Richard Long show in London - at last

To London for a morning at the Richard Long show. This has taken a surprisingly long time to me to go and see but was well worth the wait. The show is absolutely wonderful.

It consists of five main types of work. Firstly, there are some large vertical mud works like the one at the entrance shown on the first picture below. Secondly, there are a collection of photographs and various map-based works recording various walks and the works created on them. Wood circle in Alaska is my favourite of these (also shown below).

Then there are the written descriptions of walks printed directly onto the walls of the gallery. These include works like "Crossing Stones" which I talked about when discussing my reading of his book Walking the Line.

Fourth, and for me the real highlight of the show, were the five stone works laid out on the gallery floor. Four pictures of these are shown below. I was slightly disappointed to detect a faint red outline round the circles and the ellipse. I had thought that guide lines might have been removed. Should you be interested in making one of these shapes, then you will need several hundred pieces of rock.

And finally there was a section showing catalogues from previous shows, various books and a series of short films that he had made for Channel Four (and which I was able to find on an internet site later on).

I found the show quite overwhelming and enjoyed a slow walk from Pimlico back into the West End afterwards - lost in thought.

The redemptive power of art again. And adds considerably to my excitement about the week of backpacking that I will be doing in Scotland in August.

The mud work by the entrance

Three of the stone works. Apparently these are on loan from other galleries - so presumably will be removed and returned afterwards. There seems to be considerable work involved in these given the flat surfaces. I wonder - do the pieces have a set position or does that chance each time the work is packed up and moved?

A circle of slate - all the same height which shows the work involved in making it

Quartz circle - perhaps my favourite

This work was at the Tate but this picture comes from another gallery.

An outdoor slate work

The man himself - now 64 I was surprised to read

Installing one of the slate works.

Wood circle in Alaska - still my favourite outdoor work

Circle in the Sahara