Saatchi...Gesundheit!--Day 19

Hello again! This morning was quite uneventful, being mainly devoted to homework. I was totally fine with this, though, because I feel like I'm not being as mentally challenged here as I am normally used to. Homework time gives me a purpose and makes me feel a little better. Not that I'm not enjoying seeing all the sights--those are important also for my cultural education--it's just that this whole trip is in vain if I am not committed to my schoolwork.

At any rate, I finished the homework that I needed to finish, and then wondered what I should do the rest of the day. Most of my friends are gone at class on Mondays, so I don't really have anyone to hang out with. This was especially true today because there is a theater performance this evening at the Globe Theater to which many of my friends are going. I chose not to go because when we were doing sign-ups, I wanted to put my name down for some really important things before they filled up (like the trip to Greenwich and to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the latter of which is absolutely crucial for my term paper). However, this came at the cost of other things like the Globe (plus, it is required for theater students, I didn't feel like taking someone else's spot when that person might really need it more than I did). Long story short, I decided to go to the nearby Saatchi Gallery, a three-story art hall dedicated to an ever-changing display of contemporary works. The gallery is just a short 15-minute walk from my residence on the King's Road. Now, I am not a huge fan of contemporary art because it tends to get a little weird. And I won't lie and tell you that this wasn't true for most of the works in the Saatchi Gallery. However, there were some pieces that I really enjoyed or that I thought were particularly interesting if I didn't exactly enjoy them in the proper sense, and those were the pieces I took pictures of. The building is arranged into 15 galleries, and I must tell you that Gallery 9 was my favorite. I really wanted to take a picture of the works in Gallery 9, but there was an employee standing in the room. It is not against the rules to take pictures of the artwork, but I just felt self-conscious about doing so. As such, I will share this image from the Saatchi Gallery website to substitute for my own photography (sad, I know):

I love the detail on the brown tile. It's very swirly. The box is covered in looping vines and flower designs, also very attractive. I love the living quality of the centerpiece, as well as its use of jewel-toned glass and rust-colored metal. (Photo courtesy of www.saatchi-gallery.com.)

 Another interesting work that I couldn't get a good picture of was 20:50 by Richard Wilson Doy, located by itself in Gallery 15 on the lower ground floor. This piece of art is basically a room filled with used black oil.  At the edge of the room is a steel wall that holds back the oil, and part of the steel extends through the oil to form a walkway whose floor is about four or five feet below the surface level of the oil. I'm not really sure what the point of this work is, but it looked really cool. The only reason I didn't photograph it myself is that my camera could not adequately capture its intrigue and mystery.

Photo courtesy of www.saatchi-gallery.com.

 Gallery 1 (the gallery I started with for obvious reasons) showcased a collection of randomly-placed rocks, and I was struck by the simplicity of the art and the grandiosity of the rocks themselves.

Photo by me this time. :)

This piece is called The Milky Way, and I thought that the eerie glow and mesmerizing tangle of wood and fluorescent lighting was fascinating.

It's like a futuristic spider's web.

I am quite fond of rocks and crystals, so I particularly liked these cardboard churches covered in copper (II) sulfate. They're just so...blue. I also like the idea that humanity tries to conquer nature but that, in the end, nature always takes back what once belonged to it. I think that this piece is expressing the same sentiment.

Both of these churches are models of real churches in France. (Viewed from the side.) I love how you can just barely see me leaning down to take the shot. :P

Most of the other pieces were flat-out disturbing. I'm sure other people thought they were cool, but I'm a little too sensitive to really love contemporary art. You can certainly have a butcher's at the website for some images from the current exhibition (entitled "The Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture) if you feel like you want a taste for what I saw.* My visit to the Saatchi Gallery only lasted about 15 minutes, but I suppose I went more for the walk than anything. I had been cooped up in my room for most of the morning, and I did not want to spend all day inside, especially since today was relatively sunny and rain-free.

After I left the gallery, I didn't quite feel like going back to my flat. I had heard about the Chelsea Farmer's Market from a fellow student, so I decided to check that out. Contrary to what you might think from hearing the name, this complex of shops. There is a gardening store (very cute), a pet shop, a restaurant, a nail salon, a clothing store, and best of all, an organic grocery store called Here. I ventured inside for a quick peek around and was quickly drawn in by the amazing-looking produce ("fruit and veg" in Brit-speak) and dairy products. I spent a few minutes wandering the aisles and marveling at all of the organic products, from pasta to cereal to dessert and much more (even beauty products and household cleaning products). I was about to leave when I noticed that the only exit was past the register. I felt bad leaving without buying anything, so I picked up a few cups of yogurt (peach, raspberry, and vanilla--which I cannot wait to try) and a bag of rainbow rotini (I'm also looking forward to trying this). I paid less than 5 pounds for this, which I think is pretty good (but not great) considering that it's an all-organic store and that the stuff I bought is probably going to be fabulous. I'm not going to shop here a lot, but I'm glad that I found it. After I bought the yogurt and pasta, I decided to poke around the gardening store (called The Chelsea Gardener) just for the joy of looking at the flowers, plants, and gardening tools on display. My curiosity satisfied, I returned to my flat. I definitely want to go back because there is this cute little Italian gelato shop near the entrance, and it looks really good! Maybe I can convince my friends to come with me. (That shouldn't be too hard...we certainly love frozen yogurt!)

On a different note, I thought I'd give you some more insight into British life. When you buy things at a store or order food at a restaurant, the price you see on the item or on the menu is the price you will pay. The tax has already been factored in (it's called the Value Added Tax or VAT). Apparently, on purchases over 200 pounds (or more or less depending on the retailer), you can apply for a refund of the VAT when you're filling out your taxes. I think this system is smart and honest, which is so easy to come by in the commercial world, isn't it? (Yay, sarcasm!)

Anywho (or, as Cockneys say, "Any road..."), have a great rest of the day!

*Huh?? "A butcher's"? Is she nuts? Is that London water getting to her head? No! That's Cockney rhyming slang. In the Cockney dialect, you replace the word you mean with a phrase that rhymes, and then you shorten the phrase. "Butcher's" is short for "butcher's hook," which rhymes with "look." You're welcome.