REVIEW: WHITECHAPEL GALLERY AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY ADVENT SERVICE

I was being ambitious to say the least. A full day of culture on a Sunday; it's really not surprising there weren't many of you there. I know we're all busy at this time of year - I've taken a month to get this review to you after all - but I am afraid to say, for those of you who didn't make it to Westminster Abbey at 4pm on Sunday 2nd December really, truly, massively missed out.

Wandering around Whitechapel Gallery is easy, just like a Sunday morning should be. It is the perfect size for someone who can't muster the energy for the Vaticans, the Nationals and the Tates of this world. But although it's small, it's brimming with big names. We saw Spazio di Luce, the wonderful bronze and gold leaf tree trunk from Giusppe Penone; we saw dismantled Aspen Magazines from the 60s and 70s (why haven't magazine 'boxes' ever been made since?); we saw Mel Bochner's colourful and powerful word chains; we watched a two-screen film about cultural identity from Matt Stokes; and of course we marvelled at Maurizio Cattelan's weird and wonderful installations from the Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (including the suicidal stuffed squirrel Bidibidobidiboo). The exhibitions all had dimension; they presented us with both a physical and psycological depth, in my opinion often not graspable in older works of art. A direct example of this was earlier in the year at Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 where contemporary artists highlighted deeper meanings in Titian's paintings through their reactions to his works (see REVIEW: THE NATIONAL GALLERY).

After buying a hoard of wonderful postcards (I would highly recommend the Whitechapel Gallery shop for books and postcards), we left some of our vultures in Aldgate to explore the Sunday markets, and the rest of us journeyed on to St. James' for a spot of pub lunch. Westminster Abbey vultures gradually trickled in to the quiet pub one by one, making me feel as though I was attending a secret Hogwarts gathering in Diagon Alley's Leaky Cauldron. 

Arriving 45 minutes before the start of the service, we made our way to the end of the queue that had already formed outside the Abbey. Remembering a pregnant Posh Spice, David Beckham's OBE on the wrong lapel (probably a mirror job - bless) and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson being off her face in line at the Royal Wedding, soon enough our wait was over and we were entering into one of London's most famous treasures...

On entering the Abbey (usually £16 if you aren't there to be godly), we were each given a candle (which was later to be lit by the 'taperer') before being serenaded by Bach on the organ as we made our way to our seats. Soon enough we were lit up and listening to the beautiful all-male Westminster Abbey Choir, consisting of fully grown choristers and what can only be described as little cherubs who must have recently fallen from heaven. The climax of the service was definitely reached with O come, O come, Emmanuel! as the congregation sang and processed to the transcepts of the Cathedral. Newly placed alongside monuments to William Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, we spent the rest of the service inhaling burnt service sheets from two naughty schoolboys in the row behind. The CULTURE VULTURES (I am proud to say) were last to leave the Abbey, making sure we saw as many monuments as we could, as well as attempting to find a vulture's family crest in a side-chapel and then finally testing a poor clergyman on his knowledge of the building's history. Glowing, we made our way back to the pub, where we warmed the cockles of our hearts with mulled cider and mini chedders. I'm sure it's procedure for Westminster Abbey goers to top and tail their visit to the church with a visit to the pub...

So I've said it once, and I'll say it again, the Advent Liturgy at Westmister Abbey was up there with some of life's best experiences to date. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful Autumn/Winter season for CULTURE VULTURES. We'll be back in the Spring...

REVIEW: TOWER OF LONDON

I have to say, hearing a young boy ask his parents 'where are the twin towers?' as I waited for my group at Tower Hill tube station did panic me slightly. I mean, I know the general consensus is that tourists are ignorant, but not this ignorant surely? But as the day went on, I realised that I was just another naive tourist passing beneath the Tower's portcullis. Now I'm not suggesting that I too was expecting New York's World Trade Centre to have sprung from the banks of the River Thames, but on entering the World Heritage Site, I did find myself itching to ask what exactly the Tower of London was used for (and why the hell those massive diamonds are kept here and not at home with me...)

