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Mannequins, Felix the Cat and a Deep-Sea Diver...it's the Turner Prize.

Eddie Mair | 14:39 PM, Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Nominations came out at breakfast time. HERE is a link with much more from Nigel Wrench than we were able to squeeze on to PM: a specially recorded interview with Stephen Deuchar, who chairs the Turner Prize jury,

Nigel was at Tate Britain as this picture shows, he's talking to one of the judges Suzanne Cotter of Modern Art Oxford who may be on PM tonight.

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And the nominees are: Runa Islam a film-maker.

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(Runa Islam, Be The First To See What You See As You See It, 2004, 16mm film with sound Duration: 7 minutes 30 seconds, © the artist, courtesy Jay Jopling, London)


Second nominee: Mark Leckey, mostly a film-maker, fascinated by The Simpsons and Felix the Cat.

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(Mark Leckey, Production still from Felix Gets Broadcasted 2007 Photographic print and pencil 37 x 45.5 cm Courtesy Cabinet, London. Private collection)

You can hear Mr Lecky on PM tonight telling us why he deserves to win, but will he beat nominee number three? She's Goshka Macuga, whose work, the Tate tells us, consists of "carefully staged mixed-media installations"

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(Goshka Macuga, Objects in Relation Installation shot from Art Now at Tate Britain 2007 © Tate photography)


And the final nominee, Cathy Wilkes..

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(Cathy Wilkes Installation view: Selective Memory Scotland and Venice, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 2005. Courtesy of the Artist, The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd., Glasgow. Photo: Ruth Clark Photography)

Nigel's at Christie's, or should be in time for PM to ask about the financial value of a Turner nomination. What would you pay to have this art in your living room?

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  • 1. At 3:08pm on 13 May 2008, Perky wrote:

    Nice picture of Nigel, who looks nothing like I thought he would, but very lovely nonetheless!!

    Hmmm. This is the sort of art where you need the artist's explanation of how and why before you get it, I think. I always feel I should devote more time to learning about modern art. Installations are a great way to explore a variety of themes, but some explorations can be more abstract than others ;)

    As for my living room - not enough space, I fear . . .

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  • 2. At 3:25pm on 13 May 2008, Big Sister wrote:

    Oh how I hope Felix wins - Just because it's Felix (who keeps on walking, don't you know!)

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  • 3. At 3:28pm on 13 May 2008, Fearless Fred wrote:

    Sorry, I have to say that any artwork that requires an explanation as to what it is or represents leaves me cold. Yes, I know this could class me as a cultural ignoramus, but as far as I'm concerned, art as an "intellectual exercise" is always trumped by art that generates an emotional response

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  • 4. At 3:28pm on 13 May 2008, White_Rat wrote:

    Would I pay etc...

    A resounding 'No'. Followed by hysterical laughter at the notion that this is somehow art, rather than a gigantic con which we're all expected to go along with, rather than reveal our apparent ignorance of modern art.

    It's idiotic garbage isn't it?

    WR.

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  • 5. At 3:46pm on 13 May 2008, David_McNickle wrote:

    Looks like a womanequin to me. I find better stuff in skips.

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  • 6. At 4:25pm on 13 May 2008, youdontneedthis wrote:

    Not news, not interesting, not worthy of the effort the BBC continually puts into reporting 'the arts'. Go and find someone with some science or engineering savvy and do some interesting reporting.
    There was a report last week that children just want to be rich and famous. This is, in good part, because of the poor reporting by the arts and sports obsessed 'media' in this country that can't cope with anything more challenging.

    The turner prize should be used for toilet paper, about its level, and probably resulting in something that could be entered next year.

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  • 7. At 4:30pm on 13 May 2008, Aperitif wrote:

    Excuse me but that is not Nigel Wrench. I've seen him in my head many times and he looks nothing like that!

    Quite handsome though, isn't he?

    Hmm Fearless (3), I'm sort of with you in that I do think art should generate an emotional response, but I am happy for it to be an intellectual exercise as well (but not instead).

