Tea Time in Wonderland

Archive for the ‘Un brin de folie / a little craziness’ Category

This tunnel at the back of Waterloo station was made a success by Banksy in 2008 with the can festival: the walls were legally free to be tagged by graffiti artists and Banksy presented amazinf works of art too. A hit, a crowd!

Since then, the place is a lot more quiet…

It still remains a street artist headquarters though. Even if they’re coming to London for a few days, they like to come and live their signature there. No matter that the paintings only remain a few days, sometimes a few hours before being covered by someone else’s. Mostly, you’ll find graffitis such as we discovered them in the 80ies. But do come regularly and you’ll find such treasures…

Last year, yarnbombing even was a guest star…

You will sometimes hear classical music. Your sanity is intact -  this is the town hall’s effort to remind everyone this is to be a peaceful, creative place. Althout the city employees coming to do a few repairs do love to switch the radio full volume.

Hidden by the graffitis, the tunnel also has a few arches closed by doors. Those are private -  not the city’s at all -  and the owner (once Eurostar) do rent the space. Banksy had his one night cinema here to launch his movie Exit through the gift shop… Even exibitions openings have taken place here:  I have hapened to walk pass a line of VIPs dressed smartly…

But you’ll also find…

… A black cab car wash…

… More graffitis by fellow artists…

… and even a repair station for these cycle-taxis!

Leake Street
London SE1 7NN

Strolling through London, you might meet these extraordinary characters…

What an extraordinary way to dress!

The coastermongers used these brilliant buttons on their clothes. Henry Croft, brought up in an orphanage close to St Pancras started to collect the lost ones he found on the floor. Then upgraded his own clothes with them, including his hat and wooden stick. He was nicknamed the Pearly King. Tis was in 1875 -  a real success: people would stop him, give him a coin or two which he then gave to his childhood orphanage to help other kids out. Little by little, associations, hospitals asked him to raise money for them. The demand was so great that he had to recruit other Pearly Kings and Queens.

These days, the tradition continues and they support a cause or the other. Oftenn, the suit is transmitted wihtin the family. I often see them @ Covent Garden, always smiling and ready to pose for a picture.

Look at the designs closely. Each circle is a one penny size and each sign has a meaning. Some are  logical: a horseshoe means luck, a dove peace. Others are more difficult to guess: an anchor would be hope, a flower pot a costermonger…

There is an official parade the first sunday of October – can’t wait to see this royal walk!

Have a look on their website for more pictures. Or watch Mary Poppins again, they do appear in the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

At Greenwich, this week-end, a Pearly King had brought his colourful royal coach…

Bordeaux had seen a panda invasion. Bath had a pig one (including a flying pig). Londons had seen herds of cows and kangaroos.  But what would an urban jungle be without 250 extra elephants?

Usual story -  the sculptures were decorated by artists, designers, celebrities… In the lot: John Rocha, Lulu Guinness, Sir Terence Conran, Sir Paul Smith, le Prince et la Princesse de Kent, Cartier, Tommy Hilfilger. An inspired artist even used Swarovsky elements on his. They will be auctionned in July to support Elephant Family, an association protecting Asian elephants.

Up to you to fight your way through the London streets and catch them all. Some are really easy to spot, others blend in and can be passed without noticing.

The official map is here. The best place to start (especially if you’re taking the kids on an adventure) probably is the Scoop -  15 there. Or take them on a picnic safari @ Green Park and find the 25 hiding there!

If you do not have the time to play elephant bingo, you’ll find the herd @ the Royal Chelsea Hospital between June 23 and July 02.

The Elephant Parade

Through the whole of London, until June 22, 2010
@ the Royal Chelsea Hospital , from June 23 to july 02, 2010

- The London Eye has decorated Southbank… And if you fancy a ride, my friend Celine has found this 2 for 1 offer!

- The Easter passion played on Trafalgar Square: such a show deserves to stop by and have a look.

- Bet on Oxford or Cambridge for the traditional Boat Race… The Spitafield farm prefers to hold its yearly Goat Race (bottom of the page). I tried it last year and had a ball…

- Feeling a little elevenish? Hoorray, the Real Food Market is back @ Covent Garden!

