Idle Speculation....

With just over a month to go before the RCA secret show opens we thought it would be a good time to indulge in some idle speculation about the show and how it is going to work this year.  

The change of venue makes things very interesting.  Routines that people have adopted over the years in respect of the show will have changed.  I have a few of those routines myself.  For example I always go and see the show with the family on Sunday then end up in Kensington Gardens afterwards followed by Giraffe.  The day of the sale has also followed a set routine for the last few years.  

With a different venue those routines have gone.  Will that mean that some people don't come at all?  I don't know.  Clearly the RCA Secret devotees won't be put off by a change of venue.  But those who pop into the show in Kensington or queue lateish on Saturday morning may not be inclined to make the trip south of the river.  Battersea is lovely, more convenient for me in fact, with more amenities close to the RCA buildings than in Kensington and the wonder that is Battersea park virtually on the doorstep. 

But leaving aside the pathetic utterances of some North Londoners that they won't travel south of the river there are some genuine transport issues.  The closest tube is Sloane Square (a good 30 minute walk away) and although well served by buses and reasonably well served by overground trains the lack of a local tube is a major issue.  The organisers of the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea park realise this, putting on shuttle buses from Sloane Square for punters.  Clearly the college will not be able to do that.  Will it mean less footfall to the exhibition, I strongly suspect so.  

If the change of venue wasn't enough we also have a change of date.  From November to March.  Lots of positives here.  Hopefully it should be slightly warmer.  It will definitely be lighter.  That should encourage more people to come.  It's a week before easter as well, some schools will have broken up on Friday 22nd..  The biggest negative I can see about the change of date is that the proximity of a November sale to christmas did mean that people could use it to indulge in some early christmas shopping.  It was a great place to buy someone a unique chistmas present.  With the move to March it does feel like a slightly more self-indulgent purchase.  

Also the change of date may have caused some difficulty with the logistics of the show.  I can well understand why the college would not want to sent out cards to potential contributors in December, as they are likely to get stuck in the christmas rush.  But by sending out cards in mid-January, for return by mid-February, there must be a risk that some contributors just won't be able to return their donations in time.  Hopefully that won't happen and we will see a bumper crop of wonderful cards come show time.

In advance of the sale I'll try and do a piece on the blog with hints and tips about the local area etc.  In the meantime the waiting continues...