London pecularities

What I appreciate in London the most, is that unless you really don’t want to, you can feel in this absurdly vast city as if you were in one of those countless little villages all across the UK. In urban planners stroke of genius London doesn’t have the area that could be called “the city center”. At least in a common meaning. This should probably be regarded as one of the most important, single decisions that influenced any city. The second one is the idea of a very simplified, colorful plan ignoring topographical “details” of the city, commonly known as the tube map.

Dean's Yard, Westminster

When you are in London for the first time, you can be astonished by two, very closely related (at least in metrical manner) facts: 1) there are tents in front of the Parliament and 2) Big Ben isn’t actually as big as they say. I’d call it rather Just Ben. Or maybe Fat Ben. Though definitely there’s nothing Big in it.

People on the Parliament Square

I believe that Londoneers treat those activist people in tents rather as an interesting detail of the city, than real World Changers. I asked one of the activists for how long she has been living on the Parliament Square and she told me that she’s been living there for almost 10 years! She also told me, that most of the squatters there are paid by the government, which apart from money, provides them with drugs and alcohol. Why? So that they have poor public image, which is good for the government. Hmm... Conspiracy theory?

I would have serious doubts if I have spent 10 years of my life in a tent in the center of a city and it didn’t change anything that I fought for. Apparently this is not the way. On the other hand, I have seen the very same way of fighting for the Cause in Lebanon. 

Tents in the middle of Beirut, Lebanon

Fighter for the Cause, Tyre, Lebanon

When it comes to ideas which have no common sense, however harm no one and can be simply ignored, at this very moment London’s number two, just after the mentioned tents, is my absolutely favourite installation in Tate Modern.

Ai Weiwei - Sunflower Seeds, Tate Modern

100 000 000 sunflower seeds lying in the Turbine Hall. If it were real sunflower seeds it wouldn’t be so much of a fun. We’re talking here about 100 000 000 handmade, porcelain sunflower seeds! This is something worth calling Contemporary Art!

Home's photos, Tate Modern