Secret? Yep. The location changes each time. You’ll only know a few days before the event where to go. The film remains untold until the very evening.

A little risky, I hear you say, given the ticket price: £18! Is it really worth it?

Well, I decide to give it a try for their Halloween session. The tone in the messages was – willingly -  military: missions, recruits… We were asked to dress in white. Female recruits were not to wear dresses.

As soon as you get off the tube, you’ll find the others. Smiles are exchanged – we all know, dressed like that, that we’re going to the same place.An incredible white crowd. We’re a thousand, all in white. Add to that Halloween disguises – I’m a zombie/mad scientist. We’re managed, again very army-style. Instructions. Decontamination. Distribution of flashlights and white boilersuits. We all laugh. Imagine all those vampires, ghosts getting fressed in the street, helping each other, queing niceling. Drivers slow down, gasping. A window shows a space team having breakfast, getting ready to go out -  white, glossy environment. A spaceship taking off is projected on the walls, sound included. From time to time a jeep arrives, unload more army guys in white suits.

You get in, per group. Sirens call, red light flashing, urgency, attention, instructions shoutes. Get ready. Fog, this si some kinf of adventure. You take steel ladders and corridors, go left, right, see astronauts getting ready on the way. You arrive in a dimmed room, two giant screens on the side, concret walls. More spationauts walking around, helmets on, flashlight in hand. In a corner a desolated landscape hads been recreates, giant eggs moving left and righr. Suddenly a shape appears on the form – greyish and shiny, threatening: an Alien like int he movie! With this glossy helmet trup of head and sharp teeths. All around us, green laser in which you walk in deep.

Further on is a kinf of canteen. Prices are high but profits go a charity. They sold, for the occasion, astronaut ice cream. Scientist work on the side on bloody and blueish pieces of meat. Whind a glass lay a man’s body, his head trapped by an alien. In a corner, the film traitor, a robot, lies in pieces, his head moaning a few words as in the iconic scene of the movie.

People mix -  a real babylon tower, you’ll hear French, Spanish, German, Russian… Fab mood – people are happy to chat along, remebering the first time they saw the film, what they thought of the sequels, comparing with other classics of the era.

A few popcorns late – the queue was amazing -  the film finally starts. Projection is excellent, the osund a bit too loud at first was quickly fixed. The chairs could be a little more comfortable – we’ll spen two hours there. Good leg room. Time just flies. I’m not particularly an Alien fan, but  it also shows a aparticular time – make up, hair style… Classic scenes still get gasps and screams from the audience (me included) to everyone’s delight. The double-jawed monster could stand proud in todays productions – so modern, so convincing still! I wish they had done an Alien night, really, I would have liked to see the other twos in a row.

The screen turns black. The night continues with a DJ, light effects. The public stays quite happily, sit around a drink, dancing around.

Have a look here for pics!

Very atmospheric – the next session is on November 26. Just can’t wait.

Secret cinema

Facebook page

In Wardour St, a street I have taken hundreds of times,this building catches my eye:

Sarah Bernardt? A whigmaker, French? The building once belonged to Willy Clarkson, a famous theatre whigmaker in his time. Not suprising that Sarah Barnardt laid the first stone of his house.

These days, the glamour is lost, remains… a Chinese restaurant, Wong Kei. My collegues smile; this is the most famous place in alla Chinatown! Ah? The food must be superb? No, no. The decoration, then? Neither. It all comes down to the service, so arrogant and insulting it became a joke and people came to experience it for a real laugh. Customers are taken all over the building to find a table, then ordered to wait in the stairs, forgotten there. It’s amost theatre like, the waiters sighing and swearing, intimidating. The food was allright and cheap which seems to have made it a hit. Unfortunately, I learn, these days the staff is way too polite…

41-43 Wardour St
London, W1D 6PY

Tourists and locals rush there for the atmosphere, joining the week-end crowd, looking here and there. One is always amazed at the huge stock of silbver teaports, the toy double decker buses or lead toy soldiers, the real and false antiques… (Have a look at Alice, you’ll be amazed!). Or even just have a stroll through the nearby streets, so much quieter, glossy doors, looking the same and different at the same time, draped with ivy sometimes…

If you love British icons, you’ll be delighted. Why not have a cup of tea with the Royal family? Having foreign friends coming for a visit? So chic to serve your Earl Grey in a jubilee cup…

Of, course, you’ll find plenty fo books and videos too… (Try the Oxfam book shop – nice collection there)

…but also stamps…

…and even thimbles…

Would would have thought Portobello was fir for a king/queen?

