South Kensington is famous for its museums: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National History Museum, the Science Museum, etc. It’s also the stronghold of the French community in London. The French Consulate, the Institut Français and the Lycée Français are all located in South Kensington. The area is also full of French bookshops and cafés.
Photo Credit: @Maybak (Instagram)
The French community in London: Paris-on-Thames -
I just want to share this article from The Economist - published on 24/2/12 - because it is one of the first one I’m reading which does not inaccurately depict French Londoners as being only bankers working in The City.
French Londoners are often in their prime. The archetype is a banker with children at the Lycée Français in South Kensington, the established hub of the community (“the 17th arrondissement”), who misses the food and weather of home.
(…)
But French Londoners have become a much more diverse group than this archetype allows.
(…)
Many young French arrivals in London say they are fleeing rigid social codes, hierarchical corporate culture and a sense of distance from the global swirl of people and ideas.
(…)
Not all secure high-flying jobs: many come to study, or to work as au pairs or waiters while perfecting their English, or to find a niche in London’s huge creative industries. Many young French of African or Arab origin also say that there is less discrimination in Britain.
Yesterday I went to the Getty Images Gallery, near Oxford Street, for the Marilyn exhibition. 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of her death. This exhibition is wholly dedicated to the famous and glamorous actress.
Visitors can have a close look at some of the most famous dresses and costumes worn by the actress.
You’ll also find famous pictures of her as well as less well-known photographs.
What I liked was the contrast between the black and white photos and the colourful outfits displayed at the other side of the room.
Getty Images Gallery
46 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8DX
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus
From 05/03 to 23/05/2012.
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday: 10am - 5.30pm
Saturday: 12 - 5.30pm
ADMISSION IS FREE
Photo Credit: @Maybak
(Source : gettyimagesgallery.com)
Do you speak 'British' English? Ten words you need to know! -
Do you know what bloke, fag, fancy, quid, mate, pint, wicked, reckon, rubbish and hoover mean? Click on this link to find out.
You have until 23 March to pop up at Tony’s Gallery in Shoreditch to catch a glimpse of Olek’s exhibition, “I do not expect to be a mother but I expect to die alone”.
Photo Credit: @Maybak
Olek is a NYC-based artist. Crocheting is her craft! I was quite puzzled when I heard about the “crochet” because I’m not into it. But the way Olek uses crochet is completely different from anything you are expecting.
She has created a whole bedroom which embodies various stages of her life like her failed relationship and personal issues like women’s biological clock and pregnancy, etc.
Tony’s Gallery
68 Sclater Street, E1 6HR, London
www.tonysgallery.com
[video]
“2011 was an extraordinary year. It was a year of unprecedented change in the Middle East and North Africa. Dictatorships fell as revolution swept across the region fuelled by repression and poverty. On our screens we witnessed the brutal cost of uprising, the pain of rebellion and the joy of victory”.
Until 5 February
Daily 10.00-18.00 (last entry 17.30)
Embankment Galleries, South Wing
Free Admission
Indeed, 2011 was an extraordinary year! As a photojournalism fan, I was thrilled to attend this exhibition. The Arab Spring and the London Riots were captured by the cameras of Sky News. This exhibition is an invitation to review the past year and reflect on the history in the making.
I really liked the background reports from Sky News crews. They were on the frontline of major world events and shared with us how it felt to report from the field. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to download the Aurasma Lite iPhone app. Thus I couldn’t experience the augmented reality photos of the exhibition. I would advise you to download it before you go if you want to enjoy the full experience.
The exhibition will run until the 5 February at the Somerset House (Temple tube station).
(Source : somersethouse.org.uk)
“#1Day1Idiom
To teach your grandmother to suck eggs”
—
If you’re giving advice about something to someone who actually knows more about it than you do, you’re teaching your grandmother to suck eggs!
In French, you would say: “On n’apprend pas au vieux singe à faire la grimace”.
Street art by Stinkfish - London, UK
Better later than never, I took the London Street Art Tour on Saturday. This is a 4-hour tour, it was freezing (-5•C) but it was amazing!
I learned a lot about street art techniques and artists, about the way street artists are considered by the community and the council, etc.
If you want to book a tour, go to http://www.streetartlondon.co.uk.
The tour guide is a really cool guy. He gave us a lot of explanations.
See more photos from the tour on my Instagram (@maybak) or on http://maybak.tumblr.com.