Monday, July 31, 2006

Pacific Encountered!

Pacific Encounters
Art and Divinity in Polynesia
1760-1860

Sunday 21 May – Sunday 13 August
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
University of East Anglia, Norwich

Sunday I went the Pacific Encounters exhibition in Norwich where, for the first time, important Polynesian materials from British and other collections have been housed together under one roof for public viewing. Yes, my head exploded.

Thanks to the likes of Cook, Bligh, Vancouver, Banks, et al, Britain holds the most comprehensive 18th and 19th century Polynesian collections in the world (with even more items than can be found throughout Polynesia). After 13 August, this exhibition ends and all the little (and some quite large) pieces will go back to their respective homes scattered acorss the UK and the world. If Polynesian art interests you at all and you can catch this exhibition, do catch this exhibition. Besides, the Norman Foster designed SCVA is a nice enough place to roam around (for me, the centre’s permanent collection was worth the trip from London alone).

I’ve viewed most of the great Polynesian collections in this world (the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Auckland War Memorial, Te Papa in Wellington, etc) and this temporary collection ranks among them. The over 250 objects on view include “major sculptures in wood and stone, feather and basketry images, feather cloaks, wooden bowls, decorated bark cloths, ornaments and valuables of ivory, shell, bone and nephrite, and other ritual items such as fly whisks, fans and drums.” All the major regions of Polynesia - Society Islands, Austral Islands, Cook Islands, Marquesas Islands, Hawaii, Easter Island, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand – are represented.

If unable to make it out to the SCVA before 13 August, I highly recommend tracking down the exhibition’s catalogue written by curator Steven Hooper and published by British Museum Press. It’s brilliant.

Visit the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts online:
http://www.scva.org.uk/

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Thursday, July 27, 2006

It's the Tiki Chris weekly update (Friday 28 July 2006)

Lots of posting on the Rapa Nui News blog this week.

Bizarre pork products with rude names on the Tiki Chris blog.

A request for your photography on the ontoLondon blog (and as always a weekly photo).

AND MORE! See below for a listing of my most recent posts.

Have a great weekend,
Tiki Chris

Below is information about the four blogs that I administer: ontoLondon, ontoTravel, Rapa Nui News, and Tiki Chris. Each Friday, I hope to provide a weekly review of what I've posted. If a particular blog interests you, keep in mind that I’ve been blogging since well before this past week. You may want to take a look through the archives of any blog that interests you. Thanks.


ontoLondon


Rapa Nui News

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Mr. Brain's what?


According to the now archived Mr. Brain's website:
It's no wonder 100 million faggots are eaten in the UK every year!

But wait. It gets worse. Sometime in the recent past, Mr. Brain conducted a nationwide search to find "an ordinary family who loves and eats faggots on a regular basis" to represent his products. In order to qualify, each member of the family had to be "fanatical about faggots." The winning family was the Doody family from Dudley, Wolverhampton, who "beat off stiff competition" to gain the title of the Faces of Mr. Brain's Faggots.

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Monday, July 24, 2006

Artist Profile: Ray Sammak

Artist Profile: Ray Sammak

Several months back, I had the pleasure of working for Ray Sammak, who, in addition to being a great financial advisor, is a brilliant painter.

Recently, Ray’s painting of London’s Piccadilly Circus (see below) was awarded “Best in Show” by the New Jersey chapter of American Artists Professional League.

Here's a brief artist's statement from Ray:

I suppose I could give some complicated academic explanation as to why I paint, but the simple truth is I do it because I enjoy the process of creating something that wasn't there before.










View more of Ray's art:
http://raysammak.tripod.com/

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Friday, July 21, 2006

Ye olde weekly review (Friday 21 July 2006)

This week, I posted entries about all sorts of topics: pirates, pirate gift shops, Syd Barrett, a Hawaiian coffee farm, giant ceramic moai - you know, the usual.

Highlight of the week: Did you know that I write a monthy column for the TriCity News, an alternative newspaper focusing on the arts, culture, and politics in eastern Monmouth County, New Jersey? The column, published every third Thursday of the month, examines what it's like to be an expat American living in London. Click here for the first piece I wrote for them. Click here to read my second.

