It's been a week of doing small things -- the sort of things that generally wouldn't be prioritized by a tourist in London for a short visit -- and of catching up with friends. I'm in a real routine now, planning ahead a day or two at a time (but for things I need to pre-book), depending on the weather, my mood and interests. There's been time for doing the shopping and laundry, as well as walks here and there. It's sometimes hard to remember my old routine back in Massachusetts as I've totally taken to life here, but I know I'll soon start missing home and be ready to head back.
Before I tell you about my Week Four activities, I thought I'd answer some questions I'd received about the gear I'm using on this trip. My most significant piece of new gear is a Peak Design Everyday Sling 3L, which I'm carrying instead of the Eagle Creek cross body field bag I'd been using for years. When I travel, I've always had trouble with lower back pain, particularly when doing a lot of stop-and-start walking and leaning in to read something. Museum and gallery visits really aggravated this. My thinking (and my chiropractor agreed) is that, given my scoliosis and lower back issues, it would be better for me to carry a bag that located the weight more over my core than on one hip like the field bag did. So a sling bag, though not the most stylish thing in the world, seemed a better option. I was wary of this bag at first as it's smaller than my field bag and has less internal organization, but I'm coming to love it and my back is thanking me for it. The small size is forcing me to be more judicious about what I tote around with me every day, but I can get the essentials into this sling. It's extremely well padded and utterly waterproof (including the amazing zippers), and has a customizable internal divider. My camera fits perfectly inside and I don't have to put it in a case, so I can pull it out very easily.
In addition, I bought a Bellroy City Pouch for carrying the bare minimum of things I need when I go out at night or run down to the shops -- phone, keys, Oyster card, wallet. Again, it's made with waterproof material and zippers, which is a necessity in such a rainy climate. Whichever bag I carry, I always pop my Nanobag inside. It's a fantastic ultra light, extremely strong, sustainable and reusable shopping bag with 19L capacity. Nanobags come in a variety of patterns and colours -- mine is a cheery floral print that looks fab with my coat. Lastly, I always attach a HeroClip Mini to my bag -- it weighs next to nothing and comes in handy for attaching things, hanging my bag from a toilet stall door if there's no hook, or securing my bag to a chair in a restaurant.
Now to the week's activities:
In the arts and culture category, the following:
- Mondays are a bit tricky to plan for, as many galleries and museums are closed, but the V&A is always open and so I spent several hours there. First, I saw the Prix Pictet 2023 finalists exhibition. This is an annual prize for photography and sustainability, and this year's theme is Human. Each of the dozen semifinalists from around the world had 8-10 absolutely stunning photos on display showing their unique take on the theme. I then wandered around in the Medieval & Renaissance Galleries (European art and culture from 300-1600). I don't know much about those centuries, but I enjoy and marvel at the skilled artisanship that went into crafting the beautiful objects. And the MedRen Galleries are usually quiet, not crowded, and nearly child-free. Lastly, I looked at the displays in the recently reopened Photography Centre, where I saw Energy: Sparks from the Collection and Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams. Oh, and I took a quick spin through the Cast Courts and stumbled upon the Leighton Frescoes while trying to find the loo.
- Not wanting to spend any more time indoors, missing out on what was a drop-dead gorgeous autumn day, I headed up to Kensington Gardens to see this year's Serpentine Pavilion where, as is my annual custom, I ate my packed lunch. This pavilion is designed by a woman and is much more airy and light than last year's black hole, though it does look a bit like it was constructed from Ikea flat packs. After my late lunch, I took a leisurely stroll along the Serpentine Lido and Rotten Row, finishing up with an overpriced gelato before getting back on the tube at South Kensington.
- South London Gallery with my friends Barbara and Simon to see Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes, a group exhibition looking at the connection between Lagos, Nigeria and Peckham (southeast London), which is home to a very large Nigerian community. The three of us then went to a local caff for beverages and a natter.
- Tate Modern for El Anatsui's installation in the Turbine Hall (huge! amazing!) made of flattened metal liquor bottle caps and the exhibition A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography. The photography exhibition is organized around the themes of identity and tradition, counter histories, and imagined futures. Within each category are a range of subjects and techniques -- the pieces being large, colourful and like nothing I'd ever seen in a gallery or museum before. By a very happy coincidence, my friend Kathy was at Tate Modern that same afternoon to see a different exhibition, so we seized the opportunity and spent a lovely hour catching up over tea on the terrace.
- Another look at (smaller) pieces by El Anatsui at the October Gallery in Bloomsbury. As much as I was awestruck by his gigantic pieces in the Turbine Hall, I found these smaller pieces much more intimate and accessible. Both are well worth seeing.
