TATE MODERN - ARTIST ROOMS
JENNY HOLZER
Ohio born artist Jenny Holzer brings her Neo-conceptual artwork to Tate Modern, home of international modern and contemporary art. The various rooms contain key pieces from the artist's four-decade career, displayed in numerous forms, spanning from text etched into stonework to large slanting LED signs.
The bold words displayed in the exhibition reach viewers in different ways, leaving visitors to interpret each piece in their own way. Jenny says about her work “ I chose language because I wanted to offer content that people - not necessarily art people, could understand. ”
The work of Jenny Holzer is platformed in such a way that it can be enjoyed by people young and old.
The exhibition is free entry and will remain open to the public until July 2019.
Kyle McIntosh
“ I chose language because I wanted to offer content that people - not necessarily art people, could understand. ”
To Visit Jenny Holzers Work Click Here
Buskers around London
London is full of talent. London has a wide variety of entertainment all across the city. This may include gig nights, theatre performances, special events at the O2 and many more. All these examples have one thing in common - they all cost money, and around London you will find buskers everywhere you look, all with their individual and unique talents that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to watch.
On my travels, through Southbank and Covent Garden, I came across many acts, from comedians, acrobats, singers and magicians. It amazed me how well many of these acts were able to draw a crowd with little to no equipment and a smile
A lot of the talent is created so people of all ages can enjoy.
Cameron Dickson
Kenyon Shankie
Bubble man
HARRY POTTER STUDIOS LDN
For all you HP lovers out there! I went on a trip to the Warner Bros. lot in London to see all of the original sets, props, and behind the scenes footage of the Harry Potter films. Here is our top 10 parts of the tour.
The Great Hall
]The Moving Staircases of the most famous sets from the Harry Potter films and one of the few that was used in 6 of the 8 films! The hall is mimicked after Christ Church College in Oxford. Two of the tables have been removed so that people can tour the set, but two tables still remain and are decorated with props from different scenes that all took place in this famous room. The best part of touring the hall when I went was the hanging pumpkins from the ceiling that was special for the death eater halloween special.
The Moving Staircases
Another one of the most famous sets from Harry Potter. I think every kids fell in love with these from the first film! It does ruin some of the magic of them by seeing the behind the scenes of it, but still pretty cool!
Niamh Duffy
The Forbidden Planet
The Forbidden Planet was a great experience especially with it being Halloween. Not that we expected anything less but everything from the lighting to the mist to the fear of unknowing made it one of my favourite parts. Especially the spiders.
The Boys Dormitory
One of the craziest things about seeing the boys dormitory was how small the furniture is! Tiny chairs, tiny beds, and tiny couches. I guess when you have 10 year olds in them it fits to scale, but it totally blew my mind! This is also the home of the fireplace that Harry and Ron sat by during Christmas and Harry also talked to Sirius through!
Butter Beer
A Harry Potter tour wouldn't be complete without BUTTER BEER! There's only a few places that you can get Butter Beer in the world, Universal Studios Harry Potter World and Warner Bros Studio Tour in London. You can get Butter Beer or Butter Beer flavoured ice cream along with a variety of candy from the famous Honey Dukes from the movies.
Platform 9 3/4
The Platform location is actually at King's Cross Station in London and was used to film the scene from the first movie. There are now so many replicas of Platform 9 3/4 all over the world and even a permanent one at King's Cross.
The Weasley Car
I think the Weasley Car is everybody's famous prop from the movies! It was so interesting to see how the scene where Harry and Ron get the car stuck in a tree was filmed. I always knew that half of the movies were filmed on green screens but its so weird to see how it was done in real life. Honestly kind of takes the magic out of the films a bit... but incredibly interesting!
Privet Drive
The house Harry lives in when we first meet him and all fall in love with the boy who is treated so poorly by his Muggle family. This house was made as a replica of a house in Surrey, England which is the actual house that filming took place at. You can visit the house at 12 Picket Post Close, Surrey but you'll have to remember that people do actually live there! The famous house went up for sale back in 2016 and was sold for $620,000.
Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley is another crowd favourite from the film. We learned that the set of Diagon Alley doubles as the town of Hogsmead after they jumbled around some of the buildings. Of course we loved seeing Olivanders Wand Shop, Gringotts Bank, and the Weasley Twins store!
HOGWARTS CASTLE
THE BEST FOR LAST! And probably the most mind blowing! The scenes at Hogwarts were filmed at many different castles in Scotland but all of the wide screen angles and shots flying over Hogwarts were filmed on this model. We watched videos of how they used this model in the movies. They would often have the actors walking on a green screen, shrink them down, and then digitally place them on the Hogwarts model. They also made it so it looks like people are walking inside, turning on and off lights, and could control the weather at Hogwarts. One of the castles used in the filming is called Alnwick Castle just south of Edinburgh. They have a full Harry Potter tour that you can do there of the castle grounds and see where they played quidditch, and even place it yourself!
