Tibetan Tea Party

 What a find!
I was in a second hand bookshop in Clapham and picked this up: 'The High Road to China'.

Kate Teltscher writes about the first British expedition to Tibet in 1774, based on letters and documents from that period. British traders were hoping that by establishing stong link with the Panchen Lama in Tibet, they would be able to open relations with China. Fascinating to read about the first impressions of a new and foreign country and to see how a remarkable friendship between men from two very different cultures was made as a result of a daring trip across some of the harshest terrain in the world.

I like the review from the NY Times - 'Tibetan Tea Party'.

The closest I have been to Tibet is the city of Xining in North West China. It's the capital of Qinghai Xining means 'Peace in the West' and has an average altitude of 2,200 m. With a large Tibetan Community, it also has a Tibetan Market which I went to a few times. 


Monk next to 'taxi'



Carpet Shop in Tibetan Market

I suppose 250 years does bring a few changes..... but maybe some of the things I saw this year in Xining are similar to the things the people on the expedition came across on the first journey in the 1770's. The thick wool clothes, yak wool objects, yak butter and milk.

Now I want to find out more about Tibet. I really don't know much about the country. Except that it is has the Dali Lama, is really high altitude, freezing and difficult to access and has troubled relations with its neighbours.
Next year I might be able to visit friends who live in Tibet.

That will be a real adventure!

Chongqing Blues

I saw 'Chongqing Blues' yesterday, shown at the ICA as part of the London Film Festival.

The film is about a father who returns to Chongqing, having been at sea for 14 years. He wants to find out about his son who was killed in a hostage crisis and he is persistant in getting the answers he needs. Moving and reflective of the ordinary day to day life of the the middle-aged and the younger generation in Chinese cities- and of the widening gap between how each generation lives.

I understood about one in every ten words however: they weren't speaking the phrases I'm learning, funnily enough! But I could pick out bits and pieces which is more than I used to be able to do. That's some progress at least.

 I loved seeing shots of Chongqing, having stayed there a few years ago - still as overcast and smoggy as ever though. I recognised the rickety old cable car and the uber-modern, speedy overground train on the single track rails that weave between the skyscrapers. Of course so much has been bull-dozed since I went in 2005.

So here are pictures of things I saw which no longer are there, starting with the balcony of a tea room. I spent a wonderful afternoon with a friend, drawing and drinking tea: it got topped up every now and then by a man walking around with a small teapot, which had a long narrow spout.  He poured it from quite a distance but never missed the cup. I drew a lot and a trio of cute excitable little children gathered around to see what I was doing. I was trying to draw fish but they thought they looked like crabs. So much for my beginner chinese brush painting! It was fun having a go.

The Old Bird Market



Still-life artist in studio

The lovely peaceful old established artists' quarter had so many studios and old buildings with courtyards and trees, all carefully looked after. We freely wandered in and out of the studios. This particular artist in the photograph painted me a chicken when my friend told him I was an artist and just gave it to me. He specialised in painting animals and nature. He said, 'We artists like to give eachother gifts'.

I had seen some of the paintings there a few months earlier in the British Library: an exhibition of Chinese etchings and prints. So it was really really special to see them here in their studios, working away.

The artists' community was bull-dozed only two months after I visited, to make way for the ninth bridge over the main river. Apparently the artists were moved to some new tower block.

Now I really do have the Chongqing Blues, thinking about what has gone. I just hope the soul of the place and people haven't been bull-dozed too.

Forging Ahead

Bowl and spoon made at Howard Fenn and Steve Wager's Studio in the fabulous Vanguard Court, Camberwell today. What a fantastic day in the forge. Feel ready to tackle anything now (almost!)

Upstairs at the Ritzy

 'the freaking awesome and beautiful Ruby and the Vines show us their Afro rock madness' .....

....was sadly cancelled this evening! The singer has tonsilitus:(

But the venue is still a great one, even without the live band and we had a good time anyway. Just didn't stay so late. Which is probably good as I've got a silversmithing course all day tomorrow (can't wait!)

Looking forward to returning to Upstairs at the Ritzy to hear Robin Le Remi (et ses quelques copains de chanson) for some French-style singing - Piaf and Gainsbourg, amongst others, apparently.

Let's hope they're alright on the night!

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/About_Us

China/Sweden parcels

Christmas has come early. Or is it late birthday?

I've just received two parcels in the post: an order of hundreds of paper cut outs from Emma in Kunming: butterflies, flowers, goldfish and birds so I can make my cards. Then I had a delivery of lots of tea and chocolate (late birthday present) from Lina on Gotland Island, Sweden.

So happy! Thanks Emma and Linaxxx

Will be trying out the tea asap.

But probably the chocolate will be first:)

Forest Day

From tree trunk to spoon: here's how....

Thanks to the marvellously talented Nic Webb http://www.nicwebb.com/ in his studio in Vanguard Court, Camberwell.

I can totally recommend this, it's like spending a day in a forest in the centre of London - good food, good company and what a result!

Slaughterhaus

I had an afternoon of inspiration yesterday with a friend, also a designer, looking at some of the workshops and studios in Lambeth http://www.lambethopen.com/.

We made it to the much talked about Papered Parlour http://www.thepaperedparlour.co.uk/ ,

'Clapham's best kept secret', and we weren't disappointed.

I have to say it really is every bit as good as the website shows. A hub of creativity, offering masterclasses in millinery, screen printing, dressmaking, quilting, photography, silversmithing, and more, with their finger on the pulse of what people want to do in the world of crafts and arts. The venue is lovely and we had a warm welcome, chatting with various people. We had to try out the cakes (delicious raspberry and coconut) drank tea out of vintage cups (water from a lovely duck egg blue antique urn which infortunately didn't heat up the water enough, and tea has to be hot!) and my friend chatted to one of the founders about her workshops.

My other favourite Lambeth workshop has to be Slaughterhaus Print Workshop, just round the corner from where I now live. It is so new, it hasn't got a website yet, but I immediately loved it, the equipment, layout and what they will have on offer in workshops over the next year - for beginners and for experienced artists. I'm sure I'll be trying out the drawing workshops and may do some printmaking, which I haven't done for such a long time. I think this will be a bit of a creative gem in Stockwell. Will post up website when it's up and running!

It is right at the back of the studios on 119 Hackford Road (off Hackford Walk) and it reminded me of M50 Art Community in Shanghai which I visited a couple of years ago. M50 http://www.m50.com.cn/en/about_m50.asp is a thriving artists' quarter and one of the most well-known creative spaces in Shanghai. A whole area full of old warehouses turned into studios. Hackford Road Studios are of course smaller than the Shanghai artists' quarter :), but it reminded me of M50.

Our own Vanguard Court in Camberwell is a wonderful working artists' community packed full of talent, including Flux Studios http://www.fluxstudios.org/ : wouldn't it be wonderful if Vanguard Court became as established as the one in Shanghai.