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  • 8. At 4:31pm on 13 May 2008, David_McNickle wrote:

    Picture 4 looks like William Walker waiting for the bags of cement to arrive.

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  • 9. At 4:41pm on 13 May 2008, mygloriousleader wrote:

    Is it art with a capital F ?

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  • 10. At 4:56pm on 13 May 2008, David_McNickle wrote:

    mgl 9,
    No, it is P art.

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  • 11. At 5:45pm on 13 May 2008, The Stainless Steel Cat wrote:

    I agree with Big Sister, Felix should win.

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  • 12. At 6:12pm on 13 May 2008, aytchgee1 wrote:

    For those new to the "Turner Prize" think Eurovision Song Contest / Fashion Shows / Jonathon Ross etc - it's equally laughably divorced from a purpose in life and exists purely as a media money bandwagon. Like a gnat bite it's best ignored.

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  • 13. At 6:52pm on 13 May 2008, Chris_Ghoti wrote:

    FF @ 3, I find it especially superterrific if the explanation is on printed sheets on the wall next to the art, and actually covers more of the wall than the artwork does.

    It's particularly impressive when the picture is fifteen feet by twenty...

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  • 14. At 10:19pm on 13 May 2008, annasee wrote:

    Well I think I might be prepared to pay NOT to have any of these in my living room. Actually I might reclassify our living room as an installation itself. That way I won't need to tidy up when the estate agent brings people around. What do you think? Could I get away with it?

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  • 15. At 11:26pm on 13 May 2008, Chris_Ghoti wrote:

    annasee @ 14, stamp your feet and shout 'shan't clear up and you can't make me, so there!', and it could even be Performance Art, deeply significant of the modern rejection of housework as unworthy use of talent.

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  • 16. At 00:45am on 14 May 2008, jonnie wrote:

    Appy - the man holding the microphone in the first picture *IS* Nigel.

    Quite handsome though, isn't he? - you say?

    Appy,

    Clearly,
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

    I just happen to be gods gift to men - however, unfortunately I don't have much of an art collection ;-) and am perhaps sounding a little Frank Fieldish? but

    Stick with the Eddie images Appy :-)



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  • 17. At 08:56am on 14 May 2008, Froggersfroat wrote:

    The first picture (of Nigel) should obviously win the prize....if not then Mr. Turner will be turnin' even faster in his tomb.

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  • 18. At 09:31am on 14 May 2008, Humph wrote:

    Careful Chris (15). That might give mpb ideas!

    H.

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  • 19. At 09:32am on 14 May 2008, Vyle Hernia wrote:

    Yesterday I knocked over a cup of tea in the bedroom. Pity no-one was there to record it...

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  • 20. At 10:09am on 14 May 2008, RJMolesworth wrote:

    Emotional response: I like the diving suit one but Nigel should be sitting on one of the chairs with those staring eyes of his. Perhaps he could be persuaded to do an hour a day.

    Intellectual response: The semiotics of a woman brushing a cup from the table; a plastic cat in the spotlight; diver waiting for an audience; and semi-naked plastic women need to be explored in detail. Clearly, the woman at the table is dismissing the stultifying ritual of her life and craves escape with a cartoon cat to the very depths of the ocean where, if she can find the answer to the riddle posed in the earphones, she may proceed to the nirvana of the white room and free herself from her constraints and become truly, deeply plastic.

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  • 21. At 10:56am on 14 May 2008, Molly wrote:

    Rubbish!

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  • 22. At 6:12pm on 24 Jun 2008, aytchgee1 wrote:

    Regarding photography in public - for the police to overly pester people taking photos of buses etc is as mad as the mania whipped up a few years ago to ban parents photographing their own children at school plays etc.
    Fortunately the real "public" as opposed to the media / government's version have voted with their feet and now most schools ask, prior to the start of any performance, whether there are any parents who actually object. In my experience no-one ever does, thereby allowing a common sense approach to prevail.

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