March 12, 2005

what a waste of money

The BBC "Culture Show", to whom we are not eternally grateful, have in their infinite wisdom as cultural gateway to the billions, spent a load of time and money making a film following the evolution and realisation of "Landscope", only to throw it in the bin, lest viewers are confused, bemused, befuddled and bugger off to C4. The poor thick sods felt that a program with more than one item about "conceptual art" would be a program beyond the comprehension of their viewers (patronising arseholes).

The "conflict" arose in relation to a few minutes about a minor art prize, which has been in their diaries, no doubt, for months.

This begs several questions : if this is their policy how come they go ahead and make programs they won't show, how can they justify wasting what must be at least £10,000 plus a lot of peoples time ? (queue irate millions of the license paying public screaming for a refund).

What exactly is their idea of culture . . . and their idea of what people can actually comprehend ?

I feel sorry for the people who made this film, it was there, finished, ready to roll, and then 2 days before the show, it wasn't. They worked hard, writing, filming, editing, it was their work. As for myself I got to make my piece, it exists in the world. I have no great desire to appear on your tv . . . but their work is in the bin.

Write to the BBC - if you're so moved - and tell them you want to see it, the Landscope film from the 10th March.

Posted by Jem Finer at 9:56 AM

March 4, 2005

O - MAP : astrophysicists

Some of the maps of Oxford and the universe made by members of the astrophysics department . . . (see also 21st October 2004, 18th and 24th January 2005)



Posted by Jem Finer at 3:31 PM