To buy tickets to visit the Harry Potter Studios visit : https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/
The National Gallery
Poppy Carter
The National Gallery is a free location in London that features classic artwork by many famous artists. It’s one of London’s biggest art locations and has events for people ranging from students to family’s. The gallery self-holds some of the worlds most famous pieces of artwork from the world-renowned artist. The gallery holds artwork from famous artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Georges Seurat, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, Jan van Eyck, George Stubbs and many more. The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square London and has free entry to everyone. The gallery itself has other means of making money instead of entry fees, as they host exhibits and talks that you have to book for, as well as this they also have a gift shop located inside the building where visitors can buy gifts that hold the themes of the artwork that is hosted in the gallery itself. The work in the National Gallery has been featured in many films over the years, one of the most popular being the first St. Trinians film. In this film you see the main characters trying to steal the most famous painting from the gallery while they masquerade in a school quiz show. The piece of artwork featured is the Girl With The Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. This painting is also the subject of its own book and film, although even as on elf the worlds most famous paintings, little is know about the girl in it. Sadly the painting is no longer at the gallery but more of the artist other work is featured there.
The gallery holds artwork from the worlds most famous painters ranging a far back as the 1700 and more. The gallery also has its own website where you can research the attractions and find out more information on certain painters that you want to know more about, they offer pages that are focused on the real lives of the painters. As well as the life of the painters they have in-depth looks at some of the paintings they house at the gallery, and this helps people look into why the painting was created and what inspired the artist, as well as the different techniques that were used to create the painting. They also have a section where they show all of the events that they hold at the gallery, as well as the different times they have tours going around. One of their current events is advertised on their website, it is the Mantegna and Bellini exhibit, that is running till January 27th 2019. When you click on the link to this exhibition on the website you can see all the information on the exhibit and how much it costs to get in. They also have event highlights on the website for people to view if they do not get a chance to attend the exhibition before it ends. Overall the site it’s self is a useful aspect that the gallery has as it holds so much information for whoever needs to use is, e.g. students, families, collectors and many more.
The final part of the website that stands out to a viewer is the research page where they have different sections on separate research topics. An example of this is the Art and Religion theme. Once selected on the site it takes you to a page where you can look into pieces of artwork related to religion and different case studies related to the theme. Another aspect of this site is the links to related exhibitions of the topic that may be helpful to the person looking. The good thing about this section of the sight is that students can go onto the site and look at different topics they may need to research. It allows you to see that different parts of the gallery and articles of people who have studied the topic, as well as helping you find the paintings you would need to look at.
A lot of classic artists is featured at the gallery. One of them is Vincent van Gogh, who has seven of his painting featured at the gallery. These seven paintings are:
Vincent van Gogh’s Chair
Two Crabs
Sunflowers
A Wheatfield, with Cypresses
Farms near Auvers
Head of a Peasant Women
Long Grass With Butterflies
However his most famous piece of artwork A Starry Night is not featured at the gallery. If you go onto the National Gallery website you can find information on Vincent van Gogh and his artwork as well as find upcoming and previous events helps by the gallery. Vincent van Gogh’s work has also been made into gifts that are available for you to buy at the gift shop, these include prints of the artwork itself. To find information like this example you can use the website to research a certain artist, and go on tours around the gallery to get a more in-depth look at the artists to work. In this case, I researched an artist I was interested in to find out more about the paintings of his that were housed at the gallery.
Overall the National Gallery is a good place to visit for a free day out and houses worthwhile exhibitions and events at decent prices. The gallery itself is great for families to visit as well as students who are studying or have an interest in art. The shop at the galley is useful as you can buy items that are linked to your favourite artist or painting, as well as smaller gifts like pens, card holders and more for younger viewers at the gallery. I would recommend going to see that gallery even if you aren't interested in art, as once you are there you learn and take in a different medium and look into life at different times, and how people viewed the world. The gallery is an interesting place to go and is also an easy day out for the family in half terms and holidays.
SKY GARDENS
Kyle McIntosh
Spread across the top 3 floors of Londons infamous "walkie talkie" building on Fenchurch Street, Sky Gardens hosts two restaurants, two bars, all with spectacular views of London's landmarks.
While there are plenty of opportunities to fill up on food and drink at sky gardens, visitors are also completely welcome to simply stroll around, enjoying the views without spending a penny.
Pre-booking is recommended as the location is extremely popular.
To Book Tickets : Book Here
Borough Market
Kyle McIntosh & Niamh Duffy
Our show can bring lots of opinions when it comes to our art and music elements. Not everyone will have the same taste and will question the art of want to listen to a different genre of music. One thing all people agree on is good food and is because of that is why I want to focus on the food markets around London.
London's dynamic Borough Market is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, having had a market of some description on site since the 12th century. It is also testimony to the fact the UK is currently in the midst of a "foodie revolution". Whether you just want to stroll between its many stalls and soak up its infamous atmosphere or visit on an empty stomach and sample from its massive variety of stalls which serve up everything from scotch eggs to fresh lobster.
