Wendy Ramshaw - take three

This is what The Mall, connecting Buckingham Palace (at the distance) with Trafalgar Square, looks like a week after the Jubilee celebrations. Last week, The Mall together with Trafalgar Square, Westminster and the river banks were a no-go area as I have experienced first hand. There were people everywhere you looked. I wrote about it a little in my last post when we waited and waited by the river Thames for the arrival of the Queen (and at the end left a bit early anyway).

Last week, I also tried to go to the Somerset House to see 'Room of Dreams: Wendy Ramshaw'  exhibition. Because of the Jubilee celebrations, there were so many road and pavement closures that one needed to plan well in advance - something I simply forgot to do. And so I ended up being refused access to the key areas twice, the path I would usually take was not accessible. Therefore today was my 'take three' to go past Buckingham Palace, through the edge of Trafalgar Square, down to the river and further to Somerset House. Yes, today I succeeded.

Wendy Ramshaw is a jewellery designer whose career spans over 50 years. Coming to prominence with a pop-up paper or acrylic jewellery in the '60s, she took jewellery design further with not only the actual precious metal pieces but also the way they are displayed/stored. She introduced the Rocket-like stands for her rings as seen on the left.

Over the years, she has worked with precious and non-precious metals, gems, glass, wood, bronze, leather, textile and found materials designing both small delicate pieces and large architectural works.

Returning to the exhibition, it consists of three small rooms. The middle room houses a maquette of the 'Room of Dreams' (right). When you look inside and than around you, you realise that you are in the 'Room of Dreams'. Whatever is attached to the small walls of the maquette is also precisely displayed in the room you are standing in. Silver or gold jewellery, necklaces combining precious materials with fine threads, matching or unmatching ear-rings, rings and others. All these works executed with such care and uniqueness.

Wendy Ramshaw's practice spans further past jewellery design. Working on a bigger scale, she is responsible for designing the gates to Number One Hyde Park in London, St. John's Gate in Oxford and many other sculptural pieces. And this was the reason why I had to see this exhibition. Not only for the jewellery but also for the person behind the larger scale sculptural pieces. I had gone past these on so many occasions but would not even think that somebody who works in a delicate territory could upscale so much and be a competition to the industrial field. Kx

Diamond Jubilee - I was there

I was hoping to share some great pictures from the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant floating down the river today. However, this is as close as I got to the river. Not a great view of the flotilla, a fantastic view of the backs of people's heads and their flags though. Yes, even I dared to attack this madness. And madness it was but definitely worth undergoing.

It seems to be a rule that whenever there is some occasion in the UK, the weather decides to make its mark. It was grey and cold, later also accompanied with rain. However this did not deter people from sharing their enthusiasm. There were people and people and people everywhere, as you can see at the picture on the left.

However, the atmosphere was so magical. Everybody was well-tempered, joyful, smiling. Indeed, the Queen has managed to bring people together. And this is only London. What about the rest of the UK and the world?

One more picture to share. This is how London celebrates. With lines of flags and a sea of white red and blue everywhere one looks. Such neat formations, such pride.

I am not English but this feeling is catching. Standing in the middle of it all and having been bombarded with various documentary programmes about the monarchy over the past few days somehow turns something in an individual. I personally felt that I had to be present at such occasion even though I new that I will not see a thing. 'Since I am here, I need to be present' was my belief.

Having said that, we escaped a bit earlier so that I could see the finale on the screen of my TV, with a hot cup of tea at a cosiness of my home. What a day. I soaked the English pride, I was there.