London Plus One

If someone asks me what is the best thing during my study here in London, I would no doubt list my peers on the very top. Not only the peers at my own school, but all the other schools in the same field. 

As a creative practitioner, I have to admit London is uniquely rich of resources. Not to mention all the galleries and museums, but all the art and design programs in London, from schools like Royal College of Art(RCA), Royal Academy of Arts(RA),  University of the Arts London (UAL includes Chelsea, Central Saint Martins, LCC, LCF etc.) and Goldsmiths, and even more other schools for music and performances. I found the exerpience of looking at the works produced in other schools to be valuable education as well. The fact that there are so many alike programs in just one city should not be taken granted. Seeing other peers works allow me to have a better knowledge of the latest developments in educational instituitions, and able to talk to the peers directly in other instituitions who have been taught differently during the final shows. 

The recent two weeks are particularly festive for artists and designers, and other creative practitioners as all the schools are having their final shows!!! There are so much sweat and blood to be looked at, appreaciated and learnt from. And I am still making my ways around the cities to see all the shows…there are just too much to see! And by talking to the creators, I have learnt a lot more information about the behind scene thinking processes that helps my own study and work. An opportunity not to be missed.

I have always confused about the song title “Go West” by Pet Shop Boys with “Go East”, and I wonder if it is becaue I moved from southwest (Battersea) to east London, Hackney? Anyhow, I am making new discoveries in the new neighbourhood, and starting to love here more! 

The school has started again along with the beautiful sunlight and breeze throughout the day! Of course I would not just follow the regular path, and take advantage of this weather: Instead of taking the Overground > Victoria > Bus, I took Bus > Central Line > get off at Lancaster Gate, and walk through the park! The path is a straight way, and it is simply amazing to kick off the day.

What I am even more excited is the fact I live so close to London Fields, and Victoria Park. I found quite a few Asian grocery stores around my block, so I don’t have to go to China Town when I have craving. More so, there are many other cultures in the east London. The streets is more lively, I feel the bubbly joy just walking down the street seeing the stores with people from different cultures. It is filled with life. (Where I lived before has a totally different vibe)

The point is not to say how great this week was for me, but to express some affection and appreciation of the city and the parties organized at my college — knowing that it is cool to have a weekend in the middle of the week, and re-booze yourself, and do some work during the weekend!

As I mentioned in the previous post, the project kicked off with quantum physics, and now we have finished our concepts and started the physical making of the project. We ordered copper tubes, led lights, wood, wires…etc and completed some initial work this Friday! The exhibition will be held in the Crypt Gallery and I will post more details later in the week.

Before the hardworking Friday, I went to the famous music venue Oval Space to see Slow Magic and TokiMonsta with my friends. Having fun on a Thursday night kind of has the magic of extending the week, and make the Friday feel like Saturday, which is more relaxed for a pre-planned working day—loved it. Cannot wait for the Ben Frost’s show in April!

Thanks to Kim and the LUIP program, I was able to visit the Google office—“something” I use everyday, very close to my everyday life, yet so far. It was very interesting to see the working environment of a company that has a close-yet-far relationship with me.

First of all, the mango chunks at Google London Office is the best dried mangos I have tasted so far… Free snacks, gym with floor-to-ceailing windows, cafes with organic yogurt (I know) and various interior designs of the working spaces are no secrets anymore. We all have adored the blog posts on Google’s amazing offices all over the globe. 

To me, the core of the Google office is its “openness”, and reminded me of the installation work by Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Beauty and the Right to be Ugly I saw in Van Abbe Museum during my new year trips. 

In these fragmented components, viewers encounter the debris of the 1970s Dutch ideals ofmaakbaarheid [social engineering] and an “open society” amid the Foucauldian double-bind of a utopic reinvestment in life against the commoditized reality of lifestyle.

As in the installation work, "Footnote to Chapter 1 (Open architecture for an open society”, the open structure of the Google office encourages the employees to work in an open environment. No specific table are assigned, only certain teams may take up particular spaces during certain projects. The most fundamental way to orient behaviors is through the design of the space (architectural structures) and everything else follows, even the philosophy Google share in the office. 

Openness leads to accessbility, and Google aims to organize the world’s information both accessible and useful. Not only the products Google delivers to the users, but also it’s internally management. Employees could pitch ideas on their global online platform and find collaborators to work on projects they are personally passionate about (which is really smart). 20 percent of their working time are encouraged to be spent on personal projects as well, no matter what it is. (Gmail was developed from their internal email system.)

