the world is our oyster

Getting about around London requires an oystercard and I use its little plastic wallet for my credit cards.

I see the Arts Council has commissioned ten artists to create artwork on these wallets, including Tracey Emin, Jeanette Winterson, Michael Clark and Ty.

Their idea is to bring art into daily lives and so the artists have considered how people use travel wallets – as an everyday part of life, but with the potential to be interesting, provocative and even beautiful. So the wallets tackle current issues from identity, environmentalism to rural affairs.

Others offer an invitation to enjoy a personal art experience, or write a story. There's even a 'knitted' wallet!

At the moment I have an 'original' blue wallet, but I shall look out for the new give-aways, when I'm next near a ticket office.

tags technorati : rashbre london city urban

garage full of nails

Trent Reznor and the other Nine Inch Nails have music that depends on tension between vast impersonal crunchy distortion and sudden moments of vulnerability. Gnashing stomp mets self doubt. With riffs.

So what about adding a few emo moments? A tinkling bell? Violins maybe? Now its time to tinker with the sound. Apple have arranged a free download of a track session in Garageband format to allow for remix. And I gather other tracks will be added later.

So time put on your black clothes and get mixing!

Unless you'd rather checkout US wiretaps or another version of the truth.

2p or not 2p?

Tonight, three of us had planned to meet in the Winter Gardens, which is a tranquil oasis at Marylebone. As I entered the building, there was the buzz and hubbub of London's post budgeteers getting ready to huddle in discussions about whether Gordon Brown had done anything significant or not in what is actually his eleventh budget. Some would say its a case of giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

Mr Brown wants to be liked by the public and to dispel the stories of a long sulk related to his relationship to Tony Blair. The current manouvres are pitched towards his possible transition to the leader's role in the Labour party as Tony steps down.

So we can expect to hear all about Mr Brown the family man mixed with his own comment that personality politics are not important to the British electorate.

And then we moved on to other topics, including finding a hotel room for one of us at short notice on a night when London was particularly full.

in seine moment

The evening plan was to head into Paris and onto a Bateaux Mouche for a river trip. To get from la Defence, we took a metro to Franklin D Roosevelt and then changed to another line. We arrived at the plush reception by the Pont d'Alma and then mad our way onto one of the bateaux, which was set out for dining.

We enjoyed the tour, which was accompanied with violin and piano playing and viewed many famous landmarks, including the Tour Eiffel, for which I show a couple of impressions.

(oh and yes, I'm experimenting with making digital photos look like film!)

tags technorati : rashbre paris city urban

la defence

France today, just outside of Paris in the area known as la defence.

Just about all the big companies have offices here and there is a combination of glossy big buildings and some labyrinthine road systems, which also seem to operate on multiple levels, with frequent twists and turns.

The smooth looking walkways actually have quite a lot of bumps and make my wheely bag sound like an armoured division as I trundle it around the streets on the way to the office.

tags technorati : rashbre paris city urban

sloaner

I didn't include any shops in the walk from last Saturday, around central London's tourist area. Here's a few sleepy early morning shots of some of the smaller London shops around Sloane Square.

Thomas Pink has just moved from Pont Street to this new store. I see someone in a Bentley is stopping to buy a few shirts.

And Jo Malone's clever mixes can cost a shirt or two but they seem popular enough in this part of town.

A spot of breakfast at the Chelsea Brasserie wouldn't go amiss. The taxi drivers visit another place around the corner called Piccolo.

And there's a taxi, probably on the way towards a sandwich and a cup of tea.

For those with a little more cash, there is always Tiffany's. There seem to be a few new items arriving in those boxes.

It will be too early to grab a show at the Royal Court Theatre, and at the moment the Seagull by Chekhov is playing in the evening.

But I must catch a bus, past Shanghai Tang and towards the further delights of Knightsbridge.

Although I think this traffic light is warning me to stop shopping, here in Sloane Square.

tags technorati : rashbre london city urban

bobcat

I see the film about Bob Dylan is being prepared for release in the UK. After Factory Girl (about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol) where the film makers had to rename the character representing Bob Dylan, it is now interesting to see that, amongst others, Cate Blanchett will play Bob.

I suppose Cate will need some make-up to pull this one off.

So here's my quick simulation with Photoshop.

before

after

frame

Another view from Amsterdam, keeping with the cycling theme. I like the cyclist with the picture frame, forming a little piece of kinetic art.

red nose day

Red Nose Day is a UK-wide fundraising event organised by Comic Relief every two years which culminates with a night of extraordinary comedy and moving documentary films. This is the 11th Red Nose Day; the biggest TV fundraising event in the UK calendar.

On Red Nose Day everyone in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is encouraged to cast inhibitions aside, put on a Red Nose, and do something a bit silly to raise money - celebrities included. It is an event that unites the entire nation in trying to make a big difference to thousands of poor and disadvantaged people across the UK and Africa.

Raised by Saturday morning £40,236,142.

d'vjiff vlieghen

Yesterday, after a slightly chaotic early evening shopping for replacements because of lost luggage, four of us headed for a recommended restaurant, but it was full. After wandering past a few herbally charged koffie shops and psychedelic mushroom vendors, we found an enjoyable subsitute brasserie for the evening.

And then, tonight, by complete co-incidence, Desiree had booked eight of us a table at the exact restaurant we'd not been able to visit yesterday.

So we enjoyed the "Five Flies" which is a rambling dining institution spanning five adjoining Golden Age houses.

There's real Rembrandt etchings, wooden jenever gin barrels as well as crystal and armor collections.

There was a 'surprise' menu which suited our lively group just fine and included mainly Dutch cuisine with local, fresh, and organic ingredients. A raucous and fun evening!

tags technorati : rashbre amsterdam city urban

bicycles of Amsterdam

I've been back in Amsterdam this week, although mainly locked away in meetings. I did have around one hour of down time and a chance to go for a wander nearby the hotel. So here's a selection of bicycles around the centre.

Sometimes they are neatly chained in a group, with various forms of customisation.

Sometimes theres a longer row and every one has a strong security chain to keep it in place.

And the skills of the average cyclist are high. It may look tranquil to cycle but with cars, trams, taxis and tourists, there are many hazards to negotiate on the average journey.

tags technorati : rashbre amsterdam city urban

smokin'

Once again I'm travelling; Monday from London to the West of England by car and then back to Heathrow, before flying to Leeds, which turned out to be a 25 minute hop, skip and a jump.

Tonight, I've been out with Alex into the cafe society of Leeds but back to the hotel early because on Wednesday at 04:00 I'll be heading over to Amsterdam. Lets just say my route from bed to the hotel room door has been somewhat optimised in preparation.

Not much time to post blog entries, because my time is filled with meetings.