Ramblings
My daily routine is to go out and videotape/photograph, visit galleries/museums/sights in the morning, go to RCA for visit artists/lectures in the afternoon, blog and check e-mail around the presentations. I don't usually get home until 8 or 9 at night, and I make something to eat, read, write, sleep.
In response to Brother Jim's questions:
1. Food. I haven't really eaten out that much. I usually have breakfast at home, make a sandwich and stick it in my backpack for lunch and make something quick and easy for dinner. My roommates are all pretty healthy eaters and make delicious soups, salads and pastas and rice with all kinds of veggies. I guess they are all English and THEY eat really healthy and small amounts. Tom did go to his aunt's on Sunday and seemed quite pleased that he "snagged" a roast beef dinner. I notice that the grocery stores all have lots more organic produce than in Canada. There are large numbers of ethnic restaurants and the Cafe at the school has really healthy sandwiches. I did eat ONCE at the Cafeteria at the RCA and it was actually not very good. A chunk of beef slathered in some kind of sauce with rice and mixed veggies (the awful ones with lima beans and corn and carrots...you know what I mean, blech!), but that is cafeteria food and I think it is the same everywhere. Someone said it wasn't very good because it was Friday and they tend to kind of get rid of all the leftovers on Friday.
Dallas took me to a very cool little place on Bethnal Green Road on Friday after our tour of some East End Galleries and Project Centres with his students from the London College of communications. It used to be frequented by the Cray Brothers (or is that the Kray Brothers?) of dark animation fame. It was completely lined with inlaid wood panelling, like stepping into a jewellery box. It was Italian, and had been in one family for 3 generations. Very tiny, very friendly. Like being in someone's kitchen. My favourite kind of restaurant. The food? Pretty typical British and Italian fare - meat pies, beef and mashed potatoes and pasta, but just your regular good old fashioned bowl of pasta. Nothing fancy, but not expensive either. They gave me a free piece of bread pudding to take with me and said that I should come back and get some to take back to Canada with me! It is their grandmother's famous recipe.
2. The Globe Theatre. I walked past the Globe theatre. It is right beside the Tate Modern. I saw them again today, from the other side of the Thames and took this photo. The Tate Modern is the massive big building with the large smoke stack and the Globe is to the left of it. It is a small white building. Don't know if you can see it very well. Will have to put it on my list of things to do. They do tours. I'm not much of a tour kinda person, just enjoy drifting around on my own. Hate the line-ups and crowds, but I'll look into it.
3. Yes, I have heard of Banksy and I think I have one photo that might be his work. It says "To advertise here call 0800 Banksy" He does apparently operate in the East End of London and that's where I am. He was brought to my attention by Marjan Eggermont who teaches at UofC. I am working with her and her class (when I'm there) and she showed us slides of his work. I came across a whole book written about him at the Hayward Gallery the other day.
I got off at the Tower Bridge stop today to see what was around there. Well, the Tower of London for one thing, and mobs of people. It is mid-term break for all the schoolchildren in Britain, so there are lots of people everywhere. Not the week to go to any museums, but I did go to the Nat'l Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery and the Hayward Gallery and the crowds weren't too too bad at those places. It's places like the Natural History Museum, the V & A and the Science Centre that are packed. I walk past all of them on my way from the tube to the school and there are long lineups snaking down the sidewalk.
I walked along the Thames from the Tower Bridge past London Bridge past a couple of other bridges and caught the tube at Blackfriar's Bridge. Lots of bridges and lots of interesting things to see along the Thames. I have been making some videos. Little 5 minute clips of the Thames and the Regent Canal reflections on the water with the sounds of London. I probably would benefit from some better sound recording equipment, but I am really enjoying these little snippets of London. First time I think I've felt like I'm doing something interesting with video. Very slow to watch, but quite interesting in many ways I think.
