| Subject | A good day out in ol' London Town. |
| DateCreated | 3/29/2012 6:49:00 PM |
| PostedDate | 3/30/2012 12:26:00 AM |
Today I pretend to be a tourist. Here's some scenery seen from the train on my trip into town - Alexandra Palace towering over North London. A place with some history of it's own.
I've been meaning to visit Tate Modern for ages. Although art was my best subject at school, I've never actually been that interested in 'art' and haven't practiced it in any form (if you don't count music) since studying for A Level Art at Southgate Tec - I never took the exam. However, seeing various things about Tate Modern on TV since it opened has sparked my interest in paying a visit. It also happens to be FREE - and there isn't much in London for free these days, although most of the museums are free again now. I expect the government will put a stop to that again sooner or later as they don't seem to consider education being very important and certainly not something which should be free.
Although it's March and still winter, the weather has been unseasonably warm the last few days - it's T-shirt weather in London and too nice not to take advantage of.
Although my destination is south of the river (if only by a few yards) it takes by less than an hour to get there - well it would have done if I wasn't so fascinated by the 'new' Millenium Bridge.
 I suppose it's actually been there about 12 years, but this is the first time I have actually seen it. Fortunately it's been fixed since they opened it and it turned out to be a bit wobbley 'cos the designers got their sums wrong! 
This modern pedestrian only bridge is rather an amazing piece of engineering - although you can still feel it moving about slightly since they 'fixed' it, and tourists suitcases with those tiny wheels on can make a loud and really horrible noise on the metal decking!
It does provide some wonderful views, and in today's glorious weather I find myself loitering for quite some time - it's warm, there is no wind, and not a cloud in the sky.
I could have happily spent an hour enjoying the views from the bridge if I didn't have any other plans.
 Eventually I finish crossing the bridge and end up at my final destination just a stones throw away from it.  Picture courtesy of www.tate.org.uk 
The building itself is interesting and unusual from the inside, from the way the gallery areas have been arranged over many floors to the VAST empty and unused space of the former turbine hall. Some terrific views can be had from the cafe and balcony areas on the upper floors.
 Generally I'm not a fan of modern architecture, but one thing which takes me by surprise today is how well the best of the modern buildings in some of the landscapes I've enjoyed today have mixed with the oldest. Or maybe that's just me? There is still much building work going on in the area - including right next to Tate Modern. Even the cranes round here are high-tech and almost works of art!  Meanwhile, back inside; I've never been much of a fan of modern art. There is some I like, some I think is good even though I don't much like it, and some that I think is complete crap! All of these are to be found in Tate Modern - which is what makes it so fascinating. The works and installations on display range from paintings to sculptures of all shapes and sizes - and everything in between. And more. You don't have to be an 'art lover' in the conventional sense to enjoy a visit here - unless you don't have an artistic bone of any kind in your body you will find at least a few things of interest. There is plenty to see, and things are well laid out with plenty of space to stand back and take things in, or get in close for a good look. Some things could be better labelled up though, as sometimes you aren't sure which notice on the wall relates to which work. I think almost anyone will find one or two things they recognise - there are some world famous works on show here, and well as much more obscure but often fascinating stuff. Some things on display are genuinely brilliant - sometimes obviously so and sometimes not. Some stuff is fairly conventional, and other things are amazingly 'off the wall' - sometimes literally. There are items which are obviously the work of someone with a real talent, but also leave you thinking the artist must have been completely insane!  Some are genuinely creepy or even scary.
The works here affect you in many different ways and produce many different reactions; From WOW! to W.T.F.!!!! and just ??????? There are things of beauty, things to amaze, things to move you, and things to puzzle you. Some it it will have you questioning 'It it art?' - a pack of AA batteries just like you'll find in your local shops for instance, or a used but apparently unmodified Panasonic radio? What 'work' went into those apart from at the factory they were made in? Some of the 'works' on display will have you saying "That's a load of bollocks!" - just some useless old bits of wood nailed together in an apparently random way and hanging on a wire. Or is it? Some of it will have you convinced the artist is taking the piss! But there are also things which leave you standing in wonder. There are lots of things that will have you asking questions - 'What is that actually made from?' or just 'HOW was that put together?' If it causes a reaction or makes you ask questions then that's what art is supposed to do. Right? Even the stuff that you think is total crap is causing a reaction and making you ask questions - even if the only question is "Are they taking the piss?" Maybe they are, but maybe that's art too...
I certainly found much which I found genuinely interesting as well as enjoyable even if there wasn't that much I would get any pleasure from having at home. Although I found some things baffling, I also found some things very amusing - wether that was the artist's intention I am not always sure! However, there is much to be found at Tate Modern that is thought provoking - for many different reasons, and much that I was still thinking about hours later - which means that it did it's job. I highly recommend a visit to Tate Modern - it's free - apart from a couple of special exhibitions which I thought were rather pricey and didn't bother with as I'd never heard of the artists. Access is very good with escalators and lifts to every floor. There is a large shop, excellent toilet facilities, and also are cafe and bar facilities. No - I didn't try the bar! The bar didn't stock anything to my taste - not that I expected it to, and anyway I planned to stop for some quality liquid refreshment on the way home...
After a few interesting and enjoyable hours pretending to be an 'art lover' I headed back out into glorious sunshine, but my day out wasn't over yet. After enjoying the Millenium Bridge experience in the final part of my journey to Tate Modern, I decided to enjoy the river in a different way as I started my journey home; Just yards from Tate Modern and the Millenium Bridge is Bankside Pier - there I embarked on the Thames Clipper. This was also a most enjoyable way to experience the river and taking in a few more sights. As there is no traffic to deal with the modern catamarans are quite a fast way to get around and also rather good fun! Well I thought so anyway.
 They even take Oyster cards, although they aren't cheap. However, I wasn't too bothered about the price as I was planning to 'max-out' my Oyster card up to daily the Travelcard fare capping limit anyway. I soon arrived at Embankment Pier and got on the Northern Line just over the road. Camden Town was only a short trip from there, and although it was around 6 o'clock and still rush hour I was surprised to find plenty of space on the train even going through the west end.
Feeling in need of some refreshment as I had eaten or drunk nothing since breakfast I headed for the BrewDog pub in Camden. I was hoping to try some of their lovely Paradox Jura (16%) but they didn't have any on tap on this occasion so I settled for a guest stout at a mere 10%. And another. Then it was time for 'one for the road'. I was hoping to try the world's current strongest beer - BrewDog's infamous Sink The Bismark but that was unfortunately out of stock. Therefore I settled for the weaker Tactical Nuclear Penguin at a mere 32% instead. It was very nice!
Suitably refreshed it was time to head for home - a journey accomplished amazingly quickly for once. And I promptly forgot that I had planned to go to a new local jam night this Wednesday as I had no work the next day. Oh well - I certainly had a very good day out all the same!
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Sunday, 31 August 2014
28/3/2012 A good day out in ol' London Town.
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