Ideas ideas

Do you remember my 'ideas notebook'? Well, I have started a new one already and I have managed to loose it already as well...So many nice ideas LOST!

Spoon

Before I start going on how wonderful it is to be featured amongst the bunch of the most talented photographers of my generation (in reGeneration 2 published by Thames & Hudson) I would like to do a post about a place in Edinburgh that is quickly advancing into one of my favourite places in town - Spoon Cafe Bistro in 6a Nicholson Street.

I was taken there by a fellow photographer, David and if not taken there by somebody who is already familiar with the place I might have missed it myself. Not that it does not have a big sign outside! (It does as you see in the pciture). The entrance however is somehow concealed between two entrances to the flats in the building and as the Spoon is situated upstairs, there is not any shopfront either. It used to be an Asian quisine restaurant as my Korean friend told me, when I subsequently took her there for a meal.

So its views to the coupola of the Edinburgh University have some culinary history already but now the place looks more like a trendy hotspot in Berlin than in Bejing.

Dave very kindly allowed me to photograph his hand and his desert (I had an almond & pear tart, a huge looking merange with raspberry sauce was his choice) with a background of the Skye map with which two big round tables are covered with. And the hot chocolate was served in a tiny cup, please do not worry about Dave's hand size! The choice of the furniture featured in the spacious, lightfilled interior is haphazard but somehow looks put together even implying some sort of cozines of our favourite Krakovian cafes.

Simon likes their choice of pastry and properly hot cappucinos that come in some oldschool cups and my favourite are...the toilets, wallpapered with  issues of  British magazines from  60s and 70s so you can read about Mia Farrow's performance is Rosemary Baby while you are away from your companions. (Btw do you also have that symptom that you absolutely must read siply ANY written word when it is there, in front of your eyes? Wallpapering the toilets with culinary recipies is a risky strategy with me as I end up taking awfuly long time there taking notes...). Ah, and one of the perks is a free access to the internet.

I am hoping to take Monica there when she finally gets better and hopefully comes one day to Edinburgh! Meanwhile I am spreading the word among my Scottish friends. If Spoon was located a bit closer to us (well, it is a good 20 minutes walk from where we leave but just 5 minues when you are already in the Old Town) Tea Tree Tea would have a serious competition!

More indepth about the Spoon and their menu HERE.

Back from the country of watches!

Honestly, I have never seen so many adverts concerning hand watches! And plastic surgery clinics, but there weren't any posters to be seen which would advertise recently published books. I wish I bought a bd about Friedrich Nietzsche that I saw at the Geneva airport. Helas I decided to spend my last beautifully designed 20 Swiss francs note on a coffee and a cake...

In the picture - the reason of our short trip:

How is the Castle today?

Expo at ECA

Edinburgh College of Art Graduation Show opened two day ago and I have spent last several days talking to various visitors about my project shown in a very conveninet location of the Sculpture Court. Website also went up, so you can see more than just 3 exhibited Temporal (Portraits) at http://www.sylwiakowalczyk.com/

I have had some frendly conversations with people from Scottish NPG and an independent curator who immediately invited me to take part in the show he is curationg somewhere in the New Town (I did agree though I am going to see the space tomorrow) though beahviour of some visitors bewilders me: they TOUCH works on the wall, they choose their favourite of the provided postcards scattering the rest of them all over the place, they read comments in the comments book without leaving their own and during the private view I had to remove several cups with RED wine that were left just next to the prints in portfolio box.

We are back from Haddington now and back to our regular schedual. I would like to have a look tomorrow if anybody have not nicked my prints (exhibition is supervised but you never know, I kind of assumed that the Blurb book will eventually get stolen at some point as it is too tempting) and to top up the cards as they disappear surprisingly fast - I think at least 200 were distributed in the first 3 days of the exhibition!

Meanwhile have a look at several pictures (courtesy of Simon's new toy about which later) from the Friday evening:

A Coco a day keeps bad mood away

Is he Scottish or what?

I cannot sleep because I am coughing so much (a small chect infection inherited after Simon who is doing very well now, thank you) so I went on line to read a blog by photographer Martin Usborne (do you remember his portrait of a couple straight from 1040s with their two beautiful goggies which featured in the National Portrait Gallery exhibition in London? No? Check out his portfolio right now!)

And guess what? He has a post there about Florence - well I did not venture downstairs in Duomo, I just went to see the coupola.

Soapdish that says a lot about a culture of a country

My Korean friend Sejin, pointed recently a strange Scottish phenomenon - one is not able to buy an interesting (or actually ANY whatsoever)...soapdish in the Scottish shops! In fact since she mentioned this I have started to notice a weird absence of soapdishes in Scottish homes and institutions. In fact our previous home soapdish came from Paris. Now we have a latest addition to our bathroom sink brought to us by Sejin from her latest Korean trip. Thank you so much, girlfriend! Now I am thinking about your kindness everytime I wash my hands!

Photographer's BBQ

In realtion to my previous post - some visual material taken during this fantastic afternoon! It is Scotland and the North Sea after all so to have a dip in the sea a wetsuit is recommended. Otherwise your nipples reach Norway the moment you get into the water.

I hope you have had a fantastic weekend!

Mine was like that definitely. I have noticed that I like company more nowadays while before I could have spent days on end without even speaking to anyone, perfectly happy with just myself and my internet connection - now I crave a real human contact.

The department BBQ was a perfect opportunity to catch up with some of the friends who will be soon leaving for London, Taiwan or US and to have a more in depth conversation with the head of department who very kindly provided a lift for me and another tutor. For an hour way to the Tyninghame beach we went through ageing (David said he used to have a nickname 'pretty David' in his youth! And now he is getting significantly balder!), teenage children (Lyovka will be turning 13 this summer as well as Dave's son Samuel who already has a breaking voice, interest in porn and that not very good looking weak moustache appearing on the upper lip), past (David used to be a leading singer and a guitarist in a successful rock band - he played several songs from a 35 year old tape he had in his car and the music was excellent! I wish I could get hold of it somehow but it was a really good rock, perfect for driving on A1 in the scorching sun! I know he is mastering these tapes for Samuel and sometimes goes on stage to play the guitar but I would love to hear some more because I really liked it!), relationships (Arnaud's girlfriend is a really high flyier and her latest job is probably going to take her to Portugal so he is wondering if he should move from Scotland and follow her as we all know that long distance relationships seldom work), Scottish way of avoiding precised answers (as foreigners, Arnaud and I observed that Scottish people would never tell us what they really think - they would just stop getting in touch! Well...fair enough, I suppose if it works for them, though I am finding it a way too easy solution. Maybe as a Catholic I am more emotional? I throw plates first and apoligise later?) and the most important - photography.

Oh and the BBQ was tasty too!

A fellow blogger

I have met today a new addition to the Stills team - Erika, who graduated of the painting department of Edinburgh College of Art and now is part of the interns working at the gallery. She also runs a witty Edinburgh blog and has her pictures reguarly printed in the Scotsman!

Have a look: http://erikastevenson.blogspot.com/

Country weekend

Another country weekend is gone! We went towards the Sutra to meet our clients and we ended up on an authentic Scottish farm with sheep and all. Interesting experience for the citydwellers like us. I think I posted some cows before so this time some sheep and a windturbines in the distance.

Rest in peace, Louise

A hope of every female artist - that we finally will be appreciated even if it happens in our 80s, Louise Bourgeois, passed away yesterday (this post went on line 4 minutes past midnight). I hope she will have lots of fun up there, creating her next Maman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMdWNwOWnng