RIP Sir Terry Farrell, architect of two of my fave postmodern buildings on the Thames - the MI6 Building and Charing Cross Station (Embankment House)
More snippets today, dear reader:
- Unbridled luxury news: Hot on the (bejewelled) heels of - and overlapping with - the breathtaking Cartier exhibition we went to see in August, the newest showcase at the magnificent Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is Marie Antoinette Style, an exploration of the life and luxurious lifestyle of one of the most notorious (and certainly most famous, even if only for her fate) Queens that France ever had. We're making plans for our visit as we speak...
- Favourite food of children everywhere news: Happy 70th birthday to the humble BirdsEye [other brands are available] Fish Finger! I doubt there's a freezer anywhere up and down the country that doesn't have a box of these in it...
- Frankenstein science news: Scientists in the USA have made embryos from human skin DNA and sperm. If that's all it took, I'm surprised my face didn't get pregnant - many times - when I was younger😋!
- Never appear with children or animals news: King Charles III looked on as a prize cow trampled his hedges and peed on the path at a reception at Clarence House.
- Glam icon "returns from the dead" news: On what would have been his 78th birthday, not only has a blue plaque been unveiled at Marc Bolan's former home in Maida Vale in London, but also a new, previously unheard T.Rex track from fifty years ago has been released! - hear I'm Dazed on YouTube.
- And finally: Happy Blasphemy Day! I'll leave the last word on that to the magnificently erudite and much-missed Mr Christopher Hitchens, one of my idols:
“I am not even an atheist so much as an antitheist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches and the effect of religious belief is positively harmful. Reviewing the false claims of religion I do not wish, as some sentimental materialists affect to wish, that they were true. I do not envy believers their faith. I am relieved to think that the whole story is a sinister fairy tale; life would be miserable if what the faithful affirmed was actually true... There may be people who wish to live their lives under cradle-to-grave divine supervision, a permanent surveillance and monitoring. But I cannot imagine anything more horrible or grotesque.”
And the weather? Warm and sunny for a change! Love it.
Hell, I'd be so damn near close to day tripping to see the Marie Antoinette Style exhibit. She is probably my all-time favorite historical figure to read about, and have seen just about every show or movie done about her. I even did her twice for past Halloweens. If you ever need a sky-high ornate Marie Antoninette wig, I have two of them!!!! And both were from the legendary Patrica Fields in NYC, now long gone. What a store of campery that place was!
ReplyDeleteWe can't wait to see it! I'll be certain to report back...
DeleteCampness abounds! Jx
I am going on an archeological dig in my freezer to unearth the fish fingers (fish sticks in America) for a snack.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you slap them between two slices of bread and slather them in Heinz tomato ketchup! It's the only way... Jx
DeleteThe architecture is stunning. Postmodern done exquisitely. There were never fish fingers in our fridge when I was growing up. I was deprived. But there have never been fish singers since either.
ReplyDeleteGefilte fish? Jx
DeletePS I love postmodernism done properly. So often its reputation is marred by shoddy attempts to make out-of-town supermarkets look like rural village halls, with inevitable pitched roofs and clock-towers...
No gefilte fish, either. Oh blech!!!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it - the grey colour alone makes it seem unappealing, but what do I know? Jx
DeleteMy grandmother made her own. I found it disgusting.
DeleteI won't bother trying it, then. Jx
DeleteIf all Postmodern buildings were of the calibre of Sir Terry Farrell's work then maybe the style would not have fallen out of favour
ReplyDeleteHe was indeed a rare beast; a modern architect that I liked.
Rare, indeed - I think what makes these two quite so special is that his interpretation of postmodernism in both buildings pays due homage to Art Deco, our favourite style... Jx
Delete