Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A man in a digger ran into the side of my house this morning, demolishing the entire
corner. I wouldn’t mind but it was a new extension, finished just a month ago. That is not true,
the bit about not minding - I don’t know why I said it, but the rest unfortunately is true.
‘Sorry luv,’ the bloke said, ‘but it’s difficult to turn here, houses being so close together’.
‘Of course they are close,’ I snapped, ‘ this is a close, Cowslip Close to be exact, the clue
‘Not your truck, my extension!’ Was he a complete idiot? ‘Hey,’ I said, ‘I’m talking to
My name is Chris O’Grady and I am an artist. When I was at school I used to look with
pity at other girls who had wanted to be hairdressers or pop stars or, pupils like swotty Anthea
Dowland wanted to do something really boring like work in finance and ‘have a secure ordered
lifestyle,’ as she called it. We all hated her. And of course there was Jade Timms who wanted to
be a mugger; we all pretended to like her and her Neanderthal brother. However, I always knew I
wanted to be an artist and now at the age of twenty three, I had already had three exhibitions and
found that my work sold well. I had sunk all my savings from grandma’s will into this extension
which was to be a beautiful new studio, north-facing, with a skylight, I’d always wanted a
skylight, all proper artists had to have a skylight. When that it was finished, I will admit that here
were a few things I would have done differently, but nothing to warrant knocking it down.
‘No I am not sure, I’m just a complete blathering idiot. Perhaps he was practising the
piano or reciting poetry and I just mistook this for driving into a corner of my house.
‘I’ll stop being sarcastic if you stop being stupid,’ I said and slammed the phone down.
‘No’
‘Then we cannot do anything. You’d be surprised how many frivolous calls we get
concerning cats stuck in trees and people who have locked themselves out of their cars.’
‘You might as well be for all the use you’ve been’. No joy there then.
‘It’s not a traffic accident, my house is stationary, the man ran into it. I was not driving it
‘Some people do,’ he replied, ‘rather than buy a different home, they just re-locate
‘Sorry?’
‘A vet?’
I kept hoping that I would wake up and find it was all a bad dream, then suddenly had a
brilliant idea. Friends, I decided, my friends will want to help. I was always there for them, and
‘Are you sure it is that bad?’ asked one, ‘Perhaps the wall just needs re-pointing’.
‘Er….. no’.
Two more friends of the fair weather variety later, found me at my wits end. I had finished
shouting, insulting, sarcasm and tearing my hair out and my extension was still in danger of
falling down.
Than I had a brainwave. I got out my video camera and set it up on a tripod, pointed it at the
extension and pressed record. Gradually bits fell off as the day progressed, just the odd brick at
‘’Do you think so?’ I said, ‘well I’d never thought of that.’
Night fell and I changed the batteries and borrowed some spotlights, which I angled
towards the extension, then went to bed. The next morning I continued videoing until the side of
My problem is now resolved. I eventually found some sensible builders, and a solicitor to
get compensation from the truck man. My new extension is even nicer as I was able to make a
few changes The studio has a very special area with a screen upon which can be watched my
video installation entitled ‘Nothing is permanent but Woe’ which won the this years Turner Prize.