drugs, with some respect and artistic license. Overall a very creative man who created a very real alternative to orthodoxy.