Museum – Page 3 – slightly weird

9th September 201812th September 2018

Saturday markets and Lavazza

Saturday, 8 September, 2018 28C

I’m going to start recording temperatures, for the record.

Saturday was another hot day. And, although we prefer to stay well away from the market on Saturday, there we were. And while we went there for four things, we came back with about ten. No big surprise there.

The market spilled over into Balon., where they were having a flea market. The photo I missed was the woman carrying a rather enormous package on her head. Well, I thought I got it, but it was one of those photos where you can’t see for the sun and your shot is of something entirely different. Missed!

The farmers' market much busier than on weekdays, and 50-50% higher prices too! — The farmers’ market much busier than on weekdays, and 50-50% higher prices too!

We got bok choy, damsons, my favourite expensive olives, parsley, sesame grissini, two fresh goat cheeses, sparkling water, milk, tomatoes, russian salad…could that be it?

My favourite grissini, two euros' worth — My favourite grissini, two euros’ worth

On our corner is the very-popular Galina, a seafood shop and restaurant. However, at the outside wall of the covered market is another fish shop that sells fritti misti from a side window. It’s cheaper and I like it better. Five euros for a small, eight for a large. Krish queued for a large one while I tried to stay out of the sun, and checked the haberdashery stalls along the side of the road. I wish I could find a fabric one.

The goat cheese and olives made a lovely salad, and the fritti – well, it’s deep fried and yummy. What more can I say?

Lunch - goat cheese and beet salad, fritti misti! — Lunch – goat cheese and beet salad, fritti misti!

We moved the furniture around the way we had it last year. So much more homey now. Photo to follow. And we napped. Krish suggested a walk and, wow, I didn’t feel like it but I knew I’d be glad of it once we were out there, and I was.

We walked across the river to the Lavazza complex. They’ve done some work on regulating the flow of the river and I seem to recall some elaborate machinery there last year.

The Lavazza grounds (haha) were still underway on our last visit but now they’re all finished. It’s quietly stunning. I stole this next picture from the Lavazza site. Ssshhh. (Of course it’s greener and lusher than this, with summer in full swing and everything bloomed and flourishing.)

The complex on via Bologna, which includes the modern office building, is unusually shaped, the architects describing it as a ‘cloud,’ (Krish thought it might be a coffee bean and I like his idea better) and it’s flanked by some renovated buildings, one of which was a power station and now houses the bistrot and a convention centre. Around the perimeter and through the central courtyard are green spaces. They aren’t as people-friendly as I expected when I was watching construction last year – the central ‘parkette’ (Share) is pin-neat and greenery is contained within plant oases.

At the back of the building you can see the archaeological remains through a semi-basement window, and there’s a huge employee gym.

Looking towards the Lavazza Shop. In the window the Turin Eye is reflected — Looking towards the Lavazza Shop. In the upper window the Turin Eye is reflected so you can see how close we are to the headquarters

The garden I hoped would be more people-friendly. The converted power station at the back

Checking out the archaeological remains through the window at the back

I’m not one for museums but ‘Museo’ is clearly signposted. I hope the remains are part of this, the way it seems to be laid out, labelled and with viewing platforms and stepping stones. I must do this really soon! Even the Shop looked intriguing. And, even though Krish wasn’t keen, I think I’ll head back to the bistrot and join in on this ritual too.

But there’s one thing the literature doesn’t tell you. This place smells amazing! Two areas had a strong spicy smell – reminded me of sea minerals, and another was strongly floral and vanilla-like. Each time, I tried to figure out the source of the aroma and failed. I need a Scent Detective!

I've seen very little wall art ar all this year. This was near Lavazza — I’ve seen very little wall art ar all this year. This was near Lavazza

16th August 201825th August 2018

Art at the Tate Modern

Thursday, 16 August, 2018

Liat has a friend at the Tate Modern and she can get us free entry to exhibits. Now, I’ve been inside the museum many times but mainly because the Turbine Hall is spectacular. (Hate that it’s now divided up by a newer middle bridge section. The view was so stellar before that.)

The Turbine Hall in numbers:
Height from ground level: 26m (85ft).
Size of area where works of art can be shown: 3,300 m2 (35,520 sq ft).
Length: 155m (500 ft), width: 23 m (75 ft), height: 35 m (115 ft).
Roof light consists of 524 glass panes.
Total area of basements under Turbine Hall, boiler house and sub-station: approx 1.1 hectares (2.75 acres), with an average depth: 8.5 m (28 ft).

