Deck the halls...

So it's officially Christmas in the Cooling house! The tree's up, everywhere there are twinkling lights and the whole place has that festive orangey-cinnamon smell...the halls are well and truly decked :)

Xx

Urban Outfitters opens in Newcastle!

In case anyone in the North East of England hadn't noticed, the long-overdue Urban Outfitters finally opened in Newcastle last Friday (hear woops of joy from fashion-diehards across the region!) When the budget allows (or they have sale on) I'm a massive Urban Outfitters fan and so I popped in to check out the new store early this week...and its exactly what I expected - consciously cool, diverse and slightly over-priced! The festive season has some what dented my bank balance so despite being tempted by a gorgeous floral-patterned velvet body that looked like my Gran's 1970s carpet, on this occasion all I bought was a book which will be going in someones stocking come the 25th! Can't wait for the January sales though :)

Urban Outfitters Newcastle

139 - 153 Grainger Street

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tyne And Wear
NE1 5AE

Xx 

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan

A few weeks ago I took a trip to London and while I was there I visited two fantastic exhibitions, Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement at The Royal Academy, which I reviewed at the time and Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan, showing at The National Gallery and which I'm finally getting around to reviewing now!

So unless you've been living under a stone for the last month you've probably heard about this exhibition! Billed as a once-in-a-lifetime show, it's been reviewed by every newspaper going, had the opening screened in cinemas across Britain and broadcast on Sky Arts One and the exhibition posters are everywhere (even in provisional northern towns like Sunderland.) However on the off chance you've been hibernating...this exhibition, inspired by the National Gallery's recent restoration of Da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks, focuses on the work Leonardo produced during his time as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.

All 'blockbuster' exhibitions are hyped as once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated opportunities to see great works of art but Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan arguably lives up to this description. The exhibition was five years in the making and includes loans from the Louvre, The Vatican, The Hermitage and HM Queen's Royal Collection and Brings together the largest number of surviving Leonardo paintings ever, including both versions of The Virgin of the Rocks and the newly authenticated Salvator Mundi. These are shown alongside a large number of Da Vinci's preparatory sketches and studies, as well works by his best known pupils. 

All this media hype and publicity has lead to a run on ticket sales! The advanced tickets ran out in the first week and in an effort to reduce 'gallery rage' and ensure visitors can actually see the paintings, The National Gallery has limited the number of visitors to 180 every half-hour (you can stay as long as you want once inside the exhibition). That works out as only 500 tickets on sale per day and unfortunately I wasn't clever enough to buy an advanced ticket...so I had to queue for three and a half hours! I know that sounds insane but I'm stubborn and determined and apparently so are alot of other people!

When I finally made it in, I wasn't disappointed!...regardless of hype, this is a fascinating exhibition! Of the 93 works on show, Leonardo's paintings are undoubtedly the stars! The works of his pupils are wonderful in their own right but when hung side by side with the Master's works, they largely serve to highlight his unparallelled skill...sorry Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio! The skill of Leonardo Da Vinci, the painter, is probably a given...what I found revelatory (yep, I actually said that) were the sketches! They offer a fascinating insight into the workings of Leonardo's mind and make looking at his paintings even more rewarding. My highlight...sitting in a room between both copies of The Virgin of the Rocks, painted more than 25 years apart, they demonstrate the changes in Da Vinci's style and technique...and if you don't care about that then they're pretty beautiful too!

If you're planning on visiting Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan and aren't lucky enough to have a an advanced ticket then I have a few tips to beat the queues and get the most out of the exhibition. Get there early! Doors open at 10am (which is when I arrived) and there was already a 3 and a half hour wait so if you can get there before 9am and bear in mind that there are only 500 tickets a day so if you arrive after 11am don't even bother! If you do manage to get a ticket, I suggest going for a late-ish entry time (I went for 4pm) that way by the time you've finished the rooms in the Sainsbury Wing, things will be winding down and you can walk back through the now largely empty rooms and get a proper look at the works sans crowds, before heading up to see the Last Supper in the East Wing! Also, grab a copy of the exhibition guide (its free) as it has all the panel and label texts, which means you won't have to fight to read them on the walls!

