Sunday, November 6 - Paris

Today is sadly the last day of the trip.  Our cultural destination of the day is the Cartier Foundation to see an exhibition called Mathematics:  A Beautiful Elsewhere.    Perhaps the highlight of the show was a film downstairs featuring a dozen or so mathematicians, each speaking about why he or she chose mathematics as their lifelong pursuit.  Chose is probably the wrong word because each spoke as if there was no choice; each was driven toward mathematics because of the elegance and simplicity of the "language" that mathematicians speak and the constant discoveries they make.   Their excitement was palpable and I envied them their ability to think and reason in a way I will never experience.  To quote from the website:

Mathematics: A Beautiful Elsewhere is a unique exhibition created by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain with the aim of offering visitors, to use the mathematician Alexandre Grothendieck’s expression, “a sudden change of scenery.” The Fondation Cartier has opened its doors to the community of mathematicians and invited a number of artists to accompany them. They are the artisans and thinkers, the explorers and builders of this exhibition.

A large number of mathematicians and scientists contributed to the creation of this exhibition, and eight of them acted as its overseers: SIR MICHAEL ATIYAH, JEAN-PIERRE BOURGUIGNON, ALAIN CONNES, NICOLE EL KAROUI, MISHA GROMOV, GIANCARLO LUCCHINI, CÉDRIC VILLANI and DON ZAGIER. Representing a wide range of geographical backgrounds and mathematical disciplines, they work in areas such as number theory, algebraic geometry, differential geometry, topology, partial differential equations, probability, mathematics applied to biology…

They were accompanied by nine artists chosen for their exceptional ability to listen, as well as for their great sense of curiosity and wonder. All of these artists have exhibited at the Fondation Cartier in the past: JEAN-MICHEL ALBEROLA, RAYMOND DEPARDON AND CLAUDINE NOUGARET, TAKESHI KITANO, DAVID LYNCH, BEATRIZ MILHAZES, PATTI SMITH, HIROSHI SUGIMOTO and TADANORI YOKOO, as well as Pierre Buffin and his crew (BUF). They worked together to transform the abstract thinking of mathematics into a stimulating experience for the mind and the senses, an experience accessible to everyone.

We took the metro back to the Marais and had lunch outside under the heat lamps at Les Philosophes (28, rue Vieille du Temple).  Spent the rest of the outside wandering through the Marias trying to get our fill before returning home to pack up our gear.

Saturday November 5 - Paris

Got up early to be at the Grand Palais for a 9:30 ticketed entry to see a fantastic show about Gertrude Stein and her family of art dealers and collectors.  The same show, entitled The Steins Collect:  Matisse, Picasso and the Parisian Avant-Garde will travel to the MET Museum in NY and open in late February 2012.  

Ticketholders on line at the Grand Palais

Afternoon at the Musee Guimet, a perennial favorite of mine.  We took advantage of the charming Asian restaurant in the museum and had lunch there before viewing the wonderful Khmer sculpture and other treasures.  

Musee Guimet

Had a quiet dinner at our hotel.  

The bar at our hotel

Hotel Dining Room

Friday November 4 - Paris

Today the weather was miraculously gorgeous and warm after having had torrential rain yesterday.  Basically Ferris and I walked around the area that Elizabeth and I used to stay in on the Left Bank for the entire day.  We shopped.  Ferris bought lovely undies.  Of course we both bought a beautiful necklace, or two, or five at Fabrice.  But who's counting?  Had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Gaya Rive Gauche.  

Boulevard Saint Germain

Boulevard Saint Germain

Saint Germain des Pres

Saint Sulpice

Thursday November 3 - Paris

Had lots of rain today.  In the morning Ferris and I ran an errand near the Place Vendome.  She had several pieces of jewelry she'd bought years ago that needed adjustment so off we went to visit the jeweler.  I was glad to get to see the shop, plus have a fleeting chance to see such an iconic section of Paris.  It reminded me of many years ago when Elizabeth Cohen and I were lucky enough to stay at the Ritz Carleton Hotel on the Place Vendome.  Ah, those were the days.

