All the details of the exhibition can be found here: TAC Gallery, Oklahoma
The adventure begins…
All week the build-up to the London Olympics has begun to gallop towards me too, resulting in last night’s mesmerising opening ceremony; a gloriously eclectic mix of ‘What on earth is going on?’, combined with stunning lighting and visual effects, humour, emotion and all the while elegantly chaotic.
And, just as the pomp and circumstance sets up the long awaited games, I’m jumping on a plane and disappearing half way across the world in the opposite direction! It all feels slightly surreal. This sort of thing doesn’t really happen to me. I’ve not even been on a plane for 20+ years. And, in recent weeks, with the slightly bizarre timing symbiosis, I’ve subconsciously begun interchanging the words London/Olympics with Oklahoma/Exhibition. And, with that kind of emphasis, you might be surprised how much this exhibition has been all over the news! Ahem.
So, on Monday morning I fly out to Oklahoma. Almost a year since its inception, Where The Land Meets The Sea : Together Alone, for so long a purl of dust on the distant horizon, suddenly rushes into focus. I wonder if I could persuade the The Queen to parachutes out of a helicopter for the opening night?
Reality. Dreams. Reality. Dreams. It’s become an increasingly fine line!
What makes all this particularly special is the way this has finally pulled together. Around Easter time it slowly dawned on me that the exhibition was a reality, and my personal reality was that I wouldn’t be attending. But, thanks to my wonderful wife, Sue, and her inspired and secretive cajoling and corralling of my friends and family in the name of my, disturbingly fast approaching, 50th birthday {whisper it!}, you’ve collectively donated almost 90% of the cost of the entire trip. And I’ve been left truly touched and humbled by the support that this idea has garnered; a collective gesture that will live with me for a long long time to come.
It’s been emotional.
And, of course, to Michelle, whose stunning, artistic interpretation of my photography throughout this past six months has been truly humble to witness. Together Alone. Michelle and I have never even spoken.
It will be emotional.
Oh, and it seems it’s been written in the stars! [Something Michelle sent me earlier this week via her iPhone]:
There’s also two versions of a book being released to coincide with the exhibition here: www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/detail/3382214 [As well as an eBook version – in the bottom right of the panel on this link]
Nige' Ollis 