Tom Jeffreys goes to Wales to learn about the London art scene.
London may be the centre of the art world – in the UK at least, if not the world – but every now and again us arty folks like to leave the capital and venture into what can only be termed the provinces. Hence the enthusiasm with which Crunch, the art festival at Hay, is embraced.
Back in May I journeyed to the bookish Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye for the dreary book festival and had an unexpectedly wonderful time at concurrent philosophy festival, HowTheLightGetsIn. Crunch is organised by the same people, and so I expected it to be just as enchanting. But it isn't quite, and I think it's due to the London art world big shots. As charming as the setting is, as tasty as the food, as hard as everyone works, an event like this will always succeed or fail on the quality of the speakers and performers. And many of those involved just don't seem that interested.
HowTheLightGetsIn succeeded because there's something intrinsically fascinating about philosophers, scientists, economists, and psychologists – they know things I don't. And when they're all put together the results can be genuinely exciting. But art people are different – for starters they all seem to know each other already.
As much as I can see the importance of securing big name speakers, many of them disappoint. They all seem part of the same little clique, still fixated on the YBAs, still desperate to see themselves as outsiders. Art critic Godfrey Barker is a frightful bore who's never got over Duchamp, Serpentine Director Julia Peyton-Jones has apparently never left W2, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz speaks crisply but never really says anything, and ICA Director Ekow Eshun doesn't even turn up. And that's despite a pathetic puff piece about him by pompous Godfrey in the Evening Standard the day the festival kicks off. This is the mainstream. It has nothing to say.
That is not to say that Crunch doesn't have its high points; they're just not where I expected them. I know I'm a little slow on the Laura Marling bandwagon, but her performance on the Friday night is completely mesmeric. She's a melting glacier of delicacy – simultaneously chilling and all aglow with warmth. Artist and TV presenter Matthew Collings is lucid and forthright, oddball music fellow Richard Strange is as entertaining as ever, Lulu & the Lampshades are a cutesy ball of fun, and psychiatrist and author Iain McGilchrist makes some of the more interesting points of the weekend – the idea that “art's role is not to question what art is” is certainly a challenge to the dogma of postmodernity.
But the real star is Brian Eno, whose slightly contrived 'In Conversation' event with Paul Morley is completely brilliant, and probably worth the trip to Hay alone. Spanning the nature of art (not as communication but as “incendiary device”), the origins of the internet (apparently the first public site was a Grateful Dead fan community), his role in Roxy Music, and the future of music and art, Eno is a witty, engaging and challenging speaker. He's a man of strong and coherent opinions, and has clearly thought in detail about what he wants to say. If only the art folks were as thoughtful or as relevant.
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