Afterward we met the group at Jerome DeClercq whose business is making beautiful tiebacks for draperies.  His family has made them for kings going back hundreds of years.  Imagine huge colorful tassels and things.  Really wonderful, interesting and quintessentially French.  

Then we visited Karen Petrossian, an African textile collector who was absolutely charming.  He spent a couple of hours pulling out rare pieces to show us.  

Buckets of rain we falling by the time we left.  Where are those new galoshes when I need them?  

Wednesday November 2 - Paris

Had a very laid back day, giving in to the grayness of the city, walking around chilly Autumnal Paris.  We crossed over the Seine to the Left Bank and walked down toward the Sorbonne.  As we ambled around I thought I remembered that a old favorite eatery, Brasserie Balzar, was somewhere in the vicinity.  In my best (or worst) broken French I eventually obtained the address for the restaurant.  Ferris and I enjoyed a delightful lunch of French comfort food - soup a l'oignon et poulet roti avec pommes de terre.  The very best in Paris.

Brasserie Balzar interior.

After lunch we meandered once again toward Boulevard Saint Germain and walked until our feet could no longer carry us.   Had drinks at the Hotel Montalembert on Rue du Bac before taxing over to Les Fables de la Fontaine for dinner.  This petite seafood restaurant (only 10 tables) came highly recommended by Elizabeth.  Absolutely worth a detour.  

Les Fables de la Fontaine

Les Fables de la Fontaine

A mad snap from the window of the taxi.

Tuesday November 1 - Paris

Woke to a very chilly, overcast day.  Our first stop today was one I'd been looking forward to very much:  the Musee du quai Branly.  Believe it or not, I have not been to Paris since the Branly opened about 10 years ago.

The Branly is a museum of (for lack of a better word) tribal or "Native People's" art from around the world.  I was amazed by the beauty of the installations and the art itself.  The building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the same person who designed the Arab Institute here.  From the outside I wouldn't say the building is particularly beautiful.  But on the inside, where display cases are set off against black walls making them look like jewel cases, it is stunning.  And the examples of art from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia are some of the most beautiful I've seen.  We had a guided tour for about an hour and half that took us completely around the world. 

I had a special treat at the quay Branly - I'd noticed a poster outside advertising a work called THE RIVER by Charles Sandison.  This happens to be an artist whose work I own; I own a video projection based on Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species.  I assumed that the work had come and gone but when we entered I was thrilled to see that it appears to be a permanent installation and it's the first thing you encounter as you enter the museum.  It serves as a vehicle to visually convey the flow of cultures and ideas that you are about experience in the vitrines below.  Text from the quai Branly website says it much better:

"Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in a river of moving words projected with varying rhythms and concentrations along the whole of the ramp leading up to its source: the collections area.  16,597 names of all the peoples and geographic locations displayed in the museum's collections accompany the flow of visitors in this way.

The installation is brought to life by software that combines speech and hydrological cycles, mixing simulation techniques intended to create artificial life and to illustrate the laws of physics.  The wealth of cultures flows like the words through time and space, like water. This also allows us to observe human diversity by contemplating the channels and canyons that mark its surface, engraved by the flood of language. Visitors can take every chance to imagine the relationships, to allow themselves to be captivated by the movements of exchange of these signs, to bring them together, interpret them and dream them."

Charles Sandison's THE RIVER

By the time we exited, a light rain had begun to fall making the day even more raw than it had felt before.  Had lunch at a cafe at the Branly before dashing to the Musees des Arts Decoratifs to see an exhibition of avant garde fashion designer Hussein Chalayan.

Returned the hotel after this and stayed local for a casual dinner in the neighborhood.   

Monday October 31, 2001 - Paris

Gorgeous weather today; I even left my jacket behind because of the warm sun and comfortable temperature.  The group plan for Paris has changed a bit since last week because several appointments have either cancelled or been rescheduled.  They went off at 9:30 to visit three museums; Ferris and I decided to target the Pompidou and Guimet as our destinations.

