Tag: travel

Reminders of “An Early Frost,” A Dog Day Afternoon, And September in Bloomsbury

A Visit to the Whitechapel Gallery

My friend Tom who is bravely living with Parkinson’s has often urged me to visit this small but interesting gallery in the Aldgate area of London. The current exhibit was titled “Hamad Butt: Apprehensions.” The exhibit included three installations Butt created, as well as a series of drawings and paintings he created during his short career. He died at 32 in 1994 from complications of AIDS.

As the exhibit began, it included a discussion of the AIDs crisis as a historical evevent of the 1980s and 90s. It was strange for me to read of the events as a part of history that many alive today cannot recall. Butt, chose a conceptual rather than an activist approach to respond to the crisis.

The exhibit began with three istallations pictured below.

These three sculptures are called “Familiars.” They take three hallogens: bromine as liquid, iodine as solid crystals and chlorine as gas. They threaten the environment if released, symbolicly representing AIDS as it was perceived in the early days.

Much of his later work was untitled. Below are some examples.

I guess that I can say I left the exhibit saddened that so much artistic talent was lost to a disease that seemed to come out of nowhere and caused so much human destruction. In the artists work one can see so much passion, so much possibility

I am also reminded of the activism of those affected either directly or indirectly by HIV and AIDS. I wonder where that kind of courage has gone in our current world. We need to remember that the way to stop a scourge is to fight, to stick together and to work to save what is important as those who crusaded to find a cure for AIDS did.

Doggy Day Afternoon

After such a poignant topic, I turn now to a joyful one. Each September, the Brunswick Centre, a brutalist monument to the architecture of the 1960s that includes apartments and a shopping centre, holds “Doggy Day” where dogs and their people come in droves to see and be seen and to win prizes. This is one of my favorite events of my time in London. I have collected photos of some of my favorites. Indulge me.

Italian Greyound I fell in love with this one.

September in Bloomsbury

I took a stroll through two local parks today, the ones in Russell Square and neighboring Brunswick Square. There were so many late blooming flowers that I thought I should capture them.

With the London Underground on strike most of this week, I shall be looking for different kinds of adventures. I’ll let you all know if I find some.

Wellcome and Welcome

It has been a week of gloomy weather with rain and hints of sunshine. On a cloudy day I took a walk up to the Wellcome Collection, a museum with rotating exhibits focusing on health, medicine and the human experience. I always enjoy approaching the museum from Kings Cross, along Euston Road because that particular stretch of the Road has various interesting places along the way, including Euston Train Station Friends House, owned and managed by the Quiet Company, a subsidiary of the Quakers of Britain. It contains a lovely Quaker Bookshop and a small cafe, as well as a Quaker Meeting Room. There are also a Birkbeck University Campus that happened to sponsoring a graduation ceremony on that day. It is always great fun to see the gowned graduates with their loved ones. I’ll say more about another favorite spot, St. Pancras New Church later.

Wellcome

The Wellcome Collection is running an exhibit on the search and need for fresh water. The earliest example of a water war is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh (2100-2000 BCE). It is captured in this clay tablet (below).

The exhibition included interesting ways water was stored in different cultures.

Another interesting item is this depiction of “The Lifegiving Spring” from the 1700s. It represents an Eastern Orthodox belief that the Virgin Mary in 450 AD directed a soldier searching for water for a blind man to a spring.

I also enjoyed the display of diving rods used traditionally to find water in the ground.

There is also an interesting permanent collection that I have previously written about and a nice cafe with friendly staff.

Welcome

On my way back from the Wellcome Collection, I stopped in at St. Pancras New Church which I have also discussed in an earlier post. This is a wonderfully welcoming place and an important part of its community. Here are the three stained glass windows above the altar.

After sitting enjoying the peace of the church, I came upon a young man who happened to be a verger at the church. We had an interesting conversation about the Anglican Church and its differences and similarities with the Episcopal Church in America and with Roman Catholicism. He also told me about various upcoming events at the church and invited me to attend. St. Pancras New Church really is a welcoming place.

