Tea Time in Wonderland

Posts Tagged ‘Barbican’

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…

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!

Since temperatures and leaves alike are falling dramatically, I’ll give up cocktail on the terasse (though it’s the last chance to enjoy the Dusk Bar).
And it sounds like the perfect week-end for it!

- First, put some colours back into our life and ead for Ruscha’s show @ the Hayward. Pop, surrealist, firework like.

- Not to be missed: Damien Hirst @ the Wallace Collection. He finally gave up chain produced circles and got back to his brushes and paintubes. Vibrant works.

- Feel nostalgic with the new 6oies show (Beatles to Bowie) @ the National Portrait Gallery.

- Learn how transport sculpted the suburbs identity at theTransport Museum. The exhibitions should be funny and family-friendly…

- Start Xmas shopping with the Craft fair @ the Somerset House.

- Or forget this commercial world @ the Free Art Fair @ Barbican (you may even win a work of art on Sunday!)

- Enjoy to a poetry marathon @ the Serpentine Gallery (especially as the summer pavillion will be demolished Sunday)

- If the weather really is bad, head for the BFI London film festival!

Le Barbican est en plein theme Radical Nature, destine a recreer un lien entre la nature et l’homme a travers l’art ou ici… l’architecture.

C’etait la ma premiere visite dans les labirynthes de beton de Barbican. Il faudrait presqu’avoir un GPS pour aller du parking a la reception de l’immeuble! Tant d’espace, de couloirs, un peu de confusion.

Le rez-de-chaussee s’ouvre sur une place entouree d’immeubles et transcendee par un une immense etendue d’eau, presqu’un lac, des fontaines et meme quelques canards… On l’imagine volontiers sous le soleil, avec un bon livre.

C’est la, sur le bord de l’eau,qu’est pose cet etrange pavillion. Deux domes de bois qui semblent tout droit sortis de l’esprit de Miyazaki. Une douceur dans la rondeur, une expression meme, dans ces fenetres en triangle, chaque detail a ete pense geometriquement, notemment avec ces innombrables tuiles en triangles.

L’oeuvre s’inspire de Fuller, passionne par la question de la survie de l’humanite, mais aussi l’inventeur du dome geodesique. Vocabulaire barbare? Pensez a ces spheres aux facettes en hexagone…

Entrez donc profiter d’un instant de calme. La lumiere y est tres douce, l’atmosphere zen… Servez-vous un the a l’hibiscus de l’enorme theiere en fer. Admirez le tableau exterieur, un triangle de verdure, une fontaine explosant en myriade de gouttes. On se prend a chuchoter pour ne pas rompre le charme… On en ferait bien son quartier general!

Note aux parents: la rampe interieure a ete pensee pour les poussettes. Les enfants adorent cette adorable maison et reclament la meme dans le jardin… Passez-donc nourrir les canards just’apres.

Pssst: le Riverside Cafe, just’a cote propose une tres belle gamme de gateaux, aussi beaux que bons. Miam!

Pssst (2): dans le meme theme, Radical Nature, vous trouverez une exposition payante au deuxieme etage mais qui vaut le detour.

Pssst (3): Montez aussi a l’etage du cinema et longer la baie sur la droite pour une tres belle vue sur l’immense serre!

Barbican Center, waterside
Silk Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
I am so sorry. Goodbye.
Jusqu’a / until 18 October 2009
Gratuit! Free!

The Barbican has launched a Radical Nature theme, meant to recreate the broken link between men and nature through art… or here, architecture.

This was my first visit to Barbican and its the giant concrete maze. You almost need a GPS to go from the parking to reception! So much space, so many corridors, a little confusion.

The ground flooor opens on a huge open space surrounded by tall building. You’ll find a huge waterpiece, almost a lake, fountains and even a few ducks. Must be really nice on a sunny day with a good book.

There, just on the waterside, is the sweetest wooden pavilion. You’d think Miyazaki drew that one. Very soft in its roundness, almost expressive with its triangular windows, each detail thought geometrically, like the thousands triangle tiles.

The shape was inspired from Fuller’s work who was very concerned with humanity’s survival but also invented the geodesic dome (a sphere made of geometrical shapes).

Step in for a little quietness. Soft light, zen atmosphere… Help yourself to some hibiscus tea from the huge inox teapot in the corner. Enjoy the view, triangular patches of green or framing a fountain… You soon will be whispering instinctively. wish this were my HQ!

Note to parents: rather than stairs, a soft slope has been thought for buggues. Children just love this house and will be asking for the same in the garden. It certainly is inspiring! Why not bring some bread and feed the ducks?

Pssst: the Riverside cafe nearby proposed a fantastic range of yummy cakes…

Pssst (2): Love the theme? There is a quite interesting exhibition on the second floor, worth the entry fee.

Pssst (3): Take the lift up to the cinema level and walk alongside the right windows, beautiful view on the huge glasshouse.

Barbican s’interesse de pres a l’avenir de l’humanite. Quel drole de lien entretenons-nous avec la nature?

A la domestiquer, lui donner une forme, l’exploiter, quel est son avenir et le notre? Quelle vision en avons-nous vraiment?

Cette exposition presente des visions d’artistes de cette nature entre mise en boite, extinction, et oeuvre d’art. Des tranches, anesthesiees, comme des echantillons en laboratoire.

A force de vouloir se l’approprier, chaque feuille vaudra t-elle un jour son poids d’or?

Tout est en symbolisme, comme ce monticule de terre, isole. Ou ce radeau transportant une jungle miniature. Ce morceau de foret, renverse a l’horizontal. Cet arbre, decoupe et reconsolide avec des tiges de fer, mourrant pourtant. Ou cet espace presentant quelques plantes, reprises a l’infini par des miroirs: notre illusion que la nature sera toujours presente…

Tres interessant. On en ressort pensif et pret a lancer des graines a tout vent pour laisser pousser des champs de fleur…

Note aux parents: ma fille de 3 ans a ete assez impermeable a l’expo. Les oeuvres demandent une reflexion plus adaptee a des enfants de 6+.

Pssst: allez donc boire un the a l’hibiscus dans le pavillon de bois a l’exterieur, c’est gratuit!

Radical Nature
Photos interdites mais des images par ici / photos forbidden but some pics here
Barbican Art Gallery
Silk Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
Jusqu’au / Until 18 October 2009
Metro/Tube: Barbican
£8 ( 2 pour 1 le lundi! 2 for 1 on Mondays!)

Barbican is exploring the future of humanity. What is our link to nature like these days?

By trying constantly to tame it, shape it, control it, what is its future… and ours?

These exhibition present artist’s visions – white environment, slices of nature like samples in a lab. Between work of art, framing and extinction.

So very symbolic – like this small mount of earth, isolated. This raft carrying a miniature jungle. These few meters of forest, fallen horizontally. This tree cut then put back together with metal screw but still dying… Or this space presenting a few plants, mirrored to infinity: our illusion that nature will always be at our side.

Very interesting, You leave very thougthful and ready to scatter seeds on your way to make space for wild flower fields…

Note to parents: my 3 year old daughter showed no interest to it. Those artworks require reflexion and will be more adapted to older childre, 6+.

Pssst!: why not go and drink a hibiscus tea in the wooden pavilion outside, it’s free!