Walked through the Marias to the Pompidou but stopped on the way at Laurent Guillot where Ferris wanted to have a ring repaired.  From there we took a bus to the museum (because I enjoy taking busses). The Pompidou was surrounded by throngs of people enjoying the weather and watching mimes and other performers on the plaza.

Our first art stop was an exhibition of work by Japanese/American artist Yayoi Kusama (of the polka dotted pumpkin on Naoshima Island fame).  There were paintings, sculptures, films and installations (love the mirrored ones).  Then we spent an hour or so in the permanent collection of contemporary art. 

Kusama

Kusama installation

Had a couscous lunch nearby and dessert of pistachio gellato.  Not half as good as Italian gellato but I was happy to have it.  By the time we'd finished eating and looking at art at the Pompidou we realized we really didn't have sufficient time to visit the Guimet.  So instead of rushing back and forth and not having time to look, we ambled back our hotel stopping occasionally to poke around little boutiques in the Marais. 

At 7:30 we had a delicious dinner at Maison de la Truffe, a restaurant specializing in truffle dishes.  Ferris and I shared an appetizer: ravioli stuffed with shrimp and frois gras.  Then for a main course I had Sea Bass with spinach.  Both were topped with liberal helpings of seasonal truffles.  This is definitely a restaurant that Cliff and Cathy should try the next time they're in Paris.   

Sea Bass with Spinach and, of course, Truffles!

Sunday October 30 - from London to Paris

Today's will be a short entry.  Up before dawn to get ready for 6:45 a.m. departure from the hotel.  Had a special van take the group to St. Pancras Stations where we boarded an 8:30 Eurostar for Paris.  The ride takes 2 1/2 hours and is completely un-remarkable.  You pass nothing but flat uninteresting landscape.  Not at all what i'd imagined it to look like.

Immediately upon arrival the group headed off to the Clignancourt 'flea' market (really an antique market) to explore.  Ferris and I instead continued with the bus that carried our luggage to our new hotel, Les Jardins du Marais, put a few items down and caught the Metro to the Institut du Monde Arabe to see the last day of a special exhibition of Zaha Hadid architecture.  I must say that by the time we arrived we were pretty tired and hungry but we stuck it out, even spending quite a long time viewing the permanent collection.

Les Jardins du Marais

I was interested to see more examples of Hadid's designs having toured her BMW plant in Leipzig Germany several years ago with SITE Santa Fe and having been bowled over by both the beauty and intelligence of its design.  However we both decided after seeing this Paris exhibit (housed inside her own specially designed exhibition 'pod') that we are not quite modern enough to live inside one of her biomorphically shaped apartments.  Ferris told me that many years ago she turned down an opportunity to live inside one of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes and we both think this experience would be somewhat similar.  Besides, where would you be able to hang art on completely curved, rhomboidal walls?

Finally at 4 pm we staggered across the street to a brasserie and had poulet roti (French comfort food) for what ended up being a combo lunch/dinner.  Returned to the hotel to undo all the packing we'd done last night.

Hotel Lobby

Hotel Lobby

Saturday October 29 - London

Each day when Ferris and I go to breakfast we spend the first 20 minutes or so on the internet.  While the Cumberland is a nice hotel, WiFi availability in room is spotty at best.  But reception is excellent in the breakfast room and we have an opportunity to download the news, read and respond to emails and I write and send the 'blog'.  In addition we make a habit of checking the weather.  When you're traveling, especially in London, having some sense of the expected temperature and how likely it might be to rain is critical.  I was convinced that today would rain.

The group's plan is to go to Kew Gardens today, where Scott and I went several years ago to see a special orchid show.  So given the weather and the fact that I'd been before - and given a special brochure we'd picked up advertising a craft fair for British artisans - we decided to remain in town.  

