London in September

Regular readers of the blog will know that we were away in London and then Paris. Here is some of what we found in London. 

Pillar by HepworthAlways something new to see in the capital, this time we packed two days with visits to galleries and shops, restaurants and events. If you have a chance, get to the Barbara Hepworth at Tate Britain to see the hospital drawings and the textile pieces. We love Pillar (left), woven by Edinburgh Weavers, which came from the website venetianred.net. (By the way, have a look at their page for more inspiration!)

Our visit coincided with Africa Utopia at the South Bank Centre. Bright fabric colours, great atmosphere, food from across the continent, and brilliant music, especially from the Chineke! Junior Orchestra who were playing in the Clore Ballroom when we visited. 

But the highlight of the whole visit must surely be one which was completely unplanned. Walking along the Thames to Tate Britain, we spied something on the banks. 

Jason deCaires Taylor's horses and riders

Coming closer we found a series of sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor; four riders seated on horses, the heads of which are oil pumpjacks, those nodding machines which pump oil out of the ground. Every day the sculptures are submerged by the tide in the river, disappearing and remerging, a warning and comment on climate change. We visited the sculptures three times...