And how would my questions have been answered if it hadn't been for Kevin? We were thrilled to have found ourselves a Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder) to show us around; our evident enthusiasm earning us vultures a gruff 'I like you lot' at the start of the tour. And boy oh boy did we like Kev back. Every five minutes, our wandering attention would be set on the straight and narrow by a single word from Kevin such as 'MURRRDER', 'DEATH' or 'TORRRTURE' being shouted so loudly it even made headless old Ann Boleyn turn in her grave.

Along with telling us that his most frequently asked question is whether any of the Beefeaters are vegetarian, Kevin did disclose some fascinating information. Did you know that after an inquiry carried out under Queen Victoria, they found 1500 bodies buried in a mass grave beneath the tower's chapel, only 350 of which have been recorded? Did you know that the Yeoman Warders all live at the tower with their families and that their yellow, red and navy uniforms are worth £10,000 each? Did you know that if the famous ravens (looked after by the Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster) ever leave the tower, the monarchy and the tower itself will supposedly crumble? And did you know that the job title 'Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster' has to be the bestest job title on earth?

On entering the Bloody Tower (obviously causing much amusement amongst the vultures; sounding more like a tower people are fed up with rather than a torture chamber), we saw torture contraptions with fantastic names like 'The Stretcher' and 'The Scavenger's Daughter'. We learnt that Guy Fawkes had been kept in a room in this tower before he was Hanged, Drawn and Quartered (which involves being hanged, being sliced into four quarters and then having your insides drawn out and distributed to the four corners of the country). Point of information Medieval Period, it should actually be Hanged, Quartered and Drawn, but I guess what it is titled is probably not a top-of-the-list priority when it comes down to it. We then spent some time in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula where three Queens of England; Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey are buried. And from there, we headed to the fairly long but fast moving queue to paradise: The Crown Jewels.

After watching Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation 5 times on repeat and after my mother and a Yeoman Warder had struck up a pretty serious relationship, we made our way to the rocks. Jumping onto a hilarious moving carpet that encouraged a fair few 'could passengers of flight AV354 to London Heathrow boarding at Gate 14 make their way to the gate as quickly as possible' comments, we drifted past crown after crown, diamond after diamond. The damn thing moved so fast, I did five circuits.


Based on sparkliness, there is absolutely no doubt which monarch I would have liked to have been. Not only did George V have a crown studded with 6, 100 diamonds as well as rubies, sapphires and emeralds, but he was also responsible for placing Cullinan I into the Sovereign Sceptre. Listen to me; wannabe director of Garrard much? The Cullinan diamond is the world's largest rough diamond to have ever been found. It was cut into nine smaller stones, the biggest of which (Cullinan I) sits in the Sceptre and weighs 530.4 carats. But George's crown, The Imperial Crown of India, has not been worn since George V complained it was too heavy on his head. With sparkles like that and comments like this, there was no question in my mind which side of the fence George was sitting on. Bad news Mary of Teck...

Gold looks so boring when there are so many rocks knocking about (forgive me father for I have sinned). Its a bit like not wanting Ashton Kutcher because you've got Johnny Depp... if you get me? Having said that, there was a golden vessel that did catch my attention: The Grand Punch Bowl. 1 metre wide and able to hold 144 bottles of wine. And solid gold. Why on earth am I not in the royal family?

Sauntering out of the tower via Henry VIII's armour and a Yeoman Warder who loved having his picture taken so much I'd be surprised if he wasn't auditioning for England's Next Top Model, I felt extremely happy. Not only was the sun shining, but it was 2pm on a Saturday, I had learnt a million and one things already today, and I felt so proud of our country's extraordinary history and unique traditions.

            

So here's what to do: get there on the half hour, nab yourselves a Kevin, and you will come away feeling just how I felt: no one does it like the British...

To buy tickets to the Tower of London, visit: Tower of London

For more information about our wonderful Raven drawer Megan Niven, email culture.vultures@hotmail.co.uk

REVIEW: SUPERHUMAN

Here's a question for you: what's the difference between a bought cake and a home-made one? The answer is the former looks great but tastes horrible, and the latter is a bit rough around the edges, but really hits the spot. This I feel, and agree with me or not, is the perfect analogy for prosthetics limbs...

