Tea Time in Wonderland

Posts Tagged ‘Trafalgar’

Dans ma jeunesse, je n’etais pas grand fan des musees.  Payer son ticket, parcourir des couloirs blancs couverts d’oeuvres aux minuscules etiquettes explicatives, avoir l’impression de devoir rentabiliser le prix de l’entree en y passant un certain temps, en ayant appris quelque chose. L’experience etait pour moi rebarbative. Je me rattrappais sur les expositions thematiques, avec une thematique qui me tenait a coeur.

L’Angleterre est venue changer cette vision. Sur Londres, les grands musees sont gratuits. Je m’y ballade donc avant d’aller a un rendez-vous, en passant, par plaisir, quelques minutes ou quelques heures. Les enfants y sont bienvenus, des jeux leur sont souvent dedies, parfois meme des chariots de coloriage, ou des ateliers. Pas de pression pour les tout petits: entree gratuite, vous etes libres de sortit au bout de 15mn si l’experience s’avere desastreuse. Ma fille a appris a marcher dans les larges couloirs du Victoria and Albert Museum.

L’un de mes tresors preferes est a l’entree meme de la National Gallery. A vos pieds, des les premiers pas.

Des mosaiques, oui, de l’artiste russe Boris Anrep. Classiques? Regardez mieux…

Anrep a eu l’occasion de creer 4 tableaux sur les differents niveaux de l’escalier:

- Labours of life en 1928, qui fait parallele a la nature constructive et creative de l’homme.  Ingenierie, exploration (cherchez le zebre),  fermage (on y lave un cochon), etudes (vous y croiserez le diplodocus du Natural History Museum)…

- Pleasures of life en 1929, qui regroupe, le football, le cricket, les pubs, la chasse a cour, des filles a motos ou dansant le charleston, un Xmas pudding et un mud pie….

As a teenager, I hated museum. You had to pay for the ticket, walk through white cold corridors covered with works of arts and tiny lables, spend a reasonable time given the price the had paid and felt you had to lear something in the process. Boring! I compensated with exhibitions for which I could at least choose a theme I liked.

England changed all this for me. In London, the main big museums are free. I started by going there before meeting friends if I was too early, strolling through them happily. Take the pressure off and it is immediately more enjoyable. You spend a few minutes there or a few hours. Great for kids too as they are welcomed and encouraged -  games, art trolleys, even workshop. And of course, if your toddlers decides it’s not a museum day, no guilt in leaving the place after 10mn only. My daughter learnt to walk in the large corridors of the V&A museum: she was delighted with so much space, we caught a glimpse of culture on the way.

One of my favourite treasures is in the entrance of the National Gallery. Look down, it is at your feet!

Mosaics, yes, from the Russian artist Boris Anrep. too classical? Look again…

Anrep was lucky to lay down four works along the stairs:

- Labours of life in 1928, reminding us of the constructive and creative nature of man, he said. Engineering, exporing (look for the zebra), farming (in which a pig is being washed), studying (meet the Natural History Museum diploocus!)…

- Pleasures of life in 1929, among which football, cricket, hunting, girls on motorbike, dancing charleston, a Xmas pudding and a mud pie…

- The awakening of the muses en 1933 mettant en scene des contemporains de l’artiste. Comme Virginia Woolf pour la muse de l’Histoire ou Greta Garbo en Melpomene…

- The awakening of the muses in 1933 – the artist used his friends as models. Being part of the fanous Bloomsbury Group, he used Virginia Woolf as the History Muse and Greta Garbo for Melpomene…

- Modern Virtues en 1952 ou la vie intellectuelle des annees 30 et 40.  Vous y croiserez des portraits de celebrites de l’epoque, dont Winston Churchill defiant un monstre en forme de svastika…

- Modern Virtues in 1952 or the intellectual life of 1930ies and 4oies. Again, you’ll find famous people of the time depicted there. Such as Winston Churchill defying a Svastica shaped monster…

Vous trouverez de nouveaux details a chaque nouvelle visite. Ideal aussi pour faire patienter les enfants, donnez leur donc une liste d’objets ou d’action a trouver!

Profitez-en aussi pour decouvrir les batiment autour de Trafalgar Square (la et la) ainsi que le mystere de cette minuscule tour de surveillance…

You’ll find new details at each visit. Ideal with kids too -  give them a list of objects and actions to find for a few minutes of peace!

And why not learn more about the buildings arounf Trafalgar Square (here and there) and discover this strange tower-lampost…

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
Gratuit
Free

My friend Celine mentioned it on her blog -  have you seen the London ice polar bear on Trafalgar square?