- Womder what the hell chessboxing could look like…

- Are you in an art mood? Think street art @ the Black Rat gallery... Rediscover famous album covers here… Be amazed by bees… Or hop to Selfridge’s for some paper madness!

- Mmmh. Harpsichord and chocolate @ Handel House? Or more traditional @ Chiswick House – Easter bonnet parade, egg trail, teddies picnic…

- A winning recipe: Punch and Judy show and a mobile farm with chicks, lamps and rabbits to pet!

Where to find me? Well, I don’t think I can resist stopping at Haagen Dazs as they have a new Easter ice-cream… I will also be hunting the Easter Bunny @ the Childhood Museum – ideal on a rainy day. If the sun comes out, I’ll just jumps in a boat @ Little Venice and will stop @ the London zoo. What about you?

- Free Thursday morning? Do your gym @ Trafalgar Square before going to work!

- Wander through Camden market then go and (re) discover the brandly refurbished Jewish Museum…

- Hunt Harvey Nichols through the city: nusic, temporary tatoos, limited edition teddies and gliteery photo shoots…

- Pop in for a little Andy Warhol…

- Still going for the cultural card? Try sculptures here or enjoy the BP day @ The Tate: swap unwanted possessions, have your hair cut, or an alternative tour of the gallery, maybe a concert too!

- Feeling green? Add a little exotism and enjoy this Orchids show…

- Or will you prefer an edible chocolate garden?

- You hate sewing and craft? Think again. Quilts and patchwork often told the story of a group of friends, of a village, of a social status at the times. Give it a try @ the V&A!

You’ll find me fascinated by Judi Dench in a midsummer’s night dream and grabbing a bite @ this alternative picnic….

What an amazing art installation in the Saatchi basement.

I had read the presentation, knew what to expect -  but still your mind tricks you. You step closer and you brain is so confused for a second. How to limit the ceiling, ground, walls? How deep is the place? You’ll find yourself trying to analyse sunshine rays…

Only in a second time will you get back to reality -  a smell tickling your nose.

Yep, this room is filled with a sump oil sea. Not a line on the surface, not a movement – you even have a crazy thought that it looks like one could walk on it. The camera will be the best traitor here.

It will keep you mesmerized for a good ten minutes. Another kind of art sulpture!

Richard Wilson 20:50 installation
Saatchi Gallery
Chelsea
London, SW3 4SQ
Metro: Sloane square

Free! Until May 07, 2010

There’s spring in the air, get your snickers ready!

- Go and enjoy the East London Festival – so rich in music festivities, world culture, architecture, guided tours…

- Play with words @ the London Word Festival

- Add a splash of colour with this Hindu festival

- take the kids to a different week-end @ Barbican – poetry, Indian lanterns, bollywood dances…

- Since you’re @ Barbican, try a little alternative music. Yep, those are real birds. And it’s free!

- Fancy a little Alice in your week-end? Here a Mad Hatter Ball, here a little bit more about Lewis Caroll’s talents, and there a colourful tea-time…

- Oh, don’t forget, it’s National Pie Week! A few tips here and there…

I’m planning an easy week-end – cinema! Spoilt with both the new Tim Burton and Banksy’s first film, Exit through the gift shop. Which by the way plays @ Barbican, in case you feel like a whole day there. Oh, and maybe I’ll go and try those Asian sweets too…

Selfridge’s surfs on the new Tim Burton’s marketing wave and redesigns its wonder room.. or its wonder boutique, really.

Not very big, but a cute range of Alice themed items (if you cannot go to London, try the online Alice shop) as well as a yummy mad hatter tea party range of jewellry. You’ll find anything there from T shirts to crochetted cakes… Swarovsky also launched a new range of charme like jewels for the release.

My favourite items remain these crazy glass covers – really what I would expect in Wonderland:

Gaze at the extraordinary hats created by Colleen Atwood – you already know her work through Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Chicago…:

Will you resist Tom Binn’s necklaces?

Don’t forget the exterior window shops -  Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter’s costume and crazy tables…

Another Alice pop-up to try…

Alice fan? Why not plan a day @ Antony in Cornwall? The gardens were used for Tim Burton’s movie!