- Espacio Gallery in Bethnal Green to attend the opening reception for my friend Jen's photo exhibition. She's a member of the Royal Photographic Society and this was the London Regional Projects Exhibition, a group show of about 50 or so members, each displaying one panel. Photos were organized around three themes: the Magnificent 7 + 1 cemeteries, independent traders and the coronation. Jen had a panel of great photos of graves in Highgate Cemetery. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the panels and meeting several of Jen's photographer friends. I came away inspired and with a couple of ideas to pass along to my photo group at home.
- Lisson Gallery's exhibition by Ryan Gander called PUNTO! Very different to anything else I'd seen thus far. Watch the short video in the link.
- Centre for British Photography, a new gallery in Jermyn Street that opened in January of this year, had five different exhibitions going all at the same time. I went with my friends Jane and Malcolm, and all of us found things to enjoy in the photography. My personal favourite (and perhaps that of my mates as well) was Daniel Meadows: Free Photographic Omnibus, 50th Anniversary, a retrospective celebration of the photos Meadows had taken when he traveled around England in a bus that he had converted to his home and darkroom. The other exhibitions were Charlie Phillips: How Great Thou Art, 50 Years of African Caribbean Funerals in London, Dorothy Bohm: London Street Markets (photos taken in the 60s and 70s), Grace Lau: Portraits in a Chinese Studio (she has recreated a photography studio with a bunch of "fake props" -- her term; we talked to her -- and people book to have her take their photos, a selection of which she has displayed on the walls in what was my second favourite exhibition), and Arpita Shah: Modern Muse. The space occupied by the gallery (half of what was/is the Dunhill shop, a fab 50s modernist building) is far roomier than what the Photographers' Gallery has, making for a much more pleasant viewing experience. I'll definitely be going back in future years.
- Auction preview at Christie's. After seeing the above photo exhibitions, we popped into Christie's to have a butcher's at what was coming up for sale, which was Modern British and Irish Art. They had some lovely pieces, several of which we each thought would look dandy in our homes. A live auction was going on at the time in an adjoining room and it was fun to peek in at that.
- Revisited the Charles Dickens House to learn all about the fog that used to plague London. I love this little museum, and it's free with my Art Pass so always worth popping in.
- Went to a talk about women incarcerated in Holloway Prison, held at the Primrose Hill Community Association as part of their Wednesday Open House series.
- A guided walk about the navvies (the navigator engineers who did the grueling manual labour to dug the canals and lay the railroads) in Primrose Hill and Camden Town, arranged through the Primrose Hill Community Association.
- Bexhill-on-Sea and St Leonards-on-Sea. My friends David and Janie, who have generously treated me to some fine days out of London, took me down to the East Sussex seaside on what turned out to be a grey and blustery day. We first visited the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, an art deco building on the seafront that houses exhibition and performance spaces, a gift shop and a vinyl record stall (who knew there was such a thing?), and a restaurant. We looked at the art installations, had a yummy fish and chips lunch in the restaurant, and were buffeted by the wind as we walked along the shingle beach, with David and me both trying to get some photo ops. Back in the car, we drove a wee bit east to St Leonards, arriving to less wind and more pleasant conditions for a wander along the beach and through the streets of the town. Bexhill seems a bit tired, while St Leonards feels like a more vibrant, arty/funky place, perhaps one for a return visit.
- Canterbury -- I seized the opportunity for a sunny day without rain (though very cold!) to take the train to Canterbury so I could tick off another cathedral city. When I first arrived on the train, as it was too early for the 12:30 pm Sunday opening of the cathedral, I walked along some of the old city wall, with its battlements and a very high mound, and through Dane John Gardens. Mooching my way toward the city centre, feeling a bit peckish after my train journey and lured by the display of baked goods in the window, I stopped at the Tiny Tim Tearoom and bought what has to be the best scone I've ever had in my life. Called a "Plump Pilgrim," it's full of citrus bits and topped with a big dried cherry. At the cathedral, I shelled out the 17 quid entry fee and made sure that I saw every bit of it that I could, including the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered and his memorial. I spent a lot of time looking around in the crypt, which has a chapel with medieval paintings on the walls and columns with all kinds of creatures carved on the capitals. At the spot in the crypt where they believe Thomas Becket was killed hangs a sculpture by Antony Gormley, the outline of a body made entirely of nails pulled out during a renovation of the cathedral. I had seen some signs saying that there was no photography allowed in the crypt -- owing, I think, to the fact that it's a spot of ongoing prayer -- but none in the section with the nail sculpture. I had just pulled out my camera and taken a snap of it when a teller-offer appeared at my shoulder to remind me that photography was not allowed. So, no phone photo of it for the blog. Sorry. Other than the cathedral, there's really not much to do in Canterbury. The streets were rammed with people, I reckon a mixture of tourists and locals, and there was a food and crafts market in one of the pedestrianized streets. I looked for someplace that would show me the history of the pilgrims and pilgrimages to Canterbury, but didn't find anywhere. What I did see were a lot of Ye Olde Half-Timbered Cottage Lane Shoppe kind of places -- charming at first, but too much after a while. Five hours was more than enough for my visit.
