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Having 'mislaid' my phone in a dingy London Bridge nightclub on Friday night, I found myself at a bit of a loose end on the next day; until Facebook came to the rescue with an invite to a Banksy exhibition in Knightsbridge. The perfect bit of culture to counteract the guilt-ridden hangover.
Andipa Gallery holds one of the largest Banksy collections in the UK, and I certainly wasn't disappointed with the examples on show here. His now-iconic chimpanzee works really stood out. Banksy has said about these: "You paint a hundred chimpanzees and they call you a guerilla artist." They bore the sinister slogan 'laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge", a menacing pair held guns aloft, and one was painted haphazardly onto an old door.
I also loved the contrast of the pink armoured tanks and lollipop lady, and was particularly taken with a work on printed canvas... but you'll have to have a look for yourself. If you've got upwards of £65,000, you could even take one home!
Banksy from the collection of Andipa finishes 9th July. It's well worth checking out War Boutique on the lower ground floor too.
It was London Jewellery Week last week, and hundreds of activities took place city-wide, to celebrate London's unique and ancient jewellery industry.
Goldsmiths' Hall - the home of the UK's premier supporter of the jewellery trade, The Goldsmiths' Company - hosted Days of Knowledge seminars, and workshops from the London Assay Office. Victoria House in Bloomsbury held a one-of-a-kind selling exhibition called 'Treasure' featuring 80 of the best contemporary designers; and the Hatton Garden Festival celebrated with a street party featuring workshops, launches, kids' activities and opportunities to learn about diamonds and the history of the area. It's not dubbed the 'diamond district' for nothing.
Elsewhere, Old Spitalfields Market was transformed into JewelEast for the week - a showcase of new designers, and the best costume and vintage jewellery; the Camden Civic Treasures exhibition showed mayoral regalia from 1901 and never before seen in public; and south of the river, the OXO Tower's four resident design-led jewellers held private viewings at the OXO Jewellers Benchmark Exhibition.
There were also mobile certification labs from Solitaire Gemmological Laboratories Ltd at various locations throughout the week, offering free diamond grading, and lots, lots more... I'm just sorry I couldn't see all of it.
Here's another poem, called Get Me Out Of Here. I came up with the first verse whilst chilling in the bath, then had to hurry up and get out to finish it.
The trappings of this earth and sea
Are far too much for me, for me
I long for quiet, a slower pace
That must be found in outer space
The peace, the calm, the wonderous sights
Would take me to the highest heights
I could soar amongst the stars
Who knew I could go so far?
If only there was air up there
With air up there I'd have no cares
The freshest air, the sweetest breeze
Yet it would rustle the leaves of no trees
What if I could take a friend?
The fun would never, ever end
I could even take a bike
And some clothing, and the like
I'd need some food, I'd need a drink
I think I'd need more than I think
I'd need some medicine in case
Of strange diseases in this place
And what of music, what of art?
Surely they must play a part
The inspiration, with nowhere to go
No-one to see, and no-one to know
Maybe I'd visit this earth, this sea
Every so often, just to see
I'd take a shower, a bubble bath
Turn up the volume, just for a laugh
I'd pound the pavements, drive a car
And start to forget I'd been so far
I'd always remember the peace I had
But maybe this earth, it ain't so bad
