I hadn't opened the towel that contained her gum since 2013. The last
person to touch it was Nina Simone, her saliva and fingerprints
unsullied. The idea that it was still in her towel was something I had
drawn strength from. I thought each time I opened it some of Nina
Simone's spirit would vanish. In many ways that thought was more
important than the gum itself.
On Thursday 1 July, 1999, Dr
Nina Simone gave a rare performance as part of Nick Cave's Meltdown
Festival. After the show, in a state of awe, Warren Ellis crept onto the
stage, took Dr Simone's piece of chewed gum from the piano, wrapped it
in her stage towel and put it in a Tower Records bag. The gum remained
with him for twenty years; a sacred totem, his creative muse, a conduit
that would eventually take Ellis back to his childhood and his
relationship with found objects, growing in significance with every
passing year.
Nina Simone's Gum is about how something so
small can form beautiful connections between people. It is a story about
the meaning we place on things, on experiences, and how they become
imbued with spirituality. It is a celebration of artistic process,
friendship, understanding and love.
'Warren has turned this memento, snatched from his idol's piano in a moment of rapture, into a genuine religious artefact.' NICK CAVE
Estimated non-UK postage
costs by signed for airmail delivery - Europe £17, Canada/Japan £26, Aus/NZ
£30, US £32. Additional books can always be added to a combined order for an
additional postage cost based on extra 0.25kg bands of weight, with an extra
postage cost per extra 0.25kg of £1.20 for Europe / £2.00 everywhere else -
please contact if any questions.
Multiple items - Please review my other
listings to see if there are any other items which are of interest to you.
I will be pleased to provide a suitable invoice for combined postage cost for 2
or more items. If you have won an item and intend to bid on any other
items which end on different days, I would be grateful if you would drop me a
message.
Postage – All of my books are
triple wrapped for delivery to maximise their safety -
firstly in bubble wrap protection, secondly in either a padded envelope or a
cardboard box, and finally in thick parcel paper.
For UK mainland - all items above a fairly modest value I
will send via either signed for Royal Mail and/or courier options whichever is
the best, this being largely dependent on the weight of the object.
I am more than happy to post overseas on the basis that
all items will be posted by Airmail with a signature required on delivery.
If you are overseas, please feel free to enquire about postage charges ahead of
registering a bid if you are unsure of the cost I may have outlined above, where
costs may be prohibitive depending upon where you are in the world and the
weight of the item, many thanks.
Feedback – I will be delighted to
provide feedback for a winning bidder once they have done so first to ensure
that the item has arrived safely. In the event a winning bidder has any
queries around a product following receipt, I would be pleased to deal with any
queries via my business e-mail address or the Ebay
message function in an effort to resolve matters ahead of any mutual feedback
being provided, thanks.
Many
thanks for looking at my items and good luck with any bids you make.
I
will be regularly listing items for sale, please save me as one of your
favourite sellers for the future,
thanks.