Mat Bowles

OK, last Friday night I went to the "Late at the Tate" monthly event, a laptop orchestra. Now, the basic idea has potential, a bunch of art students and grads with networked iBooks and a mixing desk, improvising a bit of sound/music for half an hour. Unfortunately, that's all it was, and although if oyu shut your eyes and just listened some of the effects were interesting, there was no real indication that it was being improvised, and, unfortunately, was overall a little dull. It's possible that the later two shows got better, but we decamped to the pub after the first.

Late at the Tate is, however, a monthly event, and next month?

Friday 1 June 2007, 18.00–21.45

Mark Wallinger questions the right to protest and the limits of art. What are the principles of free expression? What might constitute the moral imperative to transgress the law and exercise the right to speak out? Joining Wallinger are Adrian Searle, Jerry Sadowitz, Shami Chakrabarti, Lisa Appignanesi, Brian Haw, Gillian Slovo, John Hegley, protest choir Raised Voices and invited guest Mark Thomas.

Tickets will only be available at 18.00 on the night from the Clore Gallery Entrance

I'd make an effort to go see that even if it wasn't 5 minutes walk from the office. Shami and Mark in the same panel discussion? Anyone care to join me?

On a completely unrelated subject, I'm assuming everyone (well, NiN/Star Trek fans) has seen the Kirk/Spock Closer vid already, but there's the link if not (um, yeah, Kirk/Spock slashy scenes with NiN's most famous dodgy lyrics song, NSFW, etc). But here's an even cooler mashup: Closer combined (well) with the Beatles Come Together. Some people have too much time on their hands. These people make amusements for me. This is a good thing.