I’ve never been into an exhibit and there are two at the moment.

One is Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy (just that year!). The other is Shape of Light, an exhibit of 100 Years of Photography & Abstract Act (it mostly shows how artists have worked with light – and subsequently shadow.

I don’t really like Picasso. So many millions disagree with me, therefore I must be missing the point. But taste is taste. Mine doesn’t lean to Picasso. I won’t say much more but I’ll caption some photos from the exhibit for you to ponder.

Ok Picasso, whatever! — OK Picasso, whatever!

What they say every man has on his mind? Well, at least Picasso... — What they say every man has on his mind? Well, at least Picasso…

Um... sex while desexualising...anyway, sex — Um… sex while desexualising…anyway, sex

And my one liked piece in the whole show. Notice the lack of sex?

Oddly, I quite like this. Reminds me of Robin's cartoons as a child — Oddly, I quite like this. Reminds me of Robin’s cartoons as a child

Messaged Robin immediately to tell him to get started on his own Picasso career!

Oh, we women love lounging around admiring each naked other

Inspired by crucifixion, he said. OK then — Inspired by Matthias Grunewald’s Crucifixion, he said. OK then

A few words on the next two pieces. The program reads, ‘Picasso turned to a new and darker subject matter: the threat of drowning, and the possibility of rescue.’ This happened after his lover got a viral infection after swimming in contaminated water. ‘This is suggested by some of the works on paper in which fatal accident is transformed into sexual violence.’ What? This might lend a clue: ‘Some biographers have argued that, since the childhood death of his younger sister…Picasso felt doomed to cause women to suffer.’ Do I need to say more? Maybe. Maybe not. Not now, anyway. Sorry, Picasso, you’re not for me.

Continue reading “Art at the Tate Modern”

1st April 2018

Hackney Museum visit, the role of women in Hackney

Thursday, 29 April, 2018

We have a lovely little museum inside the Hackney Library. RIght now they have an exhibit called ‘Making Her Mark: 100 years of women’s activism’ which will go until 19 May. Hackney has a history of women making their mark in London and in the UK.

**The museum entrance, Daniel Dafoe a Hackney resident, and an exhibit**

In the 1600s Hackney was known as the The Ladies’ University.’ By 1694 three of the thirteen well-known ladies’ boarding schools in the country were in Hackney.

In 1783 Mary Wollstonecraft, a radical author and philosopher, opened a school for girls in Newington Green. She wrote what is considered the founding text of feminism and inspired women’s suffrage campaigners. She argued that women were not naturally inferior to men, and it was a lack of educaiton which stopped women from fulfilling their potential.In 1824 Fleetword House, Stoke Newington became the Newington Academy for Girls. It was run by Susanne Corder, who broke new ground by teaching subjects like astronomy, chemistry and physics to girls. The area was home to many hugely influential women writers. These include some of the earliest champions for the universal education of women, an idea then viewed as radical and dangerous.

**The early Hackney activists along with a modern poster from Sistah Space, which supports African heritage women & girls affected by domestic or sexual violence/abuse/FGM**

Even without the parliamentary vote, Hackney women were shaping policy in education and poor relief from the late 1800s as elected representatives on school boards and as poor law guardians. Following the Qualification of Women Act 1907, women played an influential in Hackney’s local politics, both voting and standing in local elections. In 1910, Nettie Adler was elected as the Progressive Party candidate for the Central Hackney Division of the London County Council.

Over the last hundred years, women from a wide range of political parties stood for election i Hackney, Shoreditch and Stoke Newington. Though today only 32% of MPs are women, both of Hackney’s elected parliamentary representative – Diane Abbott and Marg Hillier – are.

Born in London to Jamaican parents, Dianne Abbott was the first black woman to become an MP when she was elected to represent Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Abbott’s career in politics began in 1982 when she was elected to Westminster County Council. She was active in the Black Sections movement within the Labour Party campaigning for greater ethnic minority political presentation.

So I’m a proud female Hackney resident. The area keeps changing but throughout history it’s always been cutting edge, a neighourhood were being different and being brave has been embraced.

**View from the library towards the Hackney Empire**

A greyish day from under the Empire awning

And today’s Hackney continues to change. Yesterday in Dalston, I noticed this! How have I missed the announcements? Now Hackney has two M&Ss. Amazing!

