Italian girl in London

Italian girl in London

Monthly Archives: April 2013

Qualcosa da appendere al muro

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Art and Design, Lifestyle

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Battersea Park, commissione artistica, fotografia, National portrait Gallery, Venetia Dearden

Ecco una conversazione di un paio di mesi fa.

Art manager di una fondazione: “Ciao Alessandra, ti piacerebbe partecipare a una nuova commissione artistica?”

IO: “Scusa, intendi dire una fotografia artistica con me come soggetto?”

Art manager: “Si, e la fotografa sarà Venetia Dearden.

Magari conosci già alcuni dei suoi lavori, perché sono stati esposti in diverse occasioni alla National Portrait Gallery, e  ha contribuito al lancio di Cara Delavigne e di altre modelle di successo. Il ritratto che abbiamo commissionato diventerà parte della nostra collezione permanente e una copia sarà consegnata a te.

Se ti sembra una cosa fattibile e ti piace l’idea, dobbiamo accordarci su un luogo che abbia un significato per te e dove ti piacerebbe essere fotografata.”

Lascio alla vostra immaginazione la mia reazione.

Ma certo che si!

Ecco quello che ho visualizzato nella mia testa quando mi hanno parlato del ritratto

……..

Lascia passare qualche settimana ed eccoci pronti a scattare. Venetia e i suoi due assistenti – James e Stuart – vengono a casa mia. E’ un freddo sabato di Marzo, tipico di questo inverno che non sembra voler finire. Fa freddo fuori, giacca e sciarpa sono d’obbligo. Venetia guarda al mio guardaroba e insiste perché indossi una giacca scura di taglio classico, la sciarpa di visone che era di mia nonna e, tocco finale, il cappello. Si focalizza proprio su quello perché’, secondo lei “Finisce il look e comunica un’allure di glamour europeo”. Adoro come parlano le persone che lavorano nella moda.

E’ un piacere chiacchierare con lei e i suoi collaboratori. In ascensore nota il mio anello di fidanzamento. Anche lei si è appena fidanzata e si sposerà a novembre di quest’anno, quindi ha l’occhio allenato e nota cosa aleggia sulle dita delle altre donne.

Suggerisce quindi di non trascurare questo dettaglio ed aggiunge” “E’ un oggetto simbolico e cattura più di ogni altra cosa l’essenza di questo momento della tua vita.” Come darle torto.

Scelgo il Chelsea Embankment e Battersea Park come set per il servizio fotografico. Sono vicino a casa e amo trascorrervi il weekend. Camminiamo per qualche minuto e ci ritroviamo nel parco, circondati dalla solita fauna del sabato mattina: gente che corre, famiglie giovani e felici, donne impegnate a scolpirsi nuovo corpo con l’aiuto del personal trainer, dog sitter con cani imbellettati. Alcuni ci guardano e si chiedono che cosa ci fanno due tipi con dei pannelli riflettenti giganteschi, una fotografa e una tipa che fa da soggetto. E che chiaramente non è una modella. Lasciamoli fantasticare. Io continuo a sorridere, a loro e alla lente della macchina fotografica.

Il team di fotografi è eccezionale: talentuosi, simpatici e super professionali. A volte nella vita accadono cose che non avresti mai osato nemmeno sognare. Adoro il mio ritratto.

Sembro una spia.

http://www.venetiadearden.com/en/

Pioggia, bicicletta. Potrei essere io. Ma non sono io.  Per il ritratto vero, rimando al post in inglese

Pioggia, bicicletta. Potrei essere io. Ma non sono io. Per il ritratto vero, rimando al post in inglese

 

 

 

 

Images credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinpaulmorris/6107818878/

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwheeleroz/2773776799/”>nickwheeleroz</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

 

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinpaulmorris/6107818878/”>Kevin_Morris</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

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Taking pictures

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Art and Design, Lifestyle

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art commission, arts, Battersea Park, Chelsea Embankment, Venetia Dearden

Artwork

Here is a conversation I had a couple of months ago.

ART MANAGER: “Hi, would you be interested in taking part in a new art commission?”

ME: “Sorry, you mean a work of art?”

“Yes, and the photographer is Venetia Dearden. You probably know her work, as she exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery. The portrait will become part of our company’s art collection and you will also get to keep a signed copy of the picture. If it sounds like something you would like to get involved in, all you have to do is agree a day, time and a place in London that has a special meaning for you and where you would like to be photographed.”

I let you guess my reaction.

…….

Fast forward a few weeks later and here we are. Venetia and her two assistants – James and Stuart – came to my flat on a Saturday morning, they help me choosing my clothes and style me. It is a cold day, so we opt for a coat, my grandmother’s mink scarf and a hat. I am not so sure about the hat, but Venetia is adamant. “It finishes the look, and brings an allure of European glam to life” she says. I love the lexicon of people who work in the Fashion industry.