Most importantly....enjoy!

Xx

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is showing at The National Gallery until the 5th February 2012. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

Happy Stir-up Sunday!

Today is Stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday before Advent) so-called because its traditional on this day to make your Christmas Pud! I know Christmas still seems a little way off...a whole 34 days (nearly 5 weeks) but this is the perfect time to make your pudding and allow all those yummy flavours to mature! Traditionally you're supposed to get the whole family in the kitchen as you make the pud, each one giving a stir and making a wish in turn, starting with the youngest. To honor the three kings you're supposed to stir from east to west but I'm afraid I don't own a compass and as my Pa was up a tree doing a spot of pruning at the time, only myself and my Mama had a stir!

As this is my first attempt at making a Christmas Pudding I thought I'd look to Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson for a little guidance (sorry Delia!) I have a couple of Nigella's books including 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' and 'Nigella Christmas', both of which have slightly differing Christmas Pudding recipes! I couldn't choose between them and so cherry-picked my favourite bits from both (I think Nigella would approve), fingers-crossed it turns out ok!

Serves 10-16 as part of a Christmas Feast, 8-10 if not.

150g Currents
75g Sultanas
75g Raisins
150g Prunes, scissored into pieces
60g Candied peel
50g Glace Cherries
175ml Brandy, rum or Pedro Ximenez Sherry
100g Plain Flour
125g Breadcrumbs
150g Suet
150g Dark Muscovado Sugar
50g Walnut pieces
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
grated zest of 1 Lemon
3 eggs
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and grated
2 x 15ml tablespoons honey

1x1.7litre/3 pint heatproof plastic pudding basin

• Put all the fruit into a large bowl along with your booze of choice, swill the bowl around a little, cover and steep overnight or for up to 1 week.

•  When the fruit have head their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof pudding basin, remembering to grease the lid too! Instead of making one 3 pint pudding I made one 2 pint for the family and one 1 pint pudding to give as part of a gift hamper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients, not forgetting to let everyone have a stir and make a wish!
• Add the steeped fruit, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix everything thoroughly. Now's the time to fold in the traditional charms or (cola-cleaned) coins, as we've mislaid the traditional family silver threepenny bits and I'm not keen on the idea of pound coins in my pud, I left the hardware out!
• Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin (basins) put the lid on and cover with a layer of tin foil, If your basin doesn't have a lid, just cover with a double-layer of baking parchment tied with string and then cover with a layer of tin foil. Then either put the basin into the pan of boiling water (to come half way up the basin) or in the top of a lidded-steamer and steam for 5 hours for a 3 pint pud or 3 hours each for a 2 pint and a 1 pint, taking care not to let the pan boil dry...like I did :s

• When you pud has had its time, remove gingerly, unwrap the foil and put the pudding somewhere out of the way until the big day.
• On Christmas day, re-wrap the pudding(s) in foil and steam again for a further 3 hours. To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, remove the lid, put a plate on top and up end, giving the plastic basin a little squeeze to release the pudding and voila...hopefully!
• Its traditional to flame the pud at the table with warmed brandy (Nigella suggests Vodka) but feel free just to dig in, I'll be having mine with brandy-spiked white sauce (traditional in County Durham, UK) but any sauce you like is acceptable...my Daddy loves his with slightly unconventional custard!

My puds are now safely tucked away in the garage, I'll post an update as to how it tastes post-Christmas feast...probably post-nap too!)
Xx

'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' at the Royal Academy of Art

I'm back from London and as promised I'll be posting a couple of reviews of some exhibitions I saw whilst away! On Monday I finally got to see an exhibition I've been looking forward to since the summer, 'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' at the Royal Academy of Art and I can honestly say I was blown away! This was my first trip to the RA and I was so so impressed, the building is stunning and the exhibition spaces are not only beautiful but are used innovatively and to great effect!