The i-limb, the most efficiently functioning prosthetic available, fools nobody. The bionic hand on display at Superhuman has the appearance of a robot, yet it is capable of picking up electrical impulses created by contracting muscles, which are then picked up by electrodes in the wrist, before being interpreted by a computer in the back of the hand. On the contrary, the 'realistic' hand which we all got to have a go with (and try out the 'nice to meet you' joke when handing it over to our neighbour) looked like a real hand, but seemed to be about as useful as attaching five sausages to your wrist. It was these two examples of prosthetics that really threw up the question of aesthetics vs. function. Or bought cake vs. home-made cake. I certainly know which one I'd prefer... Whose to say you can't decorate a bionic hand with stick on diamonds and glitter?

Whilst moving from exhibit to exhibit at Superhuman, I was struck with exactly the same feeling as I was during the London 2012 Paralympics: these people aren't striving to fit in, but to fit out (so to speak). It is far more important to emphasise and feel comfortable with these differences than to try and shroud them. My favourite example of this has to be the 'no-nose club' that existed in the 18th Century. It was a monthly gathering for any man whose nose had fallen off as a result of syphilis - a sort of gentlemen's club for the nose-less, from what I gather. Similarly, the children kitted out with artificial limbs after being affected by Thalidomide, the destructive drug of the 50s and 60s, seemed to want to abandon their extremely complex and inefficient prostheses in favour of focusing on the more important things in life at that age, such as preventing oneself from wetting the bed.

Highlighting one's differences was very much a theme of the Wellcome Collection's Superhuman exhibition, and after visiting the 'Superhuman, Superhero' exhibit, I don't blame them. An array of comic books alerted us to the fact that prosthetic limbs do not lie on a plane with the human make-up, but with the Superheroes instead. Just like you may be unable to function without an i-limb, the Iron Man is unable to function without his artificial heart. I couldn't help but feel slightly inadequate. Perhaps Lord Coe should have re-titled the Paralympics, 'The Superhero Games'. Imagine how hard it would have been to get tickets for the Olympic Park if that had happened...

A fascinating installation, kicking up against this concept that we should all be the same, was Regina José Galindo's Recortepor la Linea (or Cut Through the Line). In this, the artist is filmed standing naked, whilst a leading cosmetic surgeon marks on her the changes he would make to her body. With these marks, he strips away all traces of individuality on what is - as myself and another vulture observed - a particularly 'normal' body. Plastic surgery's constant desire for everybody to appear uniform has certainly lead to an exclusion of those of us who are different.

And Superhuman doesn't stop there: athletic supplements (both legal and illegal) are highlighted, as well as the involvement of media and prostheses, with a screening of Matthew Barney's Cremaster 3 being a rare and wonderful addition to the exhibition. And of course, I couldn't write a review without paying respect to the poor elephants, rhinoceroses and walruses who lost their lives in order to supply ivory to the manufacturers of Victorian sexual aids...

For the CULTURE VULTURES amongst Superhuman's exhibition goers, we took ourselves off to feast at the local vegan cafe (slightly going against the usual vulture diet...) and sat ourselves in the sunshine along the banks of London's canal (who knew the Thames had a straight baby brother? Not I) and talked about all things great and small.

Unfortunately Superhuman has come to an end now, but for more information on the exhibition or on the Wellcome Collection in general, do visit the following link: Wellcome Collection.

And if you want to know more about our supertalented artiste Megan Niven, e-mail culture.vultures@hotmail.co.uk

REVIEW: THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Last week, an American lady took a painting that she had purchased for $50 at a flea market to an auction house in Virginia. Experts attributed the painting to Pierre-Auguste Renoir and are expecting to sell it for up to $100, 000 later this month. It's one of those 'why can't this happen to me' episodes isn't it? Well, luckily for me, it did. Two years ago I had much the same experience and discovered that I had an original Jean Cocteau hanging in my bedroom. Nice.
Unfortunately, my painting was nowhere near the 100, 000 mark but that's not the point is it? The point is, so many of us have treasures such as these sitting right under our noses and we don't have the foggiest. The BBC reported the story of the American, noting that 'a Renoir plaque on the frame prompted the woman to have it analysed by a local auction house'. Oh for goodness sake.
In much the same way, CULTURE VULTURES is here to point out some of London's incredibly valuable treasures that you did even realise we had. Cash in the Attic eat your heart out I say.

