Bigger trees prove of little interest

SUNDAY – walking across a deserted and rainswept Exhibition Square with a sense of anticipation. I was going to see David Hockney’s Bigger Trees near Warter in York.

This was billed as an “ambitious painting” in the leaflet. Something about this phrase made me wary. It reminded me of failed knitwear or model boats which had received this same lukewarm Yorkshire epithet.

Despite the bleak conditions outside, inside the gallery was as busy as a jumble sale. The main gallery was filled on the left hand-side with the worshipping congregation. There on the other side was the “fantastic work” itself. Between the two was a large empty space.

It looked for all the world like a meeting of the local Leninist Society come to pay homage to the latest 10-year plan.

Opposite the painting were large photos of the man himself. One didn’t know whether to admire the grand old man or genuflect at his image. There was a kind of expectant buzz about the audience. It was a bit like watching a group faced with a dead dog. Should we applaud or say polite things?

Yes, here was the man whose work had scandalised polite society and readers of Woman’s Own back in the Sixties. Dear David has turned the Wolds into a new Californian landscape with vibrant colours and an eternal West Coast sun tan. Over the years, he has filled our dull Yorkshire lives with bright colours, naked flesh and just the hint of brimstone.

So here it is, Bigger Trees near Warter. Bigger than what? Was it any good? Well, you will probably see better scenery at most provincial theatres.

David Hockney is the greatest living artist we have in this country. Sadly, this was not his Guernica – it was more of A Grand Day Out.

Blowing in the wind

From: Ian Murdoch, Spring Hill, Welbury, Northallerton.

THE announcement by EON of the Humber Gateway offshore wind factory (Yorkshire Post, February 10) makes a specific claim that the installation will supply enough green energy to power 150,000 homes, which will require 90 turbines of 3MW capacity, operating at 30 per cent average capacity.

Actual experience of wind output shows that figure of 30 per cent is optimistic and does not recognise the very wide variations hour to hour and day to day of wind generators, which must be covered by back up capacity.

Variability of wind generated output can be accurately tracked by figures posted by the National Grid each half-hour. This only covers generators connected to the Grid, but the intermittency of the other operators will not be significantly different.

Typically, daily average output ranges from five per cent to 60 per cent of capacity, and hourly output during a day ranges about 30 per cent either side of the daily average figure, with a 240MW drop (10 per cent) in 30 minutes not unusual.

This variation is a natural effect, which will continue, and as the amount of wind generated capacity rises, the need for efficient means of switching back up fossil fuel fired capacity in and out to deal with the natural intermittency of wind generation, will increase.

Foiled trying to recycle

From: David Hales, Denby Dale.

I START the letter by asking a question – who can make use of all the aluminium foil that we use?

I used to collect this from friends and family and take it to a woman in the village on behalf of the Guide Dogs charity. Unfortunately she fell ill, and I can find no other way to dispose of the foil.

Surely it would benefit some charity? I’ve asked Guide Dogs but they no longer want the foil. It seems a shame to throw it away when there are ever-increasing pressure to recycle.

This brings me to my second point – what can we recycle? What can we put in green bins? I shred paper, which you would think is an ideal candidate for recycling, but “council machinery can’t handle it” I’ve been told.

The same thing for yogurt tubs, spread tubs, etc. And it differs from authority to authority. It seems that we could do much more – saving the environment and contribute to the community’s funds.

Backing for Free Schools

From: Lord Hill, Schools Minister.

I AM sorry that Fiona Millar constantly seeks to diminish the efforts of dedicated parents, teachers and charities who simply want to improve education for children in their area (Yorkshire Post, February 11).

Contrary to what she claims, Free Schools will not allow ‘covert selection’, cause a threat to community cohesion or receive preferential funding.

They will follow the same legal admissions procedures as other schools, and will be monitored by Ofsted and the Government.

They will simply be state-funded schools established where there is local demand from parents for a good and new type of school for their children.

The truth is that top-down solutions of the sort favoured by Fiona Millar have not worked, despite the best efforts of teachers and heads.

By freeing up the system, we are giving local groups of parents and teachers the opportunity to increase choice and raise standards.

The fact that we have had such a strong response – more than 250 proposals already – shows that there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the idea of Free Schools.

I am glad to be on the side of parents, charities and committed teachers who are trying to make things better and am sorry that the forces of conservatism represented by Fiona Millar want to snuff out that diversity.