David Shrigley's Life Model II

Last post I mentioned that Brighton Fringe is happening, but May is also the month of Brighton Festival! This year's guest director is David Shrigley, and there's currently an exhibition of his piece Life Model II at Fabrica (one of my favourite galleries!)

The main feature of this exhibition is a huge female mannequin of slightly 'off' proportions, and the gallery is set up to resemble a life-drawing class. There are easels, beanbags and chairs available, and visitors are invited to use the materials provided to draw the mannequin (who periodically blinks with an audible click). The drawings are then stuck to the walls around the gallery.

I have to say I didn't expect to end up drawing a naked mannequin when I stepped into the gallery, but it's always fun when exhibitions have some kind of immersive or interactive feature--something Fabrica's exhibitions are very good at!

Alas, I cannot draw...

Inside the Fringe

It's Brighton Fringe time of year, and alongside all the awesome paid events, there's a ton of free ones, including art and photography exhibitions!

So when I went shopping this week, I happened upon Inside the Fringe, an exhibition of photographs by James Bellorini.

This exhibition, which is at Brighton Station (on the walkway between the platforms and the car park) comprises of a series of portraits that feature the many talents of some of the participants of this year's fringe.

Each portrait came with a little bio for the subject, including which shows you can see them in this time around!
I didn't take many pictures, because there were a lot of people walking back and forth, and it feels a bit weird to take photos of someone else's photos!
But I enjoyed seeing the different portraits, and appreciated the variation of styles and lighting used.
These portraits represent a good cross-section of the people involved in Brighton Fringe, and show how diverse both the people and the events are.

And a Fried Egg on Top: Korean Bibimbap

On Tuesday I was shopping in Brighton with my fabulous friend Lianne, and being that she's as much a nerd for Korean culture as I am for Japanese, she suggested we have lunch at a bibimbap shop.

Bibimbap is Korean dish of warm rice with various things on top, which you mix together before you eat. Whilst Lianne opted for the spicy chicken version, I wasn't in the mood for something spicy, so opted for their aubergine one.

After picking what kind you want, you choose from the options of rice (or rice noodles) and sauce, and can pay extra for other additions. I went for rice noodles and soy sauce, and paid the extra £1 for a fried egg on top, because experience has taught me that fried egg and soy sauce is a Really Tasty Combination.


I wouldn't rush to eat this dish again, as I didn't like having cold veggies on top of warm noodles, and it was expensive for what you got.
But it tasted good, and eating it counted towards another goal on The List!

043. Try foods of 5 different countries

I'm 3/5 of the way through that goal now, and honestly none of the national cuisines I've tried so far are of countries I expected they'd be from. All very tasty, however (I really, really want more Xinxim).

Goodness knows what cuisine I'll try next!

George Egg: Anarchist Cook

Yesterday evening, a friend and I went to the Brighton Fringe show, George Egg: Anarchist Cook Part Two: Second Helpings, in which stand-up comedian George Egg combines cookery and DIY...

In this hilarious show, George Egg demonstrates several unconventional and unexpected methods of cooking, some of which may make you think, 'It shouldn't work, but it does!' (And some of which may make you think '...I need a wallpaper stripper...')

In this hour-long show, he singlehandedly cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner, interwoven with amusing anecdotes and advice on food acquisition, and a spot of poetry.

All in all it was a really funny and entertaining show! I haven't written much about it here because it's still running at Brighton Fringe, and he'll be performing it under the title, George Egg: DIY Cook at Edinburgh Fringe later in the year. And spoilers suck. So just take my word for it that it's worth going to! You will leave craving steak and a trip to your local B&Q.

George Egg: Anarchist Cook Part Two 'Second Helpings' is on again at Brighton Fringe on 28th and 29th May, and is a good and random show. Thoroughly enjoyed it (even if it did give me a craving for steak)

The Life Rooms

After throwing pots on Sunday, my sister let me drag her along to the University of Brighton Gallery, which is currently home to the Cathie Pilkington exhibition, The Life Rooms.

A Cellar Full of Clay

You may remember that last year, sister #1 and I painted pottery skulls for my birthday.

This year, for her birthday, we went to The Painting Pottery Cafe and learnt to throw pots!

They have potters wheels set up in their bright and airy cellar, and after a demonstration of how to make a basic pot, we were able to take it in turns to make our own! My sister and I were in the second group to have a go, and were joking to each other that our pots were going to look terrible because we'd never done this before.

As it happened, my pot turned out pretty well!
My sister managed to damage hers, but the instructor was quick to fix things so she could continue, and her pot ended up looking really cute--she made the top into a heart shape! It looks like really expensive, and hasn't even been fired yet!