We got a leisurely start on the day and got on the tube headed for Chelsea to visit a craft show.  Got half way there and found out that the tube line we needed to transfer to isn't in service on the weekend so were forced to take a taxi the remainder of the way.  There were oodles of people on the street ecstatic about some kind of football (what they call soccer) match and traffic was snarled to a halt.  Eventually we arrived at the Old Chelsea Town Hall for a look around.  Our consensus was that the overall quality of goods was high but only a hand full of artists really struck our fancy.  We enjoyed looking around anyway and were glad we'd gone.  [But this fair is a far cry from the real Chelsea Craft Fair of old that I believe has been renamed Origin.]  

It wasn't until leaving that we realized what a beautiful day it was.  Since we knew we'd have difficulty returning by metro we decided to try taking the bus.  We walked to Sloane Square passing a steady stream of trendy shops and boutiques and tall women wearing tight jeans and boots.  I had no idea how to navigate the bus system and after much searching and not finding the right bus stop we asked a darling 18 year old boy/man where we should go to catch the bus we needed.  Turns out he was going to Marble Arch also.  Ferris and I went to the upper deck and sat in the very front seat.  We got to have a perfect tour of London from just above the tree tops.  Next trip I'm going to ride all over London on the upper deck.

Returned to the hotel to pack up all belongings that had been strewn about the room.  This was no easy feat.  At 6:30 had comfort food dinner with Trisha across the street (yes that means spaghetti).  Found out that clocks set back one hour tonight which makes getting up at 5 am tomorrow a little less painful. 

Friday October 28 - London

Spent the morning with the group for a visit to meet with five artists at Cockpit Arts.  Cockpit is a large warehouse filled with small studios that are rented to 160 artists for what sounded like very competitive rates.  It is run as a private not-for-profit and the two women who met with us first were responsible for fundraising and marketing respectively.  Artists of any age can apply for studio space and they can keep it as long as they'd like.  For example Jane Adam, who's a well known jewelry designer (her work is now in the contemporary jewelry collection of the V&A), has had a studio there for years.  We split into two groups and my group met first with a charming woman who makes leather jewelry (I bought a necklace and bracelet) named Tania Clarkehall, then with clothing designer Justin Oh formerly of Yoji Yamamoto.  Upstairs we met a jewelry designer, weaver and - I know this will sound terrible but it wasn't - a woman who makes birds of different fabrics.  Actually the birds and the artist were incredibly charming.  I inquired about a hummingbird but at a cost of 200 pounds I demurred.

After lunch in the neighborhood the group headed off to visit an antique textile dealer.  Neither Ferris nor I were feeling terribly great so we opted out.  But on our way to the tube stop I suggested we try to find a gallery Ferris wanted to go to that's in the northeastern part of London.  We didn't know exactly where it was and I wasn't eager to try to find it tomorrow when the forecast is for rain.  Today's weather is perfect - gorgeous, sunny and mild - so I don't mind getting a little lost.  

As it turns out we had little difficultly finding the gallery Rivington Place.  The very modern building looks like it's dissolving into little cubes that are flying away.  The architect of the building is hot young British designer David Adjaye (who by the way, designed the interior for our most recent SITE Santa Fe Biennial).  We saw a very interesting exhibition called Entanglement:  The Ambivalence of Identity.  Then we added one more stop than we probably should have at White Cube gallery on Hoxton Square to see Elad Lassry's newest photographs and sculptures. 

Rivington Place

White Cube Gallery

By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted.  Slept for an hour then rushed out the door for an even more rushed dinner at delicious Moti Mahal which is half a block from the Drury Lane theater where we saw War Horse at 7:30. 

Thursday October 27 - London

Had to put the brakes on my sightseeing today because the cold I've been fending off for the past few days made a strong attack.  Poor Ferris had to listen to me coughing much of last night so I decided to take the morning and noon off and join the group again in the afternoon. It was a good thing too; turns out the group went on a long walking tour and then a trip to Cambridge to visit a fan museum.  This would have been much too much for me.

