Postman's Park

Postman’s Park is one of the hidden parks of London, enriched with history as well as upholding an honour to heroes who have died to save others. It is located at St Martin’s Le Grand, London EC1A between Aldersgate Street and King Edward Street with an entrance found on both ends. The park is at Grade II meaning it is of more than special interest and do everything to preserve it.

The name came from the local office workers who came from the post office just by the park to sit down and have lunch. In 1887, socialist GF Watts wrote to the Times proposing a park to be builtin honour of “heroic men and women” who gave their lives to save others as a way to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee. It was created and named Watts Gallery at the Watts Memorial/Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice in Postman’s Park with Doultton tablets running along the wall of the gallery of poignant detailing’s of the individual and their heroic acts.

Headstones of can be found on either side of the Memorial and it was said this was due to possibly being two churches on each side. The headstones are restored every so often.

In front of Watts Memorial is four beds of flowers and a sundial at the centre of it. When in full bloom, the flowers present a gathering of splendour and beauty of colours. Arrive on a sunny day in spring or summer as it'll be total treat to gaze at the flowers while you rest under the perfect shade of the London Plane tree on top of a small hill.

Despite being quite a small park, it attracts an abundance of animals such as bats, robins, blue and grey tits with boxes and feeders dotted around the park. Gorgeous Golden Orfe fishes can be found swimming around the trickling Gothic-styled fountain. The Golden Orfe fishes have been there over 10 years.

The film Closer, starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen, was filmed on location. Not one to ruin the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet so I won’t give anything away, but Alice Ayres taken off the tiles become an inspiration for one of the characters. The film itself is very much worth the watch and You can catch the Alice Ayres’s tablet above.

#PostmansPark

Barbican - Roman Signer: Slow Movement

Barbican Centre’s Curve Gallery hosted Roman Signer: Slow Motion from 4 March 2015 to 31 May 2015. The simplisticity of the work explores the social interaction between his work and the audience in a way we react to the beat of the motion.

Roman Signer: Slow Motion follows a canal as it is pulled across along the ceiling through the 90 metre long gallery as if it was moving through a canal. Known for his work that have notions of cause and effect, where he views his experiments as “events” and his audiences as “actions”. This very idea plays in the installation as we and follow the path of the kayak as we become active participants in his event.

Signer’s interest in kayaks began in the early 1980s and spent a great deal for many years being an ardent kayaker. Two films show his adventures through his affirmed interest in the innovation of the different sides of kayaks. For personal reasons, he stopped kayaking but used it in his works in creating two short films: Eskimoroll (Eskimo Roll, 1995) and Kajak (Kayak, 2000). Both films were shown at either end of the gallery.

Eskimoroll showed a kayak bound to a bicycle with rope as it was being pulled along with the bicycle as it rode away, causing the kayak to spin around several times as if capsizing.

Kajak showed a kayak with Signer in it as it was pulled by a car through the Rhine Valley at high speed.

Roman Signer: Slow Motion moves out on to the Foyer and out into the Lakeside Terrace as well.

Serpentine Pavilion 2015

The Serpentine Gallery is hosting their 15th Serpentine Pavilion this year. Internationally renowned artist to create and deliver an architectural structure that will take 300 square metres in the Pavilion Space in a space of up to 6 months, which will become a space for learning, debate and recreation. No budget is required for the Pavilion as it is funded by sponsorships and through the sale of the Pavilion. The aim is to introduce contemporary artists and architects to a wider audience. This year the Pavilion was designed by selgascano (founded by José Selgas and Lucía Cano) with the practice formed in Madrid in 1998.

The Pavilion is made with steel and multi-coloured fluorine-based polymer to play on the simplest forms of "form, light, shadow and colour" which focussed on visitors' experience. This is apparent in the whole design where light comes through the structure as it plays on the forms of the architecture. The architecture takes on different forms in fluid waves to minimalistic strips, giving more to explore the very fabric and essence of creativity in the colours and layers.

#SerpentinePavilion

London Korean Festival 2015

This year's London Korean Festival was held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 9 August between 12:00 - 20:00. The cultural event had Korean food, music, performances, art and activities.

The stage had music from K-Pop and Rock music bands f(x) and Guckkasten as well as breakdance performances from Jingo Crew and Soul Mavericks. Other performances given came in the from of traditional Korean dances by Yung Myung Hwan Dance Company as well as modernised performances from the Yeon Hee Company. Instrumental music performances were provided by PAN and 4 in Nori. The stage was designed as a catwalk to also showcase the Korean fashion.

There are four "themed zones": Tourism Zone, Food Zone, Contents Zone and Brand Zone. The Tourism was completely packed and there was hardly any way of getting there without a long wait. There were chances to enter a competition with GoKorea for a trip for two to South Korea. I got there around peak lunchtime so queues for the Korean food stalls were lining up along the walls of the Square. The Contents Zone had activities ranging from reading Korean comics through physical books to mediums of technology to fashion. The Brand Zone showcased the latest Korean-based car brands and technology.

 

The K-Music 2015 festival is to be held later this year with music and performances across London through September. You can find out more about it at serious.org.uk/K-Music.

#LondonKoreanFestival

Instagram July 2015

Whitecross Street Party art installation #whitecross #street #party

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on Jul 19, 2015 at 4:37am PDT

Turbine Festival 2015 #TurbineFestival #Tatemodern #Art

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on Jul 25, 2015 at 2:19pm PDT

Pulse and Bloom by Shilo Shiv Suleman for Southbank Centre's Festival of Love - Art Across the Site #SouthbankforLove #Pulse #Bloom

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on Jul 27, 2015 at 1:03pm PDT

#Instagram

Holland Park

Holland Park is the London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park at 22.5 hectares with one of the main attractions being the Japanese garden, Kyoto Garden. The park is open daily from 07:30 until 30 minutes before dusk.

The park, originally, was the grounds for Cope Castle, which was a Jacobean mansion hidden away in the woods. The mansion was built by Sir Walter Cope in the early 17th century, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer under King James I rule. It was renamed to Holland House after the Earl of Holland’s wife Lady Rich had acquired it through inheritance. Following World War II, the mansion was severely damaged leaving only one wing remaining, which is now used for open air theatre and classical concerts.

The Kyoto Garden was created by to celebrate the Japan festival as a joint venture between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the chamber of commerce of Kyoto. It was donated by the chamber of commerce of Kyoto and opened in 1991. It was refurbished in 2001 with garden specialists flown in from Japan to retransform the Garden. The Garden is done in a “tour garden” style, a traditional style of a Japanese garden, with everything carefully arranged to fit and shape in with the climate and locality to make it seem natural.

The garden is made up of different elements with different representations. The waterfall represents mountains and gorges with the water leading into the pond as a representation of the ocean. Around the pond runs paths and a stonebridge. The whole garden is a representation of the splendour and beauty of the landscape. Positioned at different points in the Garden, tōrō (stone lanterns), tsukubai (stone washbasin) and shishi-odoshi (bamboo alarm to scare off animals) are placed along the paths for the enjoyment for the sights of visitors.

 

#HollandPark