So surely The National Gallery is an obvious starting block? Having said that, a quick Caravaggio, Lorraine and Holbein hunt at the end of the morning's events were all we got to see of the permanent collection, our focus being very much on the Titian exhibition, the talk on Van Gogh's Sunflowers and the Pret a Manger sandwich selection calling us all across Trafalgar Square. Don't you worry Monet, we'll be back.

Things boding well after some stern words from the barista in the espresso bar about noise levels, we set off through The National's labyrinth of wonderfulness. First to Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 to experience a unique collaboration of three of Titian's masterpieces: Diana and Callisto, Diana and Actaeon and The Death of Actaeon, three modern artists: Chris Ofili, Conrad Shawcross and Mark Wallinger, and the Royal Ballet. Ofili, Shawcross and Wallinger set out to respond to Titian's sixteenth century paintings through art and dance, who was in turn responding to stories from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses, completed in 8AD. So not only do we have all three art forms coming together on the same theme, but three different eras as well; so as an audience, we expect from art what the Romans did.
Titian uses two of Ovid's stories here. The first is of Callisto: a virgin nymph of Diana who, seduced by Jupiter disguised as the goddess herself, fell pregnant. Discovered when she was forced by her companions  (including Diana) to strip and bathe, she was banished from their chaste entourage. The second of the stories is also of Diana, but with Actaeon. In the second painting we see Actaeon coming across Diana and her nymphs bathing in the woods, and in the third painting, Diana transforms the 'voyeur' into a stag.

Titian, unusually choosing the subjects of these paintings himself, was commissioned to make them for Phillip II, the Spanish king. The artworks were hung in a room intended only for men in the kings' private apartments in the royal palace in Madrid. Their theme of eroticism and sexual desire is as clear as crystal, making them easy for modern artists to respond to in our explicitly sexual modern world. Ofili's large, colourful and dynamic canvasses allow us to enter into a world of phalluses, quite frankly. Classicism meets the Caribbean (an original one...) and dominant women take their sexual desire by the horns (or should I say by the penises) whilst submissive woman lean back for their body to be objectified by our glare. One of our wonderful vultures noticed the direction of the paint dripping down the sides of Ofili's canvases; on some, the paint was falling towards the floor, and on others, it was falling towards the wall. Here we have evidence of Ofiili's technique, painting the canvases both on vertical surfaces but also flat on the ground. Both this and the different substances used to prime the canvas allow diversity in Ofili's work. If we take 10 steps back into Titian's chamber, we can see that not only has the artist used sharp and energetic brush strokes in his Death of Actaeon, but he has also used his fingers to paint the canvas. These varying techniques not only allow variety in the paintings, but also continue this theme of sexual desire with tactility and energy in Titian's case, and the change of position with the canvases in Ofili's.

Shawcross also notes Titian's innovative style, impressed by his new brush techniques, the use of his fingers and the soft, shimmering atmosphere he used in later works (ie. the three we are looking at here). He felt a need to innovate also, creating his Trophy from an industrial robot that shines a light onto a wooden antler. Robots are often associated with monotony and controlled, programmed moves, however Shawcross manages to give this sterile piece of metal a personality. Diana shows both vulnerability and dominance in the nature of her movements, of course echoing both her objectification by Actaeon, as well as her powers in transforming him later on (and indeed with her rejection of Callisto). The Metamorphoses is all about dual identity- transforming from one to another - and although it is Actaeon changing from man to beast in this story, Diana not only transforms in attitude, but from Titian to Shawcross in form as well. Highly appropriate for the goddess of hunting, an activity in which there is a constant dominant and a constant submissive (50 Shades of Grey anyone?).

For me, it was Wallinger's response to Titian that ruffled my feathers. It is certainly a far simpler idea than the others, but then I'm a simple person. What you see is what you get with me; and that is why I love Caravaggio. A dark room; a dark shed in the centre; a few peep holes (through shuttered windows/cracked windows/keyholes); a naked girl inside the shed; a bath running; her bathing in it. Wallinger got it just right. We are the voyeurs and she is being objectified by our stare. We are the Actaeon's and she is our Diana; quite literally actually as all of the women taking part in Wallinger's installation are called Diana believe it or not. Thankfully it's dark outside the shed so there's no looking out from her. Negatives: you feel like a complete pervert. Positives: you won't be leaving the National with a pair of antlers on your head.