Met the gang at 4pm near the British Museum at the studio of textile designer Margo Selby.  As I approached all I could see were arms flailing and grabbing garments off hangers.  As an outside observer it looked as to me as if Margo did quite well by our visit.  I enjoyed having a glass of champagne and watching wallets and credit cards fly.

Ferris and I dashed off early via Tube to Waterloo.  We had tickets to see "The Kitchen" at the National Theater on the South Bank.  Ate a casual dinner at the cafe there in the cafe before our 7:30 performance. 

Wednesday, October 26 - London

Our second day with the Santa Fe Weaving Gallery group.  We spent the bulk of the day at one of my favorite museums - the Victoria and Albert.  Met at 9am with one of the curators of a featured special exhibit: Postmodernism.  He took us on an interesting but whirlwind tour of the show that contained a wide variety of design items from the 80s and 90s.  My favorite was David Byrne's "Big Suit" from Stop Making Sense.  

Next, a meeting with a curator from the textile department.  Unfortunately their exhibition spaces are being completely redesigned and will not reopen until May 2012.  However she did show us one temporary exhibition room that had a lovely dress designed by Alexander McQueen and a suit made by Stella McCartney for Chris Martin of Coldplay.  

We then went on a marvelous tour of the textile conservation lab with the head of this department, Joanne Hackett.  This vast white space is home to 8 large tables arranged in two rows, each with a conservationist hard a work repairing or cleaning garments.  Our tour was very interesting; we saw costumes of all sorts: clothing from movies such as Blade Runner, Pirates of the Caribbean.  We saw Dorothy's gingham smock from the Wizard of Oz, the Queen Mum's Jubilee Gown and a Schiaparelli velvet evening dress with pink flowers around the shoulders.  We were thrilled to learn that the Duchess of Cambridge, better known as Kate Middleton, would be visiting this very same textile conservation lab in the afternoon!

The Queen Mums dress.

After our morning of textiles we were let loose in the museum to spend a few hours on our own.  Ferris and I had lunch and then spent time studying the VandA's amazing jewelry galleries (completely remodeled since the last time I saw them), the Raphael Cartoons (the space has been turned into a playroom, yes a playroom) plus we discovered two interesting photography exhibits. 

The Raphael Cartoon playroom.

As we entered one of them, Ferris grasped my arm and said "look over there".  Much to my amazement about 10 feet away was a regal, whisper thin, tall and gorgeous Kate Middleton.  As Ferris said, she looks exactly like she does in magazines; identical.  She was accompanied by three or four men who were clearly looking out for her safety but otherwise she looked very much like a regular visitor to the museum.  She was not surrounded by an entourage in a way that made you immediately notice her.  She had on a navy blue St. John suit and high heel boots.  I got a very good glimpse of her and was (again) thrilled.  She disappeared into a door not far from the entrance to the photo exhibit.

When we finished seeing the show I was overcome with curiosity to see where she might have gone.  I walked over to the door she'd gone into and at that very instant  the door open and she reappeared.  She walked through the door directly toward me.  This time I got a perfect look.  I never imagined that in my life I'd ever see Kate Middleton and here I'd seen her twice in one day.  She probably thinks I'd been standing there the whole time stalking her.  What an amazing coincidence! 

In the late afternoon we regrouped and visited an antique textile dealer near Victoria Station.  Ferris and I left early and stopped into an international jewelry gallery not far from the hotel that we'd heard about from CAA earlier in the week.  Had dinner with the group in the hotel.  

Tuesday October 25 - London

Today was a low energy day, at least for me.  Ferris and I have been battling laryngitis for the past two days and today I awoke with almost no voice at all. Ferris sounds like one of the geese we encountered yesterday honking in Hyde Park.  Only half of her words come out at normal volume, the rest are a breathy rasp.  I decided early on that my plan was to stay in today and this was nearly 100% accomplished.