Harry started the presentation with the voice search and “ok google” which reminded me the movie Her. One thing stuck in my head during Harry’s presentation was that “technology is way ahead of law.” I could not agree more. I am glad Harry stressed this point several times during the presentation, even though I am not sure how it is interpretated in Google…

Now you may wonder what is the 9 notions of innovations. and I encourage you to google it, it may lead you to some interesting discovery! Here is mine: I was googling to compare my scribbled handwritings. And during my search on journey, I found that there are different version circulating around—the notions are roughly the same, but the data one has changed. (maybe) Google is keep the notions up-to-date with the current situations? Anyhow, I’m really really glad the version I see this time at the London office is that “data informs decision-making” rather than “data is apolitical” on this 2008 post. It may seems trivial, but it is a significant shift, it means the improved awareness on data, and a critical perspective towards the information. 

Let’s end this one with some photos I snaped at the Google London Office:

Did I ever mention Imperial College is 5 mins walk from my campus? Though the project we are doing this time actually started off in Oxford on Quantum Biology (a new field of science)! Thinking the relationship between science and art, plus most importantly—creativity. 

I have tried to watch these explain quantum physcis in 60 seconds video, but this lecture-long video by Jim Al-Khalili explained in English (lol). 

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From now on, everytime I look out through the window from the top deck of the #49 bus in the morning, I would see more than just people crossing the streets from all directions, and rushing into the South Kensington tube station, but knowing that disued tube tation at Down Street is now almost empty, almost silent and almost secretive along with all the other abandoned stations were once full of life. 

I just picked up this book called Acoustic Territories: Sound Culture and Everyday Life, by Brandon LaBelle, and decided to read some on my way to the adventure, especially “underground” is the theme for the first chapter in his book. 

Arrived at the the St. James Park station 55 Broadway, I stepped into the London Underground Head Office building, the building designed by Charles Holden and was once the tallest office building in London. Though there is so many more taller skyscrapers, the view from the top roof is still beautiful. And we are lucky to go beyond the 10th floor, and get a beautiful view at the rooftop! You can see the streets clear from above, and other landmarks not far either. 

The humourous Senior Planner, David Leboff at TFL also gave us a little talk on the history and design of the London Underground. Below are the few things really caught my attention. 

Edward Johnston

* image above is from the Johnston Wikipedia page

This is the man behind the iconic typeface of London Underground. The dimond shaped title (the dot on the letter i ) you cannot ignore. The typeface is commissioned by Frank Pick in 1913 (which is different from the wikipedia page, though I believe the wired article on the typeface’s 100 anniversary by Dan Rhatigan from Monotype is more credible.) Comparing to the New York metro typeface, Helvetica. I am “sorry” to say, London Underground’s Johnston have my heart. Oh, I am definitely not the first one thought to compare the tube to the famous nyc metro either, Guardian, Timeout, and the Huffingtonpost also did some writings on this nyc metro vs london tube thing ;)

Metro Maps

*London Underground map in 1908 on the Tube Map on Wikipedia page

Metro map now in use does not represent the true geo-locations of each station, but rather designed to be legible for the users. The colours for each line have changed overtime as well. 

Train Intervals

The passing of a train at a given point on each underground railway causes a stroke to be marked on the dial of the clock. These strokes therefore indicate the number of trains run in each hour.

More images of the building interiors. 

I am very curious on the train interval clocks. I wonder how they are being studied by the specialist. First thing came to my mind is the data are visualized on the circular sheets, and if the specialist have some way of clearing, analyzing the data that were collected. (I sent out an email to David, and hope to get some insights…)

Some more visuals As mentioned at the very beginning, Down Street Station is almost secretive…as we are only allowed to take photos ar certain points during our visit, I found videos on youtube that might give you some visuals.

Down into the tube, we were mostly using the torch on the smart phones, and following David’s lead to the deep dark. At one time, we all turned off our torch, and it was p-i-t-c-h dark!

Creepy naughty fun: as the trains went through the disused tunnels, David asked us to turn off the torch and watch the people on the train who were not able to see us! Any horror movies appear in your mind? Wonder if you were on the train while we were watching from the dark?