There really is a sense of sexuality about the whole exhibition: the human sized phalluses from Ofili, the flitting between submissiveness and dominance from Shawcross, and the voyeurism from Wallinger. As we spent our last few moments in the cinema room watching the ballet rehearsals, we realised the eroticism had even followed us in there, with anatomical close-ups of ballerinas and lots of discussions about padding or a lack of it. As one of our vultures pointed out, the artists' costume and set design combined with ballet sequences hark back to the Ballet Russes in the early 20th Century where artists such as Matisse and Picasso designed the same for the Russian ballet company, revolutionising the art scene.

I like to think that Minna Moore Ede, the curator of this exhibition and brain behind the brilliantness, may have a similar impact. Gracing our capital at a time where unity has been the protagonist of 2012 what with the Queen's Golden Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Titian, Ofili, Shawcross, Wallinger and all of those wonderful people at the Royal Ballet School have not seemed to veer off from the theme.


Having rushed to room 45 to make sure we bagged ourselves a seat as close as possible to Van Gogh's Sunflowers, I was asked by one of our vultures how we knew we were facing the right way... I felt reassured that I wasn't the only one in the room who knew very little about Van Gogh. The same vulture later remarked that the speaker herself resembled a sunflower, and I could not have agreed more. Not only did she have an open face and a bright smile, she also turned to talk to the painting which meant, with a Spanish school trip vamos-ing in my right ear, the acoustics weren't their best. My advice would be to get there early for lunch time talks to get a hot seat, but also my advice would be just to get there full stop. She was fantastic. An art dealer, a teacher, a missionary, an artist, anxious, obsessed with Gaugin, self-harming, brother's best friend, Van Gogh (not the lecturer) was a man with many sides (or identities - 'like Diana' I hear you say) and talents. I am not going to attempt to lecture you on what she lectured us, but there were a couple of points I was drawn to.

In a letter to Theo, Van Gogh's best friend and brother, he wrote: 

'I have three canvases going -  1st, three huge flowers in a green vase, with a light background, a size 15 canvas; 2nd, three flowers, one gone to seed having lost its petals, and one a bud against a royal-blue background, size 25 canvas; 3rd, twelve flowers and buds in a yellow vase (size 30 canvas).The last one is therefore light on light, and I hope it will be the best.'

And of course it was. And why did he paint dying flowers? Because how much more variation do you get with dying sunflowers than a bunch that are at their peak? A lot.

Now when Amy Winehouse died last year, for the first time, I heard of the '27 club'. This is a rather morbid club and not one I particularly wish to be a member of, but it is comprised of musicians such as Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison who all died at the age of 27 in relation to drug or alcohol abuse. In no way am I claiming that when Van Gogh committed suicide at the age of 37, he was having beer for breakfast, but I did find it a coincidence that Raphael had also died at the age of 37 and Caravaggio at 39. No relevance whatsoever, just an interesting comparison and a note that the life expectancy of famous artists seems to be falling... watch out Justin Bieber.

Finishing with a picnic by Buckingham Palace, conversations about our morning were had, as well as conversations about our lives, as well as conversations about the topless 70 year old man lying a stone's throw from my king prawn wrap. I can safely say that the first CULTURES VULTURES was a truly wonderful success.

For more information on the National Gallery and its wonderful goings on, visit: The National Gallery
For the extracts from Ovid's Metamorphoses, visit: Metamorphoses

Our wonderful drawing is done by Megan Niven, e-mail culture.vultures@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2012

SATURDAY 8^TH SEPTEMBER – THE NATIONAL GALLERY

v  HOW TO GET THERE:
-   Tube: Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square.
-   Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 87, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176, 453.

v  MEETING PLACE: Espresso Bar. If you go in through the main portico entrance (Trafalgar Square), it is straight in front, towards the back.

v  MEETING TIME: 11.00am – 11.30am.

