London's Design Museum

London's Design Museum doesn't often come up on the list of our most visited museums but it's well worth a look. Located just next to Tower Bridge, it was founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran to encourage everyone to appreciate the value of design and looks at all types of design: product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural. 

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the museum champions emerging and established talent. It's looking ahead to an exciting new phase when it moves home at the end of 2015 to a much larger site in Kensington near to the great museum quarter where you can find the V&A, Science and Natural History Museums. 

The current site hosts a wide range of temporary exhibitions and I saw 3 varied shows during my visit: Hello my name is Paul Smith (he seems to have taken over the outside of the building!); Time Machines: Daniel Weil and the Art of Design; and, Designs of the Year 2014. 

Arriving at the Design Museum - welcome thanks to Paul Smith

My visit was prompted by the opening of Daniel Weil's show so I'll start with him.  I was lucky enough to have a curator's tour and Daniel himself was at the museum that morning. We learned about his life which began in Argentina until he left to come to London in late 1970 to escape political oppression and the formality of his architecture training. His graduation show from the Royal College of Art in 1981 was ground breaking and his famous 'radio in a bag'  showed his love of deconstructing everyday items, taking them away from their conventional box shape and it feels contemporary even today.  He had put the word 'radio' on the piece so people would know what it was! I really liked the one with a musical score printed on the plastic cover and could see it selling in a store like Muji right now.

Radio in a music bag

Radio in a bag 1981

 He has turned his hand to so many other design projects from a pavilion at the London 2012 Games to babies bottles for Mothercare, shop fronts for Boots the chemist, to champagne coolers for Krug, to Swatch watches and even album covers for Pet Shop Boys. A huge table displaying his sketches gives us some insight into the creative process. He brings wit, skill and invention to all his projects and dazzled me his range.

Sketches for the Swatch watch project

Pet Shop Boys CD cover

 Daniel has a specific focus on time and his words 'time neither stops nor starts' greet us as we reach the top floor of the museum. He was showcasing a new range of timepieces which challenge our perceptions of how clocks can look, breaking up the conventional form so they look more like works of art (which they are) than functioning clocks. 
 

The man himself in front of one of his new timepieces

The Paul Smith show was heart warming and inspiring. He dedicated all his work to his wife Pauline and he wears his success so lightly. One of the most successful fashion brands with shops across the world, he looks for inspiration all around him, saying literally anything can spark off an idea and loves colour whether it is loud and obvious or more subtle, even hidden in a jacket lining.  

There's a fun lining to this seemingly straight jacket

Classic collaboration with Mini for Paul Smith's trademark stripes

The 'Designs of the Year 2014' was a fascinating display of 76 creative ideas to improve our lives. The first photo lists most of them for you. There were too many great ideas to really pick any out but here are a few that I loved:  the display board to help you learn to write Chinese; a clever dye in syringes to let users know whether it had been used or not; and, the Lego wall calendar which somehow synchs with your smart phone!

As you leave the museum, you are treated to a great sight of London past the paddle-steamers, through Tower Bridge to the City's new skyscrapers the Walkie Talkie and the Cheese Grater. The more familiar Gherkin shape looms over the star of the show - the ancient and ever impressive Tower of London.

Tower Bridge on a stormy day!

Bye for now,
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk

A fun day out on the Olympic Park art tour

The Olympic Park in east London is really called the Queen Elizabeth Park as the area moves on from the Olympics  but I'm sure most people, including me,  will carry on calling it the Olympic Park as it holds such happy memories of the London Games of 2012. 

Most of the park is now open to the public and many of the iconic buildings remain:  the Aquatic Centre,without its extra wings which were added on to seat the thousands of fans of swimming and diving:, the twisting Orbit sculpture; the curving velodrome; the block of the Copper Box;  and, the famous athletics stadium, although they have taken down the pyramid shaped lighting gantries which went all around it so it looks a little naked now to my eye. 

There is so much to see and do at the park, especially on a lovely sunny day such as we enjoyed. To add to the fun they have set up various self guided tours so we picked up 'Art in the Park - A Field Guide', a comprehensive information booklet, and off we went.  We soon realised there are too many art works to see if you are also after a leisurely stroll and chat but we enjoyed the ones we saw and have saved many for our next visit. 

So, here are my highlights with a couple of extras which are not strictly art things but I loved them so have thrown them in!

1. Steles by Keith Wilson

This work consists of 35 colourful posts which look like crayons to me and they line the river in a carefully planned colour sequence. They are both an art work and mooring posts tho' I'm not sure you can just rock up on your boat and stay in the middle of the park!

