Frieze Sculpture 2019 (part 1)

Back at it again with the sculptures! Frieze bringing it in with 23 sculptures in the English Gardens of Regent Park. Let us dive into part 1!

1. American Images (2014) - Lucy Skaer

2. My Melody (2008) - Tom Sachs

3. Mnemonic Vehicle No. 2 (2015) - Vik Muniz

4. Superhero Cog Woman #01 (2019) - LR Vandy

5. Usagi Kannon II (2013-2018) - Leiko Ikemura

6. Celloswarm (2002) - Bill Woodrow

7. Receiver (2019) - Huma Bhabha

8. The Hatchling (2019) - Joanna Rajkowska

9. Cloud Study (Partner Dance) (2019) - Charlie Godet Thomas

10. Autonomous Morris (2018) - Zak Ove

11. On Hold #9 (2019) - Peter Buggenhout 

12. Strange Temporalities (2019) - Ghazaleh Avarzamani

First 10K Run! (Star Log vol 2 entry 6)

“It’s Britney B!” I exclaimed as I woke up. I was feeling excited for my 10k run that I didn’t even train for at all. I mean if you call running to work because you’re going to be late if otherwise training than I’m all for it! It’s my first ever 10k so RIP me xx

In a rush to get to Hyde Park for my Pride in London 10k run, I knocked down a blueberry cheesecake (cos I can) and some blue Innocent juice. I guess that should be enough.

Getting to the park, I got myself signed in and bumped into my workmate who decided to run too. We got chatting and helped me put on my bib as he could tell I was a beginner. Then an announcement was made for warm-up. The warm-up involved getting close together, running on the spot and hitting the person to the left and then the right. The warm-up killed me. Let’s hope I live to tell the tale at the end of this run.

We all got into formation and then… bang! We were off! I started to pace myself on a slow jog because I want to at least make it to 5K. If I had it any other way, I would walk the grounds as my runway except I would end up with no audience. 

I’m jogging away, having a fun time and just owning it. Oh, there’s a sign up ahead, I’ll take a closer look... what! It shows as 1KM! It feels like I’ve been running miles now! I could already imagine my workmate had already finished by that point. Good gosh, better keep going. 

For the rest of the run, I paced myself against another person until they ran ahead, so I paced against another person. This continued for the rest of the run until I hit the 5KM mark. Thank god, I need water! Running to the bandstand, the pointed in the other direction for me to get the water from the other side. Okay, here goes round 2 – fight! 

I proceeded and they gave me a cup with half of it being drunk by the grounds beneath me – sigh! Plan of action, pace against one person all the way. Fast-forward to the end and I hit 1 hour 8 minutes and my workmate finished in 50 minutes. Ace for my first run - feel like I can take on the world! Thank you, next!

Spiceworld 2019 (Star Log Vol 2 Entry 5)

This was it! It felt like the Return of the Spice Girls tour in 2007/2008 was their last tour (well, as a 5-piece anyway) so I was astonished to find out that they were going on tour. I knew something was afoot when I received an e-mail (a few months before the official announcement) asking if I wanted to continue receiving updates.

I got to the venue and it was pretty busy with people slamming it to the left, shaking it to the right and the chicas to the front. My emotion ran high as I got closer and closer to entry, and so I entered. 

I was greeted by two members of event staff and one of them asked, “how old are you?”
I froze as my mind went blank and a few moments later I returned back to Earth. “Ummm… 27”
“O…K…” the person replied. The other person smiled, probably sensing the inner Girl Power child from the ’90s that collected the official Spice Girls album photos, listened to Spice Up Your Life on repeat and watched One Hour of Girl Power Vol 1 one too many times and never got tired of it. 

I got in and realised that everyone was wearing rain ponchos and I was standing right smack bang in the middle of the stadium with no roofing to be seen. I asked around but couldn’t get one within the confines of the stadium – just my luck! 

