Courtesy of a few happenings this past week…a colleague and good friend leaving Shanghai for pastures new, my students graduating from AIVA for the UK, an extended international waiting game, a slightly larger than estimated workload, a job interview for something that seems almost untouchable, indescribable men, and a confusion in my Shanghai mindset as to where I should be and what I should be doing (I know all Shanghai-ers get this feeling)…I’ve had to postpone my early Monday morning flight back to the UK and my mind has been sent into a spiral. Needless to say, your get your mind-set on something like this…you get mentally prepared for seeing your friends and family and your body starts to react differently…then, when it changes, as things often do and so last-minute in China, it takes its toll. This evening and weekend though, I am going to draw a line under it all, spend time with good friends, see and take part in some great Shanghai creative events and most of all spend some time with me…sorting things out, planning, writing and taking control of the next few months. Its going to be a very interesting Summer…and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
One thing that I’m definitely going to see when I’m back in the UK is the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012, that I have spoken about in-depth on my blog before when discussing ‘Unearthing foundations’. It is created by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. I’m not going to fill you in on all the details about this architectural intervention as I did that last time…but I will show you photographs of the public interacting with the space at its opening event yesterday on the 31st May. It will be nice to spend some time here in July, hiding (hopefully) from the UK sunshine underneath its canopy, losing myself in the reflective intensity of the structure’s roof. I’m hoping they’re going to throw some good Summer parties and events there too…see you in July Serpentine!
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