Interesting ides of the WWF to symbolise the melting ice and the ecologicale consequences on the animals. We went there together, loved the poetic side of it but wondered, looking at it melting by the minute: what impact will it have when only the paws would be left?

But the artist had been clever, constructing it around the animal skeletton, appearing as the ice disappears. Last week, passers-by marvelled, carressed it, vaguely listened to explanations, took a picture and left smiling. Now it hits them. They gasp, are shocked and troubled by it, they stop in their tracks and ask.

A successful little project who has melted many a heart this week. Take the kids there, the bear will be there until December 21.

What a show! The National Gallery clearly is cutting away from its classical looks with moment the Hoerengracht, one of the last works by Ed and Nancy Kienholtz.

What is this all about? The artists recreated a few streets from Amsterdam’s red light district. Same yellow and red lights, same tiny rooms doubled as window shops, same women, waz like, empty look, almost disappearing clothes, compensated by heavy make-up. As if they were dolls in a plastic box. Buy me. Glass cubes cover the body parts for sale.

Vulgar? But also fascinating somehow. You just cannot help but looking. Voyeurism takes over. A curtain only half closed? You’ll find yourself spying. It’s all baout the dark irony of a few walls…

Interesting. And free. Do have a look before criticising the idea!

Hoerengracht
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN

Free
Until February 21, 2010

Fed up with Xmas shopping? A few ideas to forget all about it…

- Well first, you need energy. Carluccio’s has a special -10% on their deli this Thursday. Best of all, you’re welcomed with mulled wine and canapes…

- T’is the season to be eating finger-licking good treats! Head for the chocolate festival on Southbank.

- Don’t forget the new exhibitions: question your identity @ the Wellcome Collection or test artistic technology @ the V&A.

- More of the street art fan? Head for the Flying Eyeball.

- of course there is the pop-up of the week-end: Elton John’s clothes and stage outfits on sale, profits going to his AIDS foundation. Not whithin your budget? Try Barnardo’s vintage shop on Carnaby street to pack a bargain!

- Rediscover England with fascinating landscape pictures @ the National Theatre…

- Take the kids to a panto: there will be a toy Aladdin one @ Covent Garden on Sunday…

-… or pet an ice polar bear on Trafalgar Square….

- … or your toddlers to a Baby disco party on Saturday! Shake it, baby!

- Why not an interactive Treasur Hunt?

- a last festive note: the Tate Britain is setting up its artistic Xmas tree this Friday.

Did I forget anything? Leave me a note!

You’ll find me @ the Earth exhibition (then trying to choose from one of the gorgeous cakes at the Sketch Pop Up) and at the strange and amazing House of fairy tales

Did you make a good supply of Vitamine C? Good. The week-end should be quite busy…

- Try the late opening Thursday @ the Museum of London: live music, carol singing, creative workshops, and lovely original stalls to fill those stockings…

- Have a look at the Xmas tree on Trafalgar square

- Travel through time on Friday night – Dennis Sever house is all decorated for Xmas and can be visited weeknights candlelit- very atmospheric!

- The traditional Pudding Race takes place this Saturday @ Covent Garden. Teams will race for the benefit of Cancer Research, trying to avoir many obstacles ont their way. The take the kids to the cookie workshop! There will be Xmas carols in the afternoon.

- Enjoy Regent and Oxford traffic free on Saturday -  plenty of shopping offers and partying in the streets!

- Admire the newly opened Renaissance and Medieval Galleries @ the V&A

- Add a glamour touch and have a look at Audrey Hepburn’s wonderful dresses before they’re auctioned…

- Have your breath taken away by Jean-Francois Rauzier’s gorgeous hyperphotos…

- Head for the RAC’s new show, Earth, on climatic changes. Then stop at the Sketch’s pop-up bar – a crazy setting which also promises oysters, pancakes and champagne…

- Skate in an extraordinary historical setting – Hampton Court

- Say cheers @ this beer festival… or more elegantly @ the Smirnoff pop up bar, deco inspired by the gentlemen’s clubs.

I’ll be tasting delicious food @ the taste of Xmas. How about you?

The idea was so good.  Ten tree stumps, taken from rainforests, their tortured roots screaming silently towards a threatening sky, creepy shadows all around you, the ghost of a disappearing forest, far away but one day, close to you, this small of wet earth, a red, bleeding earth. the atmosphere should move you, make you shiver, shake you, upset you, make you shout no to deforestation.

