A wizard idea

As I mentioned yesterday, at our mind-mapping/brainstorming session at the Moffat Initiative on Thursday afternoon, we were asked to come up with the big new thing. I offered the Moffat Book Event, mentioning the Merlin theme of our October 15 2011 event but that was not considered 'new' enough. I fell back on my 'Tate Moffat' or 'Moffat Modern' idea as a use for the Old Academy which is a magnificent building of its period, and would make an excellent home for an art gallery. My maternal grandfather Willie Gordon with his brother worked for Tate & Lyle, so I would gladly endow a 'Gordon Room', a 'Gordon lecture' or even a 'Gordon bench' to sit on to admire some piece of contemporary sculpture. We might offer a home to the excellent, currently Glasgow-based Sharmanka, run by Russian-born exile Ed Bersudsky supreme master of dark, sometimes political mechanical works of art in the tradition of those penny in the slot machines on the pier. Art galleries have become less hushed reverential temples and more hospitable and welcoming, open to learning and creativity, than before. Places as far apart in the UK as Margate and Wakefield have recently opened new galleries - why not Moffat? Richard Demarco is at Aldeburgh this weekend, but will no doubt have some intriguing ideas to share when he returns. A propos Merlin: Katherine Clemmens at the Moffat Book Exchange reminded me today that there is an ongoing BBCTV series aimed at a teenage audience which will probably start again in the autumn, with Richard 'I don't believe it' Wilson playing the eponymous shaman/sorcerer.

According to Wikipedia: 'a ten-episode fourth series was confirmed on 25 October 2010 and was rumored to be going to air in early 2012, later than its usual slot in autumn so that it wouldn't clash with the BBC's other prime time drama Doctor Who running in the same period.^[16] In March 2011, this was revised and the series was extended to the standard 13 episodes, with the show's star Colin Morgan confirming it would air in autumn 2011 just in time for our next Moffat Book Event - hurrah! Or should that be 'wizard!'.^[17]