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TravelNew York, Ireland and the UK:
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The 2007 Artpoints Tour of the United Kingdom continuedWe set sail from Brooklyn, NY for Southampton, England on the Queen Mary 2June 11, 2007
We have had our first night at sea; happily installed in cabin 06, level five of the Queen Mary 2. The seas are a bit rough with a strong wind and even this great ocean liner sways gently from side to side. Our cabin is about the size of a small hotel room with plenty of storage and a compact bathroom with a shower. We feel no vibration at all from the engines, For a Quicktime video of the QM2 leaving New York and Passing the Statue of Liberty: Click Here This is my first experience on a ship larger than a ferry. It is difficult to find words to describe this elegant and powerful ocean liner. The public areas are lavishly decorated in a revived Art Deco Style. We explored a bit and then dressed for dinner. The Britannia dining room is impressively large and elegant. We met our table companions; three other couples with varied interests. We had slightly over-dressed, as we had no idea what “elegant casual” meant. The service was impeccable and the food wonderful. We both had the light “spa cuisine” selection; roasted duck breast with a soy reduction sauce on a bed of wilted spinach and roasted yam. The multicultural staff of the QM2 is exceptionally professional. Evette, from the Philippines, headed our table staff. She told us the more than half of the QM2 staff is Filipino. n bubbling water, sitting in the steam room and generally unwinding. It was a most interesting sensation, floating in a pool of bubbling water while feeling the gentle movement of the ship. I spent the better part of the afternoon in the Canyon Ranch Spa soaking in bubbling water, sitting in the steam room and generally unwinding. It was a most interesting sensation, floating in a pool of bubbling water while feeling the gentle movement of the ship. June 13We are getting seriously spoiled. It now feels quite natural to have coffee and tea with Wedgewood cups delivered too our cabins in the morning. We do not have to think at all about planning meals. They just materialize, perfectly executed for our pleasure. There are two elite dining rooms upstairs for the passengers who occupy the suite-level cabins, but I cannot imagine what could be nicer than the meals and service we have enjoyed. Jim spent an hour on the Lifecycles in the Gym and I walked the decks. While exploring the ship, I was delighter to come across a beautifully illuminated scroll honoring the QM2 from the city of Southhampton. It was very much in the Edward Johnston tradition of calligraphy and Illumination. I felt as if I had run into an old friend. This is the ArtPoints tour, so I must write something about the art on the QM2. The prints in our cabin are quite nice—semi abstract seascapes resembling the work of Richard Diebencorn. The sculptures in the public areas of the ship are slightly over-the-top Art Deco figures for the most part. In the context of the ship décor, I think they work very well, although I would not expect to see them in a museum. There are many paintings, prints and photos celebrating the nautical heritage of the Cunard line and a number of Royal portraits. The overall effect is harmonious and elegant. The pieces offered for sale in the hallways and much-publicized “Art Auction” however, are another matter. Here, I must write my only negative review of this sea voyage. It is hard for me to believe that anyone would select this work for public view, let alone sale to a sophisticated audience. Over 100 paintings were stacked haphazardly along hallways, propped up on chairs and the floor. This poor display made the paintings look like like a carefully curated museum of art-fair rejects. There was the usual collection of inoffensive florals, romantic figurative and landscape paintings. No surprises there, however, I was astonished to see a group of large canvasses which looked as if Big Daddy Roth had been commissioned to do black velvet paintings of anthropomorphic cocktail olives and flaming dice. Each canvass more ghastly than the last, with drunken animals, fluorescent martini glasses and ghastly hand-lettered titles such as” Veterinary Hangover Hospital”. Looking like the remains from a 1970s Laguna Beach art gallery, were a series of framed bronze-colored resin relief sculptures depicting Barbie-doll nudes, pas-de-deux, and sentimental mother-child scenes. Faux-cubist paintings with a semi-fluorescent color palette were in abundance. I cannot omit mention of the acrylic depiction of, among other things, a mermaid, unicorn and reflecting-pool.A later note after talking to my tablemates: This is the ArtPoints tour, so I must write something about the art on the QM2. The prints in our cabin are quite nice—semi