19 London

Mr. Brainwash - 'Life is Beautiful' Art Exhibition, (20/10/2012)

2012-10-22T12:13:00.002-07:00

Serendipity is a great word which I don't often get to use. However when my friend Jon and I accidentally stumbled upon this exhibition in High Holborn I think my opportunity finally arose. Wow. Just wow.

Theirry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash, was someone I had only ever briefly heard of before Saturday. Since 2008, his 'Life is Beautiful' exhibition has captured the hearts and imaginations of many internationally. His idiosyncratic but refreshing touch to urban pop art attracted as many as 30,000 to his first exhibition on Sunset Boulevard, an event that seemed to not expect such recognition¹. Again, Guetta appeared to have under-estimated his limits and, to my fortune, his exhibition in central London was re-opened on the 12th October after its first successful launch in the UK during the London Olympics.

Guetta once again has taken over the vast ground floor of a former multi-storey Royal Mail postal depot, cleverly and strategically placing his pieces in a style of his own in the very rustic location. The Zone 1 venue, considering its aforementioned previous owners, gave a real theme of quintessential 'Britishness' but nonetheless Guetta still cleverly ties in and revives much of American sixties pop art with multiple homages to Warhol. But it wasn't just the inside that Guetta seems to have captured; he's embraced the surroundings and outer walls of his lugubrious host, continuing his work onto the nearby streets. This is, for one, I suppose to draw people in; but also I feel it's to really extend his art outside of his official display thus bringing home the true values of freedom of expression and that art is a free and public enjoyment, not one that is costly and locked away.

Topically, my experience with this building didn't begin with this exhibition. Two years ago upon this forthcoming weekend one of the biggest illegal raves of the noughties decade was held here. Titled 'Scumoween', the rave is an annual event which is held in a different abandoned building space each year around London, generally on the outskirts. In 2010, thousands attended this particular rave including myself and friends for an experience that no official or legal club can replicate. It is sad to say that the publicity of the event was rather negative, (considering some confrontation with the police and its very central location), however this was unfortunately a rowdy and unwelcome minority that tarred us all with the same brush. Walking around the same building space nearly two years later was rather nostalgic. Upon discussing this event with one of the exhibition representatives on Saturday I found that much of the remnants of the party were still left on the building's other floors and he also told an interesting story of how the rave organisers were cleverly able to originally occupy the building and compromise its security.

Notice the difference?

I used the very same entrance for both events²

So it seems that Holborn is the home to a rather cult building. There's that saying "if walls could talk..." but, for me, having had the lucky oppurtunity to have attended both of these significant events in modern London culture, I daresay I wouldn't have much to ask them.

¹ Who Is Mr Brainwash? , http://www.mrbrainwash.com/about/about.html, (Accessed; 22/10/2012)
²Photo courtesy of James West Photography; http://www.jameswest-photography.co.uk
³Thanks to Jon Line also for supplying many of these photos and for what was a cracking day.

The British Museum, (20/10/2012)

2012-10-21T05:49:00.001-07:00

This has got to be one of the most visited places in all of London. With it's free entry and vast and fruitful array of donations from antiquaries I had no surprise as to how busy this fantastic attraction was on a Saturday afternoon. Although having been to several of all the prestigious museums around London, unbelievably, I had never got round to visiting the British Museum until yesterday.

It had a really great atmosphere and captured the interest and imaginations of all ages. With Britain's massive colonial expansion in the 250 years following the museum's opening to the public in 1759, the variation and quantity of artifacts and information to absorb is somewhat boundless. From embracing the history of the earliest of civilisations to the more modern elements of human culture, this museum really did have a lot to teach me. My personal favourite had to be the the section dedicated to the 'Enlightenment' period (c. 17th and 18th century). Being taught about the chronicles of Captain James Cook and his advancement on geographically mapping the earth as well as Joseph Bank's development of botany gave me a new found interest in this area, leaving me with questions that I eagerly want to answer; did such extensive and significant work like this lay any foundation for Darwin's controversial theories to follow in the 19th century for example? I think this section really placed a sufficient emphasis on what was one of the significant developments in human thought and leaving with questions I think is the right thing to do.

Botanist Sir. Joseph Banks


King George III's library where the Enlightenment gallery is located

But this was section was merely a personal preference and I'd be lying if I was to say that I enjoyed all of the museum as much. Yet I never saw a lot of the museum (the place is huge!) and I hope I'm making a well founded assumption that most people would find something that really appeals to them amongst the museum's entirety. Irrespective of whoever you are, this inspirational place is definitely worth a visit...if not several - I know I'll be returning before long.

Wenceslaus Hollar, ‘The Long View’ of London, c.1647.

A free event for visitors to collectively recreate Hollar's 'View of London'

Hoa Hakananai'a; one of the more famous features of the museum

"Happy" Valentines Day

2012-02-17T13:01:00.001-08:00

[Written on 14/2/02 - delayed I know; blame my forgetfulness]

It always surprises me that Valentine's Day means so much to couples and society. And what's interesting is this obligation of participation. One friend asked me yesterday why I didn't buy anyone anything. No, of course I didn't. And I'll tell you why.