She then spots my engagement ring and decides that it needs to be features in the shoot. “This is a great detail and it really captures the essence of this moment of your life”.

I cannot argue, she is right.

I choose the Chelsea Embankment and Battersea Park as a location for the shoot. We end up heading to Battersea Park and we shoot there, surrounded by the usual Saturday crowd of joggers, young happy families and dog walkers. People look at us, wondering what the hell are two people with two massive panel reflectors and a photographer are doing on a Saturday morning, taking picture of someone who is clearly not a model. I keep on smiling and let them fantasize.

The whole team is wonderful, they are talented, warm, and know exactly what they are doing.

Life like this is such a dream, sometimes! And I love the picture. I look like a spy.

http://www.venetiadearden.com/en/

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More than shoes

07 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Art and Design

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Craft, design, DIY, Somerset House, Walpole

 

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:i_csuhai:3295801546:

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:i_csuhai:3295801546:

Who needs to go on a minibreak when you live in London? Unfortunately I had to work this weekend, so all I had to enjoy was the best part of Friday evening and Saturday until 5 pm. A handful of hours to prove once more that quality is more important than quality.

So what can you do, when – after a night out – you are ready to leave your place by lunchtime and only have few hours? I decided for once to trust the Friday edition of the Evening Standard and do one of the activities recommended. So I convinced the Lord that cycling to Somerset House to see Somerset House, a retrospective and celebration of the work of some very talented British crafts makers, was a good idea. The fact that it was an initiative of Walpole British Luxury Institute was good enough for me. From knitwear to shoemaking and glass blowing, blended with the opportunity to meet the makers alongside the products, and see the labour of love that lies behind a pair of shoes or a cabinet.

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:daryl_mitchell:4933471695:

All of these in one of my favourite parts of Somerset house, the West Wing galleries. Filled with lights and sunshine, the objects and their makers brought this space to life. I felt like I was lounging in someone’s sitting room. With very high ceilings. Were the curators and the organisers trying to suggest that this is the space where this objects should live, outside the workshop and the retail arena, but in our homes?

Glass Blowing

It feels like Craft is becoming what Design was few years ago. Craft is having a moment and everyone seems to want to have a piece of it. Even the School of life of Alain De Bottom is dedicating a talk to one of the aspects of crafting – DIY. And it sold out in a couple of hours.

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L’artigianato che si fa arte

07 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Lifestyle

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Alain De Bottom, artigianato, lusso, Scool of Life, Somerset House, Walpole, West Wing

Per una volta ho deciso di affidarmi all’edizione del venerdì dell’Evening Standard e seguire una delle loro raccomandazioni su cosa fare nel weekend. Eccomi quindi di sabato mattina nelle gallerie West di Somerset House, per una mostra sull’artigianato inglese – promossa dall’accademia del lusso Walpole.

Dall’arte di fare le scarpe a mano, alla stampa con criteri tradizionali, passando dalla maglieria, gli orologi e il vetro soffiato, ho avuto l’occasione di vedere straordinari prodotti finiti e tutte le fasi di lavorazione che li rendono possibili. E’ affascinante e ipnotico osservare gli artigiani al lavoro: pazienza, cura, manualita’, dedizione. Le lunghe ore che danno vita ad un prodotto di eccellenza sono tutte racchiuse nei movimenti regolari e accurati delle loro mani e dei loro occhi. Quello che emerge sono prodotti unici e all’opposto di tutto quello che siamo abituati a consumare in modo usa e getta, dalla moda di H&M/Zara, passando alle scarpe da ginnastica fino agli orologi di plastica.

large_592990931

Le gallerie della West Wing, piene di luce,  con i pavimenti di legno solido, i soffitti alti e le finestre grandi, diventano stanze più simili a dimore borghesi che non spazi da museo,  come a suggerirci che le abitazioni e luoghi in cui viviamo –  non i musei – sono i luoghi a cui appartengono questi pezzi di artigianato.   large_5220849780

Artigianato che sembra essere diventato uno degli argomenti preferiti nelle conversazioni degli ambiziosi e di chi segue le mode. Un po’ quello che è stato con il design qualche anno fa, con le frenesie per la sedia Kartell o lo spremiagrumi di Philippe Stark. Scomode le prime, bello ma inutile il secondo. E se anche la School of Life di Alain De Bottom vi dedica un seminario – che ha subito fatto il tutto esaurito in poche ore – si può dire quindi che questa crescente attenzione alla tradizione stia diventando un fenomeno di massa di massa.