This exhibition is the first to explore Degas’s progressive engagement with the figure in movement and charts the relationship between his work and the parallel advances in photography and early film. The exhibition features over 85 of Degas' paintings, sculptures and photographs, including some pieces that haven’t been seen before in the UK. I could try to explain how fascinating and comprehensive this exhibition but I'll leave it to Co-Curator Ann Dumas...

 

I know all that might sound complicated and high-brow but to be honest even if you know nothing about art you couldn't fail to appreciate the beauty of these works and if you're a fan of either Degas or ballet you will love this exhibition!Promise!

The exhibition is layed out thematically but in a roughly chronological order, meaning that as you move through each room you encounter a different area of Degas' work whilst also progressing through his career! One of Degas' most famous works, 'The Little Dancer Aged Fourteen' definitely takes centre-stage in the exhibition! She is so so lovely, with her little nose in the air and her fragile silk tutu, and it was fascinating to learn about Degas' technique and see the work alongside his preparatory sketches!

It was a tough call but I think 'The Red Ballet Skirts' (pictured above) was my highlight of the exhibition! This reproduction just doesn't do it justice, the vivid orange-red of the dancers skirts is stunning and Degas' mastery of pastels (which you'll know, if you've ever attempted to use them, are very difficult to handle) is remarkable! Mostly its just mesmerizing beautiful!

 Just had to mention the RA shop!They have some gorgeous things in the exhibition range, I picked up some postcards and an exhibition poster to add to my collection and because its (almost) the season to be jolly, I just had to have this lovely Christmas tree ornament featuring my favourite work from the exhibition!

'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' runs at the Royal Academy until the 11th December 2011 and I can't recommend it enough so catch it while you can!

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/

Tea & The Wallace Collection

Just a quick post as I've got to run to catch the Tube but had to say what a lovely afternoon I've spent at The Wallace Collection! If you're not familiar, The Wallace collection is a national museum near Bond St in London and it houses a beautiful and diverse collection of 18th and 19th century fine and decorative art collected by four generations of the Wallace Family. My highlight...'Paolo & Francesca' by Ary Scheffer...the afternoon tea was pretty great too...I want one of these tea pots!

Xx

Off to London...

Off to London...

New shoesies!

Introducing my beautiful new shoes from Topshop! They're the black suede Saffi Mary Jane Platforms I featured in my previous blog post and I'll admit that I'm slightly obsessed with them...for obvious reasons :)

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2614787&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208542&parent_categoryId=208492&pageSize=20&refinements=Colour{1}~[black]^category~[209960|208542]&noOfRefinements=2

P.S. I know my last few posts have been a bit lazy but I'm heading to London this weekend so expect some exhibition reviews soon!

xx

Topshop Lust List

(From upper left) Milano Pencil Skirt in Navy Blue, Animal Print Zip Bralet, Structured Skater Dress in Ink, Elle Star Embroidered Slippers in True Leopard, Hand-Knitted Cable Jumper in Pink, Saffi Mary Jane Platform in Black Suede.

Just a few items that have re-ignited my love for Topshop! Think I'll be treating myself to the black suede Saffi Mary Jane Platforms (lower far right)...I'm a sucker for Mary Janes'...plus they'll be perfect with my new ASOS playsuit! Alas at £70 I don't think my waitress's salary will accommodate the pink hand-knitted jumper but a girl can dream!

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057

xx

Latest ASOS Purchase...Yay or Nay?

