Brighton Festival

David Shrigley talk at the Brighton Dome.

I arrived late, (thank you Thameslink & your new wonderful timetable changes, you have really made a mess of this opportunity) but managed to find my way in the dark while he was already in full swing. He was on the right side of the stage with a deaf sign language women on the left. Seemed a bit vulnerable at first he was quite small on the big empty stage.

He was witty, played on words and puns but at times I felt slightly too sarcastic, it felt a bit awkward at points. I did like the way he linked the works together, seemed to flow nicely even if a little random. I liked his animations, political, direct and effective. I really liked the humour of the Arts Council campaign from about 5 years ago. The young boy & his dad on the tractor work well. He has certainly been a very productive boy! Animations, bands, songs, comics, exhibitions around the world, plays, etc even manages to collect rulers & scissors.

The audience seemed to enjoy the performance, and he gave a good overview of the thinking and his range, even if felt the need at time to know more than simply the name of an interesting piece he flashed onto the screen. I suspect he's been one of the more successful directors of the festival.

I drew this the next day in a cafe while I was reflecting on his work.