Falling Angel

Tate Modern 3rd Floor

Today I met my good friend Phil from Paris. He came to London last Friday and stayed until today Monday. I did not time to meet him when he arrived last Friday, as I was busy, so we arranged to meet today.

We went to St. Martins in the Fields for tea, and from there we made our way to the Tate Modern. We had a pleasant walk along the Thames Embankment and talked about art as we walked. He bought lunch for me at member room at Tate Modern, which has a good view over the balcony to St Paul’s Cathedral. While we were eating he went to take a picture of me on his mobile phone but unfortunately he leant too far back and fell off his chair. As I am deaf I could only feel the thud as he hit the floor! But no serious damage.

Afterwards we went downstairs to see some of the artworks until it were time for him to go and get the Eurostar train back to Paris where I saw him off. In all I had a very nice day.

St. Martins in the Fields

I had a nice cup of earl grey. I liked the ceiling in the crypt downstairs where the café is which is lit up by bright lights and feels very atmospheric.

You can have your cake and eat it too !!!

I enjoy making cakes because its like producing a work of art. Unlike any other work of art , the cake is not around for a long time so has to be appreciated right away.

When you bite into the cake you can taste the dedication , tenderness and beauty of the work put into creating it. Just like my Raspberry & Orange

shortcakes for example , for a few hours a tolled with the ingredients, each careful measurement adding body and substance to my work of art. My work of art would grace any gallery in the world, though this cannot happen , why ? you may ask. I will tell you why , because I ate it and i can tell you it was the most delicious art I ever made!!

Deaf Visions. The A-B-C of porcelain

Today’s workshop was called: Deaf Visions, the ABC of porcelain.

I arrived at 10.00 to prepare for my workshop which starts at 2pm. Before the workshop I attended John and Tomotos art talks at 11.30 and 12.30. Then it was my turn at 2.00pm.

I wanted the students to understand how to enhance their creative work. The workshop went fairly well, not only was I delighted to have had the chance to learn some new art skills but also I enjoyed their participation.

It is a pleasure to do a workshop with them. Working with clay, drawing and painting, is good for children and their parents.

The following are verbatim quotes from my workshop.

2-2.10pm "Before we go to the workshop room, we will go to see the Sevres display to have a quick look and choose which one you would like to copy onto paper plates." (Give out clipboards, coloured pencils and paper plates) 10 minutes only.)

2.15-2.45pm.
"During the break, please go to see Betty Woodman’s work before coming back at 2.45."

2.45-4.00pm.
"What do you think this looks like? We would like to make a model using different materials: - cardboard, paper, and modelling clay.Paint a picture on the flat card side of the ceramic, colour it from your emotions.Next take the sheet of paper and roll into a tube. Please don’t paint the tube now.Then fix the painted card to the tube using glue stick or staples making the completed pot.Make a clay base on the board because it is easy to paint round around.Use white cocktail sticks to join the base and the pot together by sticking the sticks into the clay base, then paint."

© Sheng-Kai Chou 2006

Home made ice-cream

Today I made crunchy raspberry ripple terrine from the August edition of the BBC's Good Food Magazine .

Because there is a heat wave we wanted to eat some sweet to make us feel like we are in heaven!

We went to Sainsburys and a market to buy things for making crunchy raspberry ripple terrine. Raspberries, golden caster sugar, double cream , meringue shells and eggs. It is really like a good quality ice-cream with lots of double cream.

During the every hot and humid days here, that the cold sweet really tastes good, it

makes me feel better and gives me more energy. It did not turn us into angels but it will make us fat !

My day at the seaside on the Kent Coast, 26 July 06

I wanted to see the sea before I go back to Taiwan on 5th August; I have not seen the sea for one year.

So I took the train from Victoria station to Birchington. There is a nice coastline path for a walk to Herne Bay; about half way you can see the Reculver towers.

It taken 1 ½ hours by train; I’ve always loved railways, not just the boarding of a train and the excited anticipation of a journey, but watching from the train making its way across the land, there is a very nice view from north Kent rail line rolling hills and different coloured corn field and bales of straw, it looked very similar to Italy.

I arrived at Birchington, it’s very quiet place, and many old people live there. Then I walked towards the coast from the station, because I want to see the sea. It took about 10 minutes. It was good to see the sea, my heart opened… wow and I smiled all the time.

