London Day Two 9/1/2018 Hetchless

September 1, Saturday

Another H-less day (or “hetch-less, as the Brits would say). Decided not to spend a lot of time dealing with this issue and losing time with Apple here in London. I made an appointment with the Emeryville Apple store for Wednesday evening (We arrive Wednesday mid-afternoon). I’m bracing for the worst – in that I will need to give up the computer for two or three days (ridiculous!). Fortunately I still have my previous MacBook Pro..

So we began Saturday with another Ottolenghi brunch. I stuck with the shaksuka; Mike ventured into their muesli which was filled with exotic seeds and fruits. Tried two other juices. And then he headed to meet Lara and Elliot to see several counsel housing projects (affordable housing, government-subsidized), and I did a bit of work and then headed to the Photographers Gallery near Oxford Circus. The tube was totally packed (like rush hour in NY). They had an exhibit of about 40 very large scale color photos and two multi-screen short films by Alex Prager –  whose work cuts across art, fashion, photography, and film – with lots of melodrama within the subject matter. Maybe a cross between Dianne Arbus and Cindy Sherman? The focus of this show was “crowds” and if I understood the methodology, she stages the photos very carefully rather than using documentary approaches; still the imagery is very narrative.

From there, I walked a bit and then hopped on to the tube and got off at one or two random stops to see different neighborhoods. I decided to go west, since in my many trips to London I tend to focus central and east.. and maybe a little southeast. West London is generally spiffier and wealthier and traditionally East London was kind of gritty. But in the classic sense of current times, East London’s history and less wealthy past has given it a unique character, and of recent has become quite trendy. Sort of the Manhattan/Brooklyn phenomena or the San Francisco/Oakland scenario. So, East London now has so many great restaurants, chic hotels, and pricey housing it is indeed forcing out those who have lived in the area for decades. Anyway, I’m far more familiar with the Central area and the East side, than with the west.. although I have stayed a few times in the west.

Anyway, I thought I’d check out some West London swanky areas. Eventually, I walked all through Holland Park – a delightful mile or so stroll on a gorgeous day. The walk through the park terminates at the Design Museum (wasn’t my destination, but I decided to take a peak inside). The museum was originally located in an old banana warehouse on bank of the Thames. I had visited it about 10 years ago. The building had been converted beyond any recognition of its origins. It had a “Design Museum Tank” space as I recall. The new building is in the Kensington neighborhood.

It’s only about two years old, very contemporary and the space is largely open; with this new location, it is close to the V&A Museum, the Serpentine Gallery and other cultural institutions. From there I walked a bit on Kensington High all the way to Lancaster Gate and then circled back to Holland Park and walked back through the park (uphill) to the tube. Getting those daily miles in!

Returned to the hotel with just enough time to freshen up and head for a snack at the Green Room at the National Theater (a bit of a mess up because it turned out that our tickets were not for the National Theater, but rather for the Playhouse Theater which is about a 10 minute walk further) before heading to see “The Jungle” (with Lara and Elliot) – a truly powerful depiction of life in the now-bulldozed Calais migrant camp. The theater is transformed so that some audience members sit among the “migrants” and it is often difficult to determine who the actors are and where they are. Apparently the playwrights had previously performed some theatrical productions for the migrants in the camp. A portion of the tickets are given to migrants free of charge. The Jungle starts with an ending. 

As the show begins, an eviction notice (one of many) has been served on the residents of the camp and there is a lot of commotion. The play documents the complex story of the migrants as they organize, resist, and attempt to escape the past as they all desire to reach the UK.  The play is set inside the restaurant of one of the Afghani refuges within the camp.  The three-hour play (didn’t feel that long at all!) was riveting and emotional and managed to unwrap the really complex story of the migrants, evictions, the lack of government intervention (except for police) – even by the left in France – and also of the do-gooder, “progressive” Brits from NGOs who come to help but whose value (and different view of what is needed) is quite questionable — even though their intentions were positive. The irony was the amazing “organizing” capacity of the refugees (without the help of the well-educated NGO leaders and the residents’ interestingly global perspective and capacity to bring equity to their diverse backgrounds. 

After three hours, we headed to Soho House for a very late dinner (steak tartare, frites, and lamb chops; ended with crème brulee and pot au crème)… We waddled to our hotel at 2 am.

More tomorrow.

Fern