Culture Capital

They say London is the culture capital of the world, and I can certainly attest to that! I woke up early to score £15 front row seats to Breakfast at Tiffany's and then spent the rest of the day enjoying London's galleries and museums.

My first stopover was the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art. It was a very pricey £12 admission *ouch* but it was certainly a different experience. What stood out most was the travelling convoy of bright red wax through three of the exhibition rooms...not to mention the cannon of wax which is fired through a door every twenty minutes. There was a bit of a trippy/vertigo experience in the mirror room which featured about six different mirrored sculptures made of stainless steel, the concept is challenging the viewers perception of space. I thought I was going cross eyed at some point! The exhibition is definitely a must-see. Photography was not permitted inside the exhibition so these will have to do.

After a healthy lunch at Wholefoods Market (plus an almond chocolate brownie that I nibbled throughout the day) I headed to the Whitechapel Gallery which is featuring a temporary exhibition from French photographer and artist Sophie Calle, titled "Talking to Strangers." One half of the exhibition revolves around a break up letter from Sophie's partner, which she then asks 107 women of different ages and occupations to interpret this letter. From a clairvoyant to a talking parrot, the results are amusing and insightful. The upstairs gallery hosts the second half of her exhibition which is collection of works from "The Bronx" where Calle asks a number of residents to take them to a place of their choice, and a telephone booth which she records conversations and interactions with passers by.

The icing of the cake was finally getting to see Breakfast at Tiffany's on the West End, based on the novel by Truman Capote. I read the novel awhile ago so it was exciting to see the stage production. Anna Friel stars as Holly Golightly, the role which Audrey Hepburn made famous with her black sunnies and LBD. The play opened in September to mixed reviews. I kept thinking that Holly Golightly would be a brunette, not a blonde? So it was weird seeing Anna Friel don a blonde wig throughout the whole play...there are a few shocks in the form of a nude Friel and her co-star Joseph Cross (not together, in separate scenes) which I didn't expect at all...but nude scenes aside the play was charming and entertaining. I'll be honest and say it does not come close to as good as Jersey Boys was, which is also showing in London at the moment but I saw it in Las Vegas in September.

I am looking forward to seeing the Gentleman of Bacongo exhibition at the Londonewcastle Project Space before I leave London...

Only 5 more days to go.

M xo