While I was walking I saw many beach huts and many people on the beach, as there is a heat wave. I wanted to take some pf pictures of beach huts, because of the lovely colours that they are painted but I did not take a picture, because the sun was in the wrong direction. I saw many families eating sandwiches, having and BBQs and other food, yes, we don’t need to go to Italy and Spain for a holiday, because England has beautiful coastlines and lovely weather.

When I sat on the beach for a break, I took my shorts off but kept my underwear on and waded into the sea. The water came high up my legs. I was happy; as it was so cool, my legs felt better from all the walking. I did not notice wave come fast and soak the back of my underwear, so then I had to lie on the beach and let sunshine dry me out. I took a nap for about half hour. It’s good sleep on the beach because of the sounds of the sea and wind; it was very relaxing.

I got enough re-charging, and then went to Reculver to see historic Roman remains and had a nice homemade lunch sitting on the beach next to Reculver towers on the nearby hillside.

I also saw he twin towers of St. Mary's Church which are a well-known landmark for sailors and local people alike along this stretch of the North Kent Coast between Herne Bay and Birchington. At Herne bay I also saw a wind-farm with many turbines.

I then walked into Reculver Country Park, when I turned my head and look back, I saw a wonderful view of fields and on the horizon, the tops of hills. I could see for miles around. I had a wonderful day and was very glad that I made the trip.

I arrived Herne Bay station; it had been a 6 hours walk of 15 km. I had a wonderful day and was very glad that I made the trip.

Thirsty Butterfly

A brown butterfly flew into my room to take a drink of water from a plant pot but afterwards it could not find it's way out so I had to get a cardboard box to cover it then I slipped a piece of paper under the box and let free to fly away out side. I was glad the butterfly had a drink but he was lucky that I am a caring person and didn't squash it!

Cruising With A Stiff

My friend John and I went to Kensington and Chelsea College (KCC) to collect tape. We had a nice chat on the way and after we went to KCC, we went to Brampton Cemetery where is not far from the college.

London's cemeteries are well worth a visit. The Brampton Cemetery is a Victorian. I went there because of nice arches and buildings, there is also s park.

I saw guys walk along the under the arches who were crusing to death, very appropriate in a grave yard haha ! It also gives a new meaning to the word stiff ! It is an especially busy for crusing on sunny days.

Teapot Kai

Richard and I cut out 26 tea pot shapes for my workshop, because I did not want to let children use knives and scissors. It was good fun doing it in the sunshine and very relaxing to cut the white cardboard. I then arranged the cut-outs around me, it looks like I am sitting in the middle of a teapot mosaic!

Dysfunction

I watched a theatre show called Dysfunction (about deaf family), I was very impressed by the play that I saw; most time I watched the play in the hearing world.

Imagine you are a hearing person visiting a different country where they don't speak English (your language). You find a play you would like to see, but it's being performed in the language of that country, which you don't understand. The theatre has two interpreters to interpret the play into sign language. The interpreters stood on the side on stage in the dark, so as not to disturb the hearing audience, impressed me. The interpreters also joined into play to give deaf Nigel's foot massage and Sue's best friend,

The story is about Deaf couple Nigel and Sue who are battling their way through their 23rd year of marriage and like many couples, their past is riddled with things that they’d rather forget. When Nigel’s brother comes to stay their darkest secrets come back to haunt them. It’s good to see deaf player singing with the music, as they cannot hear, it was good to see their facial expression and body language.

At the end of the show, I waved my hand to say congratulations. I believe that Deaf people should have equal access to theatres and performances as their hearing peers.

Big dance in London

On Saturday I went to Somerset House there were many families with their sweet children were playing in the inset fountains and many workshops for them.

Then I went to Trafalgar Square to watch the street dancers; there were a record number of people dancing. It was very entertaining with water ballet in the pond of Trafalgar Square and many other colourful dancers dancing together. There was a very good atmosphere and it looked good fun.

London has many different festivals, I think the aim is to promote cultural awareness and to celebrate the cultural diversity of London, plus it is summer time, the weather is hot so there will be different festivals in many weeks.

I was embarrassed because HOT

Today I went to see the Wallace Collection in order to collect some ideas for my art workshop. When I arrived, I looked at my watch and it was 1:30pm. I arrived early! It is 30 minutes before I am due to meet Emma.