You'll have spotted the extra ordinary shape of the Aquatic Centre in this photo. It is now open to the public so you can swim in the Olympic pool and dream of winning a medal!

 Here's a view of the inside of the aquatic centre with its impressive pool - I was almost tempted to get in, even as a non swimmer!

2. Carpenter's Curve by Clare Woods

This is one of two artworks by Clare which wrap around exteriors and make utility buildings disappear from sight. Clare created these huge works as paintings which were then transferred onto individual tiles which you can see these clearly in the photo. Apparently it is the most complex tile mural in the world!
 

3. Arcelormittal Orbit by Sir Anish Kapoor, Cecil Balmond

One of my favourites, Orbit can be seen from afar, even from the plane as you fly into London and is the UK's tallest sculpture. It's made of recycled steel and offers a great viewing platform up at 114 metres where Anish Kapoor's mirrors turn London upside down. It's worth going up the top but be warned, there are over 500 steps down so think carefully before you decide to walk - I didn't!

 4. Run by Monica Bonvicini

I remember this one really catching my eye during the Games and it felt so right with the  events that were going on all around it. Now it still impresses and I'd love to see it at night when the letters glow with lines of internal LED lighting. 
 
 

These next photos show one of the most iconic symbols of London and although they don't seem to be part of the art tour, I though they merited inclusion in my highlights. The phone boxes appear normal from a distance but are playing with that view as they are only part boxes,so you just have 2 sides of the box and they have poetry carved into the windows.

 

While I'm mentioning areas I liked that are not on the art tour, I have to mention the fun fountains curved like a snake. They start off very low and entice people to walk around and over them and then suddenly spurt up at least 5 feet into the air to shrieks of laughter from everyone caught out -  who then go back for more! Here's the before and after photos:
 

 
5. Pixel Wall by Tomato

There are over 2000 wooden cubes on this wall and as you pass by you can run your hands over them making a new pattern for the wall as the light and dark surfaces are changed around. If I'd had more time I would have been tempted to leave a message in pixels but instead just left them with a new pattern.  

6. Fantastic Factology by Klassnick Corporation, Riitta Ikonen, We Made That 

All around the park fascinating facts are tucked away on park benches, from information about the park and nature to more personal recollections which make you think about the history of the area and its people. As it was such a sunny day I chose this one which tells us the sun is on average 93 million miles from this bench!

 
A quick mention for the climbing wall as we pass by as it was really well used by young and older folk and looked great fun!
 

7. The Spark Catchers by Lemn Sissay

I loved the use of this wooden box carved with an emotive poem called the Spark Catchers to cover an electricity transformer and the juxtaposition of the danger triangle sign and the title of the poem. The poem references the first strike at the nearby Bryant and May match factory, giving us more plays on words. The strike was lead by the women, many younger than 16, who were protesting against appalling conditions leading to injury and illness and was a major event in our industrial and women's history. 
 

In total there are 26 different art works to enjoy on the art trail and I've only covered 6 (with a few extras not officially on the tour) so I'll definitely have to go back to check out some of the missing group. Why not have a go yourself and see how many you can find?

Bye for now,
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk
 

It's a good year for Georges!

George is a popular royal name and we have a potential future King George, baby Prince George, making a big impact on the world. Britain has had 6 King Georges so far and one day he will most likely be number 7!  This year London is celebrating all things George as it's 450 years since George 1st ascended to the British throne in 1714 and started off the Georgian era.  Many of major museums in London are holding exhibitions which are marking this event and it's a great opportunity to learn more about how the first King George came to the throne and how he and his descendants lived. 

Firstly a quick word about how George from Hanover who was 50th in line managed to become King of Great Britain and Ireland!  The previous monarch, Queen Anne, didn't have any children to follow her (despite 17, yes 17 pregnancies!) and the nearest heirs to the British throne were all Catholic and had been banned from inheriting by the Act of Settlement. So the great and the good looked around and came up with George's mother, Sophia, who was a grand-daughter of James 1. She died before Queen Anne so didn't take the throne herself so it passed to George, the last British monarch to be born outside of Great Britain.

One exhibition worth a visit is at the Queen's Gallery where they are holding 'The First Georgians: Art and Monarchy 1714-1760', focusing on George 1 and 11. The Queen owns a vast amount of art and treasures which form the Queen's Collection and over 300 objects from her palaces across the United Kingdom have been brought together to give us insights into life and tastes of the early Georgians. We were extremely fortunate to be invited to visit and to be shown round by the curator, Desmond Shawe-Taylor, whose enthusiasm and deep knowledge were a delight.