The exception was to make an unscheduled trip to the Bank of England late morning.  Why the Bank of England?  It's a bit of a long story.  A few days ago we took a cab ride and I pulled out a 20 pound note and handed it to the driver. He looked at the note as if it were a bomb and said "Where'd you get this? Where'd you GET this?".  I was startled and afraid to answer for fear I'd inadvertently handed him counterfeit money and would get in trouble.  After a moment I explained that the bill came from a drawer at home where I keep money left over from past visits.  He said "impossible; this note is at least 20 years old!"  I suddenly remembered why I might have these bills and went to the master concierge Fabrizio (no not better than Ugo but pretty darn good) who confirmed that these bills, and I have a lot of them, were indeed old, so old that no regular bank can exchange them.  Only the Bank of England can do this and there is only one location for the Bank of England in the heart of the banking and commercial district.  Needless to say this is not anywhere near us nor was it probably anywhere near where I'd been on previous trips which is why I think I still have them.  But the good news is that the Central Line (which is near us) goes directly there.  The aptly named Bank stop a mere 10 stops or so from Marble Arch.

I'd almost decided it wasn't worth the trip until this morning when I discovered 6 more 20 pound notes.  That was it.  Now the amount was too big to ignore, and this morning  might be the only time I'd be able to go when the bank would actually be open.  Knowing that I wasn't up to par, Ferris took pity and agreed to accompany me.  To my surprise we walked into an imposing greco-roman building without passing through so much as a metal detector.  A female guard asked the reason for our visit, asked to see the notes and then directed us to a room filled with tellers and NO customers.  We were able to go to the Bank, exchange money and be back at the hotel within 45 minutes. Hurray!  And with 290 additional pounds in my pocket.  I'm sure they won't stay there for long.

Our traveling textile group met for the first time after lunch.  Most participants are from Santa Fe and about half are people I've met previously.  Jill gave us a brief orientation and then the group (without me) set off to visit a textile dealer.  I had a lovely restful afternoon and evening on my own, recharging my batteries to prepare for a full day of activities tomorrow.

Monday, October 24 - London

Another non-rainy day in London.  We are thrilled and extremely pleasantly surprised.  Decided to spend the day in Kensington doing conventional things like going to Harvey Nichols, Harrods and walking outside as much as possible.

Rather than transfer twice on the tube we thought a walk through Hyde Park would be a better way to reach Harvey Nichols.  Our hotel, The Cumberland, is at Marble Arch which happens to be directly north of HN across the park.  The park is just beginning to show signs of Fall; leaves are dry and tinged in yellow.  We needed  jackets and scarves because of the wind but later in the afternoon when we walked in a more residential area we shed many of our garments.  Also because all stores are tremendously overheated and it's a welcome temperature change to get outside. 

Walking through Hyde Park.

Harvey Nichols is just a nice (and upscale) as I remembered although as Americans we are paupers in this country.  The dollar is so weak (1 pound = .60 USD) that we gasp at prices.  It's fun to look at everything though.  Trish has been on a mission to find a nice blazer and she got a good one today.  London is a gorgeous city:  beautiful, clean, white, manicured, refined and a delight to be in nonetheless.  After drooling over all at Harvey Nicks, we "popped into" Harrods, the sprawling iconic London mega-department store (the store map shows a department for bullet-proof clothing).  Had lunch then wandered for about an hour and because of the extreme overheating and the fact you truly need a gps device to get around the store (I was lost and had to ask for directions multiple times) all of us were eager to depart.  Advice to shoppers:  stick with Harvey Nicks!

Egyptian escalators inside Harrods.

Walked down Walton and Fulton Streets stopping into Joseph (great shop) and the Conran store among others.  By 5pm our feet had given out and we taxied back to the hotel.  Having had two lavish dinners the past two evenings we decided to go casual tonight.  Went to an Irish pub near the hotel called The Two Tuns (still don't know what this means) for burgers.  Back to the hotel relatively early.  Tomorrow our SFWG group trip begins at 2:30.