We’re back home after our week-end away in Wiltshire, which was really very interesting. I’ll comment on the Laurence Edwards exhibition later (the reason for the whole trip), but I would like to share first some thoughts about Grayson Perry.
On Saturday we decided to visit Salisbury, which was new to both of us, and to our surprise Perry’s series of hangings entitled The Vanity of Small Differences was on display in the cathedral. I saw it when it was first shown, in London, possibly in 2012, and it was interesting to have the opportunity to see it again. In case you are not familiar with it, the theme of this series of six hangings is British social differences.
Certainly Perry is very clever, and quite an acute observer of differences in class culture. I can’t help thinking, however, that he is clever while never managing to be profound.* The images are titled with references to events in the life of Christ (“The agony in the car park”, or “The annunciation of the Virgin Deal”, for example.) Unfortunately these never rise above being witty puns, without adding weight to the observations to which they refer. I can only assume that what he is driving at here is the tendency of people to attribute significance to social differences or customs which is out of all proportion.
I do have copies of the series and when I have the time I’ll give them another go. Meanwhile, however, I have to say that I’ve seen work by him which I’ve found much more worthwhile.
*I have to acknowledge that, in part, this might be sour grapes on the part of a former sociologist!