Jenny Lewis on fri 5 jan 01
I LOVE London..... honest Janet, it is not as bad as all that! I think it's a great place to live - although I agree that it can be hard work at times. The main thing for visitors to remember is, do NOT travel on public transport during what is laughably referred to as rush hour. Crawl hour more like.
Because then the regular commuters will be out to get you... But most of the time the underground system (the tube) works ok. Buses are good for seeing where you are going but can be slow. Unfortunately, this is less predictable - they can also be incredibly fast and efficient, all depends on the traffic.
The signs painted on the streets saying look left or look right came about because of so many one way streets, that managed to confuse the living daylights out of everyone, including locals.
Anyway, there is lots to see in the museums and galleries. I agree that the Craft Potters shop in Marshall Street is a good starting point (by the way, the dialling codes have changed and a number that used to start with 0171 now starts with 020-7). Also, the Crafts Council (near Angel underground station)
is worth a visit. Usually an interesting exhibition, nice shop, nice cafe, and excellent reference area where you can browse through all sorts of good stuff. If you go there, try to make it on a Saturday, as it is near Camden Passage Antiques market which is a great place to wander around.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is absolutely wonderful, but check when you get there as some of the ceramics galleries have been closed for refurbishing. However, there are plenty of things to see in the other parts of the museum. The British Museum is also wonderful, specially now that they have opened up
the new Great Court around the Reading Room. Well worth a visit. They also have a new Korean gallery with some amazing things to see.
By the way, the contemporary Japanese ceramics, from Saga prefecture, are in the British Mus, not the National Gallery, and unfortunately the exhibition ends next week. They were pretty spectacular, I went twice, including a gallery lecture, and plan to see them again before the show ends. There were 62
potters, each contributed two pots, and at the end of the show they will each donate one to the BM's permanent collection.
If I think of anything else, I will let you know. If you like, email me nearer the time and we can meet for coffee in the V&A cafe - something of a little tradition I have been developing, have met several clayarters there over the years!
Important - bring an umbrella, and wear comfortable shoes.
Jenny Lewis
in Loverly London (UK)
Janet Kaiser on fri 5 jan 01
Yes, I absolutely agree with you Jenny, London
is terrific and it must be great living there,
but be truthful Old Bean... You must admit that
the traffic IS horrendous!?!
I would never advise anyone from out of town
(never mind out of the country and used to
driving on the wrong side of the road :-) to
even contemplate driving around themselves. Even
when you have cracked the driving, road rules,
know exactly where you are going and the route
to take without driving down a bus lane
(blush!), parking is a nightmare and very
expensive. It is far better to keep underground!
It saves HOURS for someone who does not know
their way around as well as you natives. Take it
from me... Been there, done that! (I was once
four hours late for a lunch date! It was very
nice viewing the sites and sitting on top of a
double decker London bus, but really... And that
was in the 1980s :-)
At least London will not be too overcrowded in
February. Someone wanted to fine people for
walking too slowly on Oxford Street in the weeks
before Christmas! There was also a call to
introduce a fast lane for pedestrians on the
pavement (sidewalk). Which just goes to show the
British can have pretty crazy ideas too!
Sorry I gave the old tel. code... This is
correct for future reference:
Contemporary Ceramics
CPA Shop & Gallery
7 Marshall Street, London (Soho)
Telephone: 020 7437 7605
The exhibition on there up to 10-Feb-01 will be
"Setting Out"
Work by recent graduate students (UK)
I have also just noticed some exhibitions worth
mentioning:
Ewen Henderson 1934-2001 Retrospective
12-Jan to 10-Feb-01 at:
Barrett Marsden Gallery
17-18 Great Sutton Street, London
Tel: 020 7336 6396
Tiziana Bendall-Brunello Ceramics
12-Jan to 24-Feb-01 at:
Contemporary Applied Arts
2 Percy Street, London (central)
Telephone: 020 7436 2344
http://www.caa.org.uk
If you feel like a trip down to Greenwich (Home
of The Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, the
Greenwich Meridian Line etc.) you could view
"Old Pots: Leach Pots" (work by Janet, David and
Michael Leach) on until 25-Feb-01:
Harlequin Gallery
68 Greenwich High Street
Tel: 020 8692 7170
http://www.studio-pots.com
The work on loan from the Hermitage, St.
Petersburg (Russia) which I mentioned opening
last year, will be on through to September:
The Treasures of Catherine the Great
Somerset House
The Strand, London (central)
Tel: 020 7845 4631
http://www.hermitagerooms.com
BTW I am only listing contemporary work and
current exhibitions, because you will get lots
of tips on the permanent collections (British
Museum, etc.) from others, the archives and
whichever "What's On in London" you pick up at
your hotel... London is fantastic, but there is
just too much on offer!
Which is why I also advised leaving out local
potters... A London UK potter is not going to be
any different to a potter working in London,
Ontario, except they talk funny! But you can bet
your bottom dollar that the London Museum and
Gallery "fix" is unique and has been known to
last a person a life-time!
Janet Kaiser - Also a bloody foreigner when in
London or anywhere else in England! :-)
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
> I LOVE London..... honest Janet, it is not as
bad as all that! I think it's a great place to
live - although I agree that it can be hard work
at times. The main thing for visitors to
remember is, do NOT travel on public transport
during what is laughably referred to as rush
hour. Crawl hour more like.
> Because then the regular commuters will be out
to get you... But most of the time the
underground system (the tube) works ok. Buses
are good for seeing where you are going but can
be slow. Unfortunately, this is less
predictable - they can also be incredibly fast
and efficient, all depends on the traffic.
>
> The signs painted on the streets saying look
left or look right came about because of so many
one way streets, that managed to confuse the
living daylights out of everyone, including
locals.
>
> Anyway, there is lots to see in the museums
and galleries. I agree that the Craft Potters
shop in Marshall Street is a good starting point
(by the way, the dialling codes have changed and
a number that used to start with 0171 now starts
with 020-7). Also, the Crafts Council (near
Angel underground station)
> is worth a visit. Usually an interesting
exhibition, nice shop, nice cafe, and excellent
reference area where you can browse through all
sorts of good stuff. If you go there, try to
make it on a Saturday, as it is near Camden
Passage Antiques market which is a great place
to wander around.
>
> The Victoria and Albert Museum is absolutely
wonderful, but check when you get there as some
of the ceramics galleries have been closed for
refurbishing. However, there are plenty of
things to see in the other parts of the museum.
The British Museum is also wonderful, specially
now that they have opened up
> the new Great Court around the Reading Room.
Well worth a visit. They also have a new Korean
gallery with some amazing things to see.
>
> By the way, the contemporary Japanese
ceramics, from Saga prefecture, are in the
British Mus, not the National Gallery, and
unfortunately the exhibition ends next week.
They were pretty spectacular, I went twice,
including a gallery lecture, and plan to see
them again before the show ends. There were 62
> potters, each contributed two pots, and at the
end of the show they will each donate one to the
BM's permanent collection.
>
> If I think of anything else, I will let you
know. If you like, email me nearer the time and
we can meet for coffee in the V&A cafe -
something of a little tradition I have been
developing, have met several clayarters there
over the years!
>
> Important - bring an umbrella, and wear
comfortable shoes.
>
> Jenny Lewis
> in Loverly London (UK)
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