It seems to me that most people assume that the 14th of February is the one day of the year where you must show affection to your other half. Posts and photos of happy couples are endless on social networks; "I love you so much baby girl! <3" accompanied by the unoriginal cliché mirror pose. And it always amuses me when you see couples eating together, not a word to say between them: only out because they feel they ought to be. There's the couple that are the most "in love", attempting to kid themselves and everyone else in the restaurant. And the corporate husband who can't part with his Blackberry for five seconds whilst the wife waits patiently rubbing his hand thinking: "I know he loves me really". And she's probably right, I'm sure he does. But business is business and, after all, it's a Tuesday.

And yes, it's Tuesday - another normal, average working day. And if you truly are in a loving relationship then I get the impression that you don't really need this day to prove it. But whether you're pleasing your partner because you feel you have to or because you genuinely want to, here's my logic: surely Valentine's Day is the one day of the year that you DON'T buy your partner a gift. If it's the one day they're expecting something, it seems standard and obligatory; buy them something on nearly any other day of the year and it seems so much more.

The 2011 iMemory Lane.

2011-12-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that I've become rather disorganised with the pictures I take with my phone. A lot of people spend time separating them into albums and then keep them organised by event, month etc. Not me. I can't say I take pictures very often but over time I've built up a rather large album on my phone of snaps that are in no order other than what they were taken in. But I have to say this has rather worked to my advantage and by simply flicking from start to finish this disorganisation has actually left me with a rather nice documentation of the last 10 months of my life. Right through from Sixth Form to now;

Perhaps the best school photo ever.

Random weekend antics

Berlin, April 2011

Berlin, April 2011; Oysters in the KaDeWe

April 2011 ; Weekend in Scarborough

April 2011; Weekend in Scarborough

Home at Horsley's

A random Saturday in Louth

June 2011; Stressful period of revising for exams

July 2011; mountain biking in Yorkshire

August 2011; holiday with Hollie in Rhodes

October 2011; birthday meal at Heston Blumenthal's pub

"...it actually hurts"

2011-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

The final three contestants. Source; Unrealitytv.co.uk

After watching the first part of the 2011 X Factor final I come away frustrated. This kind of show is certainly not something I normally choose to follow but considering it was the final I thought I'd watch it for the craic and also to see what the public and the judges (if you can call them that) think talent is. This is not the talent that I had in mind. Nonetheless, I suppose it did provide some form of entertainment and a few cheap laughs (at them, certainly not with).

The entire show seems to become more of a sellout each year. After the ridiculously long build up, all of a sudden presenter Dermot O'Leary completely unnecessarily dances onto the stage at the start which surely entitles anyone to snigger at this pathetic entrance. This is nearly as laughable as the biographical follow-ups of each contestant which seem to take up more time than the singing itself. Popularity seems to overwhelm the so-called talent. Perhaps this is because these generic mimers-in-the-making use this opportunistic gap to swallow the truth that skill is something that prevails with the people they aspire to be.

I was also following Twitter whilst watching the show; reading the witty remarks provided me with more entertainment than the show itself I daresay. But what certainly didn't amuse me was the ignorance as to Leona Lewis' song choice. Let me state this loud and clear. Admittedly, Johnny Cash's version of 'Hurt' is spectacular (and some may argue the best) but it was not the original. This honour lies with Trent Reznor, founder of industrial metal band Nine Inch Nails. Admittedly it is only opinion when I think that that stage (and it's spoon-fed audience) were not worthy of such music, but I don't think I'm alone when I worry about the original song being buried underneath nothing more than the disposable Christmas hit that Leona Lewis will turn it into.

I don't deny that most of the contestants can sing (let us not forget low-life Cocozza, however), but talent is dynamic and a qualified audience want something fresh. What nearly all of the contestants lack is a real identity in their skill; Amelia Lily might as well be a tribute act to Christina Aguilera for Christ's sake. Surely people must be bored of this by now. And even the thickest of people must have noticed that a good portion of these 'winners' seem to be going nowhere; I read somewhere that when 2010 winner Matt Cardle performed on the 2011 opening night it was the first time he had been on stage since he had won the final a year ago! That's real talent right there folks. But even if you do enjoy this show for what it is (rather than watching it to laugh at it like myself) please, please appreciate good music when you hear it and never assume that the cover is the original; it turns artists who actually have real talent into unsung heroes.

@earlywill: "Not sure if Leona Lewis is trying to butcher the NIN version or the amazing Johnny Cash version - but it actually hurts."

Post-weekend blues. (25-27/11/11)

2011-11-30T04:42:00.000-08:00

Although a complete contrast to my very iconic Monday night prior, I certainly enjoyed the Friday night of my weekend nearly as much. Interestingly I still went for the same things; the club, the people and certainly the genre of music.

Acid techno is a very niche but proud part of London culture. Whilst not many people may of heard of it, its fan base stretches far and wide. Of course this was the reason I was there. Busy with their 100th release, Stay Up Forever, one of Acid Techno's biggest record labels, also announced this event a few months ago. Pioneers of acid techno Liberator DJs, Henry Cullen (stage name D.A.V.E the Drummer) amongst many others put on an absolute howler of a night with sets running right through 'till 6AM with a following after party which I hate to say I didn't attend.

SUF DJ Guy McAffer aka 'The Geezer' with my friends Michael and Aron.

I think it's a shame that people don't know what a brilliant techno scene, albeit rather small, London actually has. But in a way that's what makes an underground scene special. Nonetheless, what was important to me was the crowd of friends I was with, all of us massive fans of the scene and the music. Consider this entry an extended thank you to all the SUF crew and all who attended. Finally, needless to say, a big thanks to the boys that made my entire weekend one like never before...but certainly like many more to come:

Hugh Laurie at the 100 Club, Oxford Street (21/11/11)

2011-11-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

Someone told me not so long ago to never underestimate the power of Twitter. At first I really didn't 'click' (forgive the pun) with how it worked let alone the actual point of it. But its true beauty revealed itself to me last Thursday night. Being a fresh 'tweeter' I'm still building a decent list of people to follow, one of which I'll never regret following; '@HughLaurieBlues'. A simple announcement that Hugh was performing in London on short notice blessed me with one of the best and most influential nights of my life. Having just released his debut album 'Let Them Talk', an album of which I'm extremely fond of, I knew that I'd already made my mind up about going.

So there I was at 9.29AM on Friday morning, sat in front of my computer hitting F5 continuously until the words 'Buy Now' graced me with their presence. I was lucky to get two tickets and my friend and I were excited from then on. But of course the real excitement came when I was stood in the queue on Oxford Street surrounded by bustling festive shoppers and christmas lights. I felt privileged, VIP if you like, when I saw the amount of people that were in the queue and almost wanted to question whether we were in the right place. We were.

I would certainly go to The 100 Club again. Underground, dark and gloomy meant atmospheric and certainly characteristic. Hundreds of pictures of famous past performances virtually wallpapered the walls. Mr. Laurie himself commented between songs that it was a true honour to play in such a musically significant place and I can certainly say it was an honour to merely be part of an audience there. He played around 2 hours with his extremely talented band and it was no surprise that the addicted crowd went wild for an encore which was soon to be welcomed with a massive applause when he returned with his band.

I could go on further and explain his set list and so on, but what I feel I should document is not so much the specifics, but the pure feeling of community and friendly atmosphere. There was no pushing and shoving, no impatience at the bar; just being at this place I think was already enough for everyone. There wasn't this attitude that you had to be so close you could feel his breath. A row in front of me sat Rowan Atkinson, but no one pestered him during the show for autographs and hand shakes. It seemed to me that everyone just respected that, collectively, we all wanted to have a good time and appreciated what I think everyone already knew was going to be a memorable evening. Of course, Mr. Laurie's impressive wit and personality made his performance very sociable, joking and chatting with us and his band. A lovely touch also was that, out of his own pocket I must add, he provided everyone with a nip of scotch so all could be involved together in a toast (thanks Hugh). Such a sociable and warming performance I imagine is hard to find these days and there are not many of these opportunites, making my friend and I feel truly privileged.

As I mentioned in my first post, London is an exciting city to me and this puts the icing on the cake. I think subconsciously this is why I even thought about blogging. It's because now I'm in London I feel that I've actually got something decent to write about. A completely distinctive night but hopefully not the last time I'll feel this reflective during the rest of my time in this town. So thanks Hugh; maybe one day I'll return you that drink.

"In the beginning..." 23:46

2011-11-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

This blog isn't for you before you think I'm writing for a particular purpose or audience. Right now, in fact, I have no plan where even this entry is going. This is entirely for my own interest, mainly as a keen writer, but also just to write something that isn't academic: a hobby if you like or just a time killer to be a little less committed. At this point you might even question (and I'm included in this) whether I like it, yet here I am starting out on a public diary which, quite frankly, is most likely to fail my commitment and perseverance let alone even recieve the slightest morsel of popularity. Nevertheless, encouraged as you most probably are not, read if you please.

Introducing myself and my interests is probably the most cliché way to begin a blog/diary yet this is probably because it actually isn't a bad place to begin. My name is Michael Read, I'm 19 years old and I've just began (September just gone) studying Law at Brunel University, London. I was born in Lincolnshire and have never lived outside of that county for longer than a fortnight until recently, making me miss a desolate and depressing place more than it's worth. But it's home. I have a girlfriend, Hollie, who is training to be a nurse in Nottingham and we've been together for nearly four years. DJing is about as far as my significant hobbies stretch and I've been enjoying that for a good couple of years now, playing at a few minor events here and there. The thing is, my life doesn't hold a massive amount of interest; I'd hope that no one would consider it boring but at the same time, without sounding too pessimistic, it's nothing spectacular. Therefore, I'm actually going to try and write only about things that genuinely are interesting and not simply what I had for breakfast; I daresay there's enough of that self-interested drivel on here already (that's of course unless my breakfast IS particularly interesting). Over the last couple of months I've found that London has so much to offer me. Perhaps talking about such a great city would be a good starting point, who knows. So the blogging adventure begins, however small or large, successful or flawed. Criticise at will; alas, I'll probably join you.