We went as a college group. I downloaded lots of info from the official WebSite [ http://www.bpb.org.uk/ ], on artists, venues (it was at ten different places, some well outside Brighton), and the conference in a week's time. The Biennial is still on for another week or two. Having read through the on-line blurb, I was well prepared for the images of horror and destruction which the photo-essayists compiled on Vietnam and Iraq. I didn't have nightmares, but the aftermath of a B-52 bombing raid (32 tonnes of very high explosive per plane) was never seen by the pilots; we saw it up close in the photos from Vietnam on show here.
LIGHTHOUSE is a must-see, especially the super-creepy cellar video, FABRICA is rather unusual, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON gallery is where the KEYNOTE exhibition is, and that kept us busy for a while.
Interwoven with the official shows was the un-official Fringe. The official set of shows is superbly curated and displayed. I do recommend it, although you'll need a good sense of direction to hit all the venues in one day. The rail fare is a steal, £ 6 for an advance-purchase fare. Brighton is a lot of fun, genteel and crisply-edged modern at the same time. We had fish and chips on the beach, and a coffee at the Pavillion later on. A few smiles and jokes along the way, and lots of smoke breaks (for the smokers, not for me), as we had a day off. Yes, we did enjoy ourselves, a lot like the best sort of sixth-form outing.
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