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Cultural Awareness in Aberdeen


Guest Neubeatz

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Guest Neubeatz

It was put to me recently by a learned aquaintance that there is only a shallow and narrowminded level of understanding, particularly in respect of art, literature, and music.

Is it as bad as that? How could I enlighten my friend that it is not?

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It was put to me recently by a learned aquaintance that there is only a shallow and narrowminded level of understanding' date=' particularly in respect of art, literature, and music.

Is it as bad as that? How could I enlighten my friend that it is not?[/quote']

Aberdeen is in general very safe & conservative, however there are small pockets of people trying different things. The WORD festival run by the University is a classic example of goodness & has gained a great reputation in very little time. The best initatives are being taken by independent individuals & organisations who are starting to interact with a positve & refreshing agenda.

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Guest davetherave

Not sure about the level of cultural awareness regarding art, music, etc, but in terms of events and exhibitions, Aberdeen has a hell of a lot more to offer now than say 5 years ago.

In terms of Music the Tunnels hosts a huge variety of music styles.

The art gallery has everything from Bronze sculpted sleeping bags to Monet, and currently has a very interesting exhibit involving an interactive tour of a Tokyo flat.

Promoters include people like Mike and Graeme (Interesting Music) who make a massive effort to seek out strange new forms of music (sounds like a star trek episode), and offer it to anyone who is open minded enough to listen!

Its all down to personal taste I guess!! I'm no culture vulture, but I approach new music, art, etc with an open mind and at least give something a chance before making a decision if I like it or not! Does that make me culturally aware, who knows?

:cheers:

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Guest tv tanned

I try very hard to take an interest in art, good cinema, theatre and literature but the sad and simple fact of the matter is that I do not get as much time to do these things as I would like. Plus it costs money to go and see plays being put on at the theatre, or movies at the cinema, that said my fiancee takes home decent films from the uni library so it all works out.

Would like it if more good quality plays and art exhibitions came to the 'deen though, rather than west end musicals galore...

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The Art gallery's permanent collection has not really changed much in the last 20 years, its not bad for a wee city, but needs an influx of funding to make it broader. Even some good loans would do the trick. Personally I THINK that the time of the municipal gallery is limited, if all the public galleries in Scotland were nationalised under the same auspices as the National Gallery of Scotland, then they could all share in the artistic treasures currently kept in storeage, and borrow things currently denied due to circumstances like bequests etc. Then we could get a shot of the Titians in Edinburgh, like 'Diana and Actaeon'.

The current highlight of AAG is without a doubt 'Pope I' by Francis Bacon, truly one of the few in Aberdeen that would be coveted by any gallery, its just so brooding.

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Whats to understand? If I like something, I like it. I'm not really one to go out my way to seek out anything particularly new, if I come across something new and I like it, great! ...if I'm told I need to broaden my horizons, open my eyes, see, hear, do, listen, taste(!) something else against my own free will, then we're off on the wrong foot and I will be biased towards ever respecting whatever it is I'm being forced to enjoy...

When you try taking things to that next level, you get pretentious and end up going to art galleries to look at blank canvases and listening to music that sounds like a cat walking up and down an untuned piano...there are many people out there who simply just aren't interested in anything to do with the arts....thats fine!! I wouldn't call them safe and conservative....they may be missing out, we may be missing out of living a sheltered life? Who can say?

It's shallow and narrowminded to expect that everyone else should understand and/or appreciate what you appreicate...

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It was put to me recently by a learned aquaintance that there is only a shallow and narrowminded level of understanding' date=' particularly in respect of art, literature, and music.

[/quote']

Why, whenever people start talking about anything relating to culture, do they adopt this irritating and in this case, patronizing tone?!?

You want culture...I'll give you culture. Lick My Balls <- - - - There's your culture and it will taste salty because thats just how hard it is for us citizens to swallow this load of testicles you try to "enlighten" us with.

(Not Birdman)

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Being quite a literary buff I find the cultural level of Aberdeen quite depressing. But saying that the music scene is quite vibrant: Drummonds, Kef, the Tunnels, Lemon Tree etc. What I loathe is His Majesty's and the Arts Centre having really banal plays, middle-class wank, when they could be playing Pinter, Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller etc. When Miller died there was nothing done or said, which is appalling given he wrote 2 of the C20th most important plays.

There are things like the Spring Tides writers group which is quite good, the Belmont cinema, and places like the Kef and the Lemon Tree for more interesting music. The art gallery has some really good exhibitions - the BP Portrait Award is amazing. But compared to Edinburgh this city is culturally very very conservative. Reading the P&J perennial homophobic letters to the ed shows this up very strongly.

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Aberdeen has little pockets of "cultural" outputs. Although, I agree with Leftboy, musically this city is alright, although Im still mourning the loss of Drakes which was very diverse.

I do think think that Aberdeen lags behind most of the other cities regarding Art in Scotland. Shame there is not more going on here, although I may be wrong. People, please enlighten me!

