The good folks at Our Hen House have produced an excellent short film about Sue Coe. Sue describes herself as an artist whose work is reportage. To learn more about her work, go here and here.
Sue Coe: Art of the Animal from Our Hen House on Vimeo.
My first recollection of Sue Coe’s work was during the turbulent Thatcher years of the 1980s, which we appear to be reliving under the present Tory-led coalition government. I recall seeing copies of her ‘How to commit suicide in South Africa’ for sale in Compendium, the Camden Town independent, leftie bookshop beloved but now lost. Then, Sue received controversial coverage in the media for her drawings of the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. I did not catch up with her work until I had moved to the USA and saw the exhibit, Porkopolis, in Washington, DC in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I wrote to her then as PETA’s Executive Director expressing admiration for her work and offering any assistance I could. Many years later, I went along to hear her speak in Baltimore when she was a guest lecturer at the local art institute. Her talk was like a breath of fresh air with all its insights, controversies and humour. Afterwards, I introduced myself and we went for coffee. Since then, we’ve become friends and colleagues.
She is the most important living artist in our time. The craft in her work is truly amazing. There is, also, a subtle cleverness in her referencing to the artists and their work that inspires her. I am proud of the fact that Sue was a regular in The Animals’ Agenda magazine I used to publish.
In the film, Sue describes herself as a worm turning over the soil reporting on the world she sees. I like to think of her more as someone who holds up a mirror to society challenging us to consider our stupid ways. But, in doing so, it is done with such an uncompromising vision that is remarkable if disturbingly beautiful.
We’re all the better for seeing the world through Sue Coe’s eyes.
Carrots looking chopped fingers. Potatoes with scary faces cut into them. It's a vegan Halloween lunch!
The Hastings Vegan Dining Club met for a scary vegan lunch on Halloween. We were served a bowl of delicious beetroot, apple and carrot creamy soup with a round bread roll in the middle with a tomato in the middle of it. We all enjoyed the soup notwithstanding it looking like an eye floating in a bowl of blood. Lunch consisted of a scrumptious nut roast with roasted potatoes with scary faces carved into them, roasted carrots that looked like fingers, shredded red cabbage and braised leeks. This was followed by a mouthwatering apple crumble and apple and walnut muffins. All vegan. And didn’t scare any animals to produce it! Next up is a fast food Indian dinner and a mince pies and sherry party.
The medium plate at the Vegetarisch Eethuis de Bron vegetarian restaurant in Brugge
Not having seen the film In Bruges I can’t possibly comment on it although everyone mentioned it when I said I was going to visit there. Which I did in early September although I’m only just now getting round to writing something about it. My two-week plus cold having significantly upset my work schedule.
Anyway, Bruges (or Brugge) is a lovely, picturesque town in Belgium. Online research reported there were several vegetarian restaurants. One was found. The Vegetarisch Eethuis de Bron. A pleasant lunch was had there although they don’t really understand vegan. To order, you pick a small, medium or large plate. The food is basically the same. It’s the size of the portions that’s different. I picked medium, which came with quiche notwithstanding saying vegan loudly and slowly as English people tend to speak when they’re abroad.
Taken from the obligatory but enjoyable canal boat tour.
Here’s a lovely shot of Brugge. It was taken from the obligatory but enjoyable canal boat cruise.
Also took the similarly obligatory but enjoyable tour of the sole remaining brewery in the town. It was quite fascinating to see how beer used to be made and how it is done today. Past brewing methods would have health and safety inspectors even more unpopular as the workers put themselves at considerable risk.
Visiting Bruges is highly recommended. Eating vegan there is ok. One dinner and one lunch was the felafel and humous Egyptian fare. This did included — and I wished I’d take a photograph of it but I was extremely hungry at the time — what it must have been the world’s largest felafel and humous pitta sandwich. It was the size of a dinner plate!
Happy Cow is the go-to place to search and discover places for vegetarian and vegan and veg-friendly food. Anyone can register and post reviews, which is exactly what I did with my review of Zilli Green. I added Happy Cow to my Links on this Web site. Here’s how Happy Cow describes itself:
HappyCow’s Compassionate Eating Guide to Restaurants and Health Food Stores is a free worldwide guide created to assist travelers and people everywhere find vegetarian and healthy food options. We promote vegetarianism as a compassionate, healthy, and environmentally sustainable way of living. When planning a trip of travel, or just craving some delicious wholesome grub, be sure visit HappyCow.net first!
