Kassel Day 1

Day one in Kassel had been busy. We're here for a festival called Documenta and it's big. We visited 3 galleries and saw a variety of work.  It seems less edgy than usual, and there wasn't as much new stuff. There was a lot of Greek work and Greek inspired work because the festival is also on in Athens. I liked the Penelope inspired Janine Antoni (Slumber 1994). It was very complete, from concept to performance to what was there in the gallery now. And it featured weaving.  Keeping on a fibre theme my other favourite was a 23m long embroidery - a beautiful Sami story. I liked that the medium was integral, not gratuitous. The telling of the story seemed to be more mythologised because it was stitched.  Historja (2003-7) by Britta Marakatt-Labba.

Tea was another satisfyingly enormous pizza. Again we're having it for breakfast. I'm not sure why enormous pizza are served on small dinner plates. I think it must be to emphasise their size. After that it was a tram ride back to the hotel and an exhausted collapse into bed ready for more art tomorrow.