Nott What You'd Expected...

Thai Peanut Sauce

Tuesdays are our alloted day of lecture. This week's topic: Art in Britian.... our guest? Hetain Patel, the Asian artist in residence at the University of Nottingham Lakeside Center for the Arts....

Before dinner, Carol had noted that we were lucky to have such a distinguished second-generation British Asian... a winner of the Decible Award, an art award given to very talented Asian or African British artists.... ironically, at the same time she noted our good fortune, I glanced over at the night's menu and read in horror (and irony, and hilarity) "Thai Peanut Sauce StirFry with Chicken"

Serving uniquely Chinese or Asian food to an Asian on the one night of the week that we are in his presence is the definition of irony.

Until he arrived, and we were reminded again that Asian as a defining term in the UK and Europe for that matter, means of the continent of Asia....not just Japanese, Korean, or Chinese. Aka, Hetain is Indian. It's a huge part of his art, and a huge part of his identity.

He's a performance artist of sorts- a lot of AV type stuff, experiments, live shows, temporary works, audio stuff (drums, but now he's working with a beatboxer for a show...)... his website is at www.hetainpatel.com , and here are some of his pics (hopfully not copywrited? shit....i dunno...)



Geek Moment Ahead (aka, I read something that kindof interested me).....
I'm really interested in this idea of the English as a country of words.... ever since Henry VIII eliminated the Catholic Church from England in 1536 in order to divorce his wife, the art of masterful religious painters and other classic art was destroyed, so that while Europe was developing into a very visual art community, the English reverted to Shakespeare's works along with the works of other classical English writers.... The idea continues today- the British are obsessed with books, words, vocabulary--- vocal gymnastics i called it a few weeks back---
The Brits print more books than the US every year, and over 80 % of the adult population over 15 reads a daily newspaper.... it's all very fascinating--- and is reflected in the push for English as a global language, as well as why the British have shitty art in comparison for the middle 16th and 17th centuries....

Whew. That's over..... sounds like an essay topic for Thursday.....

Otherwise, my day was chill--I ran my now favorite 6.5 mile route up into Apsley, washed dishes, did laundry, planned some Winter Break (Prague, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Paris, Amsterdam, London), talked with my best Tanzanian friend of all time on Skype, and took a nap.... all in all, not a good prep for the rest of a very busy week...

Tomorrow is another Crosscountry Social....along with two classes, and the duedate for our massive journals and chronology of British History from 3000bc to present times....

eh, whatever.

posted by Kevin @ 10:01 PM