Last week I was in Cornwall on holiday, taking in both Newquay and St Ives.
The bulk of the holiday was spent in Newquay, with trips to the zoo, the aquarium and a fish festival, as well as relaxing at the beach and moments of unashamed fervour trying to win tat from 2 pence arcade machines. It was incredibly enjoyable and I felt relaxed and happily removed from everyday life.
St Ives read like some sort of greatest hits compilation of other places I have been in the UK, with echoes of Shrewsbury, York, Tenby and indeed Newquay. I expected the place to be beautiful and my expectations were succeeded.
The holiday was punctuated my some more artistic endeavors too, including a trip to St Ives Museum which is rather like entering into a giant cabinet of curiosities complied by a thousand fishermen. (brilliant, in other words.) And also an inevitable trip to Tate St Ives which currently hosts Rivane Neuenschwander’s fun and insightful I Wish Your Wish.
And of course, a holiday offers clarity and reflection, and can provide mental and physical refueling. With this in mind, I am happy to say that my holiday enabled me to clarify my goals and means of development concerning both Speculative Studio Spaces and Perfume as Practice projects. Not only that, I have collected a few little props from the holiday that will be making an appearance for my Speculative Studio Spaces exhibition at Access Space on Friday.