‘Can a chair be a piece of art?‘ I hear a woman with pigtails and a fur coat ask the man next to her. He doesn’t seem to take notice. The chair seems to be the only thing that he can focus on, he seems so lost in it that for a moment I wonder if I am missing something. I look at him, then the chair, then back at him. There is a link, a tangible link of admiration that comes with personal taste, knowledge, and an inexplicable preference. The woman gets impatient, and with a swift movement moves on to the next stall, waking him up from his daze. ‘Yes, yes, I think it can be‘ he replies with a delay, and steals a last glance before moving on.
I remembered that moment as I was walking by a furniture store today. It happened when I went in Design Junction during the London Design Festival trying to track down a table for a photoshoot. I had some time to kill, so I decided to explore the three floors that were filled with design treasures.
I passed the sea of Gocci lights, stood in front of the light wall of Benjamin Hubert, and got lost in the light sculpture from LFZ. I loved the Baccarat Umbrella light, and the paradox in its construction: usually used to keep the sun at bay, the umbrella was taken as a symbol and was transformed in order to contain the light under it and shield it from the outside world. The result was just hypnotising, and I think I would have spent a bit more time staring at it if something else did not steal my attention.
A beautifully created space on the front corner seemed like a half-finished house. Inside it, various objects of beauty, scattered in an deliberately haphazard way. I made my way there, and was greeted with a warm hello and a leaflet on Maggie’s, the organisation that curated that space. Within minutes, I learned how the cancer caring centres commissioned the wold’s leading architects to design drop in centres reflecting a user-friendly atmosphere. For this piece, Maggie’s collaborated with a number of designers who donated key pieces from their body of work to be sold on behalf of Maggie’s, where all proceeds go towards upkeeping and constructing Maggie’s centres. The space was called Joy of Living, reflecting the latter part of the quote ‘the fear of dying should not steal from the joy of living‘.
Promising I will check the project online, I went and had a look at the stunning construction from the Design Exchange magazine, a room with mirrored surfaces and a podium with the magazine on. The result was something you would expect to see in the middle of a gallery instead of the corner of a design fair. A look around though, and the point was made clear; purists would frown upon me saying that, but I always thought design has an element of art embedded in its DNA. I grabbed a coffee on the go from the Design cafe, and snuck at the back of the second floor cinema to see people wearing glasses and black shirts talk about silhouettes, shapes and simplicity.
And I was reminded of all that as I glanced from the furniture shop window a couple trying on a sofa. They were both trying the leg-streching, pillow adjusting, TV watching positions that a sofa is tried and tested on. Carving details on the art of the everyday.

Love,

G

Walking around the streets of London after work is usually connecting point A with point B through a number of footsteps. Eyes are tired from staring at a screen, feet in pain from standing all day, brain full of the little details you forgot, or can not stop remembering. All the senses fast asleep in a fast-paced walk that is purely functional.

I was on my way home, adding a list of task on my iPhone for the evening and tomorrow morning, frown set above my eyes, tummy rumbling for a quick food fix.

You see, after a whole day, there are times that you can not go home and cook- you don’t want to. You just want to eat something that will fit your absent-minded experience, a snack that will fill you without distracting you from your distractions. Something that you can chew while thinking about the day, or slurp while you are watching the same episode of the Big Bang Theory on E4 that you saw last week.

And here I am, distracted from my absent-mindedness. The smell is absolutely mouth-watering. I can smell barbecue, and lemonade, and sweets (yes, I am very hungry, my senses are heightened to Superman level). As I register the smell, the frown disappears, and my eyes dart around the street to find its source. I find myself turning on a different corner, into a street I have not been before; how can I pass from here everyday and not notice how beautiful it is?

Soon, I hear music, and laughter, and the kind of oohs and aahs only good food can produce. As I walk to the end of the street, I see a crowd sitting in the middle of a circle made by food stalls, and a live band in the corner entertaining the hungry audience. I see the sign in the entrance: Waterloo Quarter Food Festival, and as I hear my stomach’s excitement, I realize that I am sitting on the wrong end of the street.

A few steps inside, I spot food stalls from some absolutely amazing pubs, restaurants, bakeries and patisseries. I grab my GastroPassport, and look at the amazing range of events, discounts and offers it has (with a lovely design in the end for food travel stamps and competitions). I look around me and smile.

