Gilbert and George at White Cube

White Cube Bermondsey, big but not lovely 

On Tuesday I went to Bermondsey to take some photo's and also see Gilbert and George (who I am a fan of) exhibition at White Cube.


(Thanks to whoever picked up my hat and handed it in at the reception).


I used to be a fairly regular visitor to this part of London when I was a volunteer at the 'Old' Design Museum (as in previous location not old designs), I hadn't realised just how hip parts of the borough were though - although East London is Hipster capital there are plenty of beards bikes and beans out here too.

Non Hipsters must stay outside?

The street where White Cube is even has decorated utility boxes (like I saw in Portugal) along with sweary Coffee shop.

Of course it has long been contended that Modern Art is a 'con' I certainly wouldn't say that about all or even this rather one dimensional exhibition but it did feel a bit of a two trick pony of a show - there was something quite lovely about the large 'beardy' pictures (More about the connection I made later)  but the large swearing things are a bit tedious as they don't shock now and although the persona and performance of the boys has some legitimacy I'm not sure that it will ensure that they are celebrated in 50 years time (they're not Caravaggio or Canaletto when all is said and done)  .

The manifesto 

What it's headlined as

Big works have craft and content but might seem flippant

Swearing is a theme

As are beards

At The Design Museum again (69)

Construction and Refurbishment - we all need that 

Great to be at Design Museum again today - I really think being a 'Welcomer' is good for your health- smiling and being pleasant probably increases some sort of good brain activity.

Much taken with  a couple of the Design Classics on the iconic wall too (2nd Floor).

[My mum had a similar sewing machine but sadly my dad didn't have similar record deck]

There are two rather good new  exhibitions coming up soon as well - the first Imagine Moscow starts next week (15th March).

A Wheel of Steel for your Vinyl (SL 1210 Mk II)

My mum had one like this

Last week Rain Wu brought in a replacement 'spoon' while I was at the museum - you can find out more about Rain's designs here. 

Some of Rain's work on the 2nd -Floor Designers in Residence.

It's £88 20

Doors

Mock Elizabethan meets mock Anne in W5 

Perhaps More 'Mock' than 69 

More on Pensions and (49)

OK so  just over a week since I had my PensionWise session and although I'd been anticipating some sort of follow up nothing so far on their side (I will offer some feedback if I don't get anything next week).

PensionWise service- better than nothing

One thing I did pick up though was that it's not all down to outside people.


So - I have myself got a projection from Scottish Widows for some of funds (lloks okay as far as I can tell)! and will:


1) Check via websites on accessing and transferring funds I generated when working outside the UK


2) I also need to find out more about the Talisman Product (now under Royal London)   I have with respect to The Profit Share element (this Money saving expert thread demonstrates one area of confusion around Pension funds)

I was interested to learn at my PensionWise session  that should I wish to take action of pension 'pots' to move it to another annuity provider and the funds are worth in excess of £30,000 I need the advice of an IFA (Independent Financial Adviser), before I can make a transfer of my funds -IFA's are required to be impartial but they charge for their services- their fees can be on a percentage basis or a fixed charge.

The Adviser/guide I saw at my PensionWise appointment stressed that I should read the small print of the schemes and check the charges and basis for these charges..

More soon.

Design Museum & Design Ventura

Promoting design in Scools

Really liked learning about the Schools competition that's supported by Design Ventura while I was at the Design Museum.

After the 'pitch' the Competition winners get the chance to work with professionals to create a product to be marketed in the Design Museum shop, a great initiative, my favourite from the display showing previous entries  undoubtedly Invicta Grammar School's Eazy Squeezy for dealing with T- bags

Eazy Squeezy- Simple ideas, often the best 

£64.08 I feel another note coming on

Doors

Yes it's actually Southwark Bridge Road

We're going with rotating here

(16) and a 3D printer in action at London's Design Museum

The Design Museum is becoming well established in its new home - there are still plenty of people arriving and asking about the former function (The Commonwealth Institute) or just marvelling at the impact of the large open space as they enter but there are now returners and those who are 'members'.

Chairs

The Work in Progress area on 2nd Floor of the Design Museum

Chairs are great exercise for Designers - and a history of chairs can tell us much about materials, design and production.

Just by the 3D printer is a Work in Progress area inviting visitors to imagine themselves as designers - there are topics suggested like a Family Coat of Arms - the chairs in the area are varied


I now have a list of the various chairs and their designers that surround the 'Work in Progress' area, have done a little research of my own and am looking forward to sharing this (on Friday mornings)  with visitors who express an interest in the furniture.

2 notes making £25 and  some coppers =£25.19

The Money and the Doors

A sign amongst signs 

'No Junk Mail'  for 16 Mountfield Road

Getting Older (13)

Mixture of visitors today at the Design Museum, School Groups and Seniors dominating which
works well for the new Pop Up Exhibition which runs until 19th February.

The exhibition, NEW OLD confronts the physical (things like support clothing) as well as sociological - one way of highlighting a long life is the books/knowledge that could be shared.

The knowledge of a longer life as book titles 

A lot of life 

In fact the issue (if we make it past potential environmental challenges) is that the balance of the population is going to change in terms of age - the headline figure for me was that 50% of newborns will live past 100 - how will marriages survive this? What doe this mean to employment (taking into account too how robotics and computerisation will affect work), I guess far more of us will have 'multiple' careers and engage more than once with higher education.

Part of the issue is our attitudes 

Big Pharma could be amongst the industrial  winners - with drugs helping us with the physical and mental challenges


Part of the challenge is the dichotomy of deterioration versus 'age is just a number'

Now £21.89

Doors and fund

I've got a £20 note in there now!



It's Friday the 13th!

Many of the doors to date have been painted and with glass - perhaps those that aren't feel suitable for less secure areas and arrangements?

Kirchen Road

A door that looks temporary and insubstantial 

What's Lost (6)

So another morning at the Design Museum, many of 'our' visitors are really charming and recognise that I'm there to help but (perhaps like me?) some though are fiercely independent and try to give the impression   that this is not their first visit and even if it was they've been to lots of places like it before and can manage just fine.

Typewriter - Once  like David Cameron  you were the future 

One of the things that I overheard visitors to Designer Maker User - the permanent collection on the second floor was how they were initially surprised when asked  about the nature use and mechanics of a typewriter  - let alone what it does/did.

There's a whole load of people who see this as a romantic object and the job of a typist is moving to that mythical territory that holds gas lighters, wheel-tappers and petrol forecourt people who fill your cars with 'gas'.

 

Funds and Finance 

It's £7.69 but what of purchasing power?

I do try and track what money I have and it's interesting to see UK shares are performing well - this though does not prove too much as pound falls against other currencies UK investments abroad become worth more but may buy less in UK if inflation takes off.

I'm not convinced by British Governments proficiency in business or economics and find myself somewhat concerned that still the mood music around extraction from the European mainland is about how lucky Germany is that we buy their cars, Italy that we buy  litres of  their Prosecco and so on - the truth of the matter is it's a two-way street and if you're predicting one side might be bloody minded it would be hard to imagine that it'll be the one against the 26.


Worries around a lack of passion from Mrs May are nothing compared with the meltdown of Labour under the present Momentum led agenda , oddly the poor performance of the left driven opposition may drive Labour politicians to consider  something like an electoral pact to ensure the possibility of total  Tory domination at the next election.

Front Doors

We're in W5 here 

I am  trying  to get a little more organised

So this is now number 6 at Windermere W5

Another door another waste bin

Design Museum Booming

Earlier today at the Design Museum and after a slow-ish start the place really began to fill - it's that time of year when families are thrown together and something to do, potentially for free -( here's some help for Londoners) can be  an urgent requirement to stop murder being done.

Look at the 'Design'  briefs and have a go 

The 'Activity' area serves at least two major needs - something that feels somewhat designer-ry and somewhere to sit - often it's pre-schoolers using bricks  but Schools on holiday mean that pre-teens and early teens are involved (making it harder for the more mature to find a seat under the guise of 'trying them out').

Well the answer's on the left

Seems so

From what I heard the first month has already seen more new members than in a year at the previous home (Shad Thames) and the shops - both of them looked busy too.

Thinking about Religion 

Kensington High Street has a nice little Roman Catholic Church (currently with Nativity Scene) and this reminded me that 2016 isn't all about front doors for me.

So I've googled and found a rather neat and helpful site about 'Religious days - here's the January link - it's already told me something about January 1st -that it's a Christian celebration of a Jewish custom namely the circumcision and naming of Jesus - the circumcision is carried out on the 8th day of the infant's life  by a 'Mohel'.

Here's a link to a Christian service celebrating the naming, the keeping of the (Jewish)  law the fist spilling of Christ's Blood.

Not every one's cup of tea

The short form story of  Our Lady of Victories 

Without the humour of the Spanish Nativity Scenes.

Christmas in Kensington and Austin Kleon

Bill's Bike in the Window

Yesterday another welcoming day at  the (London) Kensington Design Museum and as I was slightly early into the tube station (less commuters than usual) took a short diversion onto (the not so) mean streets just off the main drag.

StreetCheck is more than fascinating

Slightly surprised to find that the rather 'posh' Phillimore Gardens had managed to go as tacky as many less affluent streets - starting with Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers (restaurant)  the season was being marked by quite a few of the inhabitants.

The Snowman 

and Santa Baby

Some of the residents were all out for a democratic take on the decorations - others did look at making a tasteful statement ..

Slightly tasteful 

Rovers Bauble's on show

Others fell between two stools

Nice gift wrapping?

Making Marks

We're as a (slightly superior) ape all about our making of marks {article about ape's pooh- seems to point at group culture}

If you're choosing just a few people to follow on Twitter -Austin Kleon's worth considering - he's got a new book (actually about a year old)  delighting in Journals and I was interested to look at a '30-minute-ish reading' on youtube - odd that an almost stationary camera and direct presentation was so engaging - all the flashes and bangs are in the content- great the way he credits all too (including his 7th grade Englsih school teacher Mrs Neff).