Have a great weekend,
Tiki Chris

Below is information about the four blogs that I administer: ontoLondon, ontoTravel, Rapa Nui News, and Tiki Chris. Each Friday, I hope to provide a weekly review of what I've posted. If a particular blog interests you, keep in mind that I’ve been blogging since well before this past week. You may want to take a look through the archives of any blog that interests you. Thanks.


ontoLondon


Rapa Nui News


Tiki Chris

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Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Coconut Wired Adventure #6
































Coconut Wired Adventure #6: I'm thinking were lost

Click here to listen to the sonic surf, tropical tunes and exotic ambiance of the latest Coconut Wired episode.

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Have you seen the new Emiana?

I just wanted to call attention to Emiana's blog, http://emiana.blogspot.com, now that she's gone back and added a few photos here and there. Of particular interest are the photos on the Pampering? post, the We're-in-the-haus post, and the Our Temporary Flat post. I hope this is the start of many, many, many more photos to come.

Thanks,
Tiki Chris

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Oh where are you now pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?

Syd Barrett’s gone.

More famous for taking too much LSD, having a mental breakdown, and leaving Pink Floyd before they went on to become super mega rock stars, Barrett's brief career as a musician was, nevertheless, impressive and inspiring. As a teenager, Syd's music moved me in a way that most music did (and still does) not. Yes, he was "out there" and weird. But, past (or maybe even just ahead of) the cryptic lyrics and psychedelic sounds, I found one of the most vulnerable and raw voices I’d ever heard. Since listening to his recordings in my youth, I’ve come across very few artists that have elicited such an immediate emotional response from me. Among them, Hank Williams, Joao Gilberto, and Syd's contemporary, Nick Drake, come readily to mind. With the weight of emotion and the need for release seemingly impregnating their every breath, these artists laid their hearts on the line in a way few folks can.

As a recording artist some years back, I aspired to replicate the intimacy of Barrett’s “Dark Globe,” an odd little diddy that always made me wonder if Syd actually knew what he was doing all along. It’s strange to be mourning Barrett’s passing. I've always felt like he left this world a long time ago, mentally placing him among the likes of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Nick Drake - other talented stars of his generation that passed from life well before their prime. Syd was different, even in his death, I suppose.

Dark Globe
by Syd Barrett

Oh where are you now
pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?
When I was alone you promised the stone from your heart
my head kissed the ground
I was half the way down, treading the sand
please, please, lift a hand
I'm only a person whose armbands beat on his hands, hang tall
won't you miss me?
Wouldn't you miss me at all?

The poppy birds way
swing twigs coffee brands around
brandish her wand with a feathery tongue
my head kissed the ground
I was half the way down, treading the sand
please, please, please lift the hand
I'm only a person with Eskimo chain
I tattooed my brain all the way...Won't you miss me?
Wouldn't you miss me at all

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Monday, July 17, 2006

What's a C-8 demolition?

In my previous post, I mentioned that 'by sheer coincidence, my last full day in New Jersey was the day of the C-8 demolition.' For those not from the triCity area of New Jersey,the C-8 was the abandoned steel skeleton high-rise in Asbury Park that became the symbol of the failed redevelopment that took place in AP during the 90's.

The demolition of this structure took place Saturday 29 April at 7am. Click here for an Asbury Park Press article from 27 April 2006 to learn more about the C-8 and Asbury Park's plan for its site. For your viewing pleasure, here's a slide show of the demolition:

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An implosive send-off

Back in May, I started writing what has become a monthy column for the TriCity News, an alternative newspaper focusing on the arts, culture, and politics in eastern Monmouth County - where I lived before moving to London. The column, published every third Thursday of the month, examines what it's like to be an expat American living in London. It's an honor and a pleasure to write for the TriCity News, a paper that I loved reading while living in the TriCity area. My second piece, "An implosive send-off," was originally published in the June 15, 2006 edition of The TriCity News. Enjoy.

An implosive send-off
copyright Chris Osburn 2006

When last I checked in, I was contemplating the sorrows of a life without triCity cuisine but looking forward to my favorite London nosh. In this new installment, my focus is more well-rounded – I’m gonna miss my home in the Garden State!

By sheer coincidence, my last full day in New Jersey was the day of the C-8 demolition. Quite the implosion end to an already internally profound week! The missus was already across the pond in search of our new home, while I busily wrangled what seemed to be a hydra of loose ends back on the home front. Suffice to say, it was an exasperating and often lonely week.

Leaving our home, the triCity area, and our dear friends wasn’t easy. I already miss much about the area. Curiously off the top of my head, I miss the little marmot that lived in the patch of woods behind our house. He was an excellent source of free entertainment over the past few years. In fact, my last day at the house, I watched David Marmot (just one of his many nicknames) climb more than halfway up a tree!

