Spring has sprung

This weekend was nice and warm compared with the last couple of months. The guinea pigs were able to graze all day while I headed into London with Fred. We walked from Vauxhall to the Tate Britain to see the Susan Hiller exhibition. It was quite thought-provoking and more interactive than I expected. Several of her ideas gave me pause for thought and linger on in my memory. That's a good thing.

Afterwards, we walked through the snowdrops by Westminster and across St James's Park to the ICA to see How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster? The film had a few gaps of knowledge that I had to look up in google afterwards (how did Norman Foster manage to study at Yale after being a junior in an architect's office in Manchester, for example). But I enjoyed the cinematography of his buildings, especially the Millau Viaduct, which I have to see in my lifetime, despite the vertigo I feel sure that I will feel. There were a few London buildings (Wembley Stadium, the Great Court at the British Museum) that I didn't know were his work, so I'll look at them in a new light when I next see them. Walking to the bus stop over Waterloo Bridge, we had a good view of the Swiss Re (Gherkin) building, which is now such a landmark of the London skyline. It's odd to think that it wasn't there ten years ago and that I watched it being built. Now, it's almost like it's always been there. I like its curves and how it stands out from the other, block-shaped skyscrapers. The city is in a state of constant change - so many new, innovative structures are rising. Still, the buildings of Westminster (where the snowdrops are in this blip) and so many other historic structures can still hold their own and capture the wonder of a viewer amongst the newcomers.