 

 

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoer/592990931/”>zoer</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/56450533@N05/5220849780/”>theoriginalsofaco</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

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A four day weekend

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Art and Design, Lifestyle

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Allpress, brick lane, Ginger Line, House of Cards, Leo Castelli, London Overground, Roy Lichtenstein, Tate Modern

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:miuenski:4493667744:

I realized too late that Easter weekend – four fat days off from work and duty – was coming up so early, and was going to be so freezing. The reason why most of the Londoners run away, seeking few extra degrees in other equally cold parts of Europe. I didn’t plan anything, and these four days ended up being fulfilling and rewarding. Why? Because I decided to be a tourist in my own town. And what do tourists do? Go to museums, restaurants, long walks, shop like there is no tomorrow, indulge in treats and use public transport.

Museum: I finally went to see Roy Lichtenstein at Tate Modern, despite the fact that I have been recommending the exhibition to absolutely everyone. People usually rely on me for arty tips. Now that I have seen it, I am relieved. The show is awesome, and gave me the opportunity to brush up few notions of contemporary art history and understand more about the role of Leo Castelli and the NY art scene from the 60s to the 80s.

Restaurant: I tried Honey and Co in Fitzrovia for brunch and A. Wong in Pimlico for a dim sum dinner – even if dim sum should be served for lunch. I enjoyed both, but the first one definitely wins the award for the most friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere.

Public transport: I finally used the Ginger Line for more than one stop. If you are wondering what it is, it is the newish London Overground line, which connects north, south, east and west London, taking you around in a circle. It is not the fastest way to get around, but I found it rather pleasurable. It is orange, but ginger sounds more fun. I stopped at Shoreditch High street, where I had a salt beef bagel on Brick Lane, followed by a great coffee at Allpress, and then headed to Hampstead, where I shed some of the calories from the bagel thanks to a freezing walk on the Heath. There I realised – once again – that I could very happily live in that patch of London. It is not a chance that pretty intelligent people – from Freud to John Keats – called Hampstead their home in the past.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaggers/8228777689/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaggers/8228777689/

Shopping: I bought few bits of girly stuff, some nice food and wine, but the Lord managed to bag a bargain getting a very good suit in Jermyn Street, despite the fact that we headed there as he was looking for a winter hat. Impulsive purchase, I love them. Sometimes they are the best.

Food and treats: for once, London seemed quite sleepy (so rare) – and those friends who were still in town and who usually have their entire weekend booked up – were all pretty relaxed. So we decided to gather together and indulge in a big Italian Easter lunch. Quite an eclectic one, mari e monti, with fish, meat and various culinary traditions all mixed together, from spring rolls to torta pasqualina, from rice with mussels to cheese focaccia.

I took the time to sloth around on my couch for a few hours, discovered House of Cards – BBC edition from 1990 – and the recent one with Kevin Spacey and got totally hooked, went running in the park, fighting against a freezing and evil wind. Why does it always blow against me?

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:robbyryke:5508726333:

Quite a good effort to shake off my Italian habits, where the weekend means meeting up at a café or restaurant, to sit there for hours, or make your way to someone’s house to put together something to eat while chatting of everything and nothing.

I think that’s the thing I miss most about my former life: coffee places and professional lazing about, without the constant urgency of going out, do things, see places, try food and drinks and be aware of what is going on.

So back to work today, slowly now, very slowly. Thankfully there is still some chocolate knocking around the office, which will keep me going.

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A Londra per quattro giorni, come una turista

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Little Black Book

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Mi sono resa conto troppo tardi che le vacanze di Pasqua sarebbero arrivate cosi’ presto. Niente gite di Pasquetta, solo altri giorni di temperature glaciali. In molti hanno pensato di fuggire, alla ricerca di climi piu’ miti e primaverili. Invece io ho abbandonato il mio stile da organizzatrice di agende ed eventi, lasciando che le cose accadessero da sole, senza programmarle. Il risultato e’ stato una successione di quattro giorni ricchi di luoghi ed esperienze appaganti. Come e’ potuto accadere? Ho deciso di comportarmi come un turista. E che cosa fanno i turisti in una citta’ straniera? Vanno per musei, camminano piu’ del solito, fanno acquisti senza preoccuparsi della carta di credito e usano il trasporto pubblico.

Musei: ho finalmente visto la mostra di Roy Leichtenstein alla Tate Modern. Un solo commento: da vedere.  Mi ha dato il La per rispolverare alcune nozioni di storia dell’arte contemporanea e capire meglio il ruolo di Leo Castelli sulla scena artistica newyorkese dagli anni ’60 agli anni ’80.

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Ristoranti: ho provato Honey and Co per un brunch a Fitzrovia e A.Wong a Pimlico per cena a base di dim sum. Entrambi non hanno deluso le aspettative, ma il primo vince la palma del personale piu’ cordiale e sorridente.


