Each time I visit London, I always say to myself: "I should come here more often" But always fail to visit as often as I should. Despite being a Mancunian, I am not reluctant to say what a mesmerising and wonderful city it is, especially when the sun shines!
My recent visit was long overdue, but one of the main reasons to go on this occasion was to attend the Star Wars Identities Exhibition at the O2. In addition, during my visit, I wanted to have food and a beer at the Bavarian Beerhouse, which I had been longing to do for quite a while, and it did not disappoint!
Star Wars Identities at the O2
The Star Wars Identities exhibition opened in November 2016, and runs until September 2017. It is great for fans of both the franchise and film, as it has a great selection of props, costumes, and artwork from the first six films. Another key element to the exhibition and what encompasses the title "Identities" is that, visitors can create their own character from the Star Wars universe. On arrival visitors acquire a wrist band and audio set, and as one walks around, there are many interactive stations; some give facts about the various, props, and costumes, but some are used to create the Star Wars character. With the wrist bands, some stations are used to determine the race of your character, home planet, mentor, relationship with friends and family, etc, and at the end of it, one's character is born. This feature is fantastic for school children, as it teaches about how a person is defined by various factors growing up, and surrounding the, such as socioeconomic factors, relationships, culture, locale, etc. It really is a fantastic learning experience and a good commentary on sociology of people. Albeit fun, I believe this feature is aimed at a younger audience, such as school children. For everyone else, well, there is the rest of the exhibition to enjoy.
Many Parks, and Buckingham Palace
I was fortunate enough to be visiting when the weather was absolutely glorious and this was an opportunity for me to just wander around all the parks, streets, and outside Buckingham Palace.
One of the first parks I encountered was at Berkeley Square (above), then I ventured towards Green Park (below).
Green Park leads to Buckingham Palace, but I wanted to visit Hyde Park first, so took a scenic route via Wellington Arch. Sunshine always helps, but it was beautiful to roam around all of these iconic landmarks, and whilst in Hyde Park, I had a moment when I regretted bring my running shoes, as it seemed to be a hotspot for runners and joggers. Quite motivational! In Hyde Park sits in the middle, the Serpentine, a recreational lake, which adds to the beauty and tranquility of the park.
Not to mention, fountains, flowers, sculptures, and statues all reside in Hyde Park. Sculptures, such as the Isis sculpture, inspired by the Egyptian goddess of nature, and in itself an inspirational piece.
After walking full circle around Hyde Park, and heading back towards Wellington Arch, then along Constitution Hill, which leads to Buckingham Palace, which I wholeheartedly recommend visiting. The Palace is a grand complex, and the front attracts millions of visitors every year, and if you are lucky, you may even see a Royal being chauffeured in and out of the Palace.
Nearby sits the Victoria Memorial, which is another amazing landmark to visit.
The British Museum
The British Museum is an absolute superb place to visit. Not only is it free, but it has a vast collection of Antiquities and ancient Eqyptian, especially the mummified remains of Cleopatra.
Wandering around the British Museum is truly an insightful and interesting experience, and it is a place that can really spark the interest in various periods throughout history, such as, Vikings, Romans, and Egyptians.
The museum revels in its own history as well as ancient history as you can venture into a local study with busts of the people that founded and made the British Museum possible.
I, personally enjoyed seeing a bust of Homer, which has been a significant feature in my travels around the world, which is mainly due to my fondness for the epic poem Illiad, and subsequently Odyssey.
Tate Modern
Another city, and another art gallery, but Tate Modern is one of the best for modern and contemporary art, and exhibiting an array of work.
The building itself is split in two, with varying themes and access on each level - greater access for paid members, but plenty to see for free.
One of the first exhibitions I saw was Louise Nevelson, which really caught my attention. Nevelson was a New York Sculptor and developed pieces in this exhibition from the late 50s onwards. The two pieces in particular were "An American Tribute to the British People 1960-4" and "Black Wall 1959". Very similar pieces, which use wood from crates, old timber, and furniture, and constructed and arranged into a towering formation. The first painted gold and resembles the tone of a large church organ, in my perspective, and the other black, and also contained random objects within the boxes stacked up. The paint gave the pieces a unified look, which adds to their statements. They both have quite a simplistic design, but had a distinguished impact on me.
Following, I visited the "Explore Materials and Objects" exhibition, with the main piece being Marcel Duchamps "Fountain" (1917) - the urinal! This display has a collection of various materials and artists' work using a variety of different materials, and visitors can see how the differences impact on art.
Continuing with materials, another display is "A View from Tokyo: Between Man and Matter", a selection of materials (wood and concrete) close to their basic form with minimal manipulation, and arranged and placed against walls, which, for me, comments on the connection between nature and humanity.
Another display focuses on Media Networks, and has collections by Andy Warhol and the Guerila Girls, but what caught my attention the most was collection "Painting and Mass Media", especially paintings by Wilhelm Sasnal, who painted in 2011 three paintings of images that circulated in the media soon after the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. One was of the corpse and a group of people standing over gazing down upon it, another was a close up of a crowd with (some with cameras) gazing down upon what is presumed (as it is out of picture) Gaddafi's corpse. The figures in the paintings are almost shadow-like with minimal blurred features and a red tint overlaps the images - quite harrowing, but comments on current society, where events like this can be captured and shared around the world so easily by modern technology.
Continuing with materials, another display is "A View from Tokyo: Between Man and Matter", a selection of materials (wood and concrete) close to their basic form with minimal manipulation, and arranged and placed against walls, which, for me, comments on the connection between nature and humanity.
Another display focuses on Media Networks, and has collections by Andy Warhol and the Guerila Girls, but what caught my attention the most was collection "Painting and Mass Media", especially paintings by Wilhelm Sasnal, who painted in 2011 three paintings of images that circulated in the media soon after the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. One was of the corpse and a group of people standing over gazing down upon it, another was a close up of a crowd with (some with cameras) gazing down upon what is presumed (as it is out of picture) Gaddafi's corpse. The figures in the paintings are almost shadow-like with minimal blurred features and a red tint overlaps the images - quite harrowing, but comments on current society, where events like this can be captured and shared around the world so easily by modern technology.
I quite like this display as a whole, other artists' work were quite thought provoking, and really interesting to see.
Finally, I visited the Artist Rooms: Louise Bourgois, a Parisian born in 1911, who uses sculptors and drawings to revisit memories and her life again and again.
One of the joys of Tate Modern, is that it will always have new displays and something new to see, so visitors can return to discover new wonders time and time again.
The Streets of London
I love the Tube! The underground system is unbelievably convenient, and quick (for tourists!). it is really easy to get from A to B when you plan your route, and I found the trains to be on time, with very little waiting time between getting off one and on another. The Oyster card is a brilliant concept, and makes travelling within the city incredibly easy.
However, on my travels, I love to walk. From doing so, I have discovered many many wonders from just walking around cities. In London, I walked the streets to see buildings, such as the Gerkin, up close, and visiting the wonderful Covent Garden, and the Jubilee Market Hall. So many wonders to see and experience for yourself, so take your time and have a wander. Near to Buckingham Palace, sits Parliament and Big Ben, and they are always worth a visit, and on a beautiful day, it is worth strolling along the Thames around Southbank. One of the joyful things to see, is how lively London is, especially from 5pm onwards, as every pub, bar and restaurant seemed to be overflowing with guests. One hears that London is not social, and people do not say hello to one another on the Tube, but in my perspective, it seemed to be unbelievably social.
My next post will be places to eat in London, so keep an eye on my future posts by subscribing by email, or follow me on Twitter at @mcrphil
Thank you for reading!
Phil :)
