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DINOSAURS' MUTINY IN COLOUR
Reviewed by ANDRE BEAUMONT
The theme in Newmarket, headquarters of racing, in summer 2023 is Mutiny in Colour to coincide with an exhibition at the National Horseracing Museum of the same name.
The town has exhibits of colourful public art scattered about.
There are a number of Saturday events and on 12 August 2023 the dinosaurs decided to do their own mutiny and take over the July racecourse, which is also used for evening and post-racing concerts.
All said, may not be large enough ....
but going swiftly backstage to have a look
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
It may outrun a thoroughbred
The racing itself had an early winner for the King and Queen, Lady Wulfrun
A grey filly winning the Group 3 Fillies' race
The penultimate race, which often is the last race for keen racegoers as they may wish to avoid the rush of people leaving after the last race, had a surprise.
As we were waiting for the horses to be brought into the winners' enclosure, we found ourselves talking to the winning jockey's parents. It would appear that William Pyle had just won here on his second visit to Newmarket. This is the new jockey on the block to watch. The race was for 3 year olds over 7 furlongs.
Gweedore before the race ....
and in the parade ring
Before the millennium there was a short grass airstrip by the Rowley Mile course and occasionally around this point there was an announcement on the PA asking if anyone wanted to share this taxicab to somewhere on the continent with a jockey. On one occasion it was precisely to where I was flying next day.
No such luck now. No announcements; it is only helicopters taking off and not on a Dinosaur Day because of pterodactyls but we did get another glimpse of the winner on leaving, who looked pretty swift transport.
For post-millennium art, I prefer objects that show clear signs of being originals or individually modified to have original touches. At a concert, for instance, I will position myself where I can hear at least some acoustic elements if the sound is amplified.
Experiencing art digitally is different to experiencing it in original form. I may change my view, with some technological changes evident, but not yet.
At the Mutiny in Colour exhibition, which has a lot of Banksy, I liked the Abe Lincoln stencil. The medium demands good technique and the output is a clear original.
The Martin Whatson canvas below shows excellent stencil technique and is also a painting.
Hand finished print
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KAWS, Snoopy - No One's Home
A silkscreen print is on the limit of what I might consider original but the stencil of a racehorse on the display board and cage makes it an original unique to Newmarket. Window displays are often unique, original art but ephemeral. With the preponderance of digital selling they are disappearing.
