Visit to Tate Modern

I had wanted to visit Tate Modern, firstly because I had never been before, and secondly I wanted to see the crevice that was built into the floor of the turbine hall. So on Friday, I took the train to Marylebone and the Underground to Blackfriars where I found the beautiful riverside walk to take me to the Millenium Bridge.

Darren (the Site Manager on my last contract with Shepherd's at Welwyn) phoned just as I was taking this next photo in the middle of the bridge.

Tate Modern is not the most attractive building from the outside.

But the interior is quite spectacular. The space is extraordinary, the chocolate painted steelwork against the salmon pink walls, the light, everything had a big impact.

The crevice is called "Shibbloleth" and was created by Doris Salcedo. The first time a piece of art has entered the fabric of the building. Interesting, but that was all.

There were not too may exhibits that made an impression on me. "Thirty pieces of silver" by Cornelia Parker stood out. All second hand, the pieces had been flattened by a steamroller
and hung from the ceiling about a foot off the floor. There were then thirty sets in a perfect 6 x 5 layout.

The most amazing exhibit was something called "Hanging Soap Woman" by Mioslaw Balka. Dozens of bars of soap of different sizes and colours hung on a necklace from the ceiling. It was really funny to see, and I stood watching as others joined in the joke.

But my favourite piece of art was by Gerhard Richter. In a room on its own, it comprised six paintings called Cage 1 to 6, each 3meters by 2 meters, on four walls, two on each long wall and one at either end. They were all very similar, except the colours from one seemed to run into the next. I found it a very effective experience.

At lunchtime I had time to visit Canary Wharf and look at one the Shepherd contracts where I was involved for a time. The apartment building Discovery Dock East looks really well now finished and occupied.

In the afternoon, I had arranged to visit Darren on his new contract at Berners Hotel off Oxford Street, just to say hello. When he offered a walk around the job, I jumped at the chance. And what a job. A £35 Million part reconstruct and refurb of an old listed hotel to convert into something with five stars. I have to thank Darren for his time which made the day one to remember.