2 November

We’re all recovering from the throngs of people swarming through the galleries over half term last week. It was great to see the exhibition busy, but with so much delicate work on show and so many temptations for little fingers, it proved a nail-biting time. Kit Abramson’s tennis balls (Love 30) seem now to have journeyed around the entire exhibition – though their favourite nesting place remains Filling a Frame, a pile of individually hand-coloured polystyrene balls in which a child was also discovered on Saturday after excitedly throwing himself into the heap. And alas, we did not come out unscathed. For Want of Wonder, a beautifully enigmatic work by Russell Mills, sustained damage for the second time (our insurers will be pleased...) after a visitor knocked the music stand, which forms part of the piece to the floor. Despite having once already travelled up to Carlisle to repair his work, Russell was very gracious about the damage. For Want of Wonder is now however looking a little sad; the damaged component has again been removed for repairs and we have been forced to rope the whole piece off – an ugly but necessary precaution against further incidents.