Portobello Market

Tube: Notting Hill

Ennuye par le silence reliant les gens qui se cotoient dans la rue, les espaces publics… mais aussi les oeuvres d’art semees ici ou la mais qui ne proposent pas d’interactivite, il decide de lancer cette operation en 2008. Investir dans des pianos, les disposer librement dans la ville (plus facile a dire qu’a faire du cote administratif) et les laisser a portee du public.

Le but? Provoquer – c’est le mot utilise par l’artiste – le passant. Le surprendre, le tenter… La curiosite pousse a s’avancer, un peu hesitant, a caresser les touches, a faire chanter quelques notes… Un regard timide, un peu gene, a droite, a gauche… Ils se lancent, les gens s’arretent, ecoute, un lien se cree. La rue n’est plus ere de passage mais sphere d’echange. On applaudit, on glisse quelques mots, le pianiste ephemere encourage son audience a prendre la suite.

J’aime cet elan. Il me surprend. Me fait reconsiderer ces silhouettes anonymes. Un grand-pere tout frele qui s’asseoit et s’illumine de bonheur en retrouvant une melodie qu’il croyait lui-meme oubliee. Des enfants qui savaient ce qu’est un piano mais n’en avaient jamais vu de pres, encore moins touche, s’emerveillent des sons qu’ils peuvent creer. Un garcon de cafe que l’on aurait a peine regarde mais qui se lance dans un mini-concerto: le piano, c’est sa passion. Ou meme mon propre collegue dont je decouvre qu’il s’essaie a l’orgue tous les soirs, ce qu’il n’avait jamais mentionne depuis 9 mois que nous travaillons ensemble…

Vous les trouverez un peu partout: au bout du Millenium Bridge, a Leicester Square, dans le jardin de la cathedrale St Paul, a Liverpool station… avec des partitions plastifiees pour vous inspirer. Une liste et un plan sont disponibles sur le site, ou vous pouvez egalement annoncer que vous jouerez un mini-concert si l’envie vous en dit, ou meme venir avec une chorale… C’est la le but: la reappropriation de la rue…

Verifiez egalement jusqu’a quelle heure ils sont “ouverts”: certains sont rentres pour la nuit (comme celui du Paternoster Square) et la plupart bloques par un cadenas la nuit. Une bache leur est attachee en cas de pluie pour les proteger: n’hesitez pas a la deplacer si le coeur vous en dit pour rallumer la vie de quelques notes…!

http://www.streetpianos.com/london2009/
http://www.singlondon.org/
Gratuit! Free!
Jusqu’au 13 juillet 2009 – apres quoi ils seront donnes a des ecoles et communautes locales. Il vous est impossible de venir sur Londres? Rassurez-vous, une vingtaine arrive sur Bristol en septembre 2009.
Until July 13, 2009 – after which they will be given to local schools and communities. Not able to come and see them in London? 20 of them will be in Bristol in September 2009.

Leicester Square

Millenium Bridge

Millenium Bridge bis

Play me I’m yours is the wonderful idea of the artist Luke Jerram.

Annoyed by the silence linking passers-by in the street, or any public space… or the number of artwork that fail to connect people, he decided to lauch this operation in 2008. The plan? Buy pianos, put them in the street (which proved an administrative hell), free of use to anyone…

The aim? To provoke the urban passer-by. Surprise him, tempt him… The curiousity will force him to step forward, a little hesitant, caress the keyboard, make a few notes sing… A shy, embarrassed look around and he will sit. He plays a little, people stop, listen, there’s a sudden silent but vibrant connection. The street is not a passing place anymore but an exhange sphere. People clap, ask for more, congratulate. The painist of the moment encourages someone else to join in. He’s now part of a group.

I love the idea. It breaks the invisible film we put on people around us. A frail old man will light up when playing a melody of his youth even him thought forgotten. A child who knew what a piano was but never had seen one close, let alone touched one will wonder at the sound he can create with it. A waiter, whom you would never have looked twice suddenly plays a mini-concerto and fascinates you: he is, in fact passionate about music. Even a colleague of mine tentatively plays: he then explains he tries to learn and play the organ every evening – he had never mentionned it in the 9 months we have been working together. This brings out the best in people.

