It's open! Well, some of the time.

Elizabeth Price - User Group Disco (still)

The British Art Show opened in Plymouth on Friday with a bizarre organised promenade of dignitaries, moving from venue to venue in a vast queueing clump. No one is quite sure who put "dress code formal" on the private view invitation, but it inspired everything from full evening wear to jeans-and-t-shirt rebellion.  Security staff were visibly jumpy following rumours that there might be attempts to steal the work. I can't imagine where they got that idea.

I avoided most of the crush by starting early at fringe events A Circle and The Library of Independent Exchange.  Then on for a quick peek at the refurbished Plymouth Arts Centre. As a space it's much improved: cleaner, lighter, sharper, more accessible. Sadly, though, one of the main gallery spaces has been sacrificed to provide a second restaurant space. I'm assured they'll be doing more visual arts offsite now, but that will remove the opportunity for casual discovery en route to the cafe or cinema. Also, I suspect 'offsite' might mean more remote parts of Plymouth such as Royal William Yard which, for me, are often a trip too far when I've already spent 90 minutes getting to the city from Exeter.

Next day was the time for a proper look. Sue Tompkins performed Hallo Welcome to Keith Street (a version), a manic, good humoured cut-up text performance delivered to a private rhythm marked out by the artist's jittery bouncing and pacing back and forth.  Then on to Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery where the highlight was Elizabeth Price's User Group Disco. We were trying to watch it a second time when  over-zealous staff came to turf  us out, just 60 seconds before the end. We thought we'd move on to Plymouth College of Art, but they had also closed at 5.00pm on the dot. Five o'clock - on the opening weekend!