Bus Art: Year of the Bus Sculpture Trails

Year of the Bus Sculpture Trails is a trail of statues dotted around London to commemorate the 2014 Year of the Bus event this year in partnership with Wild in Art and Transport for London. They were designed by different artists depicting different aspects of London through the connections of London buses. The sculpture trails were launched on 20th October 2014 with the exception of the Croydon Trail which was launched in December 2014. The bus sculptures are to be auctioned off in early 2015 to raise funds for 3 charities: Kids Company, Transaid and London Transport Museum. 

You can find my posts here:

• Around Westminster
• Around the River
• Around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• Around Croydon

Check out my post on LEGO Bus Stop which was also part of the 2014 Year of the Bus event.

#YearoftheBus

Sculpture in the City 2014

Sculpture in the City is a trail following a showcase of contemporary artists’ works dotted in the City of London. The artwork changes on a yearly basis with new works installed around the summer period.

This year’s artworks are as follow:

1. Secret Affair (Silver) – Jim Lambie. Location: St Botolph-without-Bishopgate Gardens.

2. Stairs – Lynn Chadwick. Location: Bishopsgate & Wormwood Street.

3. Deadly Nightshade – Julian Wild. Location: 15 Bishopsgate, opposite Great St Helen’s.

4. Flow; Edge; Flux; Within; Fall; - Paul Hosking. Location: St Helen’s Bishopsgate Churchyard.

5. Salvia – Julian Wild. Location: Undershaft.

6. Shapes in the Clouds I, IV, V – Peter Randall-Page. Location: Bury Court.

7. Box sized DIE featuring Unfathomable Ruination – João Onofre. Location: 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin).

The artwork was not present in December 2014.
8. Work Scaffolding Sculpture – Ben Long. Location: 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin).

9. High Wind IV – Lynn Chadwick. Location: 30 St Mary Axe (Gherkin).

10. Southern Shade I; Southern Shade V – Nigel Hall. Location: Lime Street, outside Willis.

11. Kiss – Nigel Hall. Location: Fenchurch Avenue, outside Willis.

12. False Ceiling – Richard Wentworth. Location: Leadenhall Market.

13. Time here becomes Space, Space here becomes Time – Cerith Wyn Evans. Location: Leadenhall Market.

Was a piece in Sculpture in the City 2013 as well. Removed in October 2014.
14. Parallel Field – Antony Gormley. Location: St Mary Axe.

#SculptureintheCity

MCM London Comic Con Winter 2014

MCM London Comic Con is an event happens two times a year on the last weekend of May and October. The event is held in the Excel Centre in east London. The winter con this year on Friday 24^th to Sunday 26^th October.

I would say that MCM in many ways is like the London Film and Comic Con but incorporates more of the Japanese culture into their events. You will find manga and anime here which you would scarcely see in LFCC. Like LFCC, MCM has cosplay, video games, television, film, signing and photoshoots and gaming (board and trading card games). The size of this event is on a grand scale with almost no space to manoeuvre once you put a foot through the door. Even with pre-booked tickets it took me just over 45 minutes to get in and I also noticed that the general entry ticket line seems to be non-existent though compared to the pre-booked queue.

I’m no stranger to MCM and started attending two years ago but there have been people there that have been attending years and years. I think I must attended the last year when it was known as MCM London Expo. It just grew massively between the years and the growth does not seem in any way to slow down. When I first attended, they had one hall for queuing and one hall for the whole convention. Now the event is spread out in a double sized hall with a additional hall this time for a Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament and the queuing system is still finding its way in facilitating the increasing amount of attendees that are crossing through the doors.

Here are some of the things that happened in October this year:

• EuroCosplay – This year marks the 5^th anniversary of the EuroCosplay Championships which sees competitors across Europe compete to gain the elusive title and join the ranks of European Cosplay Champions.
• MCM Theatres – Panels with television and film guests as well as scheduled showing of film trailers.
• Vidfest – Social media peeps with scheduled panel discussions and Q&A.
• Pop Asia – An area that dedicates to Asian culture, food, music and fashion.
• MCM eSports – video gaming tournament with a winning of a cash prize pool and exhibition area of related stalls and shops.
• MCM Comic Village – comic book artists ranging from indie to mainstream are here for signings, drawings and discussions.

The next ones in May 2015 so I’m waiting in anticipation on how the queuing system will turn out this time round. My geek hat will come on when it comes down to getting that geek loot of comics and merchandise. You can check out MCM’s website to find out of any upcoming news and announcements.
 #mcmLDN2014

London Film and Comic Con Winter 2014

The London Film and Comic Con Winter was held in Earls Court on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th October 2014.

