Sunday 17 January 2016

The Whitworth and the Snow


It's been a busy weekend. Unusually for us, we've been out both days and then, of course, there has been the added excitement of snow! But more of that later.

On Saturday, we headed into Manchester to meet up with some friends. We arrived to blue skies, sunshine and bright splashes of red from Chinese lanterns, all ready for Chinese New Year on 8 February.

Terminal by Bernard Schottlander

There was more red at the Whitworth Art Gallery where we were having lunch. It underwent a major renovation project in 2014/15 which included building a lovely new cafe/restaurant with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the park. Needless to say it's very busy and we had to queue a little while, particularly as there were 9 of us.


Well worth it though as the food was delicious. Here's my pastrami sandwich, taken with the 'food' mode on my camera. No, I'm not sure what it does either but I did think the detail and colour came out really well.


Then it was time for a walk around the Art_Textiles exhibition. There were works by some famous names like Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry but I preferred some of the other exhibits. These are a few highlights. Mind you, I had to be selective as some of them weren't suitable for family viewing!


I loved these 2 quilts by Risham Syed and particularly the one on the right because of all the little characters - you would never tire of looking at all the details.

Ghada Amer - Sunset with words


Lyn Malcolm - Why have we so few great women artists?
 This was one of Chickpea's favourites. She liked the way the name of the work was carried through the different objects.

Mary Sibande - Sophie-Velucia/Madame CJ Walker
And we all thought this was one of the most thought-provoking and interesting of the exhibits. If I remember rightly, the Sophie of the title represents the artist's mother. The woman in the portrait is Sarah Breedlove who was a self-made millionaire and the first in her family to break from domestic servitude: her fortune was made from hair care products. There's an article about Mary Sibande and her 'Sophie' works here.


Lastly, nothing to do with textiles but I really liked this 'mobile' and the lovely colours and patterns it reflected on the wall. I'd definitely recommend a visit to the Whitworth if you're in the area.

After arriving in those blue skies, it was a surprise to get off the train at home to find the car covered in snow! What is it about snow that's so thrilling? Chickpea couldn't stop breaking out in excited giggles as we drove home.


This morning it was still there. Hurrah! We were going out again but I couldn't resist a quick walk beforehand, so I pulled on my boots and headed out around the lake.



Cute!



I hope these aren't the last of the snowy scenes this winter :)


I couldn't stay out long though as we were going to the cinema to see Room. I loved the book and have to say that the film didn't disappoint. The child actor was amazing. Highly recommended.

And that was my weekend. I also have my kirigami update to show you but will save that for another post. We have another busy weekend next week as it's my annual Burns Night supper.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend in the snow or otherwise. Have a lovely week. x

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good weekend. The Whitworth looks an interesting place, I've not heard of it before. I have loved the snow too, I went for a walk this afternoon to enjoy it as it could all be gone by tomorrow (though I hope not!). I've heard of room and thought it sounded interesting. Was that your first Year in Books read?!

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  2. I've just heard of Room - I don't keep up with movies much, but maybe I'll look for the book. The exhibition looks interesting, and I always love going to cafes in museums. I don't know why, but the food and coffee always seem to be the best!

    Lovely snow pictures. It's always fun for the first day, isn't it?

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  3. It looks like an amazing place to visit, for the exhibits and the lunch! We had snow here today too, must have been the day for it! xx

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  4. What a lovely few days, you must have had a nice weekend. I love how we still squeal at the first snow fall of the year, no matter how old we are.
    Amanda xx

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  5. Sounds like a good weekend meeting up with friends and visiting the Whitworth to see the textile exhibits then later having your first lot of snow.

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  6. I've never beenthe Whitworth but it looks an interesting place to visit. The Sophie exhibit looks especially good. Our snow has gone now but it was good whilst it lasted.x

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  7. That looks the most fabulous museum! I adore the reflections if that mobile and that amazing dress!!!

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  8. I like the look of the Whitworth gallery a lot, and thank you for showing us some of the exhibits. That dress is incredible.

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