Anyway, never the mood killer, I descended the stairs slowly… snail pace slow as I gathered in the surroundings of the stadium… my first ever Spice Girls concert… it was emotional as I never had the chance to see them but I am here now… present in the moment to be graced by the presence of pop legends. 

I knew I was in for a stunner as the concert started off with a bang (literally) with confetti floating around (gotta get it). The hits came one after another, and it just kept hitting me. The music, the production, the dancers, the band and the girls… ohmigosh, and the girls…
There was a moment when Emma looked out into the direction of where I was standing. A group of us started to form up and wave. She got emotional about it and then we did. I mean… I just…! Geri then had a moment when she got emotional shortly after. The emotion was just high.

I was slayed with emotion and went home feeling inspired, positive and girl-powered. The next morning, I realised the whole of my living room was covered in confetti and realised that a lot of it accumulated in the hood of my hoodie. I retained it as to capture the magical moment I had that is Spiceworld 2019.

Pride in London 2019 (Star Log Vol 2 entry 4)

Having woke up from a dream of Ru Paul singing “Chic, Freak, Fantastic, Slay”, I was ready to take on Pride! This year marks the 50th anniversary since the Stonewall Riots and I’m pretty sure everyone will be there to commemorate it. It will be my eighth-year volunteering for London Pride so I was very well versed in throwing glitter dust into the crowd.

I woke up from a message from my mother:

Every thing mummy so so sorry . I’M so love you and your sister. 

This was important to me especially as she never really apologised to me for the things she did to me when I came out. She would tell me to come out when she has passed away, take me to China to marry a Chinese woman or make a snide comment that being gay is a disease that being it automatically gives me HIV. For that reason, I just stopped talking to her as I had to move on and live my life. It took some time for me to find the strength to get back to her and even when I did go back, she still made the same comments.

Life long memories made with pumping up the crowd with Spice Up Your Life blasting from the speakers. It was so much, I mean SO MUCH fun dancing and throwing the moves to the crowd. 

Another moment to cherish was manning the very glamorous portaloos that a girl started to dance to a song on the stage that it got me going with her groove too. She ended up saying that she loved me and that I was too kind. I was so touched at that moment like that, it's what Pride represents to me, being able to own yourself and share experiences (that feeling of the community).

Once the party was over in Trafalgar Square, I sashay and shante myself to Soho to grab dinner. One the way there I was stopped by a gentleman who was with his friends. He asked me, “is that Armani?” as he pointed to the t-shirt I was wearing. I sniffed the air quickly to see what he was high on and found that he must be high on the Pride atmosphere, so I replied, “oh no (giggle), this is Primark.” He laughed and his girlfriends smiled. He asked what I was doing to which I replied that I was on my way to dinner and we then all bid each a happy Pride with me being on my merry way. That was amusing.

The awkward photo (Star Log Vol 2 entry 3)

London Film and Comic Con – bring it! Signed up for that three-day goodness that is a comic con. 

Strutting into the Olympia with fabulous stride, they sported me with a wristband which was coloured Sporty Spice blue. Feeling pumped with Spice energy, I was going to take the house down and SLAYAGE.

I bumped into my friend who complimented my Fin Fang Foom t-shirt. Okay, I was very well prepared for this very moment… “Thanks, it’s a Jason Polan design for Uni Qlo…” A stallholder also complimented my t-shirt so I gave him my speech too, “Thanks, it’s a Jason Polan design for Uni Qlo…” I ended up with a Planet Hulk and Age of Ultron trade paperback from him.

Okay, I’m going straight into my photoshoot with Zachary Quinto. Me being a MASSIVE fan of Heroes knew that I had to get a picture with one of my teen-hood hero. In my mind, I imagined the photo was beautifully taken and we then walked hand-in-hand into the sunset… except it didn’t happen that way…

Nerves hit me as I entered into the photoshoot area and it just got worse and worse as I ventured closer to him. It’s only when I got there he said, “hi, how are you?”
I replied, “I’m great thanks. How are you?” Then I kind of blurred out (I didn’t even catch his answer) and looked at the camera. *snap* What just happened?

