Trade Routes

Trade Routes is an exhibition at the Piccadilly branch of Hauser and Wirth.  According to the gallery the exhibition:

"presents a diverse picture of where [these] trade routes stand in today’s globalised society through the lens of 15 artists."

Triptychs from the 'Food for Thought' series by Maha Malluh.  The tapes are all of sermons and they are distributed from Saudi Arabia to the Middle East and Africa.

Slipper by Hassan Sharif which represents the evolution of the United Arab Emirates from a nomadic to a consumer society.

From the series 'Les Maitres Invisibles' by Rachid Koraïchi.

Fatima Al Qadiri & Khalid al Gharaballi - Mendeel Um A7mad.  This video was about the Kuwait ritual of pre-noon tea called Chai Dahaha.

Other works in the exhibition

Ground floor
Bettina Pousttchi - Piccadilly Windows
Monir Farmanfarmaiain - Installation of Seven Elements
Bharti Kher - Not all who wander are lost
Alighero Boeti - Mappa
David Zink Yi- Neusilber
Lee Xe - Bardo

Mezzanine
Gülsün Karamustafa - Double Jesus and the Baby Antelope

Upstairs
Soubodh Cupta - Untitled
Adel Abidin - Three Love Songs

Vault Room
West Shawky - Al Araba al Madfuna

More information can be found on the gallery website: http://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/1773/trade-routes/view/

Scare devil

From the Nicobar Islands.  This wooden and cloth fellow would have been placed outside a house in order to stop bad spirits coming in.

At the Maritme Museum.

Sweet things in Whitechapel

I bought a couple of delicious Indian sweets whilst walking though Whitechapel.  Sooo good! And there's lots of places you can buy them.

Supreme Courts of the World

There is currently a small display at the Supreme Court in Parliament Square about how Supreme Courts compare to each other and to the UK systems in 9 different countries around the world.

Ravi Shankar in Euston

My trip to Ravi Shankar vegetarian South Indian restaurant ended with my friends humming Unchained Melody and swaying from side to side whilst the waiters took it in turns to rub my leg.

Fortunately there is a good explanation:

1. We had a delicious meal - ordered lots of dishes which we shared and I had a brilliant rose flavoured icre cream drink with basil seeds and vermicelli called Falooda.
2. The dishes and plates got very hot.
3. The tables had just been repainted.
4. Either due to 2 or not the paint was wet on the table leg and ended up all over my trousers.
5. The waiters tried to get the paint off.
6. My friends thought this was funny. Hence the romantic humming.

I also discovered that there are quite a few other Indian restaurants in this area which I hadn't realised.

Ethical shopping

Ganesha in Covent Garden and on the Southbank have a range of fairly traded products sourced from India such as bags, jewelry and greetings cards, several of which have been created using recycled materials. 

www.ganesha.co.uk/

The Dishoom Chowpatty Beach Bar

I was telling my friend about a cool place I'd been to last week but had no idea how I'd got there from the roof garden bar at the South Bank centre and he did at one point suggest that I'd imagined the whole thing.

http://dishoom.com/2011/04/the-dishoom-chowpatty-beach-bar-may-sep/

Well here it is, the Dishoom Chowpatty Beach Bar. With fantastic views across the Thames, a relaxed vibe and what I found the most exciting at the time (having had rather a lot of rose wine) blackboards in the bathrooms to write messages on and a brightly coloured bar front.  Hurry there as soon as there's a day of sunshine.

Brick Lane

Country: India
Cost: varies
Location : Aldgate East

No doubt Brick Lane is not the best place to in London to get an authentic curry but it's a good night out strolling down the street as the guys on the doors try to entice you into their restaurant with special offers.

There's also the Big Chill part of the way along the street and I'm sure plenty of other places to go out to afterwards.

Bollywood in Piccadilly Circus

Country: India
Location: Piccadilly Circus
Cost: around £10 per ticket

If you want to watch a Bollywood movie you can't get more central than Piccadilly Circus' Cineworld in the Trocadero Centre on Shaftsbury Avenue.

www.cineworld.co.uk


I saw Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tk4DtG_iEs

London Mela

Countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Cost: Free
Location; Gunnersbury Park
Event Frequency: Annual in August (location may change in 2011)

Broadcast on BBC Asian Network this was one of my favourite events of 2010.  It'a huge event, with several stages, a funfair, loads of stalls, celebrities and things going on. 

www.londonmela.org/mainstage.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51inq-pMBAg (Begali Remix of Mumzy Stranger's Fly with Me)

Next year I'm going to go with a big group of friends and dance til my feet hurt.