For the sake of keeping things in order and finishing what I started, here is the final installment of my weeks in review.
Week of July 13
BBC Tour: Older and dingier than the Guardian offices. They have a lot crammed into this building including television studios, online editorial, television editorial, etc. The BBC is an interesting media outlet because it is mostly funded by licensing fees paid by everyone in the UK. Well, everyone is supposed to pay the fees. On a recent visit to the ad agency Wunderman, I found out that the TV licensing people are in need of a better marketing strategy to encourage citizens to pay the fee. Anyways, this results in no commercial advertisements on radio and television statements. The online site however has since had to look into other means of funding.
Grade: B
The Gallery: I somehow stumbled upon a news story (probably from Twitter) about a man who makes microsculptures. What are microsculptures? Only the coolest things I’ve seen since I’ve been over here. After work on Wednesday, Emily and I ventured to the gallery of Willard Wigan, appropriately named “My Little Eye.” The sculptures were only viewable using a microscope, and you really have to see them to believe them. Most of them fit within the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin. A woman who works closely with Mr. Wigan runs the gallery and share all sorts of information about the sculptures with us. Most fascinating were the descriptions of the materials he uses to make each sculpture. For example, anyone can build a sailboat using wood, rope, canvas, a few nails and a hammer. (Well, maybe not anyone, but go along with me here…) Try using grains of rice to build the base, cobwebs to hoist the sails and the hair from a housefly’s back to paint in the details. Anyone can plant a garden in their yard. You just need some dirt, flowers maybe some mulch. Well, try constructing a garden using the fuzz from a green sweater instead. Oh and careful not to breathe the project in while you’re working on it! Unbelievable stuff. http://www.willard-wigan.com/
Grade: A+
Portrait Gallery: Emily and I were feeling artsy this week and went to our second gallery in two days. We met at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday after work. The gallery itself houses famous portraits (duh) of important people in British history. That was all fine and good, but the best part of the visit was the BP Portrait Awards Exhibition. Every year, BP hosts a competition for amateur painters to submit a portrait. There are many different prizes awarded and many different subjects painted. The artists used varying techniques to portray their friends, their families, their role models, anyone really. Some of the paintings looked like photographs. Others were a little rough around the edges. But most all of them emitted a very strong emotion and connection with the person sitting for the portrait. At times it was even a bit haunting. You could also read about who the subject in the painting was and the meaning behind the artists’ renderings, which added to the whole effect. http://www.npg.org.uk/bp-portrait-award-20091/the-exhibition/prize-winners-home.php
Grade: B+
English Breakfast: So we actually had our English breakfast in Wales. But I don’t think I missed out. In fact, to be honest, I didn’t even order the English breakfast. Here is what is included for those who don’t know: bacon (not the American kind), eggs, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomato and mushrooms. If you know me very well, you know that I do not like half of those ingredients. Especially with breakfast. So instead I just got sausages and eggs. The sausages were mushy. The meal was also very cheap.
Grade: D
Well now that that’s taken care of, I can move on to more interesting blog posts about my adventures in Wales and Amsterdam the past two weekends. Stay tuned…
Thanks for Reading
-Rachel
Rachel Metzler - A Summer in London 