Saachi Gallery, London

I have wanted to visit the Gallery for a while and just stumbled upon the opportunity a couple of days ago. Having had high expectations, I definitely was not let down. I was greeted with a very cheery employee who didn't get waste any time to mention the free tour. The tour, a bit short for my liking, picked out a few exhibitions and noted the artists ideas within their work, and also gave me the freedom to explore the other works without any pre connotations of knowing what they were about.

The gallery itself was very spacious, and I was very impressed how they trusted the visitors to "behave". A simple but clear sign by each exhibition stated that they appreciated a "no hands" policy, to avoid cornering off each sculpture. This is how a museum should be, to view the pieces as they are, without the distance, and WITH interaction. The spacious rooms gave the whole gallery a calm and open feel, focusing on quality rather than quantity- something other museums need to pick up on.

A few picks from the gallery (all pieces are personal collections of Charles Saachi himself!)

(Kris Martin)- The tiny paper cross really puts the rock in perspective.

(Richard Wilson) A perfect juxtaposition how something so ugly can be so still and beautiful. (The floor is actually flooded with oil)

(Folkert De Jong) Colourful but toxic, this circus scene is made from styrofoam.

(Thomas Houseago) The rough and 'unfinished' sculptures resonated with my idea of the vulnerability and imperfections of the modern world.

(all images from Saachi Gallery, London)

Gregor Graf

This Austrian designer mainly focuses on photography and what caught my eye was his work titled "Hidden Town". He took pictures of London, Warsaw and Linz but manipulated them so every hint of advertising and signage was taken out. The street became unrecognisable and looked uninhabited. This clearly shows how much design and advertising has crept into everyday life, so much that without it, places and streets look unnatural.  It's work like this that is so inspirational and mind-opening that makes me like design so much. It also creeps me out how affected the general public are, almost needing the signs to help recognise a place. The title emphasises this focus aswell as the lack of comparison to what it should look like.

Both the pictures are manipulated images of London. My curiosity naturally kicks in, wanting to know which streets they are. Does anyone know?

Graf also does illustration, although I don't find as catchy as his photography but definitely have a look on his website. Most of it is in German which is a little annoying but there are plenty of examples of his work to look at.

iTunes Live in London

InMe

Pendulum

I was lucky enough to be part of this years iTunes festival. Tickets could only be obtained by winning the competition therefore making the event free and to be able to see one of my favourite bands just makes me respect iTunes that little bit more. 

I really appreciate it when big corporate organisations do things like this to give something back to the public. Although luck had to be on your side, it's still nice to see that large companys still have a soft side to them (even if the initial idea is to promote the company).

www.ituneslive.co.uk

The festival was on all month during July, 2 bands playing each night at KoKo's in London. If you haven't been there, then it's really worth a visit. It use to be a theatre, now a venue for gigs from all over the world. It's a surreal feeling as the interior is still the same-balconies and all, minus the seats. Very grand and very cool.

www.koko.uk.com

National Express Advert

This advert absolutely got me rolling on the floor. It is a very clever way of maximising awareness and cutting costs with its' plastic toys,(they'll be popular again) as well as having a chuckle at the english heritage. (who hasn't walked past one of those guards and tried to catch them out?!)

No doubt this coincides with the London 2012 Olympics, trying to promote the country and all that.