West London - Mosaic Room Art (52)

A sign on the Cromwell Road

West London Kensington/Earls Court area has a strong Arabic presence and it's good to see that there's a place (The Mosaic Rooms) for some of the art coming out of the Palestinian experience to be shown.


I am not clear, as yet (probably not alone in that) in seeing how Donald Trump the current US President will move a Middle Eastern process forward but it felt clear to me having looked at the work on show that there's a fair amount of despair and unhappiness amongst the Palestinian artists operating in the area.

A flyer for the evocative exhibition

It was interesting to learn that President Obama was working to bring all sides together even towards the end of his White house tenure.

Inside the gallery -Part of Pattern Recognition 

I found Ruba Salameh's video project Open Sea quite insightful and recognise the nostalgia that is mentioned in descriptions of her work

Definitely the input from artists is welcome and the communication of the 2nd class nature of the existence of many Palestinians needs addressing urgently  - hopefully progress can be made by positive pressure from good heart-ed  people who wish for better for future generations of whatever their  faith or race.

More on Retail and Quality of life

Listening to Radio 4 archive programme  with the admirable Matthew Sweet (Lunch is for Wimps) about the demise of the 'proper' lunch hour I'm  reminded of how it was when I started work - lunch even if only 30 minutes (and it was often far more) was pretty much sacrosanct often there was alcohol invariably there was wide ranging talk. I recall too my mother speaking of when she worked for  in more relaxed times where bosses could have a 'nap' or time was spent completing crosswords.

The borders between work and leisure  as well as between Public and Private have all but ceased to exist in the developed world - partly as result of technology but also as result of the monetizing of nearly all activity.

Is it good? Generally I'm saying no - 'standard of living' is so different from  Quality of life - our direct interactions with others seem to be in terminal decline - I remember reading  recently how we should consider the older person in front of us who takes some time as she makes her purchases, this might be her only human interaction for the day, she's dressed for the occasion and wants a degree of contact - soon as we move to more online and even in the physical world more of those efficient but soul-less  self - check outs this will be all of us.

£67 15p is where we are now

What is it if we are only consumers and not part of something more?

Business rates are not just about preserving small traders they're about preserving something worthwhile in the continuity of communities.

Dodo Doors

There's a growth now in  the Micro-Brewery as a social space for a drink - I suppose it's a cross between a Wine bar and a pub.

The door and grill to this one though brings to mind Caribbean Rum Shops I have seen!

Back in Hanwell

52  (The Dodo Micro Brewery) is behind protective barrier