Grand approach to the Queen's Gallery

Imposing entrance to the exhibition

We can see the faces of the key players through the portraits in the first room of the exhibition:

George 1

George's mother Sophia who was the blood line for his inheritance

We can see how impressive Georgian rooms would have looked through the period layout used with large paintings on all the walls, tables and chests along the walls and highly decorated items around the room.  This room is packed with old masters as the Georgians were keen collectors and we can enjoy several works by Rubens.

A grand Georgian room

A wonderful Rubens with a statue in front of a horse and rider to mirror it

Rubens with our guide, the wonderful curator

The  collection of miniatures is beautiful

This was a time of great social change and Britain was developing into a world power through war and trade, with increasing prosperity at home. Britain at this time can be described as the world’s most liberal, commercial and modern society which was free, enlightened and diverse with considerable wealth on show.  Two paintings by Canaletto show London's development but the collection also has Hogarth's famous 'Marriage a la mode', a satire on contemporary life exposing its hypocrisy and poverty.

Canaletto's London looking west

Close up looking west towards Westminster

Canaletto's London looking east

Close up looking east

 

Hogarth's Marriage a la Mode

Success in war was important to these Georges and in a section dedicated to this you can see some fascinating items from Culloden, an infamous victory of George 11 against the James, the catholic heir to the throne. There are battle plans and orders to spies and lists of dead and wounded one both sides, telling part of the story of this dreadful day. 

Battle plan for Culloden

Hand drawn plans

Spies everywhere!

 A further room has more wonderful furniture and paintings. We see their love of excess through the extravagant dining table and extraordinary tableware.

Fine furniture and regal paintings

Impressive dining table and furniture

A glorious harpsichord

Very over the top salt cellar in the form of a crab and shell

More tableware!

As we left we bumped into huge crowds gathering for Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, no doubt enjoying this spectacle against the blue skies

Busy morning at Buckingham Palace

There a a great deal more to see in this exhibition than I can bring you here, so do go along and find out more about our first King Georges. 

Bye for now,
Sue
@itsyourlondon  
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk

Flying into London.

As many of you will know I've been in Africa for 9 weeks working on a voluntary project in Ghana and then joining a tour of West Africa. It was an amazing adventure and I feel very happy that I played my part in building a primary school in a very hands-on way! Our tour took us on the roads less travelled in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal and there are many stories to tell about these dusty red roads but they are for another time...

I always love flying back into London as it's one of the great sightseeing landings you'll ever experience. It was a clear and sunny day and I was lucky enough to get some photos to share with you. I had made sure I had a seat on the plane with a best views - always ask to be seated on the right side of the plane When you are landing at Heathrow, the usual route is across south England and then a left over the 02 dome, following the river Thames all the way to your landing at the world's busiest airport. It really makes me feel like I am home again as I check off all the famous landmarks of London from the Orbit, Tower Bridge, and St Pauls, along to the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and the massive expanses of London's green royal parks. 

Join me for the last 10 minutes of my flight as we head into Heathrow.

Spot the 02 dome as we take the big left turn to follow the Thames as it curves around the Docklands. 

Below us is Greenwich Park where you can stand on the Meridian line
 

The tower blocks and waterways of Canary Wharf sitting on the strangely named 'Isle of Dogs' - theories abound as to where that came from!
 

Our first sight of the iconic Tower Bridge and the Tower of London to its left
 

The new buildings of the City are clear to see - the Shard (bottom left) and the Walkie-Talkie (the dark fronted, white rimmed building to the mid left of the photo)
 

Can you make out the dome of St Paul's Cathedral? Once the tallest building, it's now dwarfed but still an incredible building 
 

Another big curve of the Thames brings us to the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament
 

Here's a great view of Buckingham Palace, set in green parkland - I wonder if the Queen was at home?
 

London is one of the world's greenest cities and in the next 2 photos you can see the huge expanse of Hyde Park which runs into Kensington Gardens which were too big to fit into one photo, even from the air!

 

The Royal Albert Hall has an unmistakable round shape with its accompanying monument, also celebrating Prince Albert's life. His death left Queen Victoria devastated and she sought many ways to keep his memory alive.

We are about to land when a final great sight comes into view - the magnificence of Osterley Park and House.

We landed safely and I was home. London kindly greeted me with sunshine and warm weather and she was looking her very best. I was good to be home....

Bye for now.
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk