The Villages of London (with CityLit)

Last day classroom bound

Interesting to find that I'm on a bit of a historic trajectory, last term began to get a bit of a grasp on English history via the National Portrait Gallery  introduction expertly curated and explained by Leslie Primo.


Now (as hopefully) the weather picks up  - I'm finding out something about how London developed - first lesson was in the classroom talking about the background and itinerary -Paul Sinclair who is our guide seems splendid and well organised.


Key facts and surprises so far are that London's Population pretty much went from 1 Million-ish in 1801   to around 6 Million a 100 years later. The population is growing again  but there's an issue of where London begins and ends (of course).


Be great to get out and about - we'll visit


Islington, Clerkenwell, Mayfair, Harrow-on-the -hill, Bermondsey, Wapping Shoreditch and Notting Hill (stay tuned).

London's Masonic Hall - History is all around us

Newtonian (and more cuts to resist )

I was reading about Douglas Adams the other day and saw that he described himself as a Devout Atheist  - well I can understand why one might wish to be seen in this way,  certainly before you reach the grand old age of 50.

On the other hand is being agnostic (or even believing)  such a bad thing? If you believe (in whatever of the major religions) and follow the spirit of the teachings there's a reasonable chance that you behave towards others in a reasonable way.

Thinking about this and also focusing on the current 'state of the art' in neurosurgery (also partly sparked by hearing a radio programme about the brain surgery performed on  vet Adam Tjolle), I'm drawn to ask if there is more to us (homo-sapiens)  than a slightly cleverer ape.

Here's a nice general diagrammatic portrayal with the breakdown of major areas of the human brain  - what is interesting s how a 'dog's ' brain has some similarities (and differences) to the human brain which help this domestic pet work well with humans.

A clearer picture may emerge 

We're getting to the stage where we're seeing quite well how the mechanics of the brain work - for example - okay this bit does speech (Broca's area), and that's long term memory (that's in the The hippocampus) - but do we have the chance to exercise 'free' choice?


How responsible are we for actions when we're drunk or under the influence of drugs?


Can we do the 'right thing' by choice or despite pressures to do something we think is wrong?

If we can do the 'right thing' who/what should we attribute it to? Are we deserving of some credit ot is some 'greater' being that we need to attribute our good behaviour to?

The rapid speed of developments in understanding the human brain will inevitably mean that more will be revealed to us, but the revelations will perhaps bring us no closer to a full understanding (whatever that is)- are ultimately we down to chemical and mechanical engineering? (but more questions would follow - as (perhaps) signposted by Douglas Adams in his Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy ruminations by some 'unionised' Philosophers. 

Why do we construct narratives?

Cuts

We've had time to reflect with disasters on our streets attributable to reduced policing that (like free lunches) there's a consequence to reducing funding now more reality.

There's something a bit shocking going on when you see the Daily Mail front page warning of cuts to the Open University - The Guardian agrees. 

What Politicians do ..

After a few hours pottering around 1932 Kevin and I went and had a quick look at some of the exhibits there that are used to cite the commencement of what we might call modern/contemporary art -the two defining items at Tate Modern being Duchamp's Fountain and Man Ray's Cadeau.

Can you iron me a shirt please?

[Sadly, perhaps both of these are not 'originals' - but then that's a contentious label to attach to Duchamp's 'readymades'.]



As we wandered and listened in to an enthusiastic guide I was reminded that we'd come to a place (in history) where we see Art as what Artists do and what we see in Galleries - and perhaps this could be seen as a little reductionist and lazy?

James at the Fountain (looking like a figure made by Duane Hanson) 

What I'm bringing myself to say here is that Politics is what Politicians say and that taking their outrage and statements as anything further than that can disappoint and lead to dissolution - The furores around at the moment are something that people themselves will need to deal with and navigate solutions to - our P.M.  (cutting Police numbers) and  our current Foreign Secretary in HM's government (mucking up statement on 'alleged' Russian assassination attempt)   more likely a cause of concern than a cure to the problems? (discuss).

{and I'm not saying another of the current breed of Westminster politicians is going to do much better}

West Ealing- This used to be Burger King - what on earth is 'Star Burger?' (another Readymade?)

Picasso 1932 - a busy year

Yesterday met with old School friend Kevin G (we were in same class at School, 1Z - nearly 50 years ago) for one of our 'cultural days out'.

Tate was as always busy - Tourists, families and would be intelligentsia (my group) - they refitting the boiler room and it was noisy as contractors worked 'safely' to bring the old work down and prepare for the  next exhibition.

Now dismantling - last time (about 4 months ago) we played on the swings

1932 - A view of mortality 

April 23 beckons 

The plan was to meet at Tate Modern and find out what a busy boy Pablo Picasso was in his 50th year (1932).






So first thing to mention is that I (like many others I think) have a visualisation of Picasso as a bald guy with a striped Breton -esque- T shirt - in 1932 in many pictures he looked a bit like a bourgeois bank manager (and like Antonio Banderas in the Nat Geo film about him) .

 The second thing is that (like many of us) Picasso felt old at 50 but the woman (Marie-Thérèse Walter in her early 20's) who came into his life dispelled this feeling and he was reinvigorated by her presence  - producing loads of paintings, curating a retrospective and sculpture too.

Towards the end of the year Picasso's work reflects on the dearth of his sister seemingly sparked by the illness Marie Therese contracted from swimming in a dirty part of the river Marne.

While the work is somewhat variable the fact that it takes 10 rooms to  contain gives an idea of just how busy Picasso was  - the end of his marriage in this year also (perhaps) leads to the artistic rebirth which last for nearly 40 further years.

The exhibition is worth visiting - we had a break half way through as there's a lot to see (and big crowds too) - I had to keep reminding myself this was (partly as a result I think of a Curatorial exercise) - more a less one year.

It was also useful for us to remind on another how shocking some of this work would have been 85 years ago.