Showing posts with label About. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About. Show all posts

Marks & Stencils

So I've been a pretty big fan of Bansky for a few years of now. I think I'm really just jealous that he's able to paint on the streets and get away with it. So I was pretty stoked to hear that there was a new Banksy-curated exhibition in Central called Marks & Stencils. The name is a play off of a chain of stores here in the UK called Marks & Spencer.

I went with my friend Cillian and met up with my friend Amber and we went to check out the space. Needless to say, I was pretty much in awe. I love graffiti. Not the gross nasty tagging and scribbling that most delinquents do, but I'm talking about REAL graffiti art. There's something pretty cool about creating art in public spaces.

The sad fact is that even though most of these graffiti artists do some amazing pieces, it is still illegal and so most of them go by pseudonyms. Banksy himself has yet to be revealed. Every now and then though you can find some great art by these artists and they're definitely worth checking out.

If you can't go see any street art shows in your area, you could watch Exit Through the Gift Shop. It's an awesome film about street art and Banksy and totally worth checking out.

And if ever decides to stop raining in this country, I'm planning on doing a Banksy hunt through all of London to find all of his pieces that are left throughout the city. Get excited!

Things to Know

This page is a conglomeration of all the places and things that get mentioned throughout my posts. Wondering what something is? Check it here, and if it's not listed, let me know and I'll add a post!


Brunel

Brunel University. Located in Uxbridge, and named after the famed British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

This is where I am currently studying.



Central

Central London. Because Brunel is on the outskirts of London, technically in Middlesex, I have to take about a 45-60 minute tube ride to get into the heart of London. But Brunel is considered to be in "West London". It's all London. But the main city is sometimes called Central to us students.


Chimes, The

One of the two shopping centers in Uxbridge. It's the nicer of the two. This one has more "high-end" shops like the Gap, H&M, M&S, Starbucks, and other stores that are name-brand. Fun fact: The Chimes was used to film an episode of the UK comedy, "The Inbetweeners" for season 3!


High Street

The main shopping areas of town. All the ones I've been too so far are pedestrian-only and are lined with shops on both sides. And no matter what time of day, there always seems to be a ton of people. Shops usually close early, but are open late on Thursdays (until 7!).


Isambard

The on-campus accommodation complex especially for postgraduate students. The seventeen buildings are arranged in flats, with about ten rooms and one kitchen in each flat. Luckily, there's a private bathroom for each room!


Pavilions, The

One of the two shopping centers in Uxbridge. It's the bargain-shopping spot with stores like Poundland, T.K. Maxx, Iceland, and Wilkinsons. Usually a temporary market opens up shop on Tuesdays in the atrium so you can buy random stuff as well.

Introduction

So a couple of years ago, I got this wild idea stuck in my head that I wanted to live in London, England. Well, after visiting twice and finishing up my undergraduate career at Virginia Tech, I have finally sort-of arrived.

I'm currently attending Brunel University, about 30 minutes by Tube outside of central London in order to get a master's degree in Design and Branding Strategy.

I was born and raised in Chesapeake, Virginia, and although I've traveled throughout Europe and parts of the United States and the Caribbean, I have never lived anywhere but the Old Dominion State (that would be Virginia!).

This blog will be about my adventures in adjusting to living life in another country, my trials and tribulations with public transportation, and figuring out the metric system.


Although I'm sure there will be some randomness along the way...