For both Thursday and Friday I spent the morning in class and the afternoon at the British Library researching for my paper. Once I finished all my schoolwork I had the chance to explore London! On Thursday I went and saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I really enjoyed the Houses of Parliament which were extremely grandiose and awe-inspiring.
On Friday I started with the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. From there I went to Tate Modern (a modern art museum) which I really enjoyed. Two of the displayed works really struck a chord with me. The first was a documentary called Blindly which shows scenes from painting workshops with visually impaired participants. The film showed some participants who were born blind and some who lost their sight due to an accident or condition. These participants were asked to paint self portraits and pictures of animals. It was interesting to see how they viewed the world while not being able to see. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/artur-zmijewski. The other work of art that I really enjoyed was called Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone (see picture below). Penone carved industrially produced sticks of timber while following the natural knots and rings of the wood. This technique exposes what the tree looked like when it was much younger and smaller. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/giuseppe-penone-1754.
On my way back from the Tate Modern museum, I stopped by the Tower Bridge. I really enjoyed standing on the bridge and looking over the Thames. Even though the Tower Bridge is in the middle of a very busy city, I found it to be quite relaxing and serene.
Big Ben & the London Eye.
Posing in front of Westminster Abbey.
Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone.
Tower Bridge at night.
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