Before I met Emma, I went to FCUK- it's sale time! I am hoping I can find brightly coloured clothes to match the lovely weather. I liked a colour mix of green, brown and blue in the t-shirt. It was £45, reduced to £20- a bargain! I tried to wear it in the fitting room and... Yes, it looked great! Then I took it to the paypoint, and put my credit card into the pin machine. Oh No! I forgot my pin number. I cannot believe I forgot it. I was so hot and embarrassed, so I paid with another card which did not need a PIN number. I felt that the number would be forever seared into my brain. When I escaped from my embarrassment, coloured t-shirt with me.

I went walking with James in Hyde Park, sitting on the grass close to the pond. It was very nice, with a cooling breeze. And when I put my feet into the pond and made my whole body fresh. It was good. I even forgot my embarrassment. All was well again. And, I had that t-shirt!

The Emirates Stadium

Today I went to the new £390m Arsenal football ground in Ashburton Grove Islington with my friend Bidi and his children, I told him that this was my first visit to a football stadium. Its official title is the Emirates Stadium as part of the costs was from a 15-year £100m sponsorship deal with the Emirates airline company.

It is a beautiful concrete, stainless steel and glass complex that will seat 60,000 spectators. Looking up at the building I could see the reflection of the clouds and sky in the vast areas of glass, it is so large that it makes me feel very small.

London is Hot!

Today is the 19th. July 2006. I am here in London and the weather is very hot and dry. The temperature reached 36.3 degrees Celsius and it looks like there is more hot weather to come. I was on a bus earlier and it broke down because of the heat and we were asked to get off. Apparently it is worse on the tube trains as the temperatures there are reaching over 50 degrees ! There are no fans or air-conditioning on London buses or tube trains even thought many of the buses are new.. There is nearly always a problem during the summer here with the heat, why is this the situation in a supposed developing and modern city? Other cities around the world such as Taipei and Taichung, sorted out their infrastructure problems 20 years ago!

I take a bottle of cold water that I kept in the 'fridge with me everywhere I go...I think I will go to Trafalgar Square and bathe under the fountains...I am so hot!

The Rotherhithe Festival

Today is the Rotherhithe Festival. I went there to see a picture library where there are many old photographs of day-to-day life and work in the area.

There was a free bus ride around the Rotherhithe area, which saved time in getting to explore other places of interest.

Docklands, where my college is it is now a relatively quite area but it was once a very busy trading area a long time ago.

I visited another museum, which is about domestic life in London many years ago and saw old washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cookers, irons...etc.

I saw some traditional Africa dance, which was very loud, and lively, it made me want to join in and dance.

I also saw some art workshops. There were many happy people with their children.

My day at The Royal Botanical Garden at Kew

Today I had a good time at The Royal Botanical Garden at Kew. I was last there 3 weeks ago for a photo trip course. I did not walk all around the gardens because the weather was very hot and I wore sandals so I could take them off and walk on the grass. I was lucky because my friend James has a Friend of Kew card, which gave me free entry.

I was impressed by the painted planet over wall and ceiling in the Picnic room at Queen Charlotte's Cottage, it was very to look at relaxing.
I saw some beautiful golden pheasants that are allowed to roam about the gardens with no fear of people.

We then stopped for a nice picnic, of muffins, fruit juice, raspberries and strawberries it was very relaxing sitting eating in the sunshine. There were water-sprinklers nearby and I wanted to let the water spray onto my face and feet, to make me cooler but there was not enough of it, haha!

It was very hot in some of the greenhouses, especially the Palm House; going through them was like walking through many different countries, some warm, some tropical, and some cool.

We went upstairs in one of greenhouses and had a good view of the

gardens below.

I liked the water lily house and it is my favourite flower too.

it's marverous , because of size and alegance. irneyt trsiint. I like the lilies, it are just amazing flowers, the photo from your water lily is very good, I love the purple colour superb shot!

Although the gardens date back beyond the sixteenth century, much of it as we know it today was built during the Victorian era and this gives a feeling of stepping back in time. Kew is a unique place having every known plant in the world.

I also went to see the new Sackler-Crossing that I had seen the last time I was there. It is a very modern bridge across one of the lakes. When the sun shines, lines shadows are cast on the walkway of the bridge by the slat-like sides, which give it a further dimension.

I would like to go there again, if a place is nice, you want to go more than once.

Private Photographic Exhibition

Today is BTEC photography level II private show.

