Life is cyclical. I look back on my journal entry of exactly twelve months ago and see that I was at the Xbox launch party in the cleared-out basement of the closed Virgin Megastore. It’s strange being in such a large shop when it’s closed.

Tonight, I find myself at another Xbox party, this time on the top floor of the closed Tate Modern - 365 days on, Microsoft is finally launching its online gaming service in Europe.

It was very exclusive, and invites only, which is always a mixed blessing. It’s good to get an invite, but if it’s too exclusive, as it was tonight, you end up in a room full of finger food and strangers. The only person I knew there, aside from Ant and Dec, was Gordon, although I did make friends with a very guy called John who had Tin Tin hair. We shouted at each other over the loud music and gaming, nodded a lot and didn’t catch much of what each of us said.

He drank a potent smelling green cocktail he described as being like the sperm of Satan. I ate fish out of a paper cup. Ant and Dec proved themselves inept at console gaming, while Radio Five Live mooched around with their microphones, kid reporters from Newsround asked questions and half a dozen other camera crews grabbed unsuspecting journalists and dragged us into corners to be interviewed.

It was a good party, enhanced by the fantastic view of the illuminated city skyline out across the river, but would have been even better had we all known each other. I’m happy it gave me another chance to see that fantastic 160m-long piece of art in the Turbine Hall, though, which is just as striking as it was when I saw it for the first time.

Called Marsyas, it still looks to me like elephantine fallopian tubes, although as we stood under it last week Ems wondered aloud what an alien race would make of it if some kind of disaster wiped us all next week and they arrived a few days later. Would they wonder what we used it for? Or how they should turn it on? Or if it was dangerous?

above: Looking from the centre to the western end of the installation. One enormous canvas fallopian tube.

above: It’s difficult to give an idea of the size of the piece in a single frame. This shows about half of its height.

above: Standing beneath the centre of the piece you are on the walkway that straddles the Turbine Hall. From here you can see through one of the arms of the piece. Notice the person leaning on the railing at the far end of the walkway, which again illustrates the immense size of the piece.

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