So the unexpected is one of the joys and stresses of travel. The psychological preparation I did however was not for week in London (underwear and socks packed in hand luggage in the event of a delayed day). I am en-route to family for Christmas, and the 'travelling' starts after that when I head to Central America. So I have had to adjust my head to embrace, or at least stay sane, in the at times interminable present of 6 days stranded in London. It is interesting the categories we place on things. My social interactions today have been over skype and a cursory and functional interaction with an attractive waiter. So here I am blogging and pondering the mis-adventures of travelling.
Today has been a quiet and sedentary day, with most of my time having been spent in the warmest place in the flat (bed). I have ventured out, ostensibly to get some fresh air but also have just had a tasty pizza and am now having a coffee in an establishment that offers free wifi while you drink (no product placement here), in the company of a take home box of pizza which will be breakfast. I catch myself barely consciously wondering if I should cut out a word, and then remember that the word count doesn't matter. After a few months of tightly restricted word limits, I am now shaking off the shackles (and the benefits) of the enforced editing of academic requirements. As I am probably going to be the main person who reads this, I can use as many words as I please!!
Yesterday was a fuller day in terms of making the most of being in London. After an excursion to Oxford Street to buy a cheap pair of shoes to save my clogs, which were not loving the wet and salty wood rotting sogginess of snow, slush and grit, 2 many hours later, I headed to Tate Modern.
Wandering unfamiliar streets with a vague sense of direction and occasional signs can be an exciting part of the adventure of travel. The journey after all is the destination. When the weather is freezing and a light sleety mizzle is starting to fall, the journey is more of a necessity and the Tate Modern was a very welcome destination.
I saw Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seed exhibition in the Turbine Hall. A hundred million handcrafted and painted porcelain sunflower seeds. The labour of practically a whole town. The skill and scale of it is impressive and the accompanying film gave an interesting behind the scenes flavour of the immensity of the project, but I felt the loss of the project's initial vision of viewers being able to literally wander through the vastness. The health and safety risk of the dust meant we were kept apart from the work, behind a low barrier. Still impressive, but not as engaging.
I also went to the Gaugin exhibition, and had just the right amount of time to listen to the personal audio commentary and wander around the exhibition. It is called Gaugin: Maker of Myth. The exhibition did not follow a chronological approach, but rather was grouped by themes which emerged throughout his work over the decades. Examples were 'Identity and self-mythology', 'Sacred themes', 'The Eternal Feminine', 'Landscape and rural narrative' and 'Teller of Tales'. His skill as both an important artist and shameless self-promoter were explored. It's always fascinating to hear more about artists and their lives and choices. Reading about him brought to mind some of those slightly sleazy older men who move to live in Thailand and develop relationships with young Thai women. But I enjoyed the art.
I also went to see a documentary called 'Catfish'. It is about art and connections, desires and the possibilities of facebook. I have already said too much - as the publicity says, "Don't let anyone tell you what it is'. While I cringed on more than one occasion I also laughed and enjoyed the whole project. Worth spending a couple hours of your life on watching it, in my opinion.
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