The place was used as shelters and work spaces during WWII. David showed us old photo documentations on some spaces, how they were converted to living spaces at that time, some facilities remained in the spaces, including basins and bathtubs. After the tour, we climbed up to the ground and stood in the late afternoon sreet, the streets above the ground seems so quiet, comparing to the silent underground. 

walk without internet 

When travelling, navigating around a strange city could be frustrating without internet connection (unless you love wandering or you are ok with data roaming fees). I personally really enjoy the experience of walking around purposefully with a paper map in my hand. It is not only an effective way to get familiar with a city, but also to get a sense of the scale, the flow, and the atmosphere of a place. Since I can’t tell which direction is south or north…I always pre-load the area I need in google maps, and save all the palces in it for refernece. And use the offline google maps to determine my location and direction when lost. 

* If you don’t know how to use offline google maps, google it! It is very simple and incredibley handy! (quick guide: 1. zoom to the area you need in google maps on your iPhone.  2. type in “ok maps” in the search bar)  3. confirm saving to “my places”)

FREE paper maps are usually available at hotels or travel information booth at train stations. Antwerp in particular made it convenient for travellers—there is a tourist information booth in the train station that provide all kinds of information on various places to go and activities to participate. I am impressed by their official city website as well, it is well designed!

If you are travelling within Netherlands, Reisplanner (iOS app) offers detailed information on train schedules. *Tip: you can find international trains to Belgium in this app as well. If you take the NS train, they offer free wifi along the way! I have to admit that I enjoyed the Netherlands partially because of the amount of free wifi they offer in cities. 

things to do

If you are overwhelmed by the information on tripadvisor, or not into titles like “top 10 things to do in xxx”…maybe try use-it, I came across this website while I was googling where to go in Belgium. The maps are made by/with the locals and for the young travellers! I learnt a lot of information from the Antwerp and Brussels maps. It provided me with information like secretive jazz bars, street food stands, and local art cinemas…etc. 

Universities and colleges in London have different acedemic calendars than those in other countries like China and Canada (where I studied). Colleges here usually offer three breaks during the academic year—the Christmas and New Year holiday, the spring break (from mid-late March to mid-April) and the good long summer holiday. As for me, who have *suffered from long flights in the past 5 years, being able to get to another country within 2 hours is just a breeze! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I was leaving to the Netherlands and Belgium to kick off my new year. I travelled through Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Antwerp and Brussels from Jan 2 to 12. I personally enjoyed the route—take the flight straight to Amsterdam from London, then take the train down south along the way! The total amount of money I spent on transit was less than £150 including the inter-cities transits. The hotels prices range from 14 to 40 euros one night. 

Winter is always a little tricky for packing comparing to a summer getaway—clothes take too much space in the luggage! I googled some tips for packing, and this is what I had in my luggage for the 11 days winter trip.

Wear to the airport/train station:

one winter coat 

one thick sweater

one heat tech shirt for winter! 

scarf + beanie

trousers

shoes! (easy to go with your outfits and comfortable to walk around)

In the carry-on sized luggage:

one sweater (lambwool, wool, cashmere at your choice)

one spare uniqlo heat tech long sleeve shirts

disposable underwears 

one pair of slippers (optional, but I find them to be useful)

one large shower towel (optional)

five pairs of socks

one spare pair of pants/trousers 

converter/adapter (I recommend muji’s world travel adapter)

one small backpack for everyday use

one umbrella (check for weather and be prepared)

toiletries (I have the muji’s hanging case)

And leave some space in the luggage, because you will probably buy something during the trip. I brought my kindle with me just in case I want to do some readings…but it is totally optional and not on the “essential list” above. In terms of “how much cash should I bring with me”. Depending on which European country you are going, I would say €40—80 per day is necessary for an easy and enjoyable trip for me. 

Anyhow, hopefully, my list is a helpful reference if you are packing or planning to do so. I will write more about my trip and hopefully they could also provide some references, tips or simply a fun read. 

I’m not a backpacker (you can probably tell from “one large shower towel” on my list), but I truly enjoyed the trip, not to mention the cities, but the easy and afforable/cheap transits inbetween the European cities. It is new to me, and I can’t wait for my next European exploral trip!

FYI, There’s free wifi on the Netherland trains! 

Yada yada yada…London, with no doubt, has loads of new year celebrations, and the most popular ones would be the New Year’s Eve Fireworks and the New Year’s Day Parade. I even know people who travel to London to just spend the New Year’s Eve here (much effort)! However, I am not someone who enjoys too much of a HUGE crowd, my friends and I decided to spend the night at home and have a good home cooked meal with my friends. Counting down calmly and say happy new year in a shouting whisper! Is it a must-go thing (to the fireworks and parade?) maybe? but if anything, I enjoy the inclusiveness and diversities one big city like London could offer—have a new year eve/day the way you would enjoy!