abstract seascapes resembling the work of Richard Diebencorn. The sculptures in the public areas of the ship are slightly over-the-top Art Deco figures for the most part. In the context of the ship décor, I think they work very well, although I would not expect to see them in a museum. There are many paintings, prints and photos celebrating the nautical heritage of the Cunard line and a number of Royal portraits. The overall effect is harmonious and elegant. The pieces offered for sale in the hallways and much-publicized “Art Auction” however, are another matter. Here, I must write my only negative review of this sea voyage. It is hard for me to believe that anyone would select this work for public view, let alone sale to a sophisticated audience. Over 100 paintings were stacked haphazardly along hallways, propped up on chairs and the floor. This poor display made the paintings look like like a carefully curated museum of art-fair rejects. There was the usual collection of inoffensive florals, romantic figurative and landscape paintings. No surprises there, however, I was astonished to see a group of large canvasses which looked as if Big Daddy Roth had been commissioned to do black velvet paintings of anthropomorphic cocktail olives and flaming dice. Each canvass more ghastly than the last, with drunken animals, fluorescent martini glasses and ghastly hand-lettered titles such as” Veterinary Hangover Hospital”. Looking like the remains from a 1970s Laguna Beach art gallery, were a series of framed bronze-colored resin relief sculptures depicting Barbie-doll nudes, pas-de-deux, and sentimental mother-child scenes. Faux-cubist paintings with a semi-fluorescent color palette were in abundance. I cannot omit mention of the acrylic depiction of, among other things, a mermaid, unicorn and reflecting-pool. A later note after talking to my tablemates: I believe that art should do much more than show us an idealized and sentimental view of humans and the world. Art can have many functions, including decoration. The abstract and mathematical beauty of Islamic tile or Celtic knot designs awakens within me a love of repetition, form and precision. Art can open our eyes anew to the beauty surrounding us. Botanical art can help us see the world anew by highlighting a tiny detail in a flower or on the wing of a beetle. A Turner seascape painting can reveal the power of the oceans to a desert dweller. Each individual artist must look within his or her self to find a harmony between vision and craft and each generation of artists must determine how to respond to their time. Art can help us find compassion for the suffering of others; for example, photography has made an enormous contribution to our understanding of social justice. Art can form a bridge between tradition and our modern world. It can explore the tensions and conflicts within the self or society. There will never be total agreement on the exactly what art is, but after a lifetime of observing, studying and sometimes attempting creative work, I am fairly confident in saying that the QM2 Art Auction merchandise falls well short of the mark. June 14, 2007I believe that it is not unusual to develop schemes of self-improvement while on vacation. We are determined to enroll in ballroom dancing lessons as soon as we get home. Our dancing style has thus far been limited to slow dancing and generally faking it, but this won’t wash for the Foxtrot or Tango numbers. Today we met up with two of our table mates to demonstrate how our iPods work. We both brought our iPods, of course along with a small portable speaker and noise-cancelling earphones. It sounds like a lot to carry, but it all fits into a small space. We find it very comforting to have familiar music with us. We are past half-way in our voyage, the seas remain calm. The gentle rocking of the ship has not upset our stomachs at all, although I occasionally feel a bit dizzy on my feet. This morning it occurred to me that I really will be quite offended when presented with a bill at the end of a meal in England. I have not felt so taken care of since early childhood. Tonight is our last formal night. We are preparing to ship all of our evening clothes home, as the rest of our travels will be quite informal. The ship’s Internet connection has been very slow and spotty, so we have been little in touch with the outside world. We will have to wait ‘till landfall to post to Artpoints, but are writing and taking pictures every day. June 16, Disembarkation We were up early, bags packed. We could see land for the first time in days. Sea birds flew overhead and many ships passed as we steamed into Southampton. We caught a cab to pick up our car. Our English adventure began with Jim learning to drive a stick shift on the left side of the road. Maps in hand, I served as navigator. To Bath Spa we go! JIM |
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