38 Degrees | Save Our Forests

38 Degrees | Save Our Forests.

The government is preparing plans to sell off more than half of our national forests to private firms. This could mean ancient woodlands are chopped down and ruined. Woodland wildlife would have to make way for Centre Parcs style holiday villages, golf courses and commercial logging.

We need to stop these plans. Ancient forests like The Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest are national treasures- once they are gone, they will be lost forever. A huge petition will force the government to rethink its plans. If we can prove how strongly the public are against this, they will have to back down. Please sign the petition now.

EW

Rome Sweet Rome…

Rome has always been one of my favourite cities in the world. There is something special about it, you can sense its unique charm when you walk up the narrow alleys, or wander through its characteristic markets crowded with shouting stallholders, bustling locals and entranced tourists.

First and foremost Rome is considered to be an ancient city, steeped in history and boasting some of the finest examples of Roman architecture, tourists flock to marvel over the Colosseum, admire the Trevi Fountain and the Vatican City. However, not many people realise that Rome is so much more and they will be surprised at what else it has to offer...If I say MAXXI it is unlikely you will know what I am talking about and what a shame that is!! MAXXI is the brand new National Museum of the 21^st Century Arts, located in the Flaminio neighbourhood of Rome. It was inaugurated in May 2010 and designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid, who thought of it as a composition of bending oblong tubes, overlapping, intersecting and piling over each other. MAXXI’s permanent collections include works by Anish Kapoor, Gerhard Richter, Francesco Clemente along with many others. The interior of the building is as awe-inspiring as the exterior and on walking in you will almost certainly be amazed. It certainly is a masterpiece fit to sit alongside Rome’s ancient wonders.

In my opinion another must-see when visiting Rome is the Palazzo della Civilta`Italiana. This square Colosseum is located in the EUR district and it is fascinating to see its resemblance with the ‘original’ Colosseum located in the city centre. When the sun shines it is as if its marble surfaces are covered with glitter.

Of course Rome is also food: artichokes, trippe, abbacchio, bucatini all`amatriciana…people from Rome really know how to treat themselves! Rome is full of cheap and typical trattorie (eating houses) where you can try the local cuisine. Trastevere is the district recognized for offering the best trattorie in Rome. In the heart of Trastevere I discovered a charming little eaterie, La Scala, as soon as I walked in I was surrounded by the typical ‘Roman charm’. The food there was amazing and affordable and the rustic charm of the place reminded me the infamous scene in Disney's ‘Lady and the Tramp’, such a romantic place especially by candlelight and with the addition of a delightful dinner date!

Rome is a city that will never fail to indulge you!

MC

You’ve Got Mail!

The old adage goes ‘say it with flowers’, well we think ‘say it with a mini living garden’ is going to be catching on soon...No? Well stick with me here because I think we may have discovered the answer to all your greeting card needs. Postcarden are a quirky little range of cards offering a twist on the traditional greeting card. Getting something through the letterbox that’s not either a bill or a takeaway menu is always a bonus, but imagine if your greeting card could be a curious and interactive little marvel that will grow and develop over time. Postcarden Mini Living Gardens can be sent easily through the post with room for a personal message. They are quick to construct, simply unfold the card into its 3D form, sprinkle a little water into the base, scatter the cress seeds onto the damp paper and place in a warm, bright spot. Within a week you will be the proud owner of a crop of cress, perfect for sprinkling on your lunchtime sandwich or salad.

Postcarden commission and work closely with a number of talented artists to create the different designs for the Mini Living Gardens. I am currently struggling to choose between the adorable Allotment and the Botanical garden to send to a friend who has just moved into her first flat – never mind that it is lacking in outside space, a Postcarden will provide the greenery!

http://www.postcarden.com

KM

Antipodean Art…but not as you know it

‘Platonia’, a rare chance to view the latest works by controversial Oz artist, Sam Leach. Think of contemporary art and hip galleries and London and the Big Apple come to mind ..but what sort of a splash is modern Australian art making on the global canvas right now?

For a crash course in why Antipodean art is making waves in the brilliant and buoyant contemporary art world come and view ‘Platonia’ a thought-provoking exhibition by Oz artist Sam Leach, between 22nd September and 3rd October at Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street St. James´s, London SW1Y 6BN.

Winner of various prestigious Australian art awards, this year Leach became only the third artist, ever, to win Australia’s two most coveted art prizes – in the same year.He scooped both The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Archibald Prize for Portraiture and the Wynne Prize for Landscape earlier this year, the last person to ‘do the double’ was in 1978. (In short, imagine winning the Turner Prize and the John Moore’s Painting Prize in the same year, no mean feat!)

Those in the know know there’s more to the Aussie art scene than Aboriginal works (vibrant and beautiful though they are)... so for a glimpse of a different side of the contemporary Australian art world, come and view Sam Leach’s controversial,  boundary-breaking paintings and find out why this artist’s work is selling faster than iced gelatos on a blistering summer’s day in Sydney.

Leach is creating a big splash in the art scene over the water – and this is a rare opportunity to catch him on UK shores.  We think Sam Leach is a name you art lovers should remember as you’ll be hearing a lot more from him in the future...

Sam Leach is an original in the purest sense of the word...inspired by traditional 17th Century Dutch paintings, he brings a unique twist to his subject matter, exploring the ambiguous and often uncomfortable relationship between technology and nature.

One theme that preoccupies Leach is our daily obsession with making money and our fear of dying, both of which he says shape our relationship with the natural world, and usually not in a good way.

‘Platonia’ is on at Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6BN

September 22^nd to October 3^rd 2010

Gallery Opening Times: 10 am – 6 pm

www.comodaa.com

www.8dukestreet.co.uk

FK

Barcelona’s best kept secrets…

I left Barcelona almost two years ago and when I think about the city and how much I miss it I imagine myself having a stroll in Gracia’s neighbourhood. When people ask me about Barcelona, or mention how cool Les Rambles are and the beauty of Gaudi’s architectural works it makes me feel truly nostalgic. But then I ask them, “Have you been to Gracia?”

The neighbourhood of Gracia is really easy to reach, just up from the top of Passeo de Gracia it welcomes you with the hotel Casa Fuster, born from the rehabilitation of an emblematic modernist building. Walking further up Gran de Gracia you are in the heart of the neighbourhood and turning right you can lose yourself within the narrow streets and the cosy squares. Walking through Gracia you will feel the contrast of the borough, a mixture of the traditional with the trendy, antique with modern, sophistication with simplicity.

If I had to choose between all the lovely Gracia squares I would undoubtedly pick La Plaça del Sol because of the cafes, bars and restaurants. I love Envalira where you can have amazing arroz (a kind of paella).

During summer I used to spend my weekends there just walking through the streets, or sitting on a terrace and watching the world go by and enjoying an ice-cream at La Plaça de la Revolucio, or welcoming in the evening with a Mojito from the groovy bar Le Journal at Plaça Rius i Taulet.

During winter time I liked to spend weekend afternoons at the old Verdi Cinema, which plays the last independent European movies in their original language. Or visit El Mercat de la Llibertat (the freedom market), a modernist elegant building decorated by Gaudi’s great friend Francesc Berenguer i Mestres where you can get a huge variety of fresh and organic foodstuffs.

Gracia definitely feels more like a small welcoming town rather than a district in a cosmopolitan city; a bohemian and unique space which is home to intellectuals, artists, students and families who make up an active and politically-conscious Catalan community. In short it can seem a world apart from Barcelona and sometimes offers a peaceful refuge from the crowded city.

AS