I’ve been deliberately a bit behind the game on this one. A couple of weeks ago, Roz posted a link to the Sprout group on facebook about the artist Feliks Culpa, earnestly entreating us to read to the end and look at the photographs.
Because “Feliks Culpa” (roughly translated as a “happy fall”) turns out to be no other than Martin McAloon. And the link detailed an exhibition (now, unfortunately, over) in which was presented one drawing from every day in 2013, inspired by the first film that came on TV at the hinge of the year, Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.
It is by all accounts a wonderful body of work, overwhelming in its mass and concept. I’d love to have seen it. And Paddy plus I think Wendy were at the private view, the Sprout equivalent of the various Abba reunions of recent years I guess, with Paddy taking on the Agnetha role and actually turning up. There’s a truly wonderful photo on Instagram of Paddy and Martin at the opening. But what is it with the McAloon brothers and beards? And are the rumours of Wendy having one herself true? I think that we should be told (hashtag #ZZSprout). The picture on this post incidentally is Martin with Dave Brewis, from his twitter feed.
But I decided not to mention the exhibition, as looking at the website it seems to have been set up as an elaborate joke, incognito, so I felt it worth leaving it like that. But then Martin himself tweeted a PrefabSprout hashtag from @CulpaFeliks on twitter, so the gaff is, as they say, fully blown.
To capture more of the elusive Feliks Culpa, visit his website, or have a look at the interview in the Newcastle Chronicle. Fascinating project, and very well done.