The movers, having done a thorough job of stuffing the material elements of my life into a sealed cargo container, left the house empty – eerily empty. No longer a home, as much a mortgage payment needing to be addressed (our lovely house is on the market hint hint); I gave it the once-through (and then a once-more-through) and moved on.

Requiring a bed for the evening, and having every intention of catching the C-8 implosion the next morning, I had booked a room for the night at the Berkeley Carteret Oceanfront Hotel - just a stone's throw from the C-8. The hotel appeared fully booked with many, if not most, of its occupants there with a goal similar to mine – getting up early the next morning to watch the past crumble before our eyes.

I’m sure the toppling of the C-8 has since been written about amply and well contemplated within the pages of this fine paper and other local publications – so, I won’t go there. But, allow me to say that it was great to witness that event on so many levels … and that it left me sad to realize that I won’t be around to continue experiencing Asbury Park’s ongoing evolution firsthand. It’s been utterly fascinating watching a city transform – for better or worse - on what often seemed to be a weekly basis.

After the demolition, my friends treated me to a last breakfast at my favorite bistro-by-the-sea, Tides, which was completely packed. Utterly intrigued to find an act of destruction could bolster the income of this local business, I soaked it all in for one last, lingering time: the crowd of happy folks chewing on breakfast-y comfort, my tablemates sharing their experiences of growing up in and around Asbury Park, the sunlight streaming through the windows.

After breakfast, we said our goodbyes, and I slipped into limbo – running odd last minute errands and pondering my new episode of life that fast approached. I don’t remember much about the rest that day, other than that the weather was perfect when I left for Liberty International Airport in Newark.

Of course, it was raining when my flight touched down at London Gatwick International the following morning. But, since then, the weather’s been mostly sunny. To the best of my knowledge, nothing imploded upon my arriving in London. And to be honest, hardly a building shrugged upon my return. In fact, London is much as I remembered, quirky and resolute … and continual.

Then, two weeks into being here, my wife clued me in on an interesting piece of news: One Westminster Bridge, notorious for being listed among London’s ugliest buildings, was scheduled for demolition the morning of May 25. This hexagonal building, known as the Greater London Council Island Block (GLCIB), had originally been constructed in the early seventies for government purposes but, owing to a lengthy list of costly uh-ohs, had been empty for around twenty years. Among the well intentioned blunders was the inclusion of state-of-the-art external automatic solar blinds that would lower for forty-five minutes every time the sun came out – even for a few seconds – and eventually wore out and got stuck in the down position.

In place of the GLCIB, a fourteen-story luxury hotel with 900 suites, business lounges, executive meeting rooms, a ballroom, 2 restaurants, a brasserie, bars, health spa, gymnasium and indoor pool is to be erected and to be ready for occupancy by the 2012 Olympics.

So yes, of course, I went to the demolition, where a rather large crowd of spectators – not as big as the C-8 crowd, but still pretty big – had convened. However, unlike the C-8’s demise, the commencement of the GLCIB’s downfall was mostly ceremonial, as the complete demolition is expected to take twelve to sixteen weeks of chipping away. I suppose that, if London can handle this eyesore for thirty-plus years, several weeks more won’t be a problem.

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Friday, July 14, 2006

Too much of a week (Friday 14 July 2006)

Fun stuff this week.

I went to see the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel (here's that review), and I caught the Future City exhibition at the Barbican Centre (here's that review). All good stuff to be sure but, in both cases, there was just too much of good stuff to take in. Far more to my liking was Dennis Nona's work based upon the myths and legends of the Torres Strait Islanders and on view at the Rebecca Hossick Gallery (here's that review).

Other good stuff? Tiki Magazine's putting out a mug (click away!) and I had a yummy, unexpected lunch the other day (click on it). And, per usual, ontoLondon's got a groovy WEEKLY PHOTO.

Oh yeah, one more thing: the WePlanYourTrip blog is now called ontoTravel and can be found at http://ontotravel.blogspot.com. But don't worry - WePlanYourTrip's custom travel services are still available at the original website: http://www.WePlanYourTrip.com.

Have a great weekend,
Tiki Chris

Below is information about the four blogs that I administer: ontoLondon, ontoTravel, Rapa Nui News, and Tiki Chris. Each Friday, I hope to provide a weekly review of what I've posted. If a particular blog interests you, keep in mind that I’ve been blogging since well before this past week. You may want to take a look through the archives of any blog that interests you. Thanks.

ontoLondon

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The new Disney release, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, is a fun (and extremely long) movie. Not as engaging as the first POTC, it is still, nevertheless, a great swashbuckle of a film.