The National Gallery is home to the national collection of Western European painting from the 13^th to the 19^th Centuries. Apologies for starting with the obvious, but I have purposefully chosen the National as our first visit for the following three reasons:

1. Thought we'd start simple.

2. There is a free exhibition running in the Sainsbury Wing entitled Metamorphosis: Titian 2012. This exhibition is in collaboration with The Royal Ballet, and, as part of the Cultural Olympiad's London 2012 Festival, features work by contemporary artists that 'draws on the powerful stories of change found in Titian's masterpieces, revealing how these spectacular paintings continue to inspire living artists'. This is for those of you who are ultra cultural and bored of the gallery's permanent collection.

3. Between 1.00pm-1.30pm in Room 45, there is a free lunch-time talk on the famous Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh.

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

SATURDAY 6^TH OCTOBER – SUPERHUMAN, WELLCOME COLLECTION

v  HOW TO GET THERE:
-   Tube: Euston Station, St. Pancras, King’s Cross.
-   Bus: 10, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, 59, 68, 73, 88, 91, 134, 168, 205, 253, 390.

v  MEETING PLACE: The Café. There’s only one.

v  MEETING TIME: 11.00am – 11.30am.

Heading to the other end of the spectrum, October’s visit is to the Wellcome Collection. The Wellcome Trust is the world’s largest independent charitable foundation funding research into human and animal health, and its collection explores the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future.

The free exhibition Superhuman ‘takes a broad and playful look at our obsession with being the best we can be’. Other than informing you of the ancient Egyptian prosthetic toe from 600BC, and the Victorian dildo, the website does a much better job of describing the exhibition than I can. Oh, and if we’re lucky, I can try and get us onto a free tour as well.

 http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/superhuman.aspx

SATURDAY 3^RD NOVEMBER – THE TOWER OF LONDON

v  HOW TO GET THERE:
-   Tube: Tower Hill.
-   Bus: 15, 42, 78, 100.

v  MEETING PLACE: Outside the front of Tower Hill tube station.

v  MEETING TIME: 10.00am – 10.30am.

I present you with one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world so prepare yourselves for extortionate numbers of people and extortionate prices for tickets. This is the only fee paying event of the autumn schedule, with adult prices coming in at (she winces) £20.90 on the day or £18.00 in advance. Concession prices are available online. Let’s face it though, The Tower of London isn’t going to get cheaper and 20 quid isn’t bad to explore the Tower, see the Crown Jewels, have a guided tour and talk from a Yeoman Warder (aka Beefeater) and witness live historical re-enactments as well as entry to exhibitions and more.

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

SUNDAY 2ND DECEMBER – WHITECHAPEL GALLERY

v  HOW TO GET THERE:
-   Tube: Aldgate East.
-   Bus: 25, 205.

v  MEETING PLACE: The Whitechapel Gallery Café. On the mezzanine level.

v  MEETING TIME: 10.30am.

Revamped in 2009, Whitechapel Art Gallery is a contemporary institution of art. With no permanent collection, this winter sees an exhibition dedicated to the influential 1960’s magazine: Aspen. Contributed to by figures such as Peter Blake, William S. Burroughs, Ossie Clark, John Cage, Marcel Duchamp, David Hockney, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Aspen was the first magazine to be issued in a box, acting as a time capsule for the period.

As well as this, there will be exhibitions from the following:

- Mel Bochner, one of the founding figures of conceptual art, combining colour and language in his work.
- Giuseppe Penone, an Italian artist who explores our relationship with nature.
- The Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo displaying the work of Maurizio Cattelan, often known as the art world’s joker (memorable works include a sculpture of Pope John Paul II struck down by a meteorite, staging an exhibition of a ‘back soon’ sign on the door of an empty gallery, and reporting a robbery of an ‘invisible exhibition’ to Italian police).

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/

OTHER DATES FOR THE DIARY

v  Open House Weekend, London – 22^nd & 23^rd September 2012.

 - The one weekend a year during which buildings considered to be of architectural significance open their doors for free public tours.

v  Advent Service, Westminster Abbey – Sunday 2nd December 2012, 4pm.

- Better to see the Abbey in motion than pay £16 to get in no? So thought we could enjoy a bit of London Christmas spirit and then go out for drinks/dinner afterwards for a CULTURE VULTURES Christmas send off.