You can’t help but be fully aware of the weather when in St Ives. The sight of the turbulent sea was enough to make me very grateful for my winter coat, hat and scarf.
St Ives is one of my most loved places. I grew up not too far from here. It has changed of course, but so has everywhere else.
The primary reason for going was to see the exhibition – Andy Holden – A Natural History of Nest Building. As a maker myself I was amazed at the variety of materials, methods of construction, sites, locations and skills of birds around the world. It was intriguing, amazing, heart-warming and astounding. Check out the activities of the oven bird and the bower bird in particular.
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/display/andy-holden-a-natural-history-of-nest-building
Exhibition Spaces
When life seems to get a bit too busy I make time for a trip to Tate St Ives. It is always a renewing and refreshing experience. It provides a calming space and I can leave everything else on my mind and “to do” list outside the gallery.
I enjoy spending time with works of art which raise questions or inspire me. I take notes, photographs and sketches. One question asked of the visitor is whether they consider themselves as “modern” in our modern age.
Over lunch with my husband we both acknowledged that we are living in a modern age. But maybe we would prefer it to be a part-time experience! There are many benefits and advantages to all that we now know and have knowledge of. The modern age comes with a lot of information and conversation. Sometimes too much and how much of it do we really need to enrich our lives?
Nest Building
Visiting this exhibition today was like an interlude to modern life. It was a space in which I was enriched in my knowledge by the techniques of building nests that been repeated over and over again. The existence of such creativity often unseen is delightful.
Whilst human existence has continued to evolve over the centuries constantly improving and developing on the achievements of previous generations, birds had it just right in the first place when it comes to building their nests. This is just the information and conversation we need to enrich our modern lives in these challenging times.
And to finish..
The view from outside Tate St Ives today
Currently Reading:
Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn