You heard it here first, my next print will be of the De La Warr (pronounced Delaware) Pavilion in Bexhill. I popped over there last Thursday to take some snaps. It's been done so well before, particuarly by People will always need plates, that I need to find a new angle. Thankfully my friend Dave from Exeter sent me an old book about the DLWP with exactly the view I needed but I had to check out the angles for myself. Unfortunately there was turf laying going on around the east of the building so I couldn't get ideal photos, but they will be good enough.
Now I'm not a big Warhol fan - if you've seen one you've seen them all - but thought I'd take a look seeing as I was there - and it was free. And was pleasantly surprised. Up next to the cafe, where I had a £9 meal deal of soup (parsnip and apple), chips and cappuccino, was a room full of late stuff: small ads for hamburgers, boots and Repent! blown up large in black and white, all on cow wallpaper. Downstairs, were early drawings, then the usual multicoloured screenprints - Mao, electric chair, Marilyn, flowers, Brillo boxes etc etc. Then finally stitched photos and polaroid self portraits. Well worth a visit.
While in Bexhill I cycled along to the museum (formerly the Egerton Park Shelter Hall, built in 1903) to see the original model of the pav. It cost £2 to get in and I had a quick whizz round the fossils and stuffed animals (and the more interesting cars and transport-related items downstairs) before taking some illegal snaps of the model, which includes a circular swimming pool, nude statues and a jetty with diving boards, none of which were ever built.
On Friday night I got the bus to Hove Museum for the opening of Robot Invasion! - Chris McEwan's collection of robots, space toys and artwork. (NB Whilst Googling Hove museum I found a website called Fred's Days Out!) The robots are all in boxes, uncaptioned but themed - with all the Robbys in one box; all the K-9s in another. Next door are ray guns and some of Chris's artwork. There are also videos of the robots in action. It's on until 21 February 2012 so go and see it. After they chucked us out I wandered up to the Poet's Corner pub to watch Lucky Jim and enjoy a couple of pints of Harvey's Old.
