Keiskamma Altarpiece
I attended a charity event a couple of nights ago to celebrate the unveiling of the Keiskamma Altarpiece at Southwark Cathedral in London. This giant tapestry was made over several years by villagers in a small community in South Africa where an HIV AIDS centre is trying to raise money for retardant drugs. It’s a stunning piece, about thirteen feet high by twenty two feet wide, in a kind of tryptych configuration where ‘leaves’ unfold to reveal more scenes. It’s a stunning example of African folk art made up of crochet, wire, beads and string. The ladies who made it were there singing and chanting for us, and Ruby Wax led a silent auction to raise money for their centre.
Then we sat down for dinner in a nearby club called Clink, which I remember from the days when it was a grotty band rehearsal space! So much of London has changed beyond recognition since I was a kid. Seated at my my table were old friends and new: John Reynolds, drummer and producer (and partner of Sinead O’Connor), who played in my first band Amberband when we were both 15; Claire Kenny, a long-time bassist friend; Kevin Armstrong, guitarist and current collaborator; and Brian Eno, whom I finally got to meet after all these years. My admiration for Brian and my musical debt to him are well documented elsewhere, but suffice to say it was a terrific honour and pleasure for me.
If you’re anywhere near London please take a stroll through the lovely Southwark Cathedral and check out this altarpiece!
Ah, I work in Southwark. I’ll go there one lunchtime this week.
As the old graffiti has it, “Eno Is God” – so no surprise, I guess, at finding him in a cathedral.
My 1982 grotty rehearsal space on the Holloway Road survived until last year; it’s just been knocked down in preparation for a huge block of student accommodation, although work seems to have stopped there and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s left as a huge patch of abandoned ground for a few years yet. But until that happened, it was still a commonplace to wander to the tube and see the latest bunch of spikey-haired wannabes having their photographs taken against an urban brick wall. If in a good mood, the following traditional exchange took place:
ProfHiggins (cheerily): “Next big thing, eh, chaps?”
Spikeys (with attitude): “Feck off, grandpa!”
Ah, modern culture.
I was back home by the sea this weekend visiting my family who still live in Dorset. I was struck by how much the character of the places I remembered from my school days had changed. It will change further in the coming years as it prepares to host the Olympic regatta in 2012. For the better I wonder?
I’m a big fan of Eno and David Byrne’s new album. Have you heard it Thomas?
Cheers,
Andrew
My gawd, I wish I could see that altarpiece up close, but I live
in Canada…such beauty, coming out of such tragedy, but there’s
hope for a brighter future.
From great pain comes great art. It’s a testament to those African
womens’ resiliency. I cannot fathom the work that went into creating
those panels. Stunning.
Thank you for blogging about this, Thomas.
Glad to hear you finally got to meet Brian Eno. It must have been a big thrill for you. I met him a few years ago at a Long Now seminar, but he was very busy so I only got a quick autograph.
Glad to hear you finally got to meet Brian Eno. It must have been a big thrill for you. I met him a few years ago at a Long Now seminar, but he was very busy so I only got a quick autograph.
The altarpiece was on display here in DC early this year, at the National Cathedral. When you see the altarpiece from a distance, it almost looks like a primitive Gustav Klimt creation; the whole thing exudes a tremendous brightness. Then, when you view it closer, and you see each image and stitch, it’s not that the overall brightness diminishes, but the elements and stories become more clear. They all speak to you. It’s remarkable.
Just saw David Byrne’s show last weekend. I always think of you and Eno in the same thoughts. Glad you got to meet him finally. When I saw the latest Eno/Byrne project come together, I thought maybe you had been involved in some way.
You sound like you are having fun in your old stomping grounds.
cheers
What a lovely description, Merujo. Now I almost feel as though
I *have* seen the altarpiece up close. Thank you.
Peace and intricate work(wo)manship,
Kara