I thanked him and sheepishly walked away to pick up my photo. The person handed it to me and I looked down at the photo. “Oh god!” I exclaimed and just couldn’t contain myself at the expression I had. The lady heard me and offered to retake the photo. I mean I really wanted to, but the photo was me being present in that moment. I knew what was going on in that photo. I was pretty much was caught off-guard asking how he was, that the photographer snapped me at that moment. I mean these photoshoots aren’t really that personable as it’s an in-and-out operation, but the picture I took made it personable, and yeah, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

How did I sign up for this? (Star Log Vol 2 entry 2)

I don’t know how does “do you want to meet up for coffee?” become “are you fit enough to do a 15-mile walk?” How did I sign up for this…?

Meeting my friend at Waterloo, we took the train to Kingston for a 9am walking route with a group on Meetup. We got there and I noticed someone in running gear at the station. Were we the first ones there or were they? We stood around… waiting… waiting… and waiting… until the person came up to us and asked if we were part of the walking group which I valiantly replied we were (with puffed out chest)! We introduced ourselves but were very quickly joined by the rest of the group. 

So the Fellowship of the Ring’s journey has now begun! We all walked off into pairs. I paired up with a gentleman who happens to live in Croydon (my childhood), we both reminisced about memories we had of the Whitgift shopping centre and shed a few tears (well, the last part didn’t happen) but we quickly came to realise we shared a lot in common such as… gaming! The rest was history! 

We walked about 4 miles without even realising it. It was extraordinarily strange for the both of us as we were of course not accustomed to so much walking but we did it. It all went swimmingly until he had to take a pee in the bushes (we were nowhere near any loos). He came back holding his trousers together and said his top button popped off… classic! If only this was a Carry On film – comedy gold in the making. I lent him my Captain America belt that I only wore as an accessory (don’t judge). He even went so far as to compare my Blu-ray collection to the death of fax machines as thanks for my gesture of goodwill, but he did compliment my Marvel bag, which saved him (kinda).
 
For the most part of the journey, we alternated between the others. I also got chatting with a person who worked in marketing and worked super crazy hours. She travelled the world and we shared common grounds on being Chinese. We talked about the language and culture – the vast difference between the two of us. They mentioned that they lived in London for 10 years but didn’t feel like a Londoner. It’s so weird to think I know nothing of these people a few hours ago but now I know their full life story which I absolutely love (I should do it a bit more). We ended it by her giving me advice not to run my 10k in denim jeans (should we not look good running?).
 
I parted ways from the rest of the group as we were not making a pit stop at Holland Park which was part of the original trail – we were out of time! I headed into the Design Museum and Kyoto Garden. Funnily enough, as I entered Kensington Gardens, I saw someone wave at the corner of my eye… it was my workmate! I greeted her and then the sudden realisation hit me… I walked 15 miles!! I hugged her and went on my merry way smiling at my accomplishment.

To dance the discount Carlton (Star Log vol 2 entry 1)

For me, meeting strangers is no easy feat. Even more so when I agree to be an art tour guide to a couple visiting from Spain (or another exotic country that I can’t remember). The nerves got to me when they were visibly in front of me and I just let out a wave enthusiastically (do something to break the mood).

For the purpose of this post, I will just call them A and B. As we went around the gallery, A stated that he doesn’t have an eye for art while B seems very inquisitive in their own world often going ahead of us but then reporting back to us in what she observes. A seems to have a penchant for philosophy, often spouting deep thoughts into death, valiancy and freedom. It’s quite interesting to couple them together as if they both form their own strong case studies.

A does seem to have a way of words and I often find myself having to keep up on what he was saying. In the middle of it all, he turns around and asks me “you don’t like food?”

I was astonished and just replied, “huh?”

He replied that I was very thin to which I replied I do try my best… It reminds me of a time when I would just say anything that came to mind most of which was not even without thinking. I feel like I become wiser since those heydays (*cough cough* barely).