You’ll find them all around town: at one end of the Millenium Bridge, at Leicester Square, at St Paul’s, in Liverpool station… with plastified partitions to inspire you. A list and a map are available on the website, where you can also post an event if you wish – play a mini-concert, bring a choir with you… And that’s the point: for peole to make the street their own.

Do check until which time they’re “open”. Some of them are put away for the night (like the one in Paternoster square), most are locked at night, the time will depend. A plastic cover is attached to them for rain protection but don’t hesitate to push it away and light the air up with a few notes!

Et peut-etre croiserez vous ces etonnantes boites bleues…

En 1883, point de radios, de telephone portable (un temps que ma fille qui iphonera joyeusement ne comprendra pas). Sont alors mises en place ces bornes d’appel, qui contenaient un telephone utilisables par le public et les policiers afin de contacter la station la plus proche.

Chaque station pouvait envoyer un signal qui faisait s’allumer la lampe rouge au sommet, une instruction au policier passant par la de contacter leurs quartiers au plus vite.

Les deux versions ci-dessous sont les plus basiques. Si vus etes fan de Dr Who, vous connaissez la version “maisonette” qui sert a voyager dans le temps: plus adaptees, je dirais aux Bobbies, puisqu’ils pouvaient y trouver un tabouret, une table, de quoi brosser leur habit, une malette de premiers secours, un extincteur (car construites en bois a l’origine) et un radiateur. On pouvait aussi bien y enfermer un suspect…

L’arrive d’autres medias comme le talkie-walkie les fera tomber en desuetude. Certaines ont disparue, d’autres se cachent dans le paysage urbain, d’autres encore on tete transformees (l’une d’elles en mini-cafe a Edinburgh) Mais elles gardent un certain charme…

La premiere est sur Cannon Street, la seconde pres de la station de metro Aldgate.
The first is on Cannon Street, the second close to Aldgate Tube station.

A stroll in London is always a promise of surprises.

And who knows, you might find on eof these blue boxes…?

In 1883, no radios, no mobile phones (a time my daughter – who will undoubtely facebook happily on her iphone – will not be able to grasp). Hence these call boxes whic contained a phone both public and bobbies could use to contact the nearest police station.

Each station could use a special signal to lighe to red flashlight on top and let the passing bobbies they had to contact headquarters.

Different versions exist. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, oyu will know of the large one, a small house, that happens to be a time machine. in real life, they contained a stool, a table, a few things to brush their clothes, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher (the first ones were made of wood), a first aid kit and a radiator. You could as well lock a suspect there…

Once new medias stepped in – like talkie-walkies – they were little by little given up. Some of them remain, others, were destroyed, others have been transformed (such as one as a mini-cafe in Edinburgh). All retain a nostalgic charm…

La mort de ce dernier, le 25 juin dernier, a renforce les ventes.

Mais surtout, en l’absence de Tribute Concert, d’etoile sur un boulevard ou de domicile de la star est devenu LE lieu symbolique ou les fans et les gens tout simplement touches par sa musique ou dont un des hits symbolique une epoque de sa vie, viennent dire adieu, a leur facon a la star. Avec des nouquets de fleurs, des bougies, des affiches, de mots signes sur des feuilles a meme le sol.

Et si le coeur (ou la curiosite) vous en dit, des fans organisent une marche a hyde Park samedi 04 juillet a 19.00.

Lyric Theater
29 Shaftesbury Avenue
London, W1D 7ES
www.the-lyric-theatre.co.uk
Tube/metro: Piccadilly

The Lyric Theater had been proposing a Thriller musical show on Michael Jackson’s hits for a while.

The death of the singer, on June 25th, has certainly brought even more interest to this show.

Given that the British fans are left without a concert -  even a tribute one -, a star on a boulevard or a house to go and see… the theater had become THE place to go to pay your last respects to the star. You’ll find fans, of course, but also normal passers-by who had been touched by his music, or for who certain hits were associated with a part of their life. Each person has a different way of saying good-bye. Flowers, drawings, posters, candles, a note scribbled on a A3 paper on the floor.

Another option is to join the march organised by fans @ Hyde Park this Saturdayat 19.00…