The Vanity Of Small Differences and other stuff.

As I come to the end of my time working in IT at the Co-op, I find I've a few days holiday to use up. I decided to pop into Manchester City Gallery on one of these days to take the opportunity to see Grayson Perry's 'The Vanity Of Small Differences' tapestries.

We had watched the Channel 4 program a year or so ago and watched the recordings again last week before we went.
Based on Hogarth's A Rake's Progress the six tapestries follow the life of Tim (as opposed to Hogarth's Tom) Rakewell in his rags to riches story as he climbs from the working class, passes through the middle class and ends (in all senses of the word) in the upper class.
We really enjoyed the TV programs, with Grayson coming across as a very genuine bloke who had respect for all classes and really wasn't there to judge. The most harrowing class for me was the upper class, where my preconceptions were completely trashed by a very sensitive insight into their existence, being tied to tradition and an obligation to preserve the past, regardless of personal cost (in terms of both money and living).
Seeing the tapestries in person, their scale, artistry and vibrant (but appropriate) colours was stunning.
The fact that these could be likened to comic book splash pages struck me as I read the words hidden amongst the art.
Well worth a visit if you get the chance.


Also this week we had another great review for WesterNoir issue 3 over on www.brokenfrontier.com and issue 4 is now complete, checked and is ready for the printers. All on track for the launch at Maidstone's DemonCon7.
And... I've finally completed greyscaling and lettering the Mite-D short story for From SuperZeroes to SuperHeroes, drawn by the talented Sebastian Velez.