Ginger line copy copy

Trasporto pubblico: ho finalmente provato la London Overground line, meglio conosciuta come Ginger Line per chi la usa. Non e’ il modo piu’ veloce per viaggiare in citta’, ma collega bene i quattro poli, specialmente in zona 2. Durante il giro, ci siamo fermati a Shordetich High Street per un bagel su Brick Lane e un caffe’ come si deve da Allpress.  La seconda tratta ci ha portato fino ad Hamspead Heath, dove e’ impossibile resistere al fascino di una passeggiata fino alla cima della collina. Ogni volta in cui sono li’ capisco perche’ una lunga serie di intellettuali e persone piuttosto intelligenti – da Lucien Freud a John Keats – hanno deciso di fermarsi li’ e mettere su casa.

 

Shopping: il Lord ed io ci siamo diretti su Jermyn Street per comperare un cappello di lana – ne sentiva il bisogno, grazie a queste temperature – e ha finito per comperare un abito. Acquisto non premeditato ne’ programmato.  Il piu’ delle volte i migliori di sempre.

 

Cibo e dintorni: per una volta tanto, Londra ha dimostrato di poter essere una citta’ calma e tranquilla. I soliti amici impegnatissimi erano finalmente liberi. Abbiamo cosi’ deciso di incontrarci e celebrare la Pasqua insieme, naturalmente Italian Style, con piatti e vini da tutte le regioni, con riso patate e cozze, focaccia, torta pasqualina e cannoli.

large_6216989625

E poi un po’ di ore di caro e sano divano, su cui ho consumato una manciata di puntate di una nuova serie televisiva con il fantastico Kevin Spacey: House of Cards, da seguire tutta d’un fiato.

 

Insomma, in pochi giorni sono riuscita a fare un bel po’ di cose e liberarmi della mia vecchia attitudine tutta italiana del fare poco, dove tutto si concentra intorno al bere un caffe’, andare a trovare un amico, parlare di tutto e di niente e magari cucinare qualcosa di semplice insieme.

 

Se c’e’ una cosa della mia vecchia vita di cui sento la mancanza e’ il non senite la pressione costante di fare cose, vedere gente, provare il nuovo ristorante/bar/teatro o vedere la mostra di cui tutti parlano.

Oggi si ritorna al lavoro, ma piano piano. Per fortuna in ufficio c’e ancora un po’ di cioccolato pasquale con cui darsi la carica.

 

 

 

 

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/malglam/6216989625/”>malglam</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

 

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/8413997112/”>garryknight</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;

 

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The RCA secret freeze – aka postcard sale

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by italiangirlinlondon in Art and Design, Lifestyle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

architects, Grayson Perry, Guardian, Postcards, RCA, Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:humour42:2060091494:

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:humour42:2060091494:

The secret postcard sale at the RCA is an exhibition and sale of postcard-sized artworks by a mix of acclaimed artists and graduates of the Royal College of Art. What is the Secret? Until the cards are purchased, the identity of the artist remains unknown. Cards cost £45 each and each person can purchase a maximum of four. Profits go to the RCA. People queue up and sleep outside the exhibition to get a chance to put their hands on a Yoko Ono, Grayson Perry or Tracey Emin. If they don’t manage to, they can always say that is was only a postcard.

 

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:nozomiiqel:291324648:

http-::www.flickr.com:photos:nozomiiqel:291324648:

Just over a week ago I waited, I froze, I did it.

Despite doing my homework – viewing the postcards the week before, on a bright Sunday afternoon, selecting 60 favourites and getting in the queue by 8 am on Saturday morning – I found the whole experience painful and a bit disappointing. By the time I got there I realized that I was inexorably late.  In the courtyard of the Dyson building there were about 20 tents and more or less 150 plus people were standing ahead of me, inside and outside the building. They were all far ahead of the game.

I had a thermos of tea, a very buttery croissant and the Saturday edition of the Guardian. Three things that usually make me very happy on an average Saturday morning. Three things that I usually consume in bed, or sitting at a table, or in a café’ whilst I do people watching. They didn’t make me happy this time.

 

It rained, it snowed, and the ice (word was never more appropriate) on the cake was an incessant artic wind, with peaks of very high intensity.

I felt very sorry for the young architects that joined in wearing totally inappropriate clothes, plim sole shoes. Were they maybe thinking that the Freitag bag would be protective against adverse weather conditions? Or the Brompton bike would work as a wind screen?

 

I managed to get only one of my favorite postcards. It is now sitting happily by the windowsill, in a beautiful frame. It makes me feel proud, as I made my contribution to raise more than £120,000 for a fund that will support emerging artists from the RCA. Will I do it again? I do not think so. There are plenty of art fairs and pop art galleries around the world where you can buy affordable art. I will go there next, or commission one of the very talented emerging artists that graduated from RCA in the past decade and haven’t made it yet.

http-www-flickr-comphotoshumour422059311261.jpg

http-www-flickr-comphotoshumour422059311261.jpg

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