Tate Modern's Need for Net Curtains and Red 38

A high price to be overlooked by Tate Modern visitors?

Nice programme on the BBC radio 4 strand  'Reunion'  - all about Tate Modern and the (soon to be) Arts Council 'Head Honcho'  Sir Nicholas Serota , The Tate Modern has been in the headlines as a result of Switch extension the neighbours (who  presumably dug deep in their pockets) are getting mightily miffed by the overlooking visitors.


I've been up there myself and you do get a very good view of what looks like IKEA catalogue living.



The story has of course brought to mind the inherent dichotomy over city living - is it net curtains or open views? - seems this is to be a problem for more and more London residents as we move to increasingly vertical homes - here are a few I've spotted.

A strange sort of  'Conservatory' on local flats

Surely they realise we can see what there 'taste' is?

In some cities such spaces can be elegant extensions to an apartment - in London it's often used more like a shed .

Red 38

Glimpsed this red hairdressing through the door amongst the accoutrements in a Hanwell hairdresser yesterday - there's something about Red & Rich (and hairdressing too )...

And perhaps it registered with me as I had a trim today

Night Market, A Big Smile and Red 39

A challenge for the darker evenings

Well yesterday was the Autumn Equinox and from temperatures of 31c one week ago we're now in the area of cooler evenings.

The idea of a Night Art Market in Ealing was a good one but as the one liner goes it's all about ... Timing and sadly the trading hours are not going to get longer - happy to have been there for the first week and good luck for the remaining season.

Tate Britain and Smile

On Wednesday I spent a few hours at Tate Britain with a friend - it's a different experience when one visits with someone, there's a not not unreasonable expectation of conversation about a range of things which of course includes what you're looking at - and a requirement to take on another's views.

Much of the time was spent looking at the Turners - they are a quantity and scope of work which are close to awe inspiring but the artist is not without limits.

A material used for building that can make you smile

 

A bit about the impressive material and project

Just by Tate Britain, on another UAL (Chelsea) site there's this monster piece of Design - The Smile part of the London Design Festival and again (but in a different way)  awe inspiring.

Red 39

Increasingly I'm finding that the Reds reference (often not deliberately ) other things and episodes - this one definitely

So Here's (another) vision a Red life

I'm not sure if this habitat does it for me 

Christmas in September and Red 40

With the party - it's over

So it's difficult to let go of BEAT - and if this is the case for a humble exhibitor imagine the deal for those on the various committees who've been living and breathing it for the last months.

As a sort of  goodbye their was a get together just near Cleveland Park last night  and what surprised me on the way there was the crew who were filming  (apparently a popular location as the house their fronts onto an attractive church - incidentally now flats).

The crew vans and Snow specialist

A slight sprinkling first

So the surprise was that there was snow - artificial snow but snow all the same - seems it's going to be part of Morrison's festive campaign.

A Fox searches

Oh and a surprise on the way home with Mr Fox.

Red 40

And the Christmas theme continues with a nearby pub's sign-board.

Here's Rudolf's Red Nose,  Christmas songs in the shops soon -

The week after temperatures hit 31C in London

Black Female Artists and Red 41

The UAL space in Holborn

Near Holborn Station in W1 there are regular exhibitions held by the UAL (University of Arts, London) that showcase the work of students.

Currently on show there are works by (and about) Black Female artists - a field that is under-represented, the exhibition is named Black Blossoms.

The aspects of life of this somewhat sidelined group has been approached in number of   diverse ways via a selection of media.

Many of the pieces on show focus on 'hair' a totemic symbol of blackness for women, hairdressers and hairdressing are often the centre of social occasions, a chance to chat under the auspices of preparation for a party or festival.

The Window Now

The works that stood out for me included items by Habiba  Nabisubi, along with Azzara Amoy and iconic representations of black female role models by Nicole Muskett.

Hair identified by Habiba Nabisubi

A work by Nicole Muskett from her
'Empowering Women series'

Azzara Amoy proclaims - 'Black Mothers are Superheroes'

I also really like the re-imagined photographic sequence created around the life of Silvia Rosi's mother - as well as telling a very real story of migration it imparts humanity and humour to the life.

Red 41

Those Red Chuggers

Well each other anyway