Cultural Life: George Shaw, artist

 

Celia Graham-Dixon
Thursday 10 November 2011 20:00 EST
Comments
Shaw says: 'I found the film 'Neds' quite terrifying because it stirred in me the fear of violence I had as a child, but it also stirred in me the fear of violence I have now.'
Shaw says: 'I found the film 'Neds' quite terrifying because it stirred in me the fear of violence I had as a child, but it also stirred in me the fear of violence I have now.'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Visual: Arts Paul Housley's show at the Poppy Sebire gallery was a very refreshing arrangement of paintings and sculptures – I was knocked out by it. It was that combination of a serious committed painter and someone who is also very aware of how ludicrous it is to be locked in a room and painting all your life. It was odd to see the sentiment that I experience, and many artists do, shared in such a public space.

Music: The most recent records I've bought have been soundtracks from films. I'm really enjoying the music to Ken Loach's 'Kes'. Also, the soundtrack to 'Get Carter' and 'The Wicker Man'. I've recently bought the re-print of The Cure's 'Seventeen Seconds'.

Books: I've been reading Philip Larkin's 'Letters to Monica'. I love his personality, which is reflected very well in the letters. I really respond to that net-curtained Englishness – I nod away thinking, 'I know what you mean'.

Television: At the moment I've been watching DVDs of old telly. There was a series called 'The Changes', made in 1975, which I managed to get hold of. I've been watching one of those every evening. There's another series called 'Children of the Stones', which is set in Avebury in the 1970s. It's about the magic power of the stones there. Both of those shows lurk in the back of my imagination and have done for years.

Films: I found the film 'Neds' quite terrifying because it stirred in me the fear of violence I had as a child, but it also stirred in me the fear of violence I have now. Another film I enjoyed a lot recently was 'Sleep Furiously'. It's a documentary made about a farming community in North Wales, made by Gideon Koppel. It tells the story of this rural community and is set to a soundtrack by Aphex Twin.

George Shaw has been nominated for this year's Turner Prize

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in