What happens when you meet your HERO?

Today I had a really good day! :)
Enjoyed the Norwegian very much, however it is getting much harder now. After the class, our routine is to go for a drink and talk about life with my friend...
Usually we always go to a different pub/bar, but this time wanted to go back to one, where we have been before...and what a good choice. We entered and I immediately recognised a familiar face in the crowd...Yes it was Mr Simon Reeve, whom I mentioned already in an earlier post. My all time Hero! My travel inspiration! The man who travelled the world and not only showing the beauty of this world but getting involved in current issues of the visited countries. Bringing it to our attention through interviews or through smart and dangerous adventures with locals. He really tries to show what is happening beneath the surface...what the real affairs are...and all this, broadcasted on BBC through his gentle and easygoing style...

But what happens when you meet him in real life? He is just as easy going and accommodating as usual on telly...but on the contrary I had a brainfreeze...I got so excited that I was not capable of saying to him all I wanted...and how much I adore him because of how he does what he does!
I have seen so much of his shows and learnt so much about those countries...and yet I was kind of only able to repeat what he said to me!

Anyway if his bosses read this! Definitely more shows need to be commissioned!!! I want to explore more countries through his eyes and passion!

Simone Reeve travelling in Lybia. Source: here.

Have you ever met any of your heros? :)

Borondo's Exhibition: London RexRomae Gallery Shoreditch 2015

One of the many instagram users I follow, last week posted a prompt to Londoners or to those liking street art to visit Gonzalo Borondo's topnotch exhibition in RexRomae Gallery in Shoreditch.
I could not attend the opening on the 5th February, but yesterday I managed to visit it.

I was intrigued to see it as I knew some of his works in London huge murals in Hackney or the windows painted and then scratched back to shape a figure. I wanted to see what the concept will and how they will manage to pull an exhibition together of a street artist.

In my interpretation it examined the connection between human and the nature! How the two behave with each other, what sort of relationships can exist between the two: love as owning a dog? Sport like hunting? Or fashion and following the masses wearing animal furs around our neck? Or does it show our inner soul depicting our destiny and personality? Just think about the zodiacs! Or the evolution? How will it change?

The installations gripped very well the essence of it!

When we entered, the first hall was covered in woodchip with a message about what the 'Animal' concept symbolised for Borondo and his fellow artists - Carmen Maín, Edorardo Tresoldi and Despina Charitonidi. (sound by Jerome Tcherneyan)

Then you entered the 2nd hall through a passage of trophies made out of clay and wood, pretty impressive.

In this 2nd room we could see some of the windows. They were painted and carved on both sides with white and in the back with brown which added extra effects when playing with lights. In the end you could see the image what you would see first, then if you look deep enough, beneath the surface...the image on the wall created by the light rushing through the 2 layers was something else...something profoundly meaningful in searching the relationship between human and animal.

Things are often not what they appear to be....can you see it?

(click on images to zoom)

In the next rooms joint installations: The Order: Control, Fear & Captivity were on display.

CONTROL

FEAR

CAPTIVITY

ETERNAL

ALBEARE

***

The paintings were left for the final hall. They describe who we are as human; either embracing or destroying our surroundings and past.

I haven't seen such a great exhibition in a long time! It really had a message to the people leaving behind lots of thoughts, questions and maybe to realise that we might be on the wrong path.
The set up and order was very well prepared as well and loved the playfulness of the lights and windows...I spent sometime just observing people and realised not everyone recognised that there is another image within the same image if we looked behind.

Open until 28th February 2015.

First Selfridges Shopwindows in 2015 - Bright Old Things

Yes! By now you might know that I always post the beautiful, sometimes quirky and edgy, but always novelty, elegant and artsy shop windows of Selfridges.

Finally I am through the exam, so had a little time to take some photos of them, however I think they are on display only in January and a new one will take over soon.

This year instead of the annual Bright New Things they have come up with the idea of showing what older people can do, hence the theme is now Bright Old Things!