The winter con is much smaller than it is with the summer one in comparison to the scale and amount of people attending which provides a more up and personal experience. It is still not quite marginally near to the fun-filled joyride it was during the summer but give you a chance to explore everything there is to offer compared to the summer event where you can only move an inch of a space every few minutes or so. I noticed a lot of comic book artists and writers decided to give it a miss this time around and even the comic book artists and writers looked quite desolate.

There were not many film and TV stars that I wanted an autograph from but some notable people to mention are Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid, Carrie Fisher from Star Wars and Ariana Richards from the first Jurassic Park film. Something else worth saying is that not only can you get an autograph from not just one… not just two… but three actors who played Storm Troopers from the Star Wars franchise.

All in all, it was a great event with its toned-down approach giving more of a close and intimate events allowing time to look around and browse without the stress of people looking over your shoulder. I did buy more comic books as a result of this which I found was really difficult in doing at the summer event. I’m looking forwards to the next event in summer 2015.

#LFCC

LonCon 3: The 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon)

LonCon 3 is the 72^nd World Science Fiction Convention which brings Worldcon to London. Dates of the event were between Thursday 14^th to Monday 18^th August 2014 and was held in the Excel Centre.

Some round-ups of LonCon3:

• The opening ceremony was held on Thursday 14^th August 2014 at 12:00 with the closing ceremony on Monday 18^th August 2014 at 15:00.
• Each member was given a programme and Worldcon Souvenir Book with attendees receiving an additional badge.
• The Retro Hugo Award winners were announced on Thursday 14th August 2014 to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the first Worldcon.
• The Hugo Award was held on Saturday 17^th August 2014 at 20:00.
• Guests of Honour for this year were Iain M Banks, John Clute, Malcolm Edwards, Chris Foss, Jane Gomoll, Robin Hobb and Bryan Talbot.
• In the Exhibit Hall, there were the Art Show (showcasing SF art works on display), Dealers’ Zone (stall sellers of SF novels, comic books and merchandising) and the Displays area (different organisation displays ranging from charities to fan websites).
• The Capital Hall had the Fan Village/Hospitality Hall where you can find other Worldcon bids, board games tent and an opportunity to find out about many other clubs and societies.

There was plenty of opportunity to look around and stallholders were friendly and approachable. I began my crusade to look out for any She-Hulk but only managed to get an issue of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Master Edition) #6 with She-Hulk smack down in the middle of the front cover. The stallholder was nice enough to go look for any other She-Hulk loot he may have in his car but sadly came out with nothing. Continuing from the Hulk family, I also found Hulk: Gray by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale which was an excellent find.

Before the event, I volunteered to help out with the general setting up. Volunteers were called in to start helping out on the 11^th August and I volunteered from 12^th August to 13^th August. A lot of work goes in which was expected and it was a great opportunity to meet people from all around the world who have a pair of hands to lend. It was fun to meet people from such different backgrounds who have one universal interest in science fiction. It’s like an exclusive behind-the-scenes with what goes into running an event which an experience that I will take away was.

Just like any geek convention, LonCon3 had the whole lot: art and literature, film and music, gaming, comics. They held film screenings, talks and Q & As in various rooms and halls in the Excel. You can find out more about LonCon3 on their website.

#LonCon3 #WorldCon

London Film and Comic Con Summer 2014

The London Film and Comic Con is an event that occur two times a year in West London, which features signings, talks, selling and showings centring around film, television and comics. The summer con was held on 11th – 13^th July 2014.

The hotly anticipated appearance of Stan Lee at the event was most certainly going to create a major craze and send the place into complete lockdown. Stan Lee photo tickets were instantly leaving all latecomers (including me) with no chance to get that photograph with the legend himself.

Earls Court 2

Earls Court 2 hall had television and film star signings and photoshoots, panels, stalls selling memorabilia, Anime Zone, Cosplay Zone and Comic Zone with various foodies lined up on the side of the hall.

Brompton Hall

Elevator leading on to the first floor and a lift down, the Brompton Hall holds the Artists Valley, Video Game Zone and a line for Stan Lee that snakes the whole room.

I came across The Pride published by Queer Comix with the premise being Fab Man who finds no LGTBQ representations, forms the group “The Pride” which combats against supervillains that reflect real life issues that LGTBQ face in society. Issue 1 was sold out so opted to get the bundle deal of issue 2 and 3 plus Pride Adventures. You can find it on Comixology and can also be purchased in physical and digital depending on availability at this link. The day ended with a photoshoot with Milo Ventimiglia which was a dream come true as I’m a HUGE fan of Heroes.

Next summer, the tickets are all pre-booked to anticipate the high volumes of attendees. Further details can be found on their website. Tickets for winter on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th September 2014, can be bought on the day and on the website.

#LFCC2014