A huge selection of colour and taste from Indian Brasserie Bangalore and Turkish Restaurant Tas; a touch of Cuban flavor from Cubana; a brilliant selection of products from Greensmith; a healthy offering of alcohol from Auberge, Jack’s Lounge Cocktail School and La Barca; the best of both worlds from the Three Stags gastropub; and last, but not least, one of my favorite cake shops, Konditor and Cook, with their signature cupcakes.

I am now sitting in the middle of the festival, taking in the live music from Candythief, eating a delicious combination of flavors, savoring each bite. I am trying to remember what had me worried just 10 minutes before, but I am enjoying my food to much to care.

In a celebration of food, I realize that food can be a celebration of the everyday, of the small moments that go in with the ingredients; the ability to escape the mundane and make it special; one mouthful at a time.

love,

G

This year’s World Pride began with a lot of negativity. Budgets were cut, street parties were cancelled, timetables changed daily, and the Mayor of London stood there, watching everything unfold under his yellow fringe.
But the LGBT community and Londoners are not the crowd to fall down and stay there; when life gives us lemons, we squeeze the hell out of them. There is no negative without a positive side, and this year was the proof.

Multicoloured flags were waving in the rain; underneath it, people smiled, got wet, cheered, held hands, and supported human rights and equality. It seems that for some people, Pride stops at the elaborate costumes, impressive drag outfits, or barely-there hot pants. But pride is so much more.
From bringing issues like marriage, work rights, spousal abuse, homonegativity and homophobia into the forefront, to actually demonstrating a presence, the event serves a purpose. It shows that it is ok to be yourself, in any shape and form, gender and sex, sexual orientation or practice.

It shows that there is diversity. It was so encouraging to see teenagers participating, being there, with huge grins on their faces, waving their rainbow flags proudly; for what it represents; for who they are. Opposite the massive Trafalgar Square stage, visitors could find stalls with friendly faces, ready to provide help and information: Stonewall, Terence Higgins Trust, LGBT History Month, GMFA, Gingerbeer,  Antidote, Youth Chances, Square Peg Media, G3, FS and Out Magazines, GuySpy, Albert Kennedy Trust, London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard, Galop, were some of the companies that were there with information.

Even though the whole day was amazing, I have to admit that there were two moments that really touched me:

The first was when a handful of people, the Veterans, were at the very end of the parade, holding a purple banner with Veterans of 1972, UK’s First LGBT Pride written in white. Peter Tatchell was there as well, holding a banner reading Decriminalise Homosexuality Worldwide, Global LGBT Equality. I could not help but clasp my chest, as I was watching these inspiring people walk down the street, with 40 years of fighting for equality at their backs. People that must have suffered through time to achieve rights that so many of us now take for granted. I clapped as hard as I could, and wished them another 40 years of strength and health.

But the moment that stayed with me was when a lesbian couple was walking, hand in hand, and someone turned and started making fun of them. For a milisecond, their hands weakened, their grip loosened, their eyes flashed with worry. And then the crowd around them intervened. We started booing the booer. The street did not tolerate intolerance. Their hands strengthened, their grip tightened, and their eyes filled with tears, moved with the support they received. And then they turned, and looked at each other with the kind of love that can not be wrong, can not be criticised or classified or blamed.

LGBT rights (basically, human rights) are still not acknowledged in so many countries. People are encouraged to live a lie, punished for being themselves, and get abandoned, abused, or even killed for not being what society expects them to be. Lesbian women are ok only if it is to turn straight men on, and gay men are ok only as secondary characters in a HBO series. These are the only acceptable forms, because they are familiar, non-threatening. Well, Pride makes the LGBT community visible; familiar; non-threatening. As Quentin Crisp once said:

It is not the simple statement of facts that ushers in freedom; it is the constant repetition of them that has this liberating effect. Tolerance is the result not of enlightenment, but of boredom.

I hope you had a nice World Pride, and even if you were not in London, celebrated it anyway. You must be proud of yourself for being open-minded, non-judgemental, and supportive, to the millions of people who look at others like you for acceptance, unconditional friendship, and love; proud for being a part of the solution.

Love you all for who you are,

G