Frieze Sculpture 2018

Posted on December 28, 2018 by myeye1

I visited London’s Regent’s Park earlier this year to look at the sculptures that had been placed there by Frieze. I visited last year and really liked some of the interesting sculptures displayed so was keen to see what new ones would be on show this year.

There were 25 sculptures by various artists on show, some were quite strange, others fun and a few quite eerie.

One of my favourites was the big yellow house, I thought it looked surreal amongst the green grass

I also liked the cute by creepy Dancing Clog Girls, and the giant Emperor penguin.

Optic Labyrinth (Arrangement I) by Conrad Shawcross

My other favourite piece was the gold leaf with colours on the inside, I loved how the colours emerged from the gold frame as you walked past the sculpture. I found the headless sculptures quite haunting, these depicting the ghosts of those slain in the Marikana Massacre.

Octavio, Mezzetino, Corine, Chinoisie by Rachel Feinstein

Untitled (122 x 244 View) by Virgina Overton

A few others stood out too for met too; the huge anvil with the hare perched on top and the lampposts that had been tangled together was interesting. The girl resting on her side was based on Alice in Wonderland and looked quite serene to me.

Large Nijinski on Anvil Point by Barry Flanagan

I thought the sculptures this year were quite interesting, each emoting quite different feelings from the viewer, especially the ones that were reminders of darker times. I really enjoyed my visit and look forward to seeing what the Frieze presents to us next year.

London Lights 2018

Posted on December 24, 2018 by myeye1

I’ve been to London a few times these last couple of months, and as the Festive season has approached I’ve seen lots of interesting, pretty, bright decorations and trees being put up. I thought I’d share some of the ones that I just had to stop and snap.

Some looked better in the day time or in bright light. I really liked the neon trees that have a simple shape and design and really caught my eye, and I loved the huge, moving robot on the tree at St Pancras station – something very different.

Giant Tiffany;s robot, St Pancras station

Then there were others that sparkled in the night when the sun went down, the presents atop the car in Covent Garden was a fun display, but I think I really enjoyed looking at the tree at King’s Cross alongside the mini fountains, and the light bouncing off the water.

It’s always fun walking around London, finding things that you least expect, and it’s been even more interesting in the darker, colder months when coming across the unexpected, brings a smile to your face.

I hope you all have a great festive season and have a lovely time with family and friends.

Shrouds of the Somme

Posted on November 11, 2018 by myeye1

Shrouds of the Somme is an exhibition by Rob Heard at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and is a physical representation of every one of the 72,396 British Commonwealth servicemen killed at the Somme that have no known grave. I went along with my sister to have a look and to remember all those that have fallen in war.

Each fallen servicemen was represented as an individual, miniature figure wrapped in a shroud. The figures were laid out in neat rows, and were slightly different to one another. Looking at the shrouds, it was astonishing and incredibly powerful to see just how large a number 72,396 is, a number that is difficult to comprehend in your head.

To one side of the field, there were a smaller number figures. These had placards at the head of each figure with a number and a date. The dates ran from the battles before the Somme in 1914 and ran to battles until 1918. There were dates for every day in those years. The numbers below the dates showed how many servicemen have died on that day. The deadliest day was at the start of the Somme, July 1st with 19,240 that died.

The exhibition was a very powerful one, and quite an emotional one my sister and I found. It was difficult, poignant and important to see just how many had died for our freedom and way of life.

I was pleased to see that there were lots of school children on a day trip to the see the shrouds. We have to hope that exhibitions like these have an impact on future generations and that we look for peaceful solutions to conflicts instead of violent ones that destroy families and communities.

This quote by the artist Rob Heard in the booklet I bought has stayed with me since I read it and I’m sure will stay with me for along time yet
“As a nation, we marked the beginning of the centenary of the beginning of the war with ceramic poppies in the summer sunshine and will commemorate the end with 72,000 dead bodies laid out in the November rain”

Snow in London

Posted on March 4, 2018 by myeye1

It’s been really cold in London very recently leading to some significant snowfall. It doesn’t snow a lot here but among the travel chaos and freezing temperatures, the snow looked beautiful. As per usual the cat stayed tucked away somewhere, having ventured out in the garden first.

And our garden bench looked very pretty and wintery in a layer of snow.