The workshop was well-taught, instructions were easy to follow, and the staff were friendly and helpful (and endlessly patient, considering they're going through the same procedure with novices hundreds of times this month!)

The Painting Pottery Cafe are running 50 minute long classes throughout Brighton Fringe, though have taster classes throughout the year, too. If you're local to Brighton, it's worth checking them out if you're looking for a fun and new thing to try.

We had fun with this workshop, and can't wait to collect our pots once they've been fired!

Silent Disco and Serenading Diners

Yesterday, a friend and I embarked on a silent disco walking tour, a Brighton Fringe event run by the most excellently lycra-clad discophile, Guru Dudu.

The tour sounded suitably ridiculous for my tastes, so I was eager to get tickets and find out what it was all about!

As it turns out, it's about making a complete tit of yourself in the middle of a crowded city, and having a ton of fun in the meanwhile--all whilst listening to some funky tunes.

Armed with headphones and after a quick 'happy yoga' session, we were off through the streets of Brighton, ocassionally stopping for a mini danceathon, or to serenade unwitting diners at outside restaurants with a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, or casual evening picnickers (who sang back, and were possibly a little squiffy).

It also involved frolicking through the Pavilion Gardens to the sound of the Kate Bush classic, Wuthering Heights, stalking through the streets to Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and a fashion parade to I'm Too Sexy.

Of course, no disco is complete without some Abba, which led to the playing of Voulez-Vous and lots of pointing and exclaiming, "Ah-ha!" at random passers by.

Part walking tour, part disco, part flash mob, this was one of the most fun and ridiculous things I've done in a long time! Though I'm naturally a shy, introverted and socially awkward person, it was impossible not to get into the swing of things when there are a good 30-40 other people also making utter tits of themselves, all in the name of disco!

100% Would Do Again.

Moulettes @ Brighton Spiegeltent

Brighton Fringe Festival always brings some great events, and this year that included a gig by the band Moulettes, which I went to yesterday with a friend.
I saw this talented bunch of people at Hurst Festival back in 2015, and was impressed then, so it was good to have the chance to see another of their performances.

Wilde at the Warren

On Saturday, a friend and I went to see Box Tale Soup's production of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is one of the shows I've booked to see at this year's Brighton Fringe.

Performed at the fringe pop-up site, 'The Warren', this performance had more puppets than it did human actors!

I did wonder what it might be like, since that there were so many puppets, but it turned out to be thoroughly engaging, incorporating some aspects of dance/physical theatre, and of course those dry, witty quips that Wilde was known for.
The set and costuming was simple but effective, the puppets looked neat and the actors were on good form--two of the cast played several different parts, including the voicing of the puppets, and it was easy to distinguish the different characters.

It might be easy to pass off a play involving puppets as being 'something for kids' but this certainly wasn't.
This was the first time I've seen a performance of this story, and it's been a while since I read the book. The play was not only a good memory-refresher, but really enjoyable!

I'd recommend going to see it, but in my slow-poke manner I've ended up posting here after their performances of it are finished--but they are back with a performance of The Wind in the Willows in June (which is more child-friendly).

Brighton Seafront Photography

As I mentioned the other day, I recently took a trip into Brighton to take some photos, mostly along the seafront between Palace Pier and the beach huts in Hove.
I uploaded one as part of my 365 Project, but here are some others from that day.

Though I am usually guilty of snapping away merrily without thought, I put more consideration into my photography this time.

A lot of my shots were pretty run-of-the-mill; I'm pretty sure everyone who has been to Brighton has taken photos of the skeletal remains of West Pier! Years ago, I took a similar photo to the one above, which entirely by accident ended up looking over-exposed to the point of being black and white. I tried to create a better version of it in the image above, with intentional overexposure and just a hint of colour.

Besides the typical shots, I tried to capture things I would normally pass with a second thought, such as the reflections in puddles on the promenade...

Tea by the Sea

Whilst on a photography-focused wander along Brighton seafront last week, I stopped off for refreshments at Brighton Fishing Museum Coffee Shop, which I'd failed to notice back when I went to the museum itself.
This turned out to be an error, because they sell tasty tiffin traybake!

Though the coffee shop doesn't have any indoor seating, it does have some little tables and chairs out the front, and some cushions on the wall between the coffee shop forecourt and the main walkway for the seafront.

The winter air was chilly, but the sun that day made it pleasant to sit out and enjoy the sea (and the sound of the guy running the coffee shop playing the ukelele!)
Next time I'm along the seafront and want tea and cake, I know where to go!


Eating at this coffee shop brings me another step closer to reaching my goal of eating at 30 places I'd never eaten before. Previous the new-to-me places can be found on my goal #36 tag.

Me Gusta Las Iguanas...

...in this instance, I'm not talking about the reptile, but the restaurant chain.
Las Iguanas specialises in Latin food, and has a nice-sized restaurant on Jubilee Street in Brighton.

I went there last week with a friend, after we'd been trudging around on a gruelling Christmas shopping trip. After being shown to a table, I sank down into my seat very gratefully, ready to stuff myself silly!

Las Iguanas has a special offer before 7pm, where diners can order three or five dishes from a list to share for a set price, which is what we opted for (more food? Why not!) They also have a 'happy hour' offer on some drinks, which meant we both got two for the price of one!

We ate nachos with extra chilli con carne, spicy chicken quesadillas, dadinhos (fried cubes of cheese--much nicer than it sounds!) and sweet potato fries. Virtually every dish came with salsa; the nachos also coming with sour cream ad guacamole, and the fries being served with aioli. Drinks-wise, I went for the 'tropical cooler' (mango, pineapple and lime juice with lemonade), whilst my friend had the 'citrus cooler' (a slightly more self-explanatory lemon and lime with lemonade).

The bill worked out at just under £28, which sounds like a lot but £14 a head is probably about average for similar restaurants in the area.
Rather than somewhere to drop into for a casual lunch or dinner, Las Iguanas is the kind of place I'd go to on a special occasion, such as a birthday or a rare night out (as it happens there were two birthday meals taking place when we were there!) It's casual and comfortable, and the food is really good. Now, hand me those dadinhos...

Peer to Pier

When down on Brighton seafront at the end of October, I happened upon Tides, one of the exhibitions in Brighton Photo Fringe 2016, which took place 1-30th October.
Photo Fringe is a free, open-access festival of new photography that includes things like talks and workshops alongside its exhibitions.
I actually didn't realise that Photo Fringe was on, else I might have made the effort to go around more of the exhibitions. As it stood, I found this one by chance, but had limited time in the city before having to catch a bus elsewhere!

Tides was an exhibition of photography by The Peer to Pier Photography Group, a group of six photographers who collaborated to capture the story of the stretch of beach where the exhibition was held.

The photographs were displayed on chunky columns, the bases of which were those cages of rocks used as sea defences and retaining walls (I don't know the real name for them!) and the top part being of equal dimension but with wood inside the cage to act as a background for the photos. It was great that the method of display matched both the topic and the location!

I liked the fact that the six photographers produced such different work. Each had their own distinctive style, but by working with the same subject matter and theme, the group created a really cohesive exhibition that fulfilled their aim of telling the story of this part of the beach.

I particularly liked Audrey Marshall's moody, off-season black and white shots (as seen above, on the left) and by contrast, Colin Miller's brightly-coloured street photography images (above centre). Colleen Slater's macro images, arranged in sets of eight, were also interesting! Together with David Wilsdon (portraits of the seafront's workers), Leon Bellis (documentary images of work on the seafront development project) and Steve Boyle (silhouette-like portraits), these photographers made a really great exhibition--I wish I'd had more time to look at it!

Look At My Dumplings!

Last Saturday, after the sewer tour and the exhibition at Fabrica, I stopped for something to eat at Kokoro on Western Road.

They have several restaurants, and I've been itching to try out their food!
(By the way, the building has pies on it, because it was previously a pie shop. It's also a Pokestop!)

A lot of the food is already on a hotplate and ready to be served, but I had to be That Person who wanted something different.

I had Chicken Gyoza Udon (gyoza being a type of dumpling) and though I had to wait for it to be made, it only took five minutes!
It was worth the wait, too, as it was really tasty!
The portion size was just right for a lunchtime meal, and I sat upstairs on one of the seats overlooking the shopping centre. It was peaceful!

I enjoyed eating here, and will be going back another time to try out more of their menu options. There's a katsu curry there that I have to try.

On a similar food-related note, on the way home I stopped in at an Asian food/snack shop that I'd not been into before, and ended up buying this:

Chrysanthemum Tea!
I hadn't had it before, so decided to give it a try.
The flavour seemed pretty strange to me, in fact I ended up drinking water afterwards to wash the taste away!
It wasn't terrible, but I won't be drinking it again.

Inadvertently, in drinking this drink, I completed a goal from The List:

044. Try 10 foods/drinks I’ve never tried before

Hurrah!
I can't believe it has taken me over two years to complete this goal!
You can read about the other food and drink I've tried for goal #44 by looking at my goal 44 tag.

