WHEEEEEEEE!

[slemslempike]

On Friday morning I walked along the South bank to the Tate Modern. I accidentally pushed into the ticket queue. I had been waiting at the front, and didn't realise that if you wanted to get tickets for the Carsten Höller slides then you were supposed to join a massive queue round the side. All I saw when I got down the stairs was a rush of people going to queue, so I joined in, and got a few glares I didn't understand until about ten minutes later. By that time, having weathered the distaste radiating around me, I poked around my conscience a bit and decided that I didn't feel guilty enough to leave and go to the back. As a kind of penance I only got one ticket though, which seemed a compromise that I could just about live with.

My ticket was for a few hours later, and I took advantage of lsugaralmond's kind loan of a Tate card to have breakfast in the members' cafe. It was lovely sitting on the terrace overlooking the Thames. The view was mostly of the tops of buildings and a lot of cranes, but a View nonetheless, and one that made me feel a bit special. I also went and looked round the Cubism exhibit, which had a room of Guerilla Girls posters. I like the Guerilla Girls' work, so I was pleased, but then wondered what the Tate's record was on exhibiting women and black artists. Galleries should only be allowed to show GG stuff if they put up a sign of their own displaying the statistics for the past year, and explaining exactly what their commitment to equality entails. Or are we now so stupidly post-feminist that we can stand around smugly saying "ooh wasn't it terrible" right next to a poster saying "things are even worse in Europe" without questioning if they've got any better?

Eventually I got to go on the slide. You have to wedge your feet into a sort of sack thing, and I had trouble getting into that while clinging to the side so that I wouldn't set off too soon and land on a poor child at the bottom. There was a lot of shrieking, and while there were hats and elbow pads that you could use, no-one else around me was and I didn't feel brave enough to ask for them. As it turned out I didn't need them. I whooshed down giggling the entire way, and felt that I managed the potentially clumsy ending rather gracefully. I wished that I hadn't made a stupid moral bargain, and had tickets for the other slides as well. I had seen a few of the "but is it art" whining in various papers, and I have to say that it never occured to me to think about it at the time. My only thought was "wheeee!" and that's pretty much what it is now I come to reflect more maturely.

I just had time to investigate the giftshop for stocking presents before heading to Euston. I couldn't find any, but bought myself some Guerilla Girls rubbers that say "erase discrimination" as I am not so unhypocritical not to like a nicely commercialised bit of feminist tat to pretend like I'm doing something that matters. I have paired it with my "women rulers in history" ruler, and now I have to find something to rule for my work. A small country will do. The rubber will come in useful when I get books out of the library that are covered in pencil underlinings, which makes me furious. Mostly because it impedes my own reading, but also I can get sanctimonious because it causes difficulty in the machines that convert the text for visually impaired people.

Anyway, I walked along to the bookstall under hungerford bridge, nothing there, probably just as well as Lizzie had given me some from her slush pile. There were signs for a Gorillaz pop-up shop along the bridge to Embankment, but I didn't go. On the train home I was working on some discourse reading at a table. I was joined by another student who matched my book, and then pulled out another, so that she looked more dilligent than me! Also, she was a medical student, which is rather good. Then I noticed that not only had she not yet got to grown-up medicine and was only on paediatrics, but it was concise paediatrics at that. Hah! Then there was another woman but she did business studies and I like to think we both turned up our noses at that. Actually med student was asleep until Preston, where she said "does this train go to Preston" and I said "this is Preston" and then she did a very television style thing of shrieking and grabbing things and diving off the train.

Comments

[whatho.livejournal.com]

You went on art that was slides! That's very great. I think all art should be slides, or otherwise swings.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

It was BRILLIANT. It was quick and curly and it was the best art ever. Art that was swings would also be great. Art that was seesaws too.

[sinsense.livejournal.com]

Oh! OH! The slides at the Tate! I have a picture of those up in my office, because I am in love with them! I think it's art, and that it's utterly fabulously wonderful, and you went! Hooray!

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

They look really lovely from the open bit that I've just forgotten what it's called but I'm thinking turbine room. They were great fun too.

[jinty]

Ah, I haven't managed to go on the art slides yet, but only a matter of time. I am determined. It sounds great!!!!

Re gorillaz pop-up shop - my friend Woodrow has a set of photos on Flickr for these so you can pretend like you were there.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks for the link! I wondered what it was about.

Oh, it was good. I wish I'd got tickets for all the levels, just to get the different experiences.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Aren't the slides great? (I was too cowardly to demand elbow pads, and regretted it on banging both elbows in separate incidents.)

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

They really are! I was lucky with the elbows, didn't get too much of a banging, but I would have felt less nervous about it.

[lsugaralmond.livejournal.com]

The card made it's way back to me! Thankyou! I'm glad you got to enjoy the members' cafe. I like cards that let you into places other people aren't allowed to go.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I did feel very cool getting past the gatekeeper on the door for the cafe, and then there only being a very few people in there.

[gralyn.livejournal.com]

I was in the Tate Modern on Friday - I could have stalked you! Except we didn't get there until about 2 o'clock when the queue for the slides was enormous and almost up to the door. I was with impatient people who don't like queuing, so we had to skip the slides and I am very jealous that you got a go! You are the first person I 'know' who has been down them and I'm so glad that they sound as fun as I expect them to be! Which one did you go on?

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I went on the fifth floor one - I figured if I only did one it should be the tallest. I was prepared for queues and the accidental queue jump meant I didn't have to wait too long for it. Well worth it! Will you get another chance?

[gralyn.livejournal.com]

I went on the fifth floor one - I figured if I only did one it should be the tallest.

Sounds like a good plan. I also really want to try the fourth floor one, which is supposed to be the fastest!

I will definitely try again soon. I had been in the previous Sunday and it was all fully booked, I'm hoping it will be third time lucky!