Category: London
Lord of the Flies..
On Friday I went to see the Brilliance that is Lord of the Flies at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. The story starts when the child survivors of a plane crash find themselves alone on a desert island. They have to come to terms with the enormity of what’s happened, enhanced by the genius stage settings of Director Timothy Sheader and Designer John Bausor. I mean..how awesome to walk into this? There’s a fleeting glimpse of friendship and paradise, before everything descends with gathering speed into a swirling, smoke-filled, fire-glowing hell hole of hate, malevolence and ominous spite.
You watch transfixed as the morals we and society hold dear obligingly fall apart as a 12 year old choir boy rises to the ranks of a Caligula: a crazed power addict manipulating and terrorising all around him, his primal drive to gratify his own desires and enforce his will and fuel his lustful sense of power.
(Pics from Regents Park Open Air website)
It’s a primal scream unleashed and puts a magnifying glass on the beast under the bed we all want to ignore. Fast, furious with flame throwing high energy, it’s some of the best acting by young actors I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Utterly shocking but totally compelling..there’s a UK tour..go see it if you can. Be prepared to feel pared all the way to the bone.
Laters, Kate x
Jason deCaires Taylor..
A true global and renaissance man, Jason deCaires Taylor was born in 1974 to an English father and Guyanese mother. He then grew up with one foot in Europe, the other in Asia with regular diving trips in Malaysia. In 1998 he graduated from the London Institute of Arts with a BA honours in Sculpture….before becoming a fully qualified diving instructor, underwater naturalist (Note to friends: That’s not a naked diver) and award winning photographer.
Then in 2006, off the West Coast of Grenada, he created his first underwater sculpture park and a life blood of creativity was unleashed.
His work explores the slipstream where Art and Nature collide, the grey area between man’s exploitation of nature for industrial means and the acknowledgement of the fundamental power of the earth: As time begins to colonize the forms it creates it’s own architecture, dramatic pulse and language.
This pulls on something deep within – the mystery of Atlantis, Pompeii, fairytales..even gothic Victoriana. They’re a dark presence, yet awe-inspiring at the same time.
Under the water is a world Jason knows, and through his art he aims to highlight the living beauty of the under world to encourage environmental awareness and instigate social change.
For anyone who’s heart sank at the news this week that 90% of sea birds have plastic in their stomachs, he’s a crusader you want to stand up and applaud.
His work isn’t limited to the turquoise depths of Cancun and the Bahamas..this mystical beauty can be found in Canterbury…
And now, from Sept 1 – 30, on the Thames foreshore at Vauxhall, London, adjacent to Camelford House and 87-90 Albert Embankment, is a new example of his work: The Rising Tide, commissioned by Totally Thames.
It highlights the role the river has played in the shaping of London’s history. And how easy it’s been for us to abuse it.
(All pictures from here and Jason deCaires Taylor’s Facebook page)
These could be horses, but they’re oil pumps..animals of industry, draining the land.
A theme as strong and compelling as any story ever told.
Laters, Kate x
Strawberries and Cream x
Ode to Creative Coffee..
We had our final Creative Coffee EVER yesterday…a day of sadness, joy..and achievement all rolled into one.
Sometime it’s the simple things in life that make the magic and one of those things for me were Creative Coffee Mornings. They were started by the lovely Sophy many years ago now, when she made the genius decision that chatting over coffee with young children was so much more fun when creating was involved. Originally we’d all take over our unfinished projects and use the time to give ourselves much needed permission to complete them. Then Sophy and best friend, Minta developed it further and prepared, for a small fee, everything in advance with a termly timetable of once-weekly delights. From sugar craft to liqueurs to making sausages…it was the perfect antidote to urban brain boil.
Now Minta is off to pastures new – a whole new chapter is opening up for her in the wilds of Scotland, which I know she’ll relish and grab with both hands…but she’ll be missed.
Wednesday mornings will never be quite the same again..
(These are not handmade rolls but an edible sculpture, entitled ‘eight nude elderly ladies tying their shoelaces’..)
So I raise a cupcake to the wonders of Creative Coffee and all who sailed in her…. Ladies, it was a commanding performance with a spectacular range, lead with aplomb and an indescribable magical touch of alchemy. Thank you for the opportunity to spend time with some of the best women I know laughing, baking, making and creating. The memories will live long..(well..those that aren’t addled by sloe gin…)
I absolutely loved it.
Laters, Kate x
Style Steal x
Cashmere: That hint of luxury associated with both sophistication and artisanal cool.
Now there’s a new label on the fashion block – run by a woman, Marielle, and based in London, Wyse London offers refined classics with a modern edge that really sing.
So simple..but check out the cuffs.