The Third Paradise

After the sewer tour on Saturday, I wandered around Brighton for a while and ended up at Fabrica, where the latest exhibition was in its final days.
I'd intended to visit this exhibition a while ago, but circumstances were never such that I had time to go there!

The exhibition this time was The Third Paradise: The Labyrinth and the Well by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.

What Crawled Up From The Sewer...

Down along Brighton seafront, there are several arches that house shops, storage areas, and a tucked-out-of-the-way tarot reader.

But it wasn't for tarot that I wandered through this gateway yesterday. I had a far stinkier purpose...

The Brighton Sewer Tour!
This has been on my list for ages, ever since I saw it on TV (and discovered it's a Thing that people can Do...)
Southern Water run the tours between May and September, and they sell out pretty fast, so I was lucky to have snagged a last-minute place on Saturday's tour!

Eat Here. No, Seriously. Eat Here.

So, you know how you get those blog posts pop up where the blogger is so excited to tell you about the latest, greatest product they have been paid to write about discovered?

This is not one of those posts.

But seriously. I am so excited to tell you about this place (and spam with pictures).

Okay, rewind to Saturday. It was my friend Sara's birthday meal, and a bunch of us went to MEATliquor in Brighton.

Walking in, we're greeted by a kickass mural behind the desk a spaceman and arm-wrestling dobermen! Glowing and surreal, it made stepping across the threshold like falling down a rabbit hole into another time and place!

This is not a place you'd go for a quiet meal. This bar & restaurant plays music - good music - and they play it loud.
But really, when Beastie Boys' Intergalactic is blasting out when you walk in, you know you're onto a good thing.

Usually when I write about the places I've eaten, I don't bother taking photos of the decor beyond a quick interior shot, but MEATliquor was too full of photo-worthy things...

Free Art and Lots of Walking

Yesterday, I met up in Brighton with my friend, Victoria, and we braved the rain and rumbling skies to See Some Art (and, as it turned out, Do A Lot Of Walking).

First off we headed to Fabrica to see Luminary by Ron Haselden (shown above). The artist works with LED light rope and likes to work from the drawings of people considered 'less visible' in society, such as the elderly, children, and prisoners. Luminary works from the drawings of older people in particular.

Taken from Fabrica's website:

"[The exhibition] combines two ideas in one: literally that the artwork itself emits light, and metaphorically that older people bring important knowledge and a longer perspective to the rest of society."

I'll admit that I had to look up the meaning behind this piece, as it really wasn't obvious to me, and I didn't read the information displayed on the wall (I rarely do when I go to art exhibitions, because I want to see rather than read).

I found it interesting how the different sections of Luminary overlapped when viewed from different angles, but the meaning was pretty much lost on me! (I really struggle with a lot of contemporary art!)


After leaving Fabrica, Victoria and I wandered through the soggy Pavilion Gardens and headed for the University of Brighton Gallery, which we reached just as the storms really started and the rain became torrential!

The current exhibition at the gallery is Turner Prize-winner Gillian Wearing's piece, A Room With Your Views, and is a co-commission between House Festival 2016 and Brighton Festival 2016.

The piece takes the form of a film made from video snapshots of the view from rooms around the world, each one submitted following simple guidelines.

Shown in a house-shaped room built in the gallery itself, visitors can settle down on beanbags to watch the videos of views across the globe (or in the case of a lot of other visitors, stand at the back and hope somebody moves soon!)
I found this work interesting in the way it connects people around the world, and it appealed to my curiosity of what other people look out on from their homes, but I wasn't engaged enough to stand through the whole thing.

The last art that we saw was happened upon by accident after the weather had dried up. We found this 'Street Gallery' on Ann Street, between Ransom's and St Batholemew's Church.

This 'Street Gallery' is currently set up on the boarding around a building site, and showcases a number of surreal images.

Obviously, being in the middle of the street, some of the images have been subject to acts of vandalism. It's bound to happen, but I would have liked to have seen all of the original images!

I don't know anything about these pictures, not even an artist or anything: the only information visible is what you can see in the photos: the image titles, and 'Street Gallery - Open: Anytime - Admission: Free - Owned By The Public'.

A lot of people walked straight past these pictures (maybe the images have been there a while?) which is a shame because of all the art that we saw yesterday, these were the ones I liked the best!

As for the walking, well...

There is definitely a reason I was exhausted after this day out!
I'm counting yesterday as one of my 3 weekly walks, because nearly 19k steps and over 9 miles is significantly more than I usually do, as you can see from the screenshot!

I'll update more about my walks when I have more to tell (it may be a case of, 'Look at these cute animals I saw!')

For more of the museums/galleries/exhibitions I've seen, check out the tag for goal 10!