Doing the London thing Part 1
Being a student can be fun, you get to go on trips and do exciting stuff... but there is always work to do, research to be had and the value of building your own independence to travel and not feel intimidated by the vastness of a capital city is priceless.
It's all about the journey.....
So, for 4 days 44 University Campus Barnsley Art, Performing Art and Sports students are here, in the not so sun-shiny capital city, with great galleries, performance art, museums, and parks. London is scattered with green spaces, intimate private community gardens and the better known Hyde, Regents and Park. Personally, I like the little out of the way areas, like an oasis in the tarmac maze.
The teacups should be larger.....
Why do they do this in hotels? A tea cup that holds two maybe three mouthfuls of liquid... My assumption is they are not expecting Northerners ha ha ha.
Joviality aside, why is this a thing?
A mug of coffee/tea is what everyone wants to wake up-to right?
So why is there not a 1/2 pint (250 ml) cup/mug, to facilitate the morning wake up. There is never enough white/brown sugar, tea bags and invariably an inferior brand of coffee. The hotel is a very large international one close to the centre of London, close to Russell Square and a very short walk to The British Museum.
So what was to see?
My first trip will be to Lisson Gallery on Bell Street to see Liu Xiaodong: The Weight of Insomnia.
I have some understanding and empathy for fellow insomnia sufferers, this artist is using technology to create landscapes by using surveillance cameras and robotic arms. These are connected to a large canvas, the images then created are of the busy street life of modern city unsleeping....
London is full of colourful characters, students, tourists, thespians, and the most striking thing especially at night is the number of homeless, sleeping on flattened cardboard packaging. It is such a sad sight, as I travelled on the 18 bus, these rows of people, some couples also making their beds under the porches of shops, in an attempt to gain shelter during the cold of winter.
Going to to this gallery has given me insight to the areas in human habitation that do not rest where even in bright areas birds are awake in the night. Typing this (from the hotel lounge), I watch a man who is employed in the field of energy fidget with a pen, Stress or something else? Seemingly blissfully unaware of this activity.. on enquiry found him to be an ex-bike racer by the name of Ian.
Watch this space for the next installment.....