I just couldn’t project myself. Too much of a daily dose of ecology? Too much a gap with the place? Too flashy the lights? Too purple the fountains around, clasing with the sadness it should have involved? Who knows. Don’t get me wrong – such projects are to be encouraged. Bring it closer to the people, make them see, reinforce the subject. it just didn’t do anything for me.

Different, educative, yes, of course. I had never imagined those trees grew higher that Nelson’s column. Makes you appreciate better the impact of any of those disappearing. Kids remain impressed by the width of the trunks.

To be seen if you’re around trafalgar square, for your green side of you, for the event, for the change of scene. maybe not worth crossing the toen, just for this. No worry, you can follow everything on the webcam.

Want to know more? Click here for the artist’s interview and there for her project…

Ghost Forest
Trafalgar square
London

Until November 22, 2009

A hot chocolate, a new scarf and gloves, and here you go. Plenty to see this week-end to get into the Xmas spirit. Not that you can really escape it!

- Start on Southbank – either with the Slowfood market (jazz themed this time) or the Cologne Xmas market…

- Oxford street launches its market this week as well…

- Want more? Head to Hyde Park for a walk and a big wheel ride with the Winterwonderland…

- Stop @ Covent Garden for the Lacoste experience or simply for the kids to enjoy candlelit stories…

- Head to Victoria station or Westfield to see the Cirque du soleil (and hopefully win free tickets!)…

- See another dimension in Trafalgar square with the ghost forest…

- Take the kids to the London children film festival…

- Want to make them gasp in wonder? Have a walk with them in the Enchanted forest @ Syon Park. Thousands of lights in the trees. £5 per adult, £2 per kids – quite cheap for the thrill…

- Skate at the Somerset House. Have alook at the program: Breakfast @ tiffany’s matinees and DJ evenings!

This week-end, slow down and take the time to…

… enjoy the colour firewok at http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/poplife/- Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and my favourite, Murakami are part of it. Not to be missed!

… Listen to Roald Dahl’s stories @ the National Theater and even get a book signed by Quentin Blake himself…

… Join the Broadway market Saturday from noon for their mid-autumn festival – Vietnamese food and mooncakes, lantern making workshop, games and dances for kids!

… Lick you lips @ Selfridge’s with their “Taste of Singapore” cooking demonstrations…

… If you are @ Selfridge’s on Saturday, you could see the flashmob regrouping 100 volunteers wearing duck masks well decided on stopping Selfridge’s from selling foie gras!

… Have fun with 20 years of Nick Park’s drawings. Be a child a again with his Wallace and Gromit’s world! (alternatively head for the Science museum)

… Celebrate Diwali, the hindu festival of lights @ Trafalgar Square this Sunday… Music and light displays… (14.00-19.00)

Following my mini-jungle theme @ Trafalgar Square… get closer to the South Africa House…

…and discover lions, antilopes, giraffes…

… even a winged gazelle at the corner.

Very little history on this building, built in 1930 where an hotel used to be. it has always sheltered the South Africa Consulate . No mystery surrounds it, no crunchy story but it juste makes me feel like jumping on a boat and sail towards more exotic countries…!

Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DP
Metro/tube: Charing Cross

The Proud Gallery, a private gallery specialising in rock star photographies, is in nostalgic mode with snaps of the Who at the beginning of their career. On stage, of course, but also their daily life, waking up, shaving, chosing clothes. And oh, the fashion at the time, the tweed suits! Budweiser is sponsoring the event and you can even grab a beer from the fridge near te entrance while remembering long gone years, but weren’t they wild, eh?

The sub-level also proposes other prints on sale, including two wonderful prints of the Rolling Stone (one is an incredible cricket party with a broken paino in the background). Their other branch in Camden, doubled as a bar and regularly playing live music, actually has an exhibition on Woodstock

Proud Gallery
The Who
32 John Adam Street
London WC2N 6BP
Until November 15, 2009
Tube: Embankment or Charing Cross

If you dream in black & white and did not get a chance to see Londoners through a lens @ the Getty Images, you’ll love the book released with these extraordinary pics of a long gone London. A great gift for this coming Xmas (or just to yourself!)
A few below:
- a Doubledecker en route for a trip to Oslo for an exhibition celebrating England
- Covent Garden in 1910
- One of the many celebrations for Georges VI’s coronation: the to be on TV!
- Chain working and producing toy cars…
- A rat catcher – WWII saw a terrible increase in rat population and this was a very well paid job based on the risks on being bitten and infected.

Seduced? The get the book from the previous exhibition too, London through a lens.