I am also continuing to do two self-portrait series. One of my reflections in various reflective surfaces and another in mirrors. I guess mirrors are reflective surfaces too, but somehow these photos seem to be about something different than the reflections in glass.
In response to Brother Jim's questions:
1. Food. I haven't really eaten out that much. I usually have breakfast at home, make a sandwich and stick it in my backpack for lunch and make something quick and easy for dinner. My roommates are all pretty healthy eaters and make delicious soups, salads and pastas and rice with all kinds of veggies. I guess they are all English and THEY eat really healthy and small amounts. Tom did go to his aunt's on Sunday and seemed quite pleased that he "snagged" a roast beef dinner. I notice that the grocery stores all have lots more organic produce than in Canada. There are large numbers of ethnic restaurants and the Cafe at the school has really healthy sandwiches. I did eat ONCE at the Cafeteria at the RCA and it was actually not very good. A chunk of beef slathered in some kind of sauce with rice and mixed veggies (the awful ones with lima beans and corn and carrots...you know what I mean, blech!), but that is cafeteria food and I think it is the same everywhere. Someone said it wasn't very good because it was Friday and they tend to kind of get rid of all the leftovers on Friday.
Dallas took me to a very cool little place on Bethnal Green Road on Friday after our tour of some East End Galleries and Project Centres with his students from the London College of communications. It used to be frequented by the Cray Brothers (or is that the Kray Brothers?) of dark animation fame. It was completely lined with inlaid wood panelling, like stepping into a jewellery box. It was Italian, and had been in one family for 3 generations. Very tiny, very friendly. Like being in someone's kitchen. My favourite kind of restaurant. The food? Pretty typical British and Italian fare - meat pies, beef and mashed potatoes and pasta, but just your regular good old fashioned bowl of pasta. Nothing fancy, but not expensive either. They gave me a free piece of bread pudding to take with me and said that I should come back and get some to take back to Canada with me! It is their grandmother's famous recipe.
2. The Globe Theatre. I walked past the Globe theatre. It is right beside the Tate Modern. I saw them again today, from the other side of the Thames and took this photo. The Tate Modern is the massive big building with the large smoke stack and the Globe is to the left of it. It is a small white building. Don't know if you can see it very well. Will have to put it on my list of things to do. They do tours. I'm not much of a tour kinda person, just enjoy drifting around on my own. Hate the line-ups and crowds, but I'll look into it.
3. Yes, I have heard of Banksy and I think I have one photo that might be his work. It says "To advertise here call 0800 Banksy" He does apparently operate in the East End of London and that's where I am. He was brought to my attention by Marjan Eggermont who teaches at UofC. I am working with her and her class (when I'm there) and she showed us slides of his work. I came across a whole book written about him at the Hayward Gallery the other day.
I got off at the Tower Bridge stop today to see what was around there. Well, the Tower of London for one thing, and mobs of people. It is mid-term break for all the schoolchildren in Britain, so there are lots of people everywhere. Not the week to go to any museums, but I did go to the Nat'l Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery and the Hayward Gallery and the crowds weren't too too bad at those places. It's places like the Natural History Museum, the V & A and the Science Centre that are packed. I walk past all of them on my way from the tube to the school and there are long lineups snaking down the sidewalk.
I walked along the Thames from the Tower Bridge past London Bridge past a couple of other bridges and caught the tube at Blackfriar's Bridge. Lots of bridges and lots of interesting things to see along the Thames. I have been making some videos. Little 5 minute clips of the Thames and the Regent Canal reflections on the water with the sounds of London. I probably would benefit from some better sound recording equipment, but I am really enjoying these little snippets of London. First time I think I've felt like I'm doing something interesting with video. Very slow to watch, but quite interesting in many ways I think.
I am also continuing to do two self-portrait series. One of my reflections in various reflective surfaces and another in mirrors. I guess mirrors are reflective surfaces too, but somehow these photos seem to be about something different than the reflections in glass.
posted by Patti D. at 5:00 PM
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