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Whats to understand? If I like something' date=' I like it. I'm not really one to go out my way to seek out anything particularly new, if I come across something new and I like it, great! ...if I'm told I need to broaden my horizons, open my eyes, see, hear, do, listen, taste(!) something else against my own free will, then we're off on the wrong foot and I will be biased towards ever respecting whatever it is I'm being forced to enjoy...

When you try taking things to that next level, you get pretentious and end up going to art galleries to look at blank canvases and listening to music that sounds like a cat walking up and down an untuned piano...there are many people out there who simply just aren't interested in anything to do with the arts....thats fine!! I wouldn't call them safe and conservative....they may be missing out, we may be missing out of living a sheltered life? Who can say?

It's shallow and narrowminded to expect that everyone else should understand and/or appreciate what you appreicate...[/quote']

playing with words @ the end of the day you are right, i am right

"there are many people out there who simply just aren't interested in anything to do with the arts". I totally accept & yes my bland, narrow, conservative, safe may come from a complacent knowing position, all i want to do is help broaden the options, rather than have to keep going to the central belt & beyond to see & hear things that should be available in ne scotland.

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heh trust me, I know where you're coming from... just remember there are people out there at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, who think we are far too open minded and embracing of other cultures/ideas....and just like we will never listen to their opinion, they will never listen to ours!

I think I prefer things the way they are as opposed to be forced in front of our faces, most people when forcefed something will adopt it straight away without realising why (do you honestly think anyone can honestly say they paid 1 for that fucking Crazy Frog ringtone because they really like it?! :D) although of course I personally would prefer people to be as adoptive and open minded to as much as possible... We have the odd token gesture here such as international youth festival, or the union street european markets which help at gaining interest, of course about 90% people attending such events feel forced into it, and like myself, will take nothing out of it if it isn't something I want to do...whereas things like this may open one or two peoples eyes who will go out their way to seek out the new... I've always been a firm undergound/DIYer..... what I liked when i grew up wasn't what was in my face and what others were telling me to ilke, I had to go out my way to seek it out, and that was great...if I couldn't find, I did it myself...usually when working at such a grassroots level, the other people you meet involved with such activity, you'll find you are far more on par with and its very easy to build up friendships/communities...when things become "the next trend" they're rendered shit.....whats so great about your favourite painting or your favourite record when everyone else has gone out, driven merely by consumerism rather than passion to see/hear such thing....see point about crazy frog!! I think that sums up the state of the nation, people will like what they are told to like, and reject everything else...the few individuals who refuse and say no to mass hysteria, will, like yourself, seek out the alternative....

Maybe we should all rally together to abolish the media!!!

"It could be dangerous, art as a real threat!"

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although Im still mourning the loss of Drakes which was very diverse.

mourning what? i can understand you being nostalgic maybe. but the best thing about drakes was the people, and they haven't stopped promoting gigs or going out in town. the spirit of drakes lives on, reincarnated in the venues of snafu, tunnels and the pelican!

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Aberdeen is in general very safe & conservative.

You keep saying this, I keep disagreeing. I don't believe, always keeping in mind that it's a small city, that it's any worse than anywhere else. And in many ways, as you know, it's better and improving all the time.

Give us some reasons for your statement!

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You keep saying this' date=' I keep disagreeing. I don't believe, always keeping in mind that it's a small city, that it's any worse than anywhere else. And in many ways, as you know, it's better and improving all the time.

Give us some reasons for your statement![/quote']

Yeah go on Mr Chilli... Explain yourself!!!!!!

Jim :love:

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mourning what? i can understand you being nostalgic maybe. but the best thing about drakes was the people' date=' and they haven't stopped promoting gigs or going out in town. the spirit of drakes lives on, reincarnated in the venues of snafu, tunnels and the pelican![/quote']

I mourn the loss of the original Drakes however :D

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Awareness

Cultural awareness comes with there being much to be aware of culturally. And when these things develop they become part of the norm, accepted and therefore recede in there noticeability as they are now part of said norm... This has been happening in Aberdeen exponentially for some time now. Aberdeen is getting there. There is alot of movement from the troops on the ground and those in the fancy chairs. Someone somewhere believes in the city. We just need to do the same.

J

ps

When I say getting there I mean somewhere pretty damned good! Well I think so so blaaaaaah :p

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Profound! Is that new job getting to you? "Someone somewhere believes in the city." This statement I'm interested in and I still waiting for evidence to make me believe it' date=' you know, other than you telling me.[/quote']

Well this guy in Ma's last week said he believed in the city. Least that's what I think he said.

Did you not read the Councils Cultural Strategy for the next few years? I know I know... lets see what happens, but it's a start... An attempt to spend the money favourably and provide funding opportunities is better then no attempt at all... Shift anyone?!

Jeez! Listen to me.... I'm off for a coffee... I'm not flag waving by the way. Far from it!!

J

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