Monday 22 August 2011

Yes, it's the South Bank - Van Gogh, Sunflowers, Cycling Lizards and the Eye

No, it wasn't a flat picture. This is a life sized 3D painted SCULPTURE of Vincent Van Gogh and it is based on his own famous self portrait.     I saw it the other day in Gabriel's Wharf, in London's South Bank.   It was really disconcerting, and the reflections in the glass make his head seem a strange shape, which adds to the odd effect.

Gabriel's Wharf is just East of the National Theatre, and is part of the Coin St. development.  The good people at Coin St. were the first to spot the potential of this area.  It's strange to think that others didn't, because these days, the walk from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge is a highlight of any trip to London.

There is so much to look at - from ingenious street entertainers and "human statues" 



to major attractions like the London Eye (which we went on.)



In summer and at weekends there are often festivals and all kinds of free entertainment on the South Bank.  We saw a free street dance class at the National Theatre. You could participate yourself, or else sit on deckchairs or on giant astroturf armchairs


and relax, and/or watch everyone having fun.



The folks at Coin St. spotted the potential of the area when it was semi-derelict, back in 1984.  This was before the developers of expensive restaurants and fancy apartments moved in, and frankly you'd have had to be mad to want to live there in those days, because it was a wasteland of broken down factories and abandoned enterprises. 

The unimaginative plan at the time was to redevelop the riverside site as office blocks (and one or two did get built - they're now dead zones).   But a group of far sighted local people formed the social enterprise and development trust of Coin Street.  They developed a neighbourhood of public housing, with space for families and children to live and play, and with space for small businesses.

Gabriel's Wharf is full of small (and good) craft shops reasonably priced (and fun) places to eat and other things.

And that's great - places like this are always fun to browse around. But what makes this place special is that it's the stretch of riverside which also has many major national entertainment venues and national attractions. As well as the little enclave of Gabriel's Wharf, and the National Theatre, you'll find Tate Modern, The British Film Institute, the South Bank Centre, which is London's major concert hall venues of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room. There are cinemas, including a large IMAX, many renowned restaurants, good eateries and splendid shops, an amphitheatre and ... oh, all kinds of other things, temporary and permanent.   

Very near Gabriel's Wharf, the South Bank Centre is holding its 1951 festival, based around the Festival of Britain. I will try and blog about this later, because it's very interesting - and there's also a very nice gourmet food market currently in residence on the space behind the hall.

Meanwhile, though, their seaside and countryside celebrations include a beautiful temporary garden of fruit and vegetables amidst the concrete canyons by the Hayward Gallery (oh, yes, I forgot to mention that - currently showing one of my un-favourite artists, the self-publicising Tracey Emin, but it does have some spectacular shows at other times) .   In the garden,  I admired the gorgeous double hollyhocks, which seemed particularly beautiful in bright sunshine, as it was a lovely day.


And, since this post started with Van Gogh, here are some sunflowers from that little nearby garrden. 


 You can see Van Gogh's actual sunflower painting in the National Gallery which is not too far away.  Although I love Van Gogh's paintings, I myself prefer real sunflowers.




I think we're very lucky in London to have a space like this, where a short walk along the river can reveal so many new, unexpected and ever-changing delights.

30 comments:

  1. Very strainge this van gogh. Good photos! I like the sunflowers and the second most :)

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  2. We also have a South Bank here in Melbourne. It is one of the first places we saw when we moved to Australia and is one of the reasons I just love the city. Also full of street performers, but no Van Goghs. Wow, I love that picture of him!

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  3. Hello Jenny:
    Yes, we completely agree that the South Bank is a triumph of community development in what would have otherwise been a dismal area. We are great fans of Tate Modern and, when we lived in London, this part of town was a frequent stamping ground for us.However, we have never plucked up courage to go on the Eye but it is much more of a success than The Dome ever was!!!

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  4. Wonderful photos, Jenny! I just love those giant astroturf chairs...so whimsical and fun. The hollyhock is one of my favorites. Thanks for another great tour.

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  5. You are lucky that you can enjoy free entertainments on the street. I didn't know the English name, though many hollyhocks bloom in Japan, too, and I love to see them.

