My Summer in London ~ 2008 ~: 02/01/2010

26 February 2010

Watch out London I'm baaacckkkkk

So! I'm returning to London in exactly one week for the first time since my last entry on this site! Sure, just for a week's vacation but I figure what better way to remember the details (and keep those of you stuck at home over break entertained) of my trip than to continue my blog! I hope old readers and new ones will read on! As I prepare (sooo last minute) to leave, wish me luck and hope I don't forget anything! See you across the Atlantic!

Cheers!

~Sam~

New Words and Phrases from the Brits....

"(I) Can't Be Asked"- it's tough to find an American equivalent that people use on a regular basis like this phrase. It means 'I can't be bothered' but is used in varying situations. It could mean anything from "don't bug me," to "I dont give a shit" to "I could care less" to "oh it's a mess I don't know."
"....love"- Everyone uses it after Hello, thank you, or any sort of request here.
"Oh bullocks!" - "Oh crap!" or "Balls!" Also used to mean 'the shit/the bomb!'...Ex. "Oh, she's the bullocks!"
"You alright?"-This is a common greeting that seems to be the equivalent of the American "How are you?" that requires a simple "i'm good, you?" answer, not usually answered with anything more than one word. This phrase is sometimes accompanied with "how are you" preceding it.
***The Stalls- Orchestra level seating in a theatre.
**Interval- Intermission
*DSM (Deputy Stage Manager)- Basically the equivalent of an assistant stage manager in a professional theater in the states.
Beginners- the equivalent of "places!" in America...for example the SM will come over the headset and ask "How we doing on Beginners?" to see if everyone is onstage yet.
belland- a jerk, dick
Brill- comes from 'brilliant' a popular word here. It is an "abbrev" and I love that the British do that with their words too! :) Ex. "That's just brill!"
Cans- A headset
Cheers!- something people say to mean: thank you, bless you, see you later, or just for the heck of it. Ex. "Where can I find that?...oh thank you." "Cheers!"
Close-muggy, hot (prounced with the S- sound at the end like "close to me")
cop- an annoyance with someone. "Oh I'm in a cop with her"
cow- bitch
Dep-someone coming in to fill in for an empty plot, for example a sound number 3 plot dep.
Dodgy- odd, not quite right "I dont know, lately I've just felt kind of dodgy"
For Let- to lease (the signs are everywhere on buildings)
Get-in - Load In for a show
Get-out - Load out or strike of a show
gutted- to be gutted means that you are heartbroken, crushed, or disappointed about something. Eg. "I am already completely gutted at the thought of leaving London."
knickers- underwear
Lemonade- Sprite with Lemon and sugar in it
mate- a good friend "Oh she's one of our best mates over here."
Minger- someone unappealing
Minging- Disgusting, appalling, gross.
Page- to hold or pull the curtain as an actor or piece of scenery goes through. Ex. "page the curtain there"
Pillock- idiot
Pillock- idiot
Plaster- bandaid or bandage. "I need to plaster my toe up"
Plunker- idiot
Pros (pr-ah-ss)- the proscenium arch
Quids- Pounds, kind of like saying bucks for dollars
Shattered- exhausted Ex. "I am absolutely shattered today!"
Skank- dirty, messy, filthy
Slapper- slut
Still, Mineral or Tap? - the question you are asked when you order water at a restaurant...except you usually have to request tap if you want it free.
The Tube- the subway system in London
To fancy- to like someone, have a crush on them. Ex. "I fancy her"
To stay or take away?- what they ask you at restaurants where you dont sit down to order...usually it costs more to stay.
Toilets- no longer really called the "Lou" in my experience so far, this is what the restrooms are always called.
Touch Wood- a figure of speech meaning the same as "knock on wood"
Tramp- homeless person
Treads-sneakers
trollup- slut
Twat- idiot
Twit- idiot
Uni- at college, university, school
wanker- stupid idiot

MAKE ART NOT WAR- the most memorable artists and works in my museum-going...

Althamer, Pawel- "Foksal Gallery Foundation," a sculpture of an office scenario
Bacon, Francis - of course another classic favorite
Balka, Miroslaw- giant string of soap probably about 20 feet tall...just bars of soap stacked!
Beckmann, Max- "Carnival"
Boccioni, Umberto- "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space," knew this one too!
Bomberg- "Ju-Jitsu"
Calle, Sophie- probably my favorite display. "Hotel." She was a maid who analyzed and went through hotel guests belongings and documentated her work with text and photography. It was like reading a suspense novel.
Cattelan, Maurizio- "Ave Maria"- three arms through a wall...a bit odd and thought provoking
Demand, Thomas- "Tavern," photography
Denny, Robyn- "Golem I"-paint splattered across the work
Gainsborough, Thomas- "Giovanna Baccelli," reminded me of Maria in The Sound of Music that I saw the same week.
Hiller, Susan- 5 film screens in 5 tints of women moving objects with only their minds! Matilda the movie was on one of the screens!
Hirst, Damien- "spot" paintings, polka dots!
Holzer, Jenny- "Inflammatory Essays," these were neon boxes of text covering a wall
Johns, Jasper- "0 through 9" A great work that shows numbers one through nine all at once!
Kandinsky- classic abstract/cubism. "Swinging"
Kiefer, Anselm- "Lilith", Reminiscent of Lord of the Rings set design to me
Kokoschka, Oskar- "Ambassador Ivan Maisky," unique color use in skin tones and portraiture
Kossoff, Leon- "Christ Church, Spitafields," bold, charcoal line
Landy, Michael- Collage drawings, newspaper-like
Lewitt, Sol- Wall drawings
Lichtenstein, Roy- Always close to my heart, Lichtenstein is! "Whaam!," and "Wall Explosion II"
Magritte, Rene- of course a favorite. "Man With a Newspaper"
Mondrian, Piet- hey this one is familiar! (the basis for the design of the show PUSH that I was asst. set designer for), "Composition C No. III," "Composition B, No. II"
Nash, Paul- geometric, 3D shapes
Nay, Ernst William- post war expressionism
Nevinson- "Bursting Steel"
Nicolson, Ben- "Le Quotiden," collage, music staff inside
Noble, Paul- "Paul's Palace," for some reason this just screamed Google Sketch Up to me and a demo project I did using that program last semester
Oiticica, Helio-"Metaesquema"
Picabia, Francis- "The Fig Leaf"
Picasso, Pablo- "The Three Dancers"
Rauschenberg, Robert- "Almanac," a black and white image for free association...no true meaning!
Sargent, John Singer- "Carnation Lily, Lily Rose," just a beautiful painting of two little girls with lanterns.
Shimamoto, Shozo- "Holes," works about Hiroshima
Starkey, Hannah- color photography, painterly
Tabrizian- "Beyond the Limits" contemplative photography, some of Iran/Iraq, that piece was of a man falling out of an otherwise peaceful building headfirst.
Turner, JMW- "the Harbour of Brest" unfinished, blocked in paint
Warhol, Andy- how could I go to the Tate Modern without seeing some Warhol? "Hamburger," "Gun."
Whistler- "Nocturne Blue and Silver Cremorne Lights"
Williams, Fred.- from Australia. Abstract art.
Wilson, Richard- sketchbook process work

My Summer in London ~ 2008 ~

Welcome!

26 February 2010

Watch out London I'm baaacckkkkk

New Words and Phrases from the Brits....

MAKE ART NOT WAR- the most memorable artists and works in my museum-going...

Links to browse...

My London Playlist

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