Johnny Depp is yet again fantastic as Jack-er, I mean Captain Jack Sparrow, whose entrance in the film (a la the Count of Montecristo) is as ridiculous as it is grand. Orlando Bloom does well playing the noble (if two-dimensional) good-doer, Will Turner. And, Keira Knightley is pleasant to watch as the half-heroine/half-damsel-in-distress Elizabeth Swann (when she isn't all bustier-ed up, she's dressed in drag as a pirate). The settings are gorgeous: tall ships beached on seemingly deserted isles, colonial-era ruins amid jungled overgrowth, battle scenes at sea. The computer generated effects are top-notch too ... and even better than in the first POTC: you'd never know that was Bill Nighy playing Davy Jones, and his ghastly crew of sea-creaturish tortured souls look so incredibly alive (well, except for that goofy hammerhead shark dude) that it's almost unfathomable to think how long it must have taken behind the scenes to perfect them.

My only complaint is that the film jumps from one over-the-top adventure to the next and stuffs its two and a half hours with practically any-and-everything associated with pirate legend. Of course, such an endeavor sounds like the making of a very great epic, but it's not. For me, the film never allows viewers (read: me) enough time to settle into what happens on the screen ... which is usually stunning as hell with lots of details (something often lacking in the plot). Even the shortest of attention spans would feel neglected, while the best of short term memories may struggle to keep up with all the plots twists and sub-plots twists.

One criticism I've come across in the press pertains to the island natives portrayed in the film. Personally, I was bothered by it. I mean, most things in the film (pirates, the British Navy, gender roles, etc) are portrayed inaccurately with tongues placed firmly in cheeks. As a rule of thumb, if you were offended by the portrayal of the Skull Island natives in Peter Jackson's King Kong, you might want to steer clear of this one. Furthermore, I'm not sure it's for the little ones either. Parts of the film can be ghoulish and a few 'BOO!' scenes may startle small children. Again, as a rule of thumb, if the spooky Skull Island natives of King Kong were too much for your kids, you may want to skip this one.

However, money talks and, as reported by the Guardian (click here), the movie is a box-office smash. I'm glad I saw it and would have to say it was well worth the price paid for a movie ticket these days.

Argh!

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

New Tiki Magazine Tiki Mug to go on sale SOON!

Click here for details.

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Friday, July 07, 2006

Lots of pics this week (Friday 7 July 2006)

Howdy folks,

Check out ontoLondon's latest weekly photo for a unique perspective of the Thames at low tide.

Visit the Tiki Chris blog for 5 slide shows from the London Luau.

Have a great weekend,
Tiki Chris

Hey, I'm Tiki Chris, and I administer four blogs: ontoLondon, Rapa Nui News, Tiki Chris, and WePlanYourTrip. Each Friday, I hope to provide a weekly review of what I've posted. If a particular blog interests you, keep in mind that I’ve been blogging since well before this past week. You may want to take a look through the archives of any blog that interests you.

ontoLondon
Site feed URL: http://ontolondon.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Rapa Nui News
WePlanYourTrip

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Thursday, July 06, 2006

London Luau 2006: Sunday at Trailer Happiness

The London Luau culminated on Sunday with plenty of merrymaking at Trailer Happiness:



See more London Luau photos in the Summer 2006 issue of Tiki Magazine.

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Wednesday, July 05, 2006

London Luau 2006: Tahitian dancers at Trader Vic's

Among the many highlights from Saturday night at Trader Vic's were Terrii Nuii's Tahitian dancers:



See more London Luau photos in the Summer 2006 issue of Tiki Magazine.

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London Luau 2006: Saturday at Trader Vic's

The main night of the London Luau was Saturday, when attendees met up at the Legendary Trader Vic's:



See more London Luau photos in the Summer 2006 issue of Tiki Magazine.

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Tuesday, July 04, 2006

London Luau 2006: Friday at South London Pacific

After the art show opening, we headed down to South London Pacific for drink and entertainment:


See more London Luau photos in the Summer 2006 issue of Tiki Magazine.

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Monday, July 03, 2006

London Luau 2006: Friday at the Tiki Artshow

Friday night at the London Luau's Tiki Artshow opening:

See more London Luau photos in the Summer 2006 issue of Tiki Magazine.

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