Wonder room – Alice Pop-Up
Selfridge’s
400 Oxford St
London W1A 1AB

Until March 21, 2010

A cute and funny exhibition @ Selfridge’s – this one plays on tiny details and big artistic effects. a maze of discoveries, a splash of colour, a dash of crazyness and smiles…

Take your time. Each work is in two stages. First a general visual effect. A smile. You look closer and discover what it really is made of. Like these letters made of jelly, this wall out of paper flowers, this winged nest, in fact a hat…

An ideal pause between two intensive shopping sprees. Your lover or/and your kids will be very grateful!

Now. Shopping done. Cultural card played. Surely you deserve a macaron from Pierre Herme?

The Museum of small things
Selfridge’s
400 Oxford Street
London W1A 1A
Jusqu’au 07 mars 2010
Until March 07, 2010

Once upon time, London was a much smaller place. Each borough increased in size until meeting the city. Can you imagine Lambeth as a muddy countryside?

The simple life became a town one. In 1800 -  a million people were living in the capital. In 1850 – 2.3 millions, what a jump!

Faced with this ever increasing populations, the graveyards around little churches just cannot cope. Bodies are buried a metre from the ground, with basic decorum: ideal for body snatchers.

That explains why cemeteries often look, well, crowded… How do you get from one grave without stepping on another one?

In 1832, the government finally decides to move and settles for a ring of cemeteries around London, also known as the Magnificent Seven: Kensal Green, West Norwood, Highgate (a real jewel, I hear), Nunhead, Brompton, Abney Park, Tower Hamlets will open between 1837 and 1841.

Some see is as a real opportunity. A protected, kept, green place: middle class decide to bury their beloved in style and show the social status of their family through elaborate graves. Marble, sculptures…

These days, it is not so much used as a cemetery than a lovely place for a walk. Large alleys sheletered by trees. In spring, bluebells and daffodils.In fact, you’ll be suprised to meet quite a few football fans: the Chelsea stadium is right behind. Do visit the place on amatch day. The atmosphere is surreal! One minute, you’re enjoying the quietness, listeming to a robin chirp happily. The next, a goal has been marked and you hear the loud clamour of the stadium as if you were in it. quite a new dimension!

Another amazing detail -  Beatrix Potter used to live nearby and loved strolling around. She actually used names on the graves for her book characters: you’ll find here a Mr Nutkins, a Mr McGregor, a Jeremiah Fisher, and even… a Peter Rabbett. It is even said that the enclose wall inspired her for the one in McGregor’s garden.

Of course, you’ll find plenty of crosses around, some celtic, other greeks. Angels too…

And many symbols the Victorians loved.

A few:
A rosebud wuld be for a child – half opened for a teenager – fully bloomed, someone in their twenties. Several and you can calculate their age.
Urns usually meant an ossuary, garlands redemption.
Dog symbolised loyalty.
A wreath, eternal memory. Laurel was kept for the elitehaving received a distinction in arts, litterature…

Birds symbolised the winged spirit, flying to heaven. A dove with an olive branch would mean hope.

See those three intricate letters, almost a symbol: IHS? Those were for Jesis Our Saviour in Greek. So much smarter to add little touches of your faith in mysterious ways…
My favourite are those hands. Look closely @ the first picture. A handshake is easy -  a goodbye. But the sleeves are different, you see? A frilly one would be a woman’s, buttons a man’s – obviously a couple. The person who died first clasps the living’s hand, which remained open. Here, the gentlemane died first. A finger gesturing downward mean a sudden death.

There also are plenty of marine symbols. My first thought was a seaman… But look at the last one – poor little Rose, 18 months… An anchor with a cut chained meant the interrupted life too.

Many graves look completely abandonned. There has been talks of cleaning them. Quite a polemic as they shelter a fascinating collection of insects and birds. Migrating ones love to stop here too. Even families of foxes live in the catacombs!

Oh, and you rarely will be on your own. The squirrels are used to visitors and will quickly make their way to you (or any food you might have)….

Brompton Cemetery

The friends of Brompton Cemetery propose a guided tour every second and fourth Sunday of the month – only £4!
Finborough Road
London, SW10