A Wander Through Covent Garden

Every now and then, I like to go off on an adventure–no plans, just choosing a destination, often a familiar one. This day, I chose to revisit Covent Garden.

Tom The Poet

As I walked toward the shopping and restaurant market that is the focal point of Covent Garden, I spotted a young man with a piece of ancient technology and a good idea.

This Tom, a sort of itinerant poet. I stopped to comment on the typewriter and was quickly drawn in by his clever idea. As a pair of American women described their friendship and asked Tom to put it into a poem, I decided that I would be his next client.

Tom asked afew questions about me and my loe of London and in 5 minutes, he created this:

If you get to Covent Garden, stop and see Tom. the poet with the typewriter.

Reminders of The History of this Place

If you have ever seen “My Fair Lady,” you may recall that Covent Garden was once London’s flower market where Eliza Doolittle worked. While the flower market moved long ago, there are many reminders of those bygone days in the lovely floral displays around the area.

Unique Shops

As I rambled through the cobbled streets, I came across a number of interesting shops and restaurants..

TinTin is a popular character in the UK andd Europe, his adventures are the subject of numerous books by the Belgian author Georges Remi under the pen name Herge’. The small shop is crammed with TinTin memorabilia and Tee Shirts. It was fun listening in on the conversation of a group of Spanish tourists and hearing one woman’s delight in her purchase that she thought would be well-received back home. I wonder how my newest Tee will be regarded in Florida or Virginia when I return to the States.

Through the Floral Archway, I found myself in the courtyard of a restaurant called Roseblood. The name comes from the French and I could not find out more.

Two more stops that deserve a visit.

Back in my early days at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, our offices were in pre-gentrified Silver Spring, MD. We would occasionally have lunch at a place called Jamaica Joes. It had the hottest and spiciest Jamaican food. A London local has assured me that Jamaican restaurants here, do offer less spicy varieties. And what could be more fun than a G & T at a place called the Gin Parlour?

A Closing Thought

If you get to travel far from home, do not be afraid to take the side streets and visit the courtyards. You never know what you will find.

Another Tate, Another Home Opener

This post takes us to the Tate Britain and Craven Cottage

A Visit to the Tate Britain

I used to view the Tate Britain as the stodgy older sibling of the Tate Modern and the other Tate galleries around Britain. But in recent year what I have experienced in my visits have changed that view.

Edward Burra

This retrospective of 20th Century English artist Edward Burra focuses on his interest in experiencing society and culture abroad. We see satire, whimsy and color in his works that pull you into the places he painted.

Delightfully, the exhibition included music that could be played as one experienced these wonderful images.

I left this exhibition feeling uplifted by the experience of seeing these works. I had little idea of what was to follow.

Requiem- Chris Ofili

The fire at the 24 story Grenfell Tower in June 2017 took 72 lives and displaced hundreds. It was caused by a refrigerator fire on a lower floor and made worse by flammable cladding that had been placed on the exterior of the building. Confusing guidance to residents about whether to evacuate the building in a timely manner was also a problem. The main stairway in the Tate Britain now has a monumental work honoring an artist who died in the fire and all those who perished Because of its location in a starewell, it was difficult to capture its beauty and grandeur,

Ithel Colquhoun

Finally, I visited another exhibit of the works of another 20th Century British painter, Ithel Colquhoun who is described as a painter occultist, poet and author. Her works are an interesting blend of figures, symbols, and color. I was particularly taken by the last one I show, below, ‘Death of thede Virgin.’ I have seen death bed paintings by several artists in recent years. My immediate thought was of Edvard Munch’s “The Sick Child.’ But upon reflection, I can think of several more. It is the gift of visiting so many exhibitions focusing on different artists and cultures that allow me to appreciate these types of similarities in universal themes. I also was pleased to find an exhibit docent who had the time to discuss this subject with me.

Back to Craven Cottage

Many of my friends know that I have been a fan of Fulham Football Club for some years now. I was lucky to buy a ticket for Fulham’s home opener against the once mighty Manchester United. The match was exciting, including a controversial Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision. Ultimately, the final score was 1-1, but it had been a beautiful afternoon.