My latest ASOS purchase arrived today, a super cute black playsuit with fine mesh sleeves and back panel with big velvet spots! I was thrilled when I unwrapped it but was slightly less thrilled when I tried it on...I was planning on wearing it over the fast-approaching festive party season but I'm not sure whether its a bit...boring? Thoughts please :)

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Ponte-Playsuit-in-Spot-Mesh/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1747799&cid=7618&Rf900=1646&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black  (Link to ASOS page...alas I'm not a size nothing model so it looks a lil different on me!)

 xx

Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector Review

So basically I have a borderline-unhealthy addiction to cosmetics so when I heard that Garnier were offering free samples of their new BB Miracle Skin Perfector I couldn't resist trying it out! I'm a massive fan of cult beauty product, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and as I'd heard that Garnier's BB Cream was a similar product that's much easier on the purse I couldn't wait for my freebies to arrive. They took a few weeks but I was really pleased when they finally appeared on my doormat...3 1.5ml sachets and a £1 off voucher for a full-size tube, which retails for £9.99 at Boots and Superdrug (not sure about the US sorry!)

 

So Garnier describe this product as "an all-in-one, super dooper, anytime, anywhere skincare solution for perfected skin" and promise that the mineral enriched formula offers sheer coverage that blurs imperfections, softens lines and makes skin look luminous, smoother and more even. It also has SPF 15...always a bonus! 

I should probably say that I have super oily/blemish prone skin and like a full coverage foundation with a primer underneath (currently Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation worn over Clarins Beauty Flash Balm) and as this product is very sheer, personally, I wouldn't wear it alone (if you're lucky enough to have lovely skin then I'm  sure you could!) Instead I've been using my BB Cream as a primer and I love it! It has a lovely light-weight texture, melts into my skin without making it oily and I really feel like it evens my skin tone! I'm not sure its as brightening as Clarins Beauty Flash Balm but for a drugstore/high street product I'm definitely not complaining! It also sits really well under my foundation and wears well throughout the day, Garnier suggest using the product for touch ups during the day, I haven't tried that yet but I'll definitely give it a go!

All in all I would highly recommend this product if you're looking for a good, reasonably priced primer! You can read more about BB Miracle Skin Perfector at http://www.garnier.co.uk/_en/_gb/BB-cream/index.aspx and if you've already tried the product you can leave a review for the chance to win a year's magazine subscription...more freebies...yey!

I'm no Fleur De Force but I hope that's helpful!

xx

Was it the Art...or the free wine?

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to be invited to the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland for the preview of this seasons new exhibitions. As I mentioned already, I'm currently trying to broaden my artistic horizons with some contemporary art, with this in mind and with the promise of free wine, I and some friends decided it might be worth a look and headed along.

There were two exhibitions opening, 'CIVIC', an exhibition of billboards art and posters, showing across three galleries and 260 feet of commercial billboards and 'The Wonders of the Visible World', which brings together the work of 21 international artists who use photography and video to explore the relationship between the visible and the invisible worlds and "capture physical phenomena that defy belief, or defy description"...apparently!

John Kippin 'The Poor Are Always With Us',

CIVIC, is showing at the Reg Vardy Gallery and The Place as well as at the NGCA and on billboards around Sunderland. Each exhibition has a different theme - at the NGCA, a sequence of floor-to-ceiling photographic prints "examine the recent resurgence of interest in the romantic landscape in artists' photographs"...my favourite was the close-up of a muddy football! I'm not totally convinced by the over-arching theme but if nothing else this exhibition showcases some interesting and aesthically pleasing images and on this occasion, wine in hand, that was enough!

Ulla von Brandenburg 'Geister (Ghosts)'

The Wonders of the Visible World is a far more complex exhibition! To begin with the white-cube gallery space has been divided and sub-divided into a labyrinth of small brightly lit rooms showcasing a multitude of photographic works and practically pitch-dark spaces where visitors can recline on sofas whilst viewing the film installations. The sheer volume and variety of works on show makes it almost impossible to describe...but I'm going to try! The exhibition opens with Mark Wallinger's video work 'The Magic of Things', showing found footage from the TV series 'Bewitched', in which scenes of witchcraft-inspired magic "create a taxonomy of archetypes", then there's Camillo Paravicini's photographic series 'Somnambulist with Wall' documenting the alarming phenomenon of extreme sleepwalking. Jason Dee's video 'Medium' reveals the strange metamorphoses that can occur when time is slowed down in film and by far my favourite works, Georgina Mascolo's photographic series 'The Phenomenon Treatise' examines the unexplained occurrences at a former Army medical college on Millbank, where strange events from levitation to magnetism have been recorded.     

