Tree and I have just returned from a few days in the Big Smoke (a.k.a London) and ,to be honest, I could do with a rest. Tree was on a course so I had the daytime to myself and filled most of it with time in the galleries.
My first stop had to be the Francis Bacon exhibition at the Tate Britain. Bacon has been a major influence in my life since the age of six when I was shown "Study for three figures at the base of a crucifixion". I have been to many exhibitions of his work since then and still feel the same way as when I first saw it.
The next day I spent in the British library, Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. An interesting exhibit in the Science Museum was called "The Bridge". The bridge was constructed of glass with wires fixed, radially outwards, to sound amplifiers. As you walk on the bridge, the distortion is amplified into a weird chime-like music. The glass was clear enabling one to look downwards to the floor 60 feet below. This would be Tree's nightmare as bridges are not her favourite, let alone glass ones!! I was surprised how empty the museums were and remember that, as a child, they were always packed. I went into the Vault, to try and identify a couple of gemstones I have, and was the only person in there for about an hour!! I blame PS3's, TV, etc,etc. It is easy to see where J.K.Rowling got the idea for the staircases in Barry Trotter just by looking at the architecture, which I must say is worth a trip to see on its own.
The highlight of the day had to be the slice of a Sequoia tree that is 1300 years old. Each ring is marked to illustrate a point in our history and you cannot feel anything but humbled by the scale of ones life in comparison.
Out on the street there were a few interesting things to see as well, including an installation by Thomas Schutte in Trafalgar Square and a Banksy artwork on a wall outside Tescos in Highbury.
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