Week after week, thousands of people from all walks of life, locals and tourists, wander around with cups of organic coffee, sampling cheese, cured meats and sizzling slices of perfectly seasoned steaks, all within the same hectic half hour period.
The market is open from Monday to Saturday, with the full market operating from Wednesday to Saturday. On Mondays and Tuesdays not all of the stalls are open, but shoppers can still find several hot food traders, and fruits and vegetable sellers. Borough Market is located next to London Bridge station, serviced by the Northern and Jubilee Tube lines, in addition to mainline trains from all over London.
While being at Borough Market filming we made the mistake working on a empty stomach. We found ourselves at Gourmet Goat. A Eastern Mediterranean salads or soft pitta serve as a base for goat kebabs, matured halloumi, or slow cooked veal, mutton and goat. This street food is at the top of its game in terms of ethical, thoughtful sourcing. Tastes great too. Also eating at Elliot’s was a great escape of the hungry long day. An adept example of contemporary British cuisine (good ingredients, cooked simply with the occasional twist, elegantly plated). Elliot’s takes pride in its low-intervention wine list and is a good spot for both lunch and dinner. I cannot recommend the cheese burger enough.
Over the festive period from Monday 4th December up until the New Year, the market will be open 7 days a week.
Mondo Scripto Bob Dylan
Rebekah Wright
Bob Dylan. A name almost everyone has heard at some point in their life, he is known for his music as he is an American singer-songwriter who has been in the industry for over the past 50 years.
Although one of Dylan’s most recent ventures has been displayed in the Halcyon Gallery on New Bond Street in London, the current exhibition, “Mondo Scripto” takes up the whole gallery is made up of Dylan’s lyrics from songs between 1961 and 2006. The lyrics are handwritten by Dylan himself on paper along with pencil drawings he completed as well.
The atmosphere of the gallery with this exhibition is calm and relaxing, with all the displays spaced out throughout 3 floors of the building that gives off a spacious atmosphere that encourages people to look around the gallery at any pace they want.
Overall Mondo Scripto by Bob Dylan is a great see and available until 23rdDecember, the gallery is also located less than a 10-minute walk from Oxford street so once you have finished your time in the gallery you can shop till you drop!
Primrose Hill
Alex Hexter
Things to do in Primrose Hill
Take in the view
Primrose Hill is in no shortage of stunning views. Atop this hill is one of six protected viewpoints in London. You can get a gorgeous sighting of the famous London skyline, especially at sunset this is a sight to behold!
Open Air Theatre
This is one of the largest auditoriums in London and being a permanently outdoor theatre makes it a great home to a range of music, comedy, and films between May and September each year!
Why not checkout ZSL London Zoo?
If you are in the area, why not take a trip to the nearby zoo? The ZSL London Zoo is home to 755 different species of animals making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.
Activities in the area
Within the Primrose Hill area, you can head to some of the sports facilities. The park is home to several footballs and rugby pitches as well as netball courts and a tennis centre. Visitors are also welcome to head over to the Pedalo and Boat hire as well as the ‘Bird Walk’ in Regents Park.
History of Primrose Hill
Between 1678 and 1681, anti-Catholic movement occupied most of England. There was a rumour of Catholic treason against Charles II. These rumours were started by Titus Oates in an attempt to bring Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey to the throne. Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was a vocal and powerful Protestant supporter, his body was found impaled on his own sword at the base of Primrose Hill.
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Throughout medieval history, many duels and prize-fights took place on this hill.
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Henry VII made Primrose Hill part of a ‘great chase’, a horse race containing 13 fences to be jumped.
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An oak tree was planted on the slope of Primrose Hill in 1864 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth. A large group of workers marched through London to see the planting of the “Shakespeare Tree” in 1864.
Christmas is here
Rebekah Wright
It’s that time of year, the Christmas season has creeped upon us once again. We are quickly being surrounded by twinkling lights and tall green trees making us feel warm and fuzzy on the inside when the world around us is freezing.
From the early days of November until the first week of December, Christmas lights all around London are counting down and switching on to guiding us into the Festive season.
On the 13th of November Covent Gardens joined the growing numbers of places in London adding to the festivities with a 55ft gorgeous green tree along with chandeliers of mistletoe to bring love to the Christmas cheer. With performances from Kingdom Choir and the market place buzzing with people, makes Covent Garden a must-see Christmas spot this year.
But don’t worry there still is plenty more places in London who have not switched on their festive cheer just yet, Christmas lights will be turning on until the 6th of December, and all the lights that are already on will be shining brightly into the New Year.
Some of the upcoming Christmas Light Switch ons are;
Royal Exchange Christmas Lights – 21st November
St. Katherine’s Dock Christmas Lights – 22nd November
The Shard Christmas Lights – 3rd December
Trafalgar Square Christmas Lights – 6th December