Mark Wallinger 'The Magic of Things'

Camillo Paravicini 'Somnabulist and Wall'

Jason Dee 'Medium'

Georgina Mascolo's 'Phenomenon Treatise III - Magnetism'

Moscolo's works are memorable, at least in part because there display is so different than that of the other works in the exhibition. To start with they're hung not in your average white-cube space but on walls painted a deep heritage green, there's even an antique table and a vase of fresh flowers. Accompanying the photographic works is an essay describing how the artist found the photographs, along with written reports on the experiments they document, in a former Army Medical Centre. Whether there is any truth in this or whether its all part of the larger work is down to interpretation but for me that's part of what makes this work so fascinating!

My friend Paul enjoying Georgina Mascolo's 'The Phenomenon Treatise'

If you're in the area I would definately recommend this thought-provoking exhibition! 

'The Wonders of the Visible World' is open until the 4th February 2012 and 'CIVIC' is showing until the 13th November, both are free entry. 

Barrista in Training

So I work in a little independent coffee house called Biz R and this week (after 5 years) I've been learning to make coffee...wish I could say I made this one but alas my skills aren't that advanced yet! I'm getting there though! (my lovely friend and colleague Paul this for me.)

It’s that time again…already!

Around this time every year I have a lil’ tradition…I bake a Christmas cake! Not just any Christmas cake, this is my Nana’s Christmas cake! I’ve been making it for as long as I can remember, first with my Mama’s help and now all by myself and though I’ve tweaked it over the years, I always stick to my Nana’s same basic method because its fool-proof and my family and friends love it! And there’s another reason…my Nana passed away 4 years before I was born. She was, I’ve been told, a born homemaker and a wonderful baker! The recipe I work from is in her own hand and making this cake, following her recipe, makes me feel close to her! I guess that’s the emotive power of food – it can be comforting, it can cheer you up, make you feel nostalgic or in this case, become a family tradition that’s passed down through generations…the fact that it tastes yummy doesn’t hurt either!

Enjoy!

Xx

Ingredients:

5oz (140g) Softened Butter

5oz (140g) Soft Dark Brown Sugar

3 Medium Eggs

6oz (170g) Plain Flour

¼ tsp Salt

1 tsp Mixed Spice  

1lb (450g) Mixed Dried Fruit

2oz (50g) Glace Cherries

1oz Candied Peel

1oz (25g) Flaked Almonds

Grated Zest of 1 Orange

1 tbsp Brandy

1 tbsp Water

Method:

•    Put all of the dried (inc. the glace cherries and mixed peel) in a large saucepan, add the brandy and the water. Bring to a gentle boil then allow to cool before covering. Leave for 24 hours. Don’t forget to allow the eggs and butter to come to room temperature.

•   Pre-heat the oven to 125°c. Grease and line your tin with grease-proof paper or baking parchment, I use a 15cm square tin but a 20cm round tin would work too,  just make sure that the grease-proof is twice the height of the tin.

•  Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of sieved flour, beating well between yet addition.  Sieve in the remaining flour, along with the mixed spice and the salt - just fold in, don’t beat.

•    Stir in the soaked fruit, almonds and grated orange zest until combined.

•   Pour into the lined tin, making a hollow in the centre. Bake in the middle of the oven on 125°c for 1hour, then reduce the temperature to 115°c for a further 1 hour 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 100°c for a final 1 hour. By now the cake should be golden brown and firm to the touch.

• Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool in the tin (if the cake has cracked cover with a damp cloth). Once the cake is cold, remove from the tin, wrap in tin foil and store in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to decorate…I usually ice mine on Christmas Eve. For an extra moist and yummy cake, prick holes in the top with a needle and ‘feed’ the cake with brandy or sherry once every few weeks in the run up to Christmas. 

