Ahhh… time to say farewell to Derby and some of the people that we love. It’s been SO nice for Mum and I to each have time with our fabulous family, sharing a little of the daily lives and laughter that we’ve missed for the last 40 years. Our hearts are full as we head to London for the next couple of days.
We’re staying at Bankside, a rejuvenated area on the Southern Side of the Thames, around the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. It’s a great launchpad into a part of London that I’ve never explored. The area is known as a creative district, and next week will be home to the London Design Festival… timing!
The Tate Modern houses one of the largest collections of contemporary and modern art in the world, housed in the old Bankside Power Station. The old turbine hall runs through the centre of the building… it’s a vast 6 storey high open space. Such great forethought and design to convert this space!
Modern Art fascinates me. It really challenges us to think about ‘What is Art?’, who defines it, and what role does it play in both reflecting and shaping our culture and values? The Tate has an enormous mix of sculptures, prints, paintings and installations.
One of the galleries had a series of work by the Guerilla Girls, questioning the extent to which women and people of colour are featured in galleries. I’d love to know whether how the Tate fares from a diversity perspective. I suspect that it’s better than most.
An unexpected gem was one of the 28 bronze repetitions of Degas ‘The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer’. It was tucked away in a space looking at the human form, a little overwhelmed by everything around it. Thankfully Mum spotted it… very much a little moment of calm in a busy gallery!
London is a great city, the old and new sitting side by side. The Leadenhall Market was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, leading to the ‘Leaky Cauldron’ pub. On a Thursday lunchtime it seemed to be packed with a homogenous group of 30-something men in navy suits and white shirts standing around and sipping pints. I had the sense that they were somehow finding a way to claim they were working for clients and billing in 6 minute increments…
Behind Leadenhall was an alley surrounded by ultra-modern buildings – it really felt like walking out of Harry Potter and into a sci-fi movie. More investigation required!
I’d had a tip off that ‘Horizon 22‘ was the place to go for a free view over London. Neither Mum nor I are big fans of heights, so floor to ceiling glass on the 58th floor aren’t exactly the most comfortable activity we can take on! The views were incredible – looking out to Wembley, over Westminster and the Eye, down the Thames, towards the Shard, and over Tower Bridge. It’s an enormous city that just keeps going. On a clear day the views would be amazing.
This evening Mum’s sisters Evie & Andree and their daughters Emma & Bernadette joined us. We’ve got a couple of days to explore London and head to a show. It’s so good to have this time with them together.
Dinner near ‘The Clink’ and a nice evening walk around the streets of Bankside closed out a big day of our trip, ready for another one tomorrow!
Love M & BBx
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