Getting ready for the show, I am trying to decide which shirt to wear. Should I wear the red one or the blue & white one? I look in the mirror and decide that in keeping with my photographic work, landscape green field with blue sky that the blue & white one will look best.

The show starts at 6.00 pm and I arrived 40 minutes early as I like to be punctual.

I donated wine and a banana bread for refreshments and in return the visitors bought fresh fruit and snacks, includind some nice home-made mediterranean breads. Many different photographs were on display by both Hearing and Deaf students completing their BTEC courses. Some were figurative while others were more landscape.

They liked my photographic display as there are many bright colours in the works and it made them feel like they were in the countryside. I thanked them for their appreciation and suggested that they tried to take some pictures too, I am sure they will find it entertaining.

The show was very good but I had to leave as it became very warm and crowded so James and I went to Westminster for a walk along the Thames embankment where it was much cooler and I felt refreshed.I am very pleased at the way the show went today it makes me feel good.

Preparing for the show

Today we prepare the wall before hanging our photographic works. I arrived at KCC by 11:00 am. All nails, hooks, and screws needed to be removed from the walls, we spackled the holes and the walls were sanded down and repainted. We waited till the wall had dried after which we put the wire line all over at an eyeline of 165 cm.

After lunchtime, we helped each other to hang our photographic works and we checked whether they were in the right position. While doing it we laughed a lot and we had lots of fun, it was good.

At 4:00 pm, we agreed to go out for a cup of coffee and have a nice chat. Florin suggested to go a place called the Planet. The food and the coffee was organic and we really liked it.

Dancing on The Sofa With Kandinsky

Kandinsky

Composition VII 1913, Oil on canvas, 200 x 300 cm

I went to the Tate Modern to see the Kandinsky Exhibition. On display were over 50 paintings and 30 works on paper that he painted during a period of almost 20 years.

The vibrant colours and abstract forms represent many different things from portraits and landscapes to music. It is his later work that I enjoyed looking at most.

I sat on a sofa and studied the paintings that created a feeling of movement in my mind and body, I felt like I wanted to dance to the rhythm of the flow of the geometric shapes; the warm colours contrasting with cooler tones and sharp lines were like listening to jazz, counter pointing different moods and then seeing something new each time I looked.

It was one of the best exhibitions I have seen and made me feel very happy.

Warning ! - Don't drink on an empty stomach !

A Gallery Speaker Melissa Mostyn gave a lecture entitled: "Speed in Art". It was very interesting talk; many people attended both hearing and deaf people.

Afterwards Marcus from the Tate Modern invited us all to a free drink on level 7, in the glamorous East Room, with panoramic views over the City of London. They also gave us a free Tate Modern guidebook, a notebook and a badge.

I made some new friends and met friends that I had not seen for a long time. I was very happy and had a nice wine but I did not realise that I had drunk 6 glasses of white wine!

Andrea knew I had not eaten and that I had drunk too much on an empty stomach so he did not wish me to take the tube, because of what might happen to me, so I took a bus home.

When I arrived back home, I drank a lot of water, and then vomited. I had a bad headache and couldn’t sleep.

I have learnt from my silly mistake and have told myself that I should not drink wine again, just orange juice and water....

Soldier Kai

Wallace Collection
Here is a picture of me dressed a tudor soldier. I am wearing an iron helmet that is very heavy and a leather tunic that goes under the rest of the body armour but that was too heavy to put on as I thought I would collapse under the weight.

Europride 2006

Mayor of London leads EuroPride

It was a perfect day on Saturday for Europride. Many people joined in the biggest, best-looking and most colourful Pride Parade ever. The long procession was a mix of colourfully dressed queens, people in special clothes, community groups, shirtless guys of all shapes and sizes, guys in small dresses, feathers and anything really camp. Some of the gay guys in the military and police marched in their uniforms. Everyone was very friendly including the many spectators. It was so crowded that it was much easier to walk on the road than on the pavement! I took my camera as I love visual beauty and like to take photographs of things that look beautiful or interesting. I managed to protect the camera from getting wet from the water pistols shooters just long enough to snap some photos of the parade.

Afterwards, at the Pride Rally we heard some moving and motivating speakers and there were four BSL (British Sign Language) interpreters. There were also several bands playing music.

Later we wandered around the festival in Trafalgar Square and in the nearby streets of Sohos gay village that were packed with guys in their sexiest clothes.