So let’s fast-forward: art, art, memorabilia, more talks about philosophy, art, art, sights of London, art and more art.

We stayed until closing until everyone was booted out into the streets or into the bar. Except B goes shopping in the gift shop and A and I hit the dance floor. I mean I did a few side steps but he went all in… I mean all in! He was doing double fist pumps and a discount Carlton. People were giving him looks and were moving away from us which was handy as we could do with a bit more dance floor. It was interesting because that was how I was like before. Having that thirst for life and seeing him in full throttle makes me want to give life a boot and I LIVE for that!

Fast-forward a bit more, B is stood outside waving at us. “Ummm A…. B is right there! Think she telling you to check your phone”. He looks down and says that she want to leave. He continues to dance… I waved to B to come in but they shake their head. I took A to the door and tried to get him outside to have a word with B except he doesn’t want to. “Then leave then!” A exclaims at me. I was shocked at the lack of compromise. I pleaded to A to go see B because it was unfair. I exited. A followed and they had a heart-to-heart felt conversation and they decided to part ways with me and bid me goodbye.

It was a different experience… Thoughtful in many ways. But since then, I decided that I will live my life to the bestest that I can (ugh clichés!) and dance that discount Carlton into the sunset until sunrise.

Remembrance Art Trail 2018

All the following works are by Mark Humphrey which was all featured as part of the Remembrance Art Trail in 2018 based in Canary Wharf. I listed them all below of artwork names and locations.

1. Lost Armies - Jubilee Park

2. Lost Solders - Montgomery Square

3. Butland Capsule - Canada Place Level -1

4. Life Blossoms Again - Canada Place Level -1

5. Brothers in Arms - Crossrail Place Roof Garden

6. ANA - Adams Plaza

7. Fallen Soldier - Cabot Square

8. Nick Beighton Part 1 - One Canada Square Lobby

9. Nick Beighton Part 2 - One Canada Square Lobby

10. Every One Remembered - Jubilee Plaza

11. Point of Everyman's Land - West Wintergarden

Star Log Entry 13 - Misadventures in Stafford with yours truly

Last week I attended the Microsoft Digital Live Show in Stafford. I rocked up to the venue in style and SLAYED for the rest of the day… the end!

I was hoping that was the case but in actual reality, I rocked up to the venue and found that all the entrances were literally all locked up. I did firm shoves to make sure, until I came across the poster plastered outside the main entrance. The event was on the 24th May it said and the thought that shot instantly into mind was “hang on, is today not the 23rd?” Taking out my phone, the instant rush of “hell to the no” happened as I arrived one day early to the event. Absolutely typical! 

Absolutely mortified, I called someone at Firebrand who I was to meet with the next day who was very empathetic to the whole situation and arranged helped arranged accommodation for myself. I was not even remotely prepared (emotionally) for this so I had to think quick before the end of the day came. I rushed to get lunch and did a run dash of emergency shopping of supplies to prepare myself for the evening. Surprisingly, I slept well overnight.

I was pumped the next day following the previous day’s fiasco and enjoyed the event. Despite being quiet where I was with Firebrand Training, it was a first of its kind run by Microsoft in the UK so there was room for trial and error this time around. 

We met with a gentleman who saw the signs from above after being branded with Firebrand everywhere he went. It was so insightful of the work he did in providing young people with a platform to rise up in the ranks in confidence and then passed them into the world of work that they feel that their paths will be. 

It strongly reminded me of how I first started and just building the first rungs of my career into where I am still going now. I do want that for all young people to experience regardless of the background that they come from as it’s always nice for someone to believe in you despite the many challenges that along the way. When I first started, it was really difficult just to get myself out there as there were so many doubters that I couldn’t see where my potential laid as my judgement was clouded by so many insecurities. There were a few numbers out there that really pushed me in big ways so that I could take small steps to get there. 

I hope others realised this as well with my interview with Firebrand which can be found here.