No I'm not talking about how Gap exploit children in India, but rather about my trip to the big smoke this weekend just gone. Tree and I decided to get "outta town" for a couple of days and settled on a trip to London. We stayed in Pimlico in a hotel on Belgrave Road, within shouting distance of the centre of London. On Saturday we started the day with a visit to Covent Garden Market and stopped by to see the stall of mirrors, and the man who inspired me to make them in the first place. It was here that I said "I could do that" , to myself, and did! At the time, I was in awe of his work but now I feel the pupil has surpassed the master (Tree's words, not mine).
The performing artists, outside the church, were amusing as ever and we stopped briefly before going on to Govindas, the Khrishna restaurant run by devotees, for lunch and to see the Khrishna temple. The food was exquisite, and Prasadam to boot, and we went upstairs afterwards to buy some incense. We had hoped to go into the temple but the landing outside was packed full of people. I went downstairs and left Tree to try and recover our shoes, from by the doorway, which was a mammoth feat. Some time later, Tree emerged, holding our shoes aloft, and looking red faced and triumphant. We retired to the embankment to watch the Lord Mayor's show but only managed to catch the end of it. This was rounded off with a fantastic display of fireworks, set off from barges on the Thames. We headed back to Covent Garden to see The Lord of The Rings stageplay at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The stage set was amazing as it came out of the stage and enveloped most of the boxes and stalls giving the feeling that you were part of the performance, set in Mirkwood or Fangorn! Coming back on the tube, we were the only ones around...very American werewolf in London!
Sunday was a lot quieter for us and we went to the Tate Modern to see Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth. Hence, mind the gap! The work was very powerful, not least by the fact she had actually carved a huge fissure the length of the Turbine hall. My best bit was a litle Dutch boy who rushed up to me and said" careful you don't fall in", which I thought was brilliant.
Also included in the trip were a visit to The Old Baily, Temple Bar, and to see some cool architecture, but I will blog on those another time.
3 comments:
See I thought the gap was a bit shit to be honest, well not shit I suppose 'cos I did spend a good half hour in the turbine hall but certainly not as good as previous turbine hall exhibits ( gutted I missed the slides)
that was Dan BTW not sure why it is going from the CM site
This work is the first to involve the structure of the Turbine Hall itself. Although not as visually impressive as some other works, the emotion behind this piece is striking, perhaps seconded only by some of Rachel Whiteread's work.
"The concrete walls of the crevice are ruptured by a steel mesh fence, creating a tension between these elements that resist yet depend on one another. By making the floor the principal focus of her project, Salcedo dramatically shifts our perception of the Turbine Hall’s architecture, subtly subverting its claims to monumentality and grandeur. Shibboleth asks questions about the interaction of sculpture and space, about architecture and the values it enshrines, and about the shaky ideological foundations on which Western notions of modernity are built.
In particular, Salcedo is addressing a long legacy of racism and colonialism that underlies the modern world. A ‘shibboleth’ is a custom, phrase or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to a particular social group or class. By definition, it is used to exclude those deemed unsuitable to join this group."
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