I set off this morning for the Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art (their lowercase, not mine). I walked part of the canal towpath until I got to the Islington tunnel and then I had to go on the regular streets. I was on the Jubilee Greenway, judging from the occasional sidewalk marking. (I later Googled it and found out that it is a pathway of 37 miles that linked the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics venues.)

I was in new territory, east of where we are living. I found a little outdoor market, a large Sainsbury's grocery store, a Marks & Spencer (where I purchased a coffee and a scone), and a couple of nice-looking restaurants (a Spanish tapas bar with a man slicing up the ham in the front window, and a Vietnamese pho restaurant). I ended up heading north on Islington High Street at one point but I eventually found my way.


The Parasol unit foundation was established in 2004 and is "internationally recognised for its forward thinking and challenging exhibition programme." This summer's exhibition is The Space Between, showcasing the work of Bangladeshi-British artist Rana Begum. The artist says that she "draws inspiration both from the city environment and her own childhood memories of the geometric patterns of traditional Islamic art and architecture." Her pieces play with light, color and form, and how they work together. She works with paint and different types of steel and aluminum (aluminium). Most of the pieces are three-dimensional and, with the way she uses color, some of the pieces are really three pieces in one, depending on where you stand--so movement is also important to her.

No. 480, 2013 viewed from the left

No. 480, 2013 viewed from the right

No. 480, 2013 viewed straight on

Part of the canal in their back patio area

Now I don't pretend to know anything at all about contemporary art, but I'm trying to learn. I certainly cannot decipher on my own what is going on in a piece of abstract art so I like to have someone explain a piece to me. (That's why I like taking a docent tour at places like MassMOCA or dia: Beacon.)  Fortunately, there was a handout and a very good video interview with the artist by the foundation's founder and director Ziba Ardalan. So maybe I still don't understand it completely but I liked it, and that's good enough for me.

Next door was another contemporary art gallery, Victoria Miro, but it was closed for the summer holidays. I'll try to get back. Instead I walked north to another museum, The Estorick Collection. Eric Estorick was an American collector of 20th century Italian art, especially Futurist art. Unfortunately, I arrived there to discover that they are closed for renovations from August 2016 to January 2017. Oh well, I can't see everything.

I walked back over to Islington High Street. What a happening place. I found a lot more interesting restaurants, and my niece Brea will be happy to hear that I stopped in to Ottolenghi and picked up a couple of unusual salads and some trout to take home for dinner (our flat is still too hot to cook in).

I walked by (and partly through) Joseph  Grimaldi Park. I didn't see his grave nor did I see any clowns. (Grimaldi was a famous clown in the late 18th century and apparently his grave is a place of pilgrimage for clowns today.)

Favorite sign of the day:

(I looked it up when I got home to find out that it is a type of paint with a thick, oily finish that is slippery and prevents people from climbing on things like fences. It is also called non-drying paint or anti-intruder paint.)

Total miles walked today: at least 4.25 (6.84 km)