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  6. That looks like an area I could dive into and not resurface for days. Thanks for the tour and the info. You make an excellent guide.

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  7. I know the Coin Street area, and I also known Melbourne's South Bank. Both wonderful places to stroll and watch the sights and the people. I love the statue of Van Gogh and the chameleon(?). We're short of areas like that in Belfast where you can just promenade and enjoy your surroundings. I love Tracey Emin, I don't think she's any more self-publicising than other artists who have to either stand out from the crowd or go unnoticed.

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  8. With a name such as Coin Street, the area would naturally have to become a success. How wonderful that the community was reinvented in such a brilliantly people-friendly way. I love Van Gogh’s sunflowers and his work has always drawn me into his fantastic realms. To see this statue would, indeed, be delightfully disconcerting. :)

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  9. thanks for the wonderful round - it looks like you had fun! the sunflowers are so lovely : )

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  10. I'm really not a fan of van Gogh, but I'd love to see that sculpture - it looks really surreal! :)

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  11. didn't think any londoners actually went on the eye. good on ya.

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  12. Amazing painted 3D sculpture of van Gogh! Never seen this before, amazing idea!

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  13. Thank goodness for little groups of ... "far sighted local people" in the world!! What an enjoyable place to visit.
    I loved looking through your photos and being able to participate in this way :D)

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  14. Great pictures, I think it is appropriate to begin with Van Gogh and end with a sunflower too.

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  15. Ack! A human lizard. I'll stay away from that one, thanks. ;p

    Lovely sunflowers. A sight of them always cheers me up. :)

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  16. Is it wrong to want a miniaure Van Gogh to sit in a corner of my garden???
    Possibly on a small astroturf sofa?

    No seriously.

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  17. @macy - I don't advise a life size one but a little one would be very cute. Someone that lives near us has an astroturf lawn in their front garden. It doesn't look too bad :) @-E- you know what it was the first time I'd ever been on and only did it because we had a guest. it's expensive but you definitely feel like a god surveying the tiny human world below. @nick - you are quite right about Tracey Emin really, I think the truth is that something about her personally pisses me off! @Jane and Lance Hattat, agree about the Dome. The Eye is nice and simple and you know what you're getting but it's still fun.

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  18. Must be so much fun to have such a place nearby! The reptile on the bicycle is out of this world :)

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  19. You're so right, South Bank is a great area with so much to do and your pictures are brilliant. I'm actually just working on some pics from there myself as Dylan and I went last week and he enjoyed the "water rooms"...

    Thanks for your lovely comment, it was really sweet. BTW, I have a little giveaway on my blog, feel free to pop round ;-)

    Have a lovely week xo

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  20. It can be beautiful in London, the whole Island is superb.

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  21. What a fun day! And so much there to take in!

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  22. wow...3d van gogh!!!!...cooolll :)

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  23. thankyou for your comment on pottershousepenketh today...hope the jam goes well...loving the van gogh...my favourite artist of all!!

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  24. A lovely trip around London with you today. I loved the chameleon on his bicycle! A cleverly put together post.

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  25. looks like you had a great day

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  26. Very good pictures. It is so informative and educational.

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  27. Hi, Jenny! What a fun place South Bank is! I’d like to have a bike like that, to ride on London Eye (but wait, isn’t it hot in the capsule in summer?) , or to just sit and enjoy people-watching. Thank you for introducing so many interesting things, Jenny.

    Yoko

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  28. Looks like the perfect place to spend a summer day. It is fun finding outdoor spaces filled with interesting people and things.

    Darla

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  29. I think it's high time I visited London again. And I cannot look at sunflowers without thinking of Van Gogh.

    You asked about Carmel and I posted more of our walks in Carmel-by-the-Sea. We try to visit different Inns each time.

    I am also enjoying getting to know Lewis Carroll through your biography! I've loved Carroll since I first read the annotated Alice as an adolescent (and I'm sure didn't get most of the references back then) and as I've enjoyed his poetry and the books again as an adult. Thank you for shedding new light on him!

    http://thefoolishaesthete.blogspot.com

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  30. oohh, thank you for the memories with this post... I visited London at a difficult time in my life, and it was a soothing time that I remember fondly. Particularly this area, I remember its liveliness, and also a couple of book sellers.

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