Head Space Daily Words...

We’re a week on now from that incredibly awful night in Paris, which feels so unreal that you almost have to double take to remind yourself that it actually took place. The events that unfolded were like scenes from one of those gruesome gun laden computer games but this was not fiction. A lot has happened in the seven days since. At 11am on Monday, a work colleague and myself shared in the minute’s silence, broadcast live from Paris on the BBC. A football match, which personally I felt should have been cancelled, was played at Wembley between England and France. Some things are greater than football and I feel the sport should have bowed its head respectfully and called it off. The best reaction came on Monday when Paris stuck up two defiant fingers at the terrorists as citizens went out en masse to pack their cafes and restaurants, taking to twitter, spreading the hash tag “je suis en terasse.” This was followed on Tuesday by what seemed the equivalent of an old style Western shootout meets Homeland, as several of the terrorists were shot dead in another scene that felt like it was stolen from the realm of fiction. My eldest son informed me during the week that the Isis group of terrorists aren’t real Muslims, as the Koran says that if you murder a fellow human being, it is as if you have killed mankind and is strictly forbidden. He is a wise lad. Last Saturday I went to the Royal Academy with my youngest son to see the Ai WeiWei exhibition. After the events of the previous day it was good to get some inspiration from someone who has spent his life fighting injustice. I’ve just been watching the Mercury Music Prize and the guy who won, Benjamin Clementine (see HSD Tune,) an artist I have never heard of, gave a very emotional speech, having lived in Paris for several years. His music sounds like it will be worth a listen. Art and music help to make sense of what life throws at us. Lets see what the coming week has in store...

Head Space Daily Image...

The Ai WeiWei exhibition at the Royal Academy, a study in standing up for what you believe in, is well worth getting along to if you get the opportunity...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Mercury Music Prize winner Benjamin Clementine with a song called London accompanied by a video shot in Paris...

Benjamin Clementine - London

Head Space Daily Words...

I went to Tate Modern yesterday to see the World Goes Pop, an exhibition which focusses on the global impact and use of Pop Art as a medium and there is not a Warhol or Lichtenstein in sight!! The art was produced to make political comment and the very first piece, which you see to your left as you enter the exhibition, by Polish artist 'Jurry' Zielinski, is a statement of intent.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an exhibition of a friend's paintings at a gallery called Studio 1.1 on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch and as I walked around the rooms of the World Goes Pop exhibition, I thought how cool it would be to see my friend's paintings hanging at Tate Modern. You never know, it might happen one day. One of her paintings sits proudly on the main wall of our dining room, (see HSD Image.)

My friend was displaying work, along with another artist, in a show called 'Off Line On Line' and this series of paintings, which follow phases of night time, were described by the journalist Jessica Lack as encapsulating "that moment of anxiety and dislocation that occurs at night." These words made me think immediately of Lapalux and how the music of his latest album Lustmore makes me feel, stuck in that in between space, the void between night and day. In April I wrote a review of Lustmore and said that it "is best played late at night, as it captures a slightly twisted, dream like state," which I think is what Jessica Lack was getting at and possibly what my friend is trying to convey in her art. 

Seeing her art and practice evolve and develop is a beautiful thing and you can check it out for yourself here:

Miranda Boulton

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A Miranda Boulton original at the On Line Off Line exhibition...

A Miranda Boulton original hanging on our dining room wall...

Head Space Daily Tune...

A multi layered dreamscape by Lapalux...

Lapalux - Midnight Peelers

Head Space daily Tune...

Five Stairsteps and Cubie - Stay Close To Me

This is my latest Northern soul purchase. A real uplifting, brilliant slice of soul, sure to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step...

Head Space Daily Image...

Are we located in a quiet country retreat?

No, we are in a West London office complex...

And here is the 123 building on Brick Lane...

Head Space Daily Words...

