Tate Modern is one of London’s most exciting attractions, housing some of the most famous works of art from the twentieth and twenty first century. Best of all it is absolutely free save for special showings that require a small fee. Housed in a building that resembles a storage facility it is a wonder of human creativity and ingenuity where the art almost speaks to each person who views it.
We went there on a rather cool morning when the employees were installing a new feature from people who and live and work among reindeer. While it was not yet complete it was easy to imagine the impact that the final version was going to be. It was actually exciting to watch the process of setting up a new installation.
We were eager to see the Picasso pieces and accompanying movie that was currently part of a special presentation of the artist’s work. It was like taking a journey into Picasso’s mind and seeing his paintings up close made them come alive in ways that I had never imagined from photos. I began to fully realize his incredible talent and the depth of the messages that they conveyed.
The rest of the museum was filled with everything from artistic quilts to classics from well known artists like Matisse and Andy Warhol. Much of the artwork was editorial, drawing attention to everything from the mistreatment of women to political killings. It was so stunning that I became emotionally involved with much of it in a way that explains the popularity of modern art.
Of course walking on concrete floors for hours can be tiring but we learned that there was a coffee shop at the top of the building. Little did we expect the panoramic views of London that greeted us from the windows that surrounded the room. That sight was a work of art in itself that was like finding a hidden treasure in the middle of a big city.
We spent much of the morning oohing and awing over the discoveries that we encountered in each room through which we passed. Sometimes it felt almost overwhelming to see so much in one place without huge crowds blocking views and rushing us along. We were able to take our time enjoying each piece and contemplating our feelings about what we saw.
Eventually we headed for the second phase of the day which was going to Borough market, one of the many outdoor gatherings of vendors that are quite popular in London. Borough Market is much like the farmer’s market that we have in Houston. It features fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, plants and cooking gear along with several restaurants and food stands.
It was filled with people and products to the point of almost being overwhelming until we ultimately settled into the flow of things. There was so much that I would have like to purchase but most of it would not have travelled well back to my hometown so I could only browse each stall in the wonder of it all.
Of course seeing so much food made us hungry so we found an indoor restaurant with seats and bathrooms and all the amenities that we needed. We started with a nice glass of wine and followed with traditional fish and chips. Luckily we had decided to split an order because the servings were quite generous, so much so that no one person would have been able to consume the portions in one sitting and we had no way to take a to go box back to the hotel.
Feeling a bit adventurous we followed our main portion with bread pudding that was to die for. We also had a lovely chat with our waiter who was from Slovenia, not to be confused with Slovakia. He was a friendly soul who got excited when he learned we were from Texas. There is definitely a mystique about Texas that leads to an of imaginary western world that mostly does not exist. Nonetheless we tended to just roll along with the picture that the young man carried in his head.
I wanted to have some kind of memento from the market because it had been so much fun. I found a cooking store that featured Borough Market tea towels and decided that there was nothing more useful and more appropriate to remind me of our wonderful day.
I found myself thinking about the artistry of human innovation that expresses itself in so many ways. We use words, colors, cloth, wood, plants, and even the food that we eat to demonstrate our creativity. I could not help but think about Shakespeare boasting, “What a piece of work is man,” as I reflected in all that I had seen in just a few hours of a day.
We had done a great deal of walking, closing the circles on our watches several times so we were ready to return to the comfort of our hotel. A quick trip around the corner led us to the Tube and a comfortable ride home, at least that is how we had already begun to refer to our hotel. London was not disappointing us in any way.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 