1st February 20184th February 2018

On the first, a visit to Sir John Soane’s Museum and then a walk

Thursday, 1st February, 2018

Once before I went to Sir John Soane’s museum when it was supposed to be a late closing but I got the date wrong that time. This time I double checked my facts and got the bus to Holborn Station to make my way to Lincoln’s Inn Fields. I was a bit puzzled on why the areas devoted mainly to the legal professions were called Inn (Gray’s Inn and Lincoln’s Inn being the ones I know). It turns out that this refers to the ‘Inns of court.’ These are associations that lawyers must belong to and in these fields there are facilities and offices they can use. That’s sort of how it is. We don’t know which is the oldest since apparently there’s a tradition to not tell. However, it seems to date back to the 1300 or 1400s with the squares and buildings themselves in the 1500s. Someone is going to correct me!

I knew nothing about Sir John Soane or his house/museum before visiting but I had heard it was worth a visit and I had a free day.

Lincoln’s Inn Fields itself covers 11 acres within a lovely large square set off by itself not far from the Royal Courts of Justice. The green space is very large and all around the perimeter sit beautiful houses. It’s far more grand than Gray’s Inn Fields.

Today I was sloppy with photos since I wasn’t alone. I shot wildly and quickly.

Sir John Soane’s museum is built inside the walls of his home. Sir John was a famous architect – he designed the original Bank of England, and Dulwich Picture Gallery. He bought three houses in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, demolished and rebuilt them almost two hundred years ago. He requested the houses be left as they were and become a museum.

Sadly, no cameras or phones are allowed. At the door they ask you to turn off your phone and then present you with a large clear plastic bag to put your bag into. A bit annoying to have to carry this around in your hand (I carry my bag on my shoulder so I can avoid that) but them’s the rules.

And it is quite a museum, being absolutely crammed with artifacts since SJS was a great collector – statues, curios, and even a tomb – that of Pharoah Seti II. Oh and small galleries with paintings by such as Hogarth, Turner and Canaletto. In various small ante rooms and courtyards and libraries, all of these things sit from floor to ceiling. It’s overwhelming, slightly oppressive, and very fascinating.

In one room they had an exhibition of Egyptology – items collected by Soanes and a character called Bolzoni. A video showed how they had created a digital image of the Seti sarcophagus and that the replica they would make from this would go back to where it came from. I was sad to hear the original place would get the replica and not the real sarcophagus. Plunder…

They do candlelight tours on some evenings. It would be a creepy tour to take but there it is. Besides the rooms of collections, there are the regular rooms that they lived in. These too seemed dark and heavy to me. Not a single spot to relax in. I wonder how his family life was.

I can’t share photos but this is a crazily dizzying look at the museum, if you want a taste of it. Continue reading “On the first, a visit to Sir John Soane’s Museum and then a walk”

25th January 201829th January 2018

DeBeauvoir Town, Gainsborough Studios, Plaquemine Lock,The Wellcome Collection

Thursday, 25 January, 2018

After some wet and windy days, when staying home seemed exactly what was best, there was some fair weather. Perfect for a long walk. I say long but these days 5k seems to be my limit. I find this very sad but carry on walking and taking breaks wherever I can.

My goal today was to find an art gallery, Victoria Miro, down at the fast developing area of City Road Basin which leads off of Regents Canal. I was also curious about a pub that claimed to serve authentic Creole and Cajun food. And from there make our way down to see the latest Wellcome Collection exhibit.

We managed all of it!

We started at Haggerston, by the canal. They’re really developing this area and it’s much prettier later in the year but it’s one of the more developed canal neighbourhoods. This side is a bit older.

Walking through the DeBeauvoir/Hoxton neighbourhood you come across Gainsborough Studios apartments on the south bank of the canal. The film studio was active between 1924 and 1951, best known for the Gainsborough Melodramas it produced in the 1940s, including the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The studios were demolished and flats were built in 2004.

Alfred Hitchcock sculpture — **Gainsborough Studio flats’ nod to Alfred Hitchcock – this bronze sculpture**

The City Road basin area is developing quickly and looks to be yet another modern high rise neighbourhood. It’s shiny and clean but lacks the soul of the older streets. One day, I suppose all of London will look like this but I’m happy that I have the chance to see the old and the new coexist, each interesting in their own way. Today there was a lot of walking to do so there are no photos of the new basin flats – another time.

New builds — **New neighbourhood emerging close to Regent’s Canal in Hoxton**

Older Hoxton — **The older streets of Hoxton. How long will they remain?**

Continue reading “DeBeauvoir Town, Gainsborough Studios, Plaquemine Lock,The Wellcome Collection”