I had been anticipating the final weekend with mounting unfettered excitement. Gordon Brown whoopee cushions at the ready, this was to be the ultimate test of all authoritative theories on Open House trade. Word on the street was that week four would be throbbin'!
Wednesday 28 May 2008
A Trumpeting Last Hurrah!
Friday 23 May 2008
Demob Happy?
As the bitter-sweet reality of the final weekend approaches L-S Dave and I are both experiencing little tides of sadness. This will mark the end of our first open house and there's never another first is there? And we have become very attached to my troupe who have worked so hard to keep this wobbly enterprise going. It's hard to imagine them dismantling their pitches and trundling off (will Kenneth bring a pram, I wonder?). Heavenly, a generous soul, has offered to move in every weekend to help ease the transition.
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Time to Flog Gordon?
Anyone who's ever worked in Wonkville will know that timing is key. In contrast, academic policy types don't concern themselves with it, happily dotting the i's and crossing the t's on their 10,000 word monographs that will change the world. Unfortunately, more often than not their insights are delivered long after the debate is over. But for a wonk with press targets it's all about the timing. When your thoughts are a bit hazy, much can be achieved by tethering yourself to something more solid. (You may have gathered from my first posting that I was not a naturalised inhabitant of Wonkville.)
Monday 19 May 2008
Sun is Shining, Weather is Sweet ...
Saturday 17 May 2008
All Gong and No Dinner
Friday 16 May 2008
A Postscript
You may have expected my last entry to be withdrawn at Jacob's insistence. I know I did - although, somehow, L-S Dave didn't and he was right. In fact Jacob seemed quite pleased to be featured - especially after Effervescent traipsed home with Shifty, a musician type who mused that 'Indecisive Stalker' would be a good name for a band ...
Jacob's Unique Sales Approach
The first week we opened Jacob was revising for SATs. The second week, free of such constraints, he has emerged from his studies and made the occasional appearance downstairs lured by the opportunity to make cash. This is necessary because he has a newly discovered fetish for 'vinyl' (he's been rifling through our attic in an indiscriminate search for such treasures) and is fixated on purchasing a 'vinyl player'.
Thursday 15 May 2008
Baking for Brighton (and Hove, actually)
Launching a Full-Frontal Marketing Attack
I must admit that I've never taken to mass marketing (part of the reason for such a late publicity push - well, that and the enduring presence of Sheila Who Must) but, clearly, a media onslaught was necessary. I took to the internet to hunt down tips and tricks. A direct response (i.e. inducement to divert one's path from its current direction) - I was informed - is best lured by a direct approach. So, taking to the streets had to be one part of our strategic marketing plan. But believe me this was not as immediate a solution as it might seem in the reading - if you've heard the joke that a camel is a horse designed by committee then you'll know what I mean.
Wednesday 14 May 2008
Some Very Important Things
So early on and I've missed out Some Very Important Things. And I didn't even realise it, eager as I was to unleash my subjectivity on the world. The reason is that these Important Things were not accomplished by me at all but by L-S Dave (who, incidently and having read my future posts, thinks that he comes across as a bit of a buffoon. Not so, my love.)
The Incident That I Found Odd
The question that most people ask upon finding out that we're opening up the house is 'don't you mind having strangers traipsing through your home?' To this I can say quite honestly that I don't - otherwise I wouldn't have done it.
Opening to the Public - Too Much Lull and Not Enough Storm
Somewhat to my astonishment all of my troupe who were on L-S Dave's invigilation rota arrived on time to open to the public. Flushed with success from the Preview Party the evening before, and rather naively, I expected to be flattened in the ensuing rush of art patrons, all potential customers. It being the Children's Parade I reasoned that these were most likely to be retirees, young professionals and those without school-age children. I had created enough health and safety signs to cope will all eventualities - including positioning a vibrant cordon around Heavenly's exhibit that, I hoped, would prevent toddlers from using it as a climbing frame. It was with baited breath that I anticipated the coming storm.
The Preview 'Party'
Whether or not to launch with a preview event on the eve before the grand opening is a hotly debated topic among AOH experts. The doubters seem to think that the result is DARN (drank all, revenue nil) but nonetheless we soldiered on with our plans.
Erecting Heavenly's Chandeliers
I don't know whose idea it was to suspend Heavenly's glorious chandeliers on used scaffolding but Heavenly and I were both taken with it. Chris, neighbour and owner of the scaffold, was less entranced - in fact, quite bemused ... more so when we insisted we weren't going to clean off the rust and paint it. 'But is it art?' he questioned, not unreasonably. But I've worked at the Open University and recognise diversionary tactics when I encounter them. 'It's an installation, like Tracy Emin's bed' and so we gave it a title 'Decadence and Dereliction'. With the benefit of hindsight this may have been a mistake - early visitors thought they'd have to buy the whole thing. So we added a sign to say that each was for sale (may I add, at a very reasonable price).
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Hosting an Artists Open House (AOH)
Yesterday, in a somewhat rash moment, and influenced by the engaging and eloquent recollections of Fred in Fred's Blog, I resolved to share some experiences of opening our house, 11 York Villas, to the public as part of the 2008 Seven Dials Artists Open House trail.