Putting together your very first exhibition is a nerve-racking experience. Organizing sponsors, chasing up artists, working on the invites... it's all very stressful for an exhibition virgin like me!
For about the last 4 weeks now I have been having sleepless nights, worrying about getting things sorted. I had come to appreciate that this was normal, of course I was going to be nervous when setting up something as monumental as this.
But about a week ago, I had a nightmare. Then again the next night. And again the night after. A recurring nightmare so severe and intense I just had to tell you about it. So here it goes: It starts on the day of the exhibition and I'm down at the gallery and we are behind schedule, I tell Rachael that I have to pick my brother up from the airport but as soon as I do that I will be back to set up. On the way back from the airport my brother suggests we pop into Barasti to get a quick celebratory drink. One drink leads to another and within the space of a few hours we get pretty messy. We head back to the gallery and Rachael is outraged at how drunk I am. She suggests I go get something to eat while she sets up the exhibition. I return at about 7.30 to find Rachael has laid dirty tablecloths over old wooden tables and placed the robots on top. It looks completely disgusting. I tell Rachael, "But this isn't how it was supposed to look!" to which she replies, "Well you shouldn't have got so drunk."
The exhibit looks awful and to make matters worse only about twenty people turn up. Subsequently I spent the entire evening in the corner crying, drowning my sorrows with more beer.
So if anybody sees me down at Barasti on Thursday 19th Feb at lunchtime with a bottle of corona in my hands, please punch me on my nose and remind me I should be somewhere else...