P.S. I tweaked my cake this year by adding 1oz each of ready-to-eat Dates and Prunes to the fruit mixture and I topped up the brandy when soaking the fruit – 200ml…not sure my Nana would have approved of that! I also added a tablespoon of Black Treacle and ½ teaspoon of Almond extract after I creamed the butter and sugar but before adding the eggs. Finally I used Walnuts and Hazelnut as well as Almonds, still only 1oz in total and added ½ oz of finely chopped stem ginger. These are all purely optional and the original recipe makes a wonderful cake and makes the house smell deliciously festive!

How exactly do you start a blog?

I'm Louise and I guess a good place to start is to say that this blog is going to be about lots of things...the things that I love and the things that inspire me - fashion and make up, home-baking, all things retro and art...definitely art! That's not to say that I'm an expert on any of those things or anything else for that matter but I'm interested and I hope other people will be too!

I should probably say now that art is my passion...in ten years time I may no longer worship at the alter of Topshop and will probably have given up my efforts to master the perfect meringue but art will always be part of my life! Now usually I'm a Pre-Raphaelite girl but last Friday I (and about 800 other people) decided to broaden my artistic horizons and attend the preview of the Turner Prize exhibition at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Newcastle. I wish I could say that it was amazing but to be honest I spent most of the night queuing! Queuing to get into the building, queuing to get on to the right floor, queuing to get into the exhibition! By the time I got to see the first work I was ready for a drink but couldn't face the queue for the free bar!

                                                                                    

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the exhibition! People who know a lot more about contemporary art than me have reviewed the works on show but this is effort. I'll say now that I didn't 'get' all of the works on show - Hilary Lloyd's video installation, with its pulsing, bouncing cityscapes and clock faces left me totally cold and slightly nauseated and to be honest I was more interested in the amazing view of Newcastle's Quayside from the gallery's picture window! I'm not going to try to describe Karla Back's work except to say that I liked it, I liked the pastel hues and the fact that you could walk through it and under it and behind it...mostly I liked the artist's use of Lush Bath Ballistics! But I didn't understand it...it made me think of Carebears and I'm pretty sure that wasn't what Black was going for! 

Hillary Lloyd

   

Karla Black

 There were however, two works in the exhibition that I loved! When I stepped into Martin Boyce's sculpture/installation I felt liked I'd been transported far from the Baltic...to where exactly I'm not sure but it definitely wasn't Newcastle. The work is difficult to describe and some of its magic will probably be lost in translation but in essence Boyce had transformed the gallery space into a woodland clearing by attaching hundreds of white metal leaves beneath the ceiling lights, filling the gallery with dappled light which filters on to a floor scattered with artificial autumn leaves. The centre piece, a big concrete table with a mobile hanging over it just confuses me...apparently its modernist-inspired but I don't really care...I just like being in this space!

Martin Boyce

George Shaw's works make up for all the queuing! All of the paintings are of one thing - Tile Hill housing estate near Coventry, where the artist grew up. There are no people, no animals, just graffitied-shop fronts, roes of shut up garages, wet tarmac and scruffy woodland. Shaw paints a very specific place, but it’s so generically British it could be anywhere! I love the nostalgia of Shaw's works, I've never been to Tile Hill but when I look at his paintings they make me think of home, like somewhere half-remembered from childhood or somewhere The Smiths would sing about! That's probably horrifically pretentious, funny as Shaw's works are anything but pretentious! Everything from his subject matter to his use of Humbrol enamel paint (usually used for painting model aeroplanes) is accessible! Everyone can take something from these paintings...I just hope those still queuing when the Gallery closed at 10pm will go back and seem them, they're so worth it!

George Shaw, The Resurface, 2010

 

George Shaw, The Age of Bullshit, 2010.

 All in all I would recommend a visit the Baltic if you're in the area, the exhibition runs until the 8th January 2012, if you've already seen it I would love to know what you thought :)

L

Xx