West London - Mosaic Room Art (52)

A sign on the Cromwell Road

West London Kensington/Earls Court area has a strong Arabic presence and it's good to see that there's a place (The Mosaic Rooms) for some of the art coming out of the Palestinian experience to be shown.


I am not clear, as yet (probably not alone in that) in seeing how Donald Trump the current US President will move a Middle Eastern process forward but it felt clear to me having looked at the work on show that there's a fair amount of despair and unhappiness amongst the Palestinian artists operating in the area.

A flyer for the evocative exhibition

It was interesting to learn that President Obama was working to bring all sides together even towards the end of his White house tenure.

Inside the gallery -Part of Pattern Recognition 

I found Ruba Salameh's video project Open Sea quite insightful and recognise the nostalgia that is mentioned in descriptions of her work

Definitely the input from artists is welcome and the communication of the 2nd class nature of the existence of many Palestinians needs addressing urgently  - hopefully progress can be made by positive pressure from good heart-ed  people who wish for better for future generations of whatever their  faith or race.

More on Retail and Quality of life

Listening to Radio 4 archive programme  with the admirable Matthew Sweet (Lunch is for Wimps) about the demise of the 'proper' lunch hour I'm  reminded of how it was when I started work - lunch even if only 30 minutes (and it was often far more) was pretty much sacrosanct often there was alcohol invariably there was wide ranging talk. I recall too my mother speaking of when she worked for  in more relaxed times where bosses could have a 'nap' or time was spent completing crosswords.

The borders between work and leisure  as well as between Public and Private have all but ceased to exist in the developed world - partly as result of technology but also as result of the monetizing of nearly all activity.

Is it good? Generally I'm saying no - 'standard of living' is so different from  Quality of life - our direct interactions with others seem to be in terminal decline - I remember reading  recently how we should consider the older person in front of us who takes some time as she makes her purchases, this might be her only human interaction for the day, she's dressed for the occasion and wants a degree of contact - soon as we move to more online and even in the physical world more of those efficient but soul-less  self - check outs this will be all of us.

£67 15p is where we are now

What is it if we are only consumers and not part of something more?

Business rates are not just about preserving small traders they're about preserving something worthwhile in the continuity of communities.

Dodo Doors

There's a growth now in  the Micro-Brewery as a social space for a drink - I suppose it's a cross between a Wine bar and a pub.

The door and grill to this one though brings to mind Caribbean Rum Shops I have seen!

Back in Hanwell

52  (The Dodo Micro Brewery) is behind protective barrier 

Retail and Red 168

Fading fast

Adapt or die is pretty much the mantra for the UK's High Street retail businesses - and being able to see  the difference between a fad and a trend is key.

The new Woolies

Let's face it BHS is now history a brand that's lost it as spectacularly as this is unlikely to say the least to recover credibility in the completive environment  but other shops have already filled the whole - it was let's face it  a budget M&S  and Primark does that job far better now - much as Woolworth's sector has been taken over by Pound shops and Wilko (aka Wilkinson's) - interesting 2008 piece here.




Of course it's only with hindsight we can judge the decisions of the retailers - Morrison's made an error with their 'local' stores that cost them dearly- strangely M&S appear to have benefited from having a dual strategy with food keeping them afloat while Fashion has faded, the jury is still out on Argos and Sainsbury's collaboration.

And the old one as a reminder to retailers

Red 168

A smudge of chalk and you've got a glass of Red

I think you'll find the Pope is a Catholic

More on retail and Red 240

Street Performers add ambience

One of the things that rang a bell with me around the recent coverage of Mary Beard's grey hair was the revelation that hairdressers have a very big interest in the colouring of hair.
I had for a while assumed that hairdressers, particularly women's  were well protected against recession and technological change, scratching the surface of course it becomes clear this is not the case - if money's tight increasing the time between cuts from 6 to 7 weeks will hit the bottom line of many establishments pretty hard and the charges for tinting/coloring can be quite  substantial - hairdressers (and their suppliers)  want women to spend money on their appearances.

In London Chinese New Year brings visitors

It's not just for women either the move away from men having  a daily shave at the local barbers has altered that business too - a fashion for long hair means less cuts as well - the growth of  beards even hits retailers like Boot's and manufactures like Gillette who are selling less blades, they may promote 'beard oil' and other grooming extras but it's not going to fill that blade revenue hole.

 So this weeks' 'news' that retail is going to change its pattern of employment is not too much of a surprise to me, those in the business and those who shop - but the changes could be faster and bigger than many anticipate.

I, for one as well as having adjusted to 'customer driven payment  tills' am using online increasingly - if I shop its often as an 'experience' where I can engage (positively) with the process and surround myself with kindred spirits in a pleasant atmosphere - a shopping trip is now linked to a snack or meal as a default - perhaps the next step is to make these 'comfort' breaks something more either approaching entertainment or linked to a 21st century salon.

I'd be really interested to hear from people who have been part of something that goes beyond the mall or farmers'  market- an event they'd happily be part of on a regular basis- we'll see if I find out something that's not a book or food festival but is driving retail footfall.

Red 240

A bookmaker with a red sign

No there is no F in Red

The destruction of our High Streets continues and Red 248

Look out across the London skyline centrally and even on the peripheral, chances are you'll see building work with a crane or two - well what say do we have in the ongoing re-imagining of our neighbourhoods and environment?

21st century development  -Please not on the (my) High Street

To my mind Ealing has seen more development than is good for it and the idea that there has been connivance between council and investors to destroy our heritage fills me with dismay - why on earth does council leader Julian Bell delight in giving Ealing a 21st century High Street when the price is destroying the one we have without consulting the electorate?

We're encouraged to join debates on many things that seem (to me) to be peripheral to our lives but when it comes to ur High Street lip service is paid to democracy with 'exhibitions' of photo-shopped and airbrushed  images of a shopping utopia - where's the real consultation?

Has Consultation has come to mean nothing? the hollow use a chance to tick a box as investors provide more urban blight and a smoke screen of so-called Affordable Housing?

I'm not sure how much central governments squeeze on councils ability to raise funds is having on the Green-lighting of major projects by councils but I fear it might be part of the overall calculation

Regardless I don't like the way the plans have been accepted with such haste if you want to get your opinion registered why not have a look here (The London Standard has a poll)

Red 248

Here's a development of worth-  look at how the great playwright is denoted  

Saying hello to a minimal Shakespeare  (5 solid shapes)

Pictures and Selling along with Red 269

On the back of my recent Photo' exhibition  I've had some interesting questions about my exhibition - are the pictures I've sold the ones I expected to ? for example, well yes and no is the non-committal answer.

The last time for these pictures

I've sold some pictures, it's a nice experience but unless you're a natural business-person you can feel some qualms - I know this person, should I make a profit?

Last year a I gave away a couple of my exhibited pictures and there's a real danger that giving something away negates its value for both parties.

How do I feel about charging? Well I've not sold enough to make an overall profit so I'm able to live with myself but actually selling more than one of the same thing moves me into a different territory - as they say a good deal is where both sides feel happy.

A hard working retailer

On Friday I spent a day at the sharp end of retail (in a small specialist retail outlet) - it was an education that's for sure and the profit element was in a way removed - people were mainly happy to buy what was on sale and get the advice for free - this seemed a good example of retail (but hard work).

I guess I can apply the same to my own pictures?

Red 269

Generally window and door frames are black or white not here though..

A red window frame is something of a novelty