I decided to head over to Canada House (the Canadian High Commission) in Trafalgar Square to see the exhibition Floe Edge. When I arrived, I was not allowed in because they were fixing the video projector and it wasn't "safe." A guy was up on a ladder, so maybe it was his safety they were concerned about and not so much that of the visitors. I was told to come back later. I was briefly flummoxed as to where to go in the meantime. But, hey, this is London, there are always things to do, and I was in Trafalgar Square. I knew I didn't have the time to visit the National Gallery or the National Portrait Gallery if I wanted to get back to Canada House, but I looked over and saw St. Martin-in-the-Fields church beckoning me. I knew they had lunchtime concerts, so I went over to see if I could catch one.

I was in luck, for a concert of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Choral Scholars had begun 15-20 minutes before I got there. I was able to see the last 25-30 minutes. The Choral Scholars are made up of 10-12 music college students or graduates who are appointed each year to sing the Choral Eucharist and Evensong every Wednesday throughout the school year. Nine of them were singing today, accompanied on piano by Jeremy Cole, the assistant director of music. When I arrived I sat in the back left corner so I wouldn't disturb the performers. I couldn't see them because I had situated myself behind a column. After a couple of songs, I moved closer to the center of the same pew to afford a better view. The performers sang solos and duets by Mozart and Handel until the end when they all came together to sing Verdi's "Libiamo ne'lieti calici" from La Traviata. They were all excellent, except for the man sitting next to me who was whistling along with the singers. I always seem to pick the best seats. These concerts are free, but they have a very reasonable suggested donation. I was happy to oblige. I took a few photos of the interior before heading outside.

I decided that, as long as I was here, I would go downstairs to the Crypt, where there is a cafe, a gift shop, and a brass rubbing center. I remember doing rubbings with my daughters twenty years ago. They have expanded it and added a new entrance with an elevator.

Floor of the Cafe in the Crypt

There was a small art exhibit, Portraits in Character. with pieces by Alexander Newley. Each piece is a portrait of an actor in character, just as the title spells out. I Googled him when I got home and found out that he is a well-known portraitist and has works in the National Portrait Gallery and also in the National Gallery in Washington. He is the only son of Joan Collins.

"Painting an actor in character adds another layer of interest for me. I've always been fascinated by the unknowable human self and how it variously disguises and forms itself into the mask of personality. In a theatrical portrait, that self is further warped and refracted through the mask of portrayal. I am making a portrait of their portrait, in other words, which is a fascinating game of chess on many levels." Alexander Newley

There were two portraits of Judi Dench as Time in The Winter's Tale, one of Kenneth Branagh as Old Leontes in The Winter's Tale, two of Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge playing Othello in Red Velvet. The portraits of Adrian Lester were particularly interesting to me because my sisters and I had seen him perform this role in Brooklyn at St. Ann's Warehouse in March of 2014. We were at the after party and got to meet him. The previous October (2013) we saw him perform the lead in the National Theatre's production of Othello via live streaming from London to the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe, Devon.

These paintings were all completed in 2016 and next March they will be auctioned off to raise funds for the church's programs working with homeless and vulnerable people, music programs, mission, and buildings.

I shopped in their little store, bought a book, and then headed back across Trafalgar Square to Canada House.

The exhibition was back up and running. Floe Edge: Contemporary Art and Collaborations from Nunavut was a nice little show, displaying works by Nunavummiut (people from the Canadian territory of Nunavut). Most are also Inuit. Nunavut is one of the most remote territories in the world, with 32,000 people in an area the size of Western Europe. The coolest fact I learned is that about one-quarter of all their adults are practicing artists. The Government of Nunavut "insists on an art sector that acknowledges and supports many ways of being an artist."

The title Floe Edge refers to "the line of life," where the open waters of the Arctic Ocean meet the frozen sea ice. It's where mammals and birds congregate, it's constantly changing, melting, reforming.

The most interesting piece in the exhibition was the video (so I'm glad they were able to fix it) called Gauge. It shows a series of large-scale paintings on the ice walls that are formed when the tide rises beneath the ice. These walls reach a height of 10 meters every 12 hours, and then they move back down. The time lapse video shows the artists creating the paintings and then it shows the walls disappearing back into the ocean, erasing the paintings. The video shows about five different paintings created by three artists using natural food coloring and burnt cow bone, fire extinguishers and paint sprayers. It is hard to see in my photos.

The other pieces were very nice as well and included drawings, a bra and underwear made out of sealskin, photography, carvings, a doll, jewelry, and shoes.

Shortly after I got back home, Gord left for a reception with some of the students and the President of Skidmore and his wife. I stayed home because spouses (other than the President's) weren't invited.

I'm happy to report that my father's surgery went very well.

Read: Jean Rhys' "Tigers are Better-Looking" (1964) and Muriel Spark's "Daisy Overend" (1967) from London Stories