Vivian Maier - A Life Uncovered

On the way home from work today, I went to the Vivian Maier exhibition, part of London's Street Photography Festival, which finishes on the 24th of July.  The show was on in the German Gymnasium (worth a look, recently refurbished) at St. Pancras.  A nanny in Chicago, Ms. Maier took photos most of her adult life. A treasure trove of her undeveloped film was found by John Maloof, in an auction lot he bought.  So, we are seeing her masterpieces, before she even saw them developed.  Incredible.  Needless to say, her photos are amazing.  The show finishes on Sunday, but there is a book due out in October.. Santa Please! 

Below are some pics, including some shots of the other exhibitor stands, which are in the German Gymnasium.

The festival is running through various spots over London.  

Even right through St. Pancras itself!  

Copies of Vivian Maier's pics, screen-grabbed from the website... 

londonstreetphotographyfestival.org

Design Degree Shows - The Old Truman Brewery

Catching up with University Friends is always a good excuse for a beverage, so when the annual design graduate shows roll around, it's a tempting offer for a Thursday night!  We went and checked out the Nottingham Trent Show (biased much?)  and Kingston.  All very impressive.  Last day is TOMORROW, so if you you are interested and near Brick Lane, have a gander.  Lots of talent this year.  Hope the kids get some work out of it, it's pretty tough these days.

http://www.free-range.org.uk/

Newcastle - Happy Snaps

We went up to Newcastle for a site visit, maybe a month ago, and had some time to kill before the flight back down South.  A great city, with a strong heritage.  Not to mention a high concentration of quality architecture at the river! Give London a run for it's money, that's for sure.  We saw Foster's The Sage Gateshead, Wilkinson Eyre's Gateshead Millenium Bridge, and The Baltic Gallery.  Even managed a quick tipple from the gallery bar, great views.  Even though it was cloudy and rainy, it was still stunning.

Zumthor and Pistoletto at the Serpentine

I was pretty excited last week, to go and check out Peter Zumthor's Pavillion at the Serpentine.  Long a fan of his work, I've not seen any of it in the flesh, so it was a great treat.  The building was strong and silent, and the experience of walking in, and discovering the garden (designed by Piet Oudolf) was sensual.  The pools of light spilling into the walkways around the focal atrium create a sense of discovery when moving towards the garden.  Lovely floral shots by Kate Foreshew.

 We also popped into the Gallery itself to see Michelangelo Pistoletto's show, The Mirror of Judgement.  It consisted of great swathes of corregated cardboard rolls at chest height, leading you to religious symbols and mirrors, encouraging spiritual self-reflection.  The gallery police were at large, yet again, so no photos, sadly!  I managed to get some screen grabs from the Telegraph review.  If you are keen, here's the link to read more. Pistoletto-The Mirror of Judgement Serpentine Gallery Review

I did, however, manage this cheeky shot..... 

Takashi Murakami at the Gagosian - Brittania Street, London

Popped into the Gasgosian at lunch on Friday, to check out the Murakami exhibition.  The show is of his recent paintings and sculptures, commenting on the Japanese relationship with sexuality.  I really liked his development of Kuroda Seiki's "Wisdom, Impression, Sentiment" c1900.  Using traditional Japanese painting techniques of using gold and silver leaf, along with modern techniques, he translated the more realistic nudes into Manga style paintings.

Sadly, I only got one shot of this!  There were about 8 security guards in the room... as evidenced in the photo above!   I would recommend taking a look, the impressive colours and techniques of his paintings, as well as the mind boggling craftsmanship of some of his sculptures are worth the trip.... as is the cardboard cut-out model freebie! I will post finished pics soon... 


There are also incredibly "strong" pieces, don't want to spoil it for you, so check it out if you are around...

http://www.gagosian.com