Out/About

Some things I've seen and eaten in the last couple of weeks. 

Ron Mueck show at Hauser and Wirth

Slow-cooked miso marinated pork belly at Akasiro in Chinatown. Lovely, especially when paired with hot steamed rice.

Insanely detailed chocolate creations at Choccywoccydoodah in Fouberts Place. 

 

Be warned - enter with your sweet tooth in tow. My friend Sheree and I shared the peanut butter milkshake and chocolate sundae between us - a dastardly concoction of chocolate ice-cream, whipped cream, brownie, fudge, some kind of berry jam-like thing, as well as plenty of chocolate buttons and who knew what else. We had to admit defeat about three-quarters of the way through. The milkshake tasted like a cold, soft Snickers bar (if you like that sort of thing, which I do), and went down slightly easier, but we still left without finishing the whole thing.

St. Paul's looked lovely in the last light of day. 

Giant Cat Project Exhibition Opening

The Giant Cat Project exhibition and auction officially opened on Monday night in St. Botolph's Church, beside Aldgate Station. The eponymous Giant Cat is the first thing to greet you as you step inside the church. 

 

Anne and Petra worked hard all day setting it up, and the donated items all looked beautiful together by the time I got there at 6pm. The warm interior made a perfectly cosy retreat from the drizzle outside. 

Cat Mask by Saskia 'Wild' Doornbos and Graciela Abicher

Cat Tapestry Skirt by Ali Wall

Hummingbird Bakery provided lots of cupcakes, and there was plenty of wine, coffee and tea too. 

The exhibition will be open til the end of this week, so do drop by for a look if you're in the area. The auction will end on Friday, so there's plenty of time to put in a bid if something catches your eye. You can also pop in to stroke the Giant Cat and pose for pictures with it too!

http://www.giantcatproject.com

The Giant Cat Project

(photo courtesy of the Giant Cat Project blog)

The Giant Cat Project is a fundraising effort in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, in memory of little Maymunah, who passed away aged only 5. Anne Kilroy has asked a number of artists and crafters - including me - to donate cat-themed works for an auction that will help raise money for GOSH. 

Those involved include Kitty Valentine, Mr. Martin, Halo Jones and many others from the Tea Rooms. Aldona and I will also be making a special cushion cover for the auction. An exhibition will be held at St. Botolph's Church, Aldgate High Street, EC3N 1AB from November 7th to 11th. The opening night will be on November 7th, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Do come along then if you can, or visit during the week and see if there are any artworks that you might be interested in. 

 Cat People by Kitty Valentine

Ginger and Me, by Mr. Martin

The Assistant, by me

I'll leave you with a photo of the tireless Anne Kilroy looking cute in her hi-vis vest shaking a bucket beside the eponymous Giant Cat. The Cat was painted and decorated by the young students of Sir John Cass Foundation School. 

The Assistant

New collage for the Giant Cat Project fundraising effort. A framed 8x10 inch print of this will be auctioned off in November, with the proceeds going to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

Antifrozen

This is how I feel right now:

Although, it's probably entirely my own fault. I sent in my application for a spot in the Antifreeze show up in Manchester last month, and then, assuming that I wouldn't get in as usual, didn't do any work for it at all.

And of course, I received an email from the organisers last week telling me that I have been selected to be in the show. Which meant I've only got all of two weeks to make stuff to fill a 5.5m by 2.4m space.

These guys are the only things I've got completed right now. But they're tiny! I should've just made them gigantic, so that they take up all the space which means I won't have to make anything else.

This is just a glimpse at the mess I've got on my 'work' table right now - dissected tardigrades, beads and stuffing everywhere, and blobs of yo-yos all around. I'm doing things to yo-yos that no one else should have to live through. I even have yo-yo dreams at night.

And I really should be looking for somewhere to stay for the weekend that I'll be in Manchester, instead of looking at pictures of coelacanths and mola molas.