The vibe transcended pure energy. Wild. Electric. Adventurous, experimental, inspiring, exciting! All of that. An atmosphere of celebration. It was everything I love, everything I did at art school. Hubby felt the same, although his college days were somewhat different because he's an engineer. But the feeling of student life was similar.
I need breaks from working on the editing of Book 3 of Alias Jeannie Delaney (details below), and just to show I have a life beyond that we'd popped into the art degree show at Farnham College of the Creative Arts with a friend and toured the various exhibitions and showpieces. The students and tutors - youthful and mature - were showpieces in themselves. Colourful, noisy, vocal. Their clothes declared 'art student'! Students are fabulous!
Some were costume-like in appearance, others wore street clothes and sported colourful hair. Art tutors wandered among them and looked just as inspiring as the students. Many were gathered in a warm, sunny quadrangle, and a DJ played music up on a stage. The entire ambience was one big beach party.
We perused the artwork - amazing and questionable alike, and I peered into the printing room. A huge emotion grabbed me. I missed this - the whole vibe. During the early seventies I did a foundation art course followed by various art studio jobs, and in the early eighties I took a three-year illustration course before my kids were born. My intentions had been to go freelance as a graphic designer and artist, and possibly earn dosh as a freelance writer. None of this happened due to post natal depression. However, I published anecdotal articles in UK periodicals and the first two novels of my trilogy on Amazon.
But yes, I'd experienced college life, and what an amazing experience that is! 😄
In complete vivid contrast, enough to make your head spin, a week later with our friend we visited a different exhibition. This time in London. This one explored quantum physics. Ooohh...
This too was incredible in its own way.
The exhibition took place at 9 Carlton Terrace, in Westminster, which is home of the Royal Society, the independent science academy of the UK. Tres posh.
The subjects they covered included quantum entanglement, don't you know. I'm vaguely aware that the term quantum equals matter and energy. And yes, I'm fascinated by science, including physics, and I'm very willing to learn.
The moment we entered the extremely posh white painted Regency building, we were faced with a wall of coloured lights on a board, operated by playing around with what looked like bed springs embedded in the display. The results were pretty spectacular as the colours spread and melded together every time you fiddled with the springs. Everyone had a go, mostly for the resultant effects, although some were intrigued as to the why and how the lights behaved.
One thing intrigued me - two groups of Muslim girls, all dressed in black - a few wearing full face covers - watched us. We - men and women, dressed casually - played around with the display, chuckled and chatted. Was that envy that I detected in those girls' expressions as they watched us? Just before we moved on, a couple of them began playing with the lights and springs. Brave? Maybe. I don't know.
We moved into the next room and stalls had been set up, each one demonstrating and explaining the latest scientific and technological discoveries. The majority of the information zoomed over my head, but hubby and friend listened to the various students explaining their research, discoveries and revolutionary products that are being launched into the world, much of it connected to medicine. Hubby would later explain to me in Janet and John style what he'd learned. What fascinated me were the displays around the walls, among other scientific stories, of discoveries made by women over the centuries and the advancements of women in science.
Husband exchanged stories with one of the students, a Chinese girl who was doing a degree course at imperial college in London, hubby's old college. She discussed the technology being developed for the diagnosis of specific strains of cancer. What a brilliant and gobsmacking thought.
The vibe of the exhibition was parallel to that of the art degree show. We were surrounded by students and tutors and their energy and ideas - crazy or otherwise. All the rooms of 9 Carlton Terrace, at that moment, contained some of the hottest young minds in London. All those synapses whizz popping around myriad brains thinking and reaching conclusions and possibly doing something with them. Incredible.
On a side note about 9 Carlton Terrace... I often look up the history of interesting places I've visited. 9 Carlton Terrace is one of a row of bright white 1820 buildings. During the 1890s the building was the Prussian Embassy. Quite interesting, but the following event blew my mind. On this spot, in 1787, stood Carlton House, which had been demolished to make way for Carlton Terrace (I wondered why?). On 9th April of that
year, a fencing duel took place in the presence of the Prince Regent. The duel was between an illegitimate black noble man, Monsieur de Saint-Georges, and the gender bending Chevalier d'Eon, dressed as a woman. The idea was the Prince Regent's to stage a spectacle in order to draw an audience. He did just that! An engraving was made of the event. That curious bit of history certainly grabbed my attention!
Those two events were youthful and fabulous, stirring the imagination and optimism. We need more of it!
ALIAS JEANNIE DELANEY - BOOK 1 - GO WEST, GIRL! & BOOK 2 - THE OUTLAW'S RETURN, APPEARED IN THESE BLOGS & ON YOUTUBE:
ALIAS JEANNIE DELANEY - THE STORYLINE
Dynamic pants-wearing cowgirl Jeannie Morgan is the fastest gun west of the Mississippi. Upon discovering that her sexuality is as fluid as a miner's whiskey & both men & women enjoy her magnificent lovemaking, she feels as though she's been trampled by a cattle stampede.
She's born in vibrant New Orleans in 1865 & strongly rebels against the upbringing of a Victorian girl. The family head west where she finds her true calling on her Pa's ranch. She also discovers with relish that her skill with a gun is lethal. The explosive combination of her tomboy beauty, her powerful charisma, her sexuality & her lethal gun all go against her. People are calling for her dismissal & even her death. Will it be a case of kill or be killed?
IF YOU'VE READ & ENJOYED THE STORY SO FAR, I'D BE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW ON AMAZON. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
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