Especially for international students who are from non-Christmas celebrating places, holiday seasons could be even more enjoyable—the freedom of choosing any way to celebrate! And if there’s any ritualistic practice on days like New Year’s Eve or Christmas for me, that would be home-made FOOD with FRIENDS. 

No exception this year, we made wontons with cucumber, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and ground pork fillings. Steamed scallops with vermicellis, Stir fried water spinach (ong choy), and Prok ribs with seaweed soups for the new year’s eve dinner. 

(the last picture above was the Christmas eve, festive flower decorations)

As one of the most cultural cities, London for sure has a wide range of galleries and museums for all kinds of interests and tastes and they are all (roughly) free. I go to Tate Modern, Barbican Arts Centre, and Serpentine Gallery quite often, so the visit to Tate Modern 2 weeks ago with the fellow ambassadors was just the perfect sunday for me!

I have seen majority of the exhibitions at Tate Modern from the previous visits, so I spent more time on the ones I have not been to before.  including the Louise Bourgeois: Works on Paper and Nam June Paik. I know Louise Bourgeois from her spider sculptures, but weren’t aware of her practice in drawings and printmaking…so when I entered the rooms with her “works on paper”, it was adventurous and inspiring. As far as the internet is a great source for looking at art, nothing could compare with seeing art works in person. And anyone would enjoy a print from Louise Bourgeois like this:

Walking into the next room, the tone was changed. I was instantly attracted to the work on the wall and in the display case.

The series of prints on the wall asks the question “What is the shape of this problem”(detailed view). During my final university year, I was doing a printmaking course on “word and image”, this work not only a perfect example/reference to the course, but really well done on a topic that is challenging to express— sleepless nights in a non-cliche way. 

In the display case, another example of “word and image”, and on the topic of depression. I read through the text in the Hours of the Day, and I felt empathy with the feeling of being depressed. 

(On the left page, it says “ In depression/ the motion of the possible/ is reversed/ and replaced by the impossible” 

Another artist I truly enjoyed is Nam June Paik, however, I won’t expand at all…otherwise I won’t shut up! Anyhow, two more images of the works I enjoyed at Tate Modern: 

Terracotta Circle 1969 by Gillberto Zorio

Volume of Displaced Modules 1960 by Dadamaino

A picture is worth a thousand words, so please put yourself in front of the work for better an actual experience. Part of the reason I put “roughly free” on the title because I want to stress the importance of donation to public museums and galleries like Tate Modern (and sites like Wikipedia) — it is free, but it is better with some (fanacial) support as well. Hopefully it’s just *roughly free for you as well, my kind friend. If you are a museum-gallery-goer like me, and not a member of Museum Association, I highly recommend it! 55 pounds may sounds like a lot, but Museum Association does cover a lot of museums and galleries you actually want to go to in entire UK, inclduing major ones or fun ones like British Museum, Cartoon Museum, Charles Dickens Museum, Design Museum, Fashion and Textile Museum, Freud Museum, National Gallery, Barbican Arts Centre, V&A, Science Museum and moreeeee. It is a real deal! With this card, all the paid exhibitions and shows are roughly free, if you aren’t satisfied with the completely free ones (which are great anyways).

After the Tate Modern visit, we went to The Barrowboy & Banker, and you know its a fancy place from its website. Once again, Kim made the reservation and made the sunday roast tradition even more special! The first time I heard “sunday roast” is from my vegetarian flatmate, she said its a must go for people who enjoys roasted meaty dishes. Though I now believe is a little misleading, because at The Barrowboy & Banker, they totally offer good veggie food for sunday roast as well! And its the afternoon version of “brunch”—finally for someone like me who enjoys sleeping in during weekends. 

Not only the food is amazing, I digged in right away (and this is why I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the dish). Luckily, someone else was self controlled enough to snap a shot:

(image credit:http://takeawaytidbits.wordpress.com)

…and! you know the desire of getting a dessert after a huge meal? And you don’t know if it is the food coma that makes you make the irrational decision—getting more food when you are overfed. But holiday season is always about overfeeding yourself, and treat yourself right? Chocolate cake with icecream it is! Yes, we all get desserts in the end, and extra ginger whisky.