Head Space Daily has taken a back seat this past few months, due to work, which is a good thing, as you want to be working as a freelancer but life’s little extras have to be put to one side for a while. Working for different companies, in a variety of locations is always an interesting experience, as all companies are very different in all aspects of working life and where they are situated is a key factor.

In July I worked for a company in Shoreditch, which is a twenty-minute train ride from where I live. Shoreditch is one of my favourite places. It has a very old London feel, is defined by the culture of a large Bangladeshi population, and is a centre for creativity and technology - a classic London area of extreme diversity, where old meets new. Being disengaged in Shoreditch is not an option. Just open your eyes.

Following this spell out East, I ventured West to Kensington, for a week, which has a completely different feel. Unlike Shoreditch, it is an area that is dripping in money. The people are different; they have a certain look to them, possibly from the self-confidence which money and security bring. Incredibly expensive sports cars roll down the streets, not necessarily to look flash but because that is the way it is. This is not a problem, just different. Another mentality exists, people wear more expensive threads, they speak differently. Many inhabitants of Kensington will have received a certain type of education - that the majority of the population don’t have access to – that only money can buy. Personally I prefer the sense of community in Shoreditch but I imagine if you are settled in Kensington, you will feel you have a community spirit there – although from my experience of the place, it would be a less diverse and imaginative community. It is what you are used to but put it this way; I wouldn’t want to live in Kensington even if I was a millionaire – not that I dislike the area – it is just not me. I wouldn’t feel comfortable living there and I’m sure someone from Kensington would feel the same way about living out East, or in my case, South East. Like all areas of London though, Kensington is different and interesting and this is what makes the city continually exciting. It is always a pleasure to spend time working in Kensington but it is a different world.

Next up, for three months, I was located in a custom-built office complex in Chiswick. Designed by the architect Richard Rogers, on first view Chiswick Park appears to be a functional, fairly soulless, flat pack steel and glass workspace. After spending a lengthy amount of time there, you can see that a lot of thought has gone into making ‘The Park’ something more than a mere office location. The site has been extensively excavated and meticulously landscaped. The focal point and centrepiece is a water feature. A waterfall freely flows from a raised pool into a lower pool, which runs the length of the upper complex. Huge orange fish, which I am guessing are koi carp, swim around with their ginormous sad mouths glumly opening and closing. A wooden bridge crosses the water, giving you the chance to pause and take in the waterfall, which provides a naturally soothing sound - amongst the steel and glass - and is a pleasant noise to hear on a work break. There are some pretty amazing fully grown trees which have been transplanted on to the site, whilst massive rocks further add to the landscaped features. There is also a sports area, where games of netball played out throughout the summer months and bands performed during lunch hours. Events are run, such as a slightly random Alice in Wonderland day where girls dressed as the Queen of Hearts would skip over to ask if you knew the whereabouts of the The Mad Hatter, whilst staff from the offices glided on the water in novelty pedalos.

On a hot day, as the earth’s rotation causes the sun to drift across the sky, big yellow canopies are lowered to shield the office blocks’ windows from the suns glare. No doubt the task of lowering the canopies is looked after by members of the on site staff – a lively bunch of employees who wear yellow t-shirts or jackets with the words ENJOY – WORK emblazoned across the back, like a command to everyone who reads it. I wonder if they report you for not indulging in full work enjoyment?

It is easy to be cynical. This location is a contrived, sanitised, artificial set up but it is really well done and absolutely works. In fact work in general is fairly contrived, so the complex is only reflecting what it is there to support. Huge trees, not typical to the area, with enormous rocks and a freely flowing waterfall haven’t evolved naturally in West London but have been carefully planned and manufactured to produce an effective location in which to set a working environment. Great effort has gone in to the design and construction of the place to create a real sensory diversion from the daily grind and for people to be able to enjoy a breather from the office in positive surroundings.

Following my time out west, I went full circle and ended up back in Shoreditch for a week – exactly where I had started, finishing a journey which will hopefully be repeated.