…And the elbow patches..
Or this take on a slouchy well-loved sweatshirt..
The beauty is in the cut, the details…and the price..you can fall, and considering the quality..not be caught by it…they range from £130-150.
I want to do this and eat them up.
Laters, Kate x
Mr and Mrs!
A cloudless sky..a balmy day..a beautiful bride..a beaming groom..there’s not much that beats the pure thrilling tide of love a wedding inspires. It’s that pure moment of magic when you get to celebrate a fork in the path of people you love, because they’ve chosen to walk that way together, forever. (Or in this case, dancing, singing…..laughing..)
(Great pic by Kayte Cable!)
The gorgeous bride (naturally) (as your do) MADE HER OWN DRESS. Respect….(I think we can all be proud of the way we have brought her up..she’s a credit to us!)
(Heart-stealer Wilf also stealing Sarah’s limelight)
The service was delivered with suitable grandee gravitas, impeccable diction and great teeth.
Full of the potent force of shared years/drunken forays that make 20 years disappear to re-awaken the past in bright, nostalgic technicolor. Flamboyant, slapstick and joyful with a pearly heat haze of pure charm and happiness.
And then the dancing began!
Spinning, twisting, whirling into the night…
Congratulations you lovely, lovely pair!!!!!!
Laters, Kate x
Timeless x
The AW15 lookbook for MiH fell into my inbox yesterday. WHAT??
…Does that mean summer’s been and gone??
And nobody told me?
If so I’m perilously close to tears..
There’s enough time slipping away without anyone else turning the speed-up dial.
Honestly, halt with the Christmas lists already.
I just want to enjoy my pina colada on the beach.
Laters, Kate x
Black Beauty.. x
Welcome to my unexpected night of bacchanalian revelry with it’s feast for the eyes and over-flowing platters of deliciousness.
Unexpected because it was a Corporate night out with The Husband and his suits…
But then strange things can happen when you mix the dark arts with a private viewing of the McQueen exhibition..
Pure alchemy..
Laters, Kate x
Light and Shade x
Time is running away. I have May to make decisions, June to order..we’re away in July..work starts in August. It’s really not long. I’m sort of there on most things..but I know that what I want to do is a dance with the dark side – the really dark side – which in view of the popularity of scandi design is like holding hands with the devil..but if I stand back it’s more a collective reaction to inspiration from my past that’s already firmly stood the test of time..
One of my most favourite interiors ever is Henry Higgins house in Wimpole Street from the film My Fair Lady with it’s opulent multi-layered mash of texture and colour..there’s a welcoming warmth far removed from the clinical hotel look we’ve come to view as the norm. The William Morris wallpaper is spectacular as is the sense of history and quality.
(The Cecil Beaton costumes weren’t bad either..I still want this blouse..and my wedding dress was based on Audrey Hepburn’s dress to the ball)
The other interior that holds it’s place to this day is the house in Practical Magic..
All dark and brooding woodwork..
With stunning cabinetry..
A kitchen to die for..
And a heavenly conservatory to boot…
It’s not the colours – it’s the good/bad design thing that’s oppressive about our modern interiors..the time has come just to claim the space. I think a trip to Leighton House where the above picture came from is needed to further that connection with Victorian opulence and underline the fact it’s not about being different – there’s very little that’s truly new – it’s about going with what you feels is right..rather than what’s expected.
Laters, Kate x
Morden Hall Park x
My book club book (due for discussion next week) is H for Hawk, a memoir by author Helen Macdonald about raising a Goshawk in a time of grief. So it was pretty thrilling to go to the Morden Hall Park Country Fayre on Bank Holiday monday to see live birds in action.
Morden Hall Park is a National Trust property right at the end of the Northern line where the river Wandle, the river used by William Morris to power his factory, flows powerfully through.
It’s a place that manages to marry urban and country in seamless unity..and this Fayre was no exception.
A barn owl flying over one of Charlie’s class mates.
Full of people but still far from the Madding crowds, there were salt of the earth stalls like this man, quietly making the most beautiful and realistic flys for fishing.
In the grounds blacksmiths and basket weavers were practising their fine arts.
There was even time to catch bubbles..
With miniature steam trains, ferret racing, dog shows, lots of animals as well as traditional stalls..and not so traditional ones…it was a genuinely great and unexpected day out.
But that’s the nature of Morden Hall Park – they really like to embrace the wild. In July they’re holding a Big Camp weekend with the opportunity to set up an overnight camp in the same field that Lord Nelson tethered his horse whilst he fished in the River Wandle and two days of ranger led activities with dinner cooked on a camp fire and story telling. Just gutted we’ll be away…next time Rodders, next time..
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 
