The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/Chapter 32/Gallery

Gallery of Non Degenerate Art/First Foot Print City.

Amling Frost, The new director of the new Martian museum of non-degenerate art, for the first time came to work very early to avoid the morning stop and search queues. As she arrived she wondered at the stack of military security forces golf carts outside. She hurried went to her office and activated her desk.

"Siri - what are the military robots doing in the entrance?" asked Amling.

"Every morning before opening. A member of the Earth defence forces comes in an look at one of the art works," said Amlings desk.

"Which one?" said Amling. They did have some very good works of art some of the best on Mars. The occupation force had forced the museum to get rid of everything they felt was 'degenerate' along with the previous director. The new museum was their attempt at 'returning to normality' as General Kipperbach explained. Kipperbach was the son of one of Bentham's advisors and had taken personal interest in the 'return to normality'.

The desk was quite clear. "Item 349 The Casey Young which was mysteriously donated."

"So General Kipperbatch comes and admires the art?" said Amling. Perhaps a special exhibition would keep the invaders on more reasonable terms. Kipperbatch knew about the price of art but not the quality. He had already 'borrowed' a couple of the Muesem's oldest works for his work office. A Rothco and a Picasso. In the old days, this was called looting.

"No director, not General Kipperbach. General Dante Tyrell. He arrives 32 minutes before opening. His robots force the guards to open early. They clear the gallery. He sits for 29 minutes looking at Item 349. Typically cries for up to ten minutes then eventually stops. After recovering he and his security team leave. I have never seen an artwork evoke such a strong emotional reaction" said Amling's desk.

It was designed to keep an eye on the visitors to optimise the 'art experience'.

"Curious. What other work does General Tyrell look at?" wondered Amling. Casey Young's work was outsider art what could it mean?

"General Tyrell only looks at Item 349 and non other." said the Desk.

"Not the Van Gough?" said Amling - it was one of the more important works in that gallery and visible from the same seat. "I'll have to speak to them about that".

****

In the gallery Dante sat on a low rectangular seat in the middle gallery. He sat motionless and looked at the artwork on The wall. The label was simple. 349 Casey Young. "Prisoners of the dammed: IPhone 9s + Mixed media. anonymous donor".

"The gallery isn't open yet. You will have to come back when it's ready" said the voice of a Martian woman behind Dante as she walked authoritatively in.

"I have a deal with the guard robots to let me in" said Dante not lifting his gaze from the artwork.

"I don't think I'm aware of any deal. Only the museum director can alter opening times" said the woman's' voice.

"My deal is they let me in, and my security detail doesn't blow them apart" said Dante.

"Right" said the woman's voice. "Sounds reasonable... So what do you think of the work?"

"Do you know where I first saw this work?" said Dante.

"At the re-opening, I believe the one you and all the others attended along with General Kipperbach after he ordered the purge of degenerate art." said the woman.

"No, it was in the excited hands of a Martian girl. She was holding against the wall around different parts of a flat on Earth. She was so ballistically happy to be given this and kept holding it up against one wall or another to try it. I'd gone there with a distant cousin called George to see what all the fuss was about. As soon as the poor robot got it hung on one point, the Martian girl would sit down and change her mind. I'd never see anything make someone so deliriously happy before. After a while, I realise it wasn't the artwork which had made her deliriously happy she was just deliriously happy about everything. I had gone with my cousin for morning coffee and ended up spending all day as the artwork slowly moved from one place to another until by the evening it settled right back were it had begun."