In the centre of London grand buildings looked even more scenic with a snowy surroundings.

Most of it has melted away now and everything is back to normal. It was nice to have a blanket of snow for a while that can transform a landscape, even amid the chaos and cold.

London’s Festive Lights

Posted on December 20, 2017 by myeye1

London has been looking very Christmassy these couple of months, and on my recent walks around the city here’s some of what I’ve come across.

Covent Garden has lots of decorations up.

I really liked the lights on Oxford Street, especially the glittery, golden waterfall inside one of the department stores.

Glittery lights, John Lewis Oxfordv Street

My favourites was the trees made up of fluorescent coloured lights at Liverpool Street, in Shoreditch.

Snowflake lights, Liverpool Street station

It’s really lovely to see all the effort that has gone in to making London festive and bright for this time of year.

Halal Street Food Festival

Posted on August 13, 2017 by myeye1

I recently went to a halal food festival in London with a friend. I usually don’t go to food events as I’m never too sure what I can eat, but as this was one where I could have my pick and not hold back I was keen to see what they would have. The event was held in London’s iconic Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch. There were lots of stalls with food on offer, so it took us a while to look around and decide what we wanted as well as it being super busy.

We finally decided on masala cheesy chips and chicken wrap to share and delicious looking waffles on a stick for dessert with freshly squeezed orange juice to wash it all down. We then headed towards the games section where we played giant noughts and crosses and connect four and just soaked in the atmosphere.

The event was very popular and queues were super long, but the food was varied and enjoyable. I’d be interested to go to such an event again but maybe on a weekday to try and avoid the rush.

Lights, Camera, Action

Posted on March 29, 2017 by myeye1

London is known for being quite an old city with lots of history and culture, and one thing that the streets and buildings are often used for are film sets. A stone’s throw from where I work is lovely area and is being used for just that. The film set when I last passed by had some beautiful vintage vehicles against the elegant Regency era buildings.

I especially liked the classic vibrant blue Rolls Royce

After some digging I think I worked out what title they were filming for. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s right once the finished film makes it to the big screen. In the meantime I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any famous faces.

Sunset and Silhouettes

Posted on February 19, 2017 by myeye1

I love this scene of our elegant local mosque with its tall minaret and nearby distinctive trees as silhouettes against a colourful, beautiful, winter sunset, with the light fading from day to night.

So long 2016, onwards to 2017

Posted on December 31, 2016 by myeye1

Today is the last day of 2016 and it has been a tumultuous year both in the world and, I feel, for me personally. I hope 2017 is calmer, more peaceful and more fulfilling, for all of us. Here’s a selection of some of my favourite photos of this past year, of places I’ve been lucky to visit and things I’ve enjoyed. Happy New Year to all of you.

Let them eat cake

Posted on October 9, 2016 by myeye1

I went to a cake show in London this weekend with my sister and niece. I’m not much of a baker but I wanted to see all the creative designs that would be on show, and eat some delicious cake of course. And I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed! There were some amazing cakes, as well as other seriously delicious looking treats that were enough to make my mouth water.

On arrival we were greeted with the huge, happy face of Roald Dahl’s BFG made entirely of sugar, with great colour and detail.

There were cooking classes going on with famous tv chefs as well as general sessions to help create treats from well known brands, We didn’t join any of these sessions, preferring to take a look around the stalls. There was almost everything you could think of related to desserts on offer; from cake embellishments and tools, to edible buys like cupcakes, macaroons, meringues and pastries.

I thought some of the cakes on display were great and you could see a lot of time and effort went into making them. Available were kits and tips on how to make and decorate them as well as demonstrations. The biscuit Eiffel Tower was impressive as was the level of detail that seemed to go into some of the sugar craft pieces.

As we wandered we tried some samples and brought some tasty goodies, trying not to get carried away and buying one of everything. We also boarded a red double decker bus set out for afternoon tea.

There was also a cake and cupcake competition that the public could vote for so we walked the aisles wowed by the entries. The theme was myths, legends and fairy tales and there were some great creations. I think my favourites were the Frog Prince, the pretty peacock cupcakes and Disney cake.

After spending most of the afternoon and too much money we headed home with delicious goods, dead batteries and weary but happy smiles. It was a great show and there was something for everyone, avid bakers or not.