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.  

Sunday October 23 - London

We were thrilled to wake to beautiful weather today!  Sunny, only a few clouds, not windy and probably around 60 degrees.  Heaven.  Didn't know that London ever had gorgeous weather, certainly not in the fall.

Our destination today is the South Bank.  I'd already pre-booked tickets for 1:30pm at the Tate Modern to see the Gerhard Richter "Panoramas" show so we decided to stop in at the nearby Hayward Gallery to see a show by Pipilotti Rist.

As we approached the Hayward, we saw clothes lines crisscrossing the plaza with evenly spaced white "undies" hanging from them.  We laughed and wondered what these were all about.  Once inside the gallery our question was immediately answered.  The very first Pipilotti Rist work you encounter is a huge chandelier made of white undies.  If you know anything about the Swiss artist's work you know that she predominantly makes projected video installations.  She focuses on the theme of being a woman and uses herself and her own body as subject matter.  Onto this "chandelier" was projected a beautiful multi-color work that changed color every few seconds. I took many photos and videos of this and many other works in the show (couldn't believe that photography was allowed; even the security guards were snapping away).  I'm so accustomed to taking stealth photos in shows like this.  Many of the works require the viewer to enter inside and because of the nature of video there's a certain time commitment involved in experiencing them.  

We stayed at the large Rist exhibition for about an hour and afterward walked along the Thames Riverwalk to the Tate Modern.  Because the weather was so beautiful and because it was a Sunday everyone in London seemed to be out walking, eating at cafes and enjoying themselves.  We had a marvelous time being outside in London during such beautiful weather and seeing the London skyline (with juxtapositions of iconic old buildings with new ones such as the "gherkin" and the "shard" visible in the distance) as we walked. 

At the Tate Modern we stopped for lunch before entering the 14-room Gerhard Richter exhibit.  This show is quite different from the retrospective I saw at the MoMA some years ago. The MoMA show seemed to be organized thematically while this show was organized chronologically.  Realistic paintings are hung in the same room as highly abstract ones painted in the same year.  Perhaps this hanging emphasized even further his amazing technical ability and versatility.  Next we saw a Tacita Dean show, then went to the 5th floor to see a Jenny Holzer room and a Do Ho-Suh room. 

Perhaps the piece de resistance of our afternoon was walking back over the pedestrian-only Millenium Bride designed by Sir Norman Foster toward the Victoria Embankment.

We taxied back to the hotel in order to rest up just a bit before going out to dinner at 7:30.  Tonight's restaurant is Benares in Mayfair.  I can say that we had one of the most delicious dinners (Indian or otherwise) I've ever had.  I tasted a soft-shell crab appetizer with apple coleslaw before having a main course of chicken tandoori with spicy cauliflower, tomatoes and sweet onions, rice, and black dhal.  I felt a bit guilty because I'd selected this restaurant without doing enough due diligence; this is probably one of THE most expensive restaurants I've eaten in, but I think it was worth it.  

Saturday, October 22 - London

We were delighted to run into Trish Rosenberg last night while having dinner at the hotel.  She joined us today for our roam around the Bloomsbury area of London.

Destination: The British Museum where the featured special show is "Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman" that just opened on October 6.  Grayson Perry is a British artist who won the Turner Prize in 2003.  To quote from a brochure "Perry curates an installation of his new works alongside objects made by unknown men and women throughout history from the British Museum's collection."  I must say it was one of the most delightful and well curated exhibitions I've seen in a long time.  His works are imaginative, fanciful, rustic while contemporary.  He makes works in a wide range of media (ceramics, cast iron sculpture, etc).  The show is a mixture of his own works and those he selected from the museum's vast treasures - interesting and beautiful artifacts of material culture from around the world - that reflect his ideas of sexuality, pilgrimages, and spirituality.  The show is wonderful and we plan to recommend it everyone.

After Grayson Perry and not wanting to depart the British Museum without taking in more of its antique treasures, we went downstairs to the Mesopotamian rooms to take a tour through remnants of ancient cities that have (fortunately) become part of the BM collection.  I got to pause for a few moments in front of the Rosetta Stone; one of my favorite objects anywhere in the world.

I remembered that somewhere near the Museum was a wonderful "craft" shop.  Took us a bit but we tracked down the name of it:  Contemporary Applied Arts on Percy Street, just a few blocks away.  We spent probably two hours there going through all the locked drawers of jewelry and textiles and having a wonderful time.

Retuned to the hotel to wash up before heading out to dinner at 7:30 at Nopi. Cliff and Cathy recommended this restaurant.  It reminded me of a tapas restaurant because you order many small dishes and share. We had plates such as sea bream, grilled octopus, bronzini, roast beef, rabbit pastillo with chocolate, curried cauliflower, financiers and chocolate hazelnut tort for dessert.  The plates may have been small but our stomachs were not when he headed off for home!

Navigating the menu at Nopi.