Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture

Running from 4th-24th July 2011, the Mayor of London presents Shubbak, the capital’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab World.

The programme is showcasing over seventy events in more than 30 venues throughout the city in a range of visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion.

The festival will feature works by contemporary Arab artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, choreographers and architects based in London and around the world including Algeria, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USA.

I’ve had a browse through the diary of events and there’s a few that stand out for me – 

The Apart Summer Exhibition 2011

The APART gallery in Great Malborough Street has one of their gallery spaces converted into a ‘salon’ by Moroccan artist and photographer, Hassan Hajjaj. Go on this visual journey between London and Moroccan until 20th August 2011.

The Prince’s School of Arts Degree Show

Check out this year’s graduating students work ranging from wood carving, stained glass, Indian folk painting, manuscript illumination and ceramics. 

The Degree Show runs until 15th July 2011 at at The Prince's School for Traditional Arts, Charlotte Road, London.

The Jameel Prize 2011

The V&A presents a selection of works shortlisted for this year's Jameel Prize, a bi-annual £25,000 international art prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of art, craft and design.

Expect to see works ranging from felt costumes to sculpture made from hand-made terracotta bricks and from mirror mosaic to digital collages. Running until 25th September 2011.

Images courtesy of Mayor of London website.

Something for the weekend – Petersham Nurseries

After a very busy week and the promise of some sunshine, this weekend we headed to the leafy London suburb of Richmond for some countryside therapy. Richmond has always been a special place for me, one of my first weekends away with my husband was at The Petersham Hotel, a gorgeous place standing on the side of Richmond Hill, overlooking the River Thames and surrounding meadows.

Our main intention for going to Richmond this time however was to get some inspiration for our new garden, so we headed to Petersham Nurseries. I’ve read so many articles and people raving on about this place and it’s Michelin starred restaurant that I needed to see it for myself! 

Set on the grounds of Petersham House, a 17th-century mansion owned by Italian banker Francesco Boglione and his Australian wife Gael, Petersham Nurseries is a shop, restaurant and café filled with an oasis of flowers, plants and unique finds.

The place definitely has an ‘English country garden’ theme to it, but amongst the lavender, herbs and hydrangeas, you’ll find an eclectic and bohemian mix of antique furniture and artwork sourced from travels to India, Sri Lanka and France as well as bamboo blinds and Balinese benches. Wander around the nursery and you’ll soon spot the elephant statues and Indian carpets and paintings on the wall.
 

After looking around in the greenhouses, we headed to the teahouse for lunch. We had a peek in the well known Petersham Nurseries Cafe which, even before it was recently awarded it’s Michelin star had been reviewed in practically every magazine and newspaper on the planet. Expect to book weeks ahead for a reservation in the Cafe, and you’ll probably need your credit card! To be honest, though, in my opinion, if I was dining in a Michelin starred restaurant I wouldn’t expect to sit on mismatched tables and chairs and a muddy floor in a greenhouse! (mind you, John Rocha didn’t seem to mind-we saw him in there)

 

The shop was a lovely place to wander around, it has a shabby chic kind of feel, with whimsical bird cages, glass vases and bowls perched next to silver guilded tea light holders, and colourful glassware on show in antique French armoires. 

After lunch, we left to walk along the cow meadows and then strolled along the River Thames before heading into town. A lovely day out for those looking for an urban oasis!

Afternoon Tea, Anyone?

Spring/Summer Collection 2011

Forget The Savoy, one of my favourite afternoon teas in London has to be Pret A Portea at The Berkeley. Here you can sip tea from Paul Smith bone china cups and indulge your sweet tooth with cakes and biscuits inspired by the season's catwalk trends.

To showcase this summer’s latest fashions, The Berkeley hotel has created an edible collection of designer treats such as Miu Miu ginger biscuit bikinis with vanilla bow icing, Victoria Beckham white chocolate summer bags and Tom Ford romantic pale pink vanilla biscuit dress with sparkly sleeves.

For some, this afternoon tea is purely reserved for special occasions (like our wedding anniversary last year!). I am still drooling thinking about the 3 tiered cake stand stacked full of designer pastries and cakes, miniature savoury skewers and delicately cut sandwiches.  And just as we’d eaten the lot, the cake stand was taken away and came back filled with even more goodies. And for those tea lovers, there’s a selection of over ten different teas such as White Peony, Organic Assam and African Amber. And champagne of course!

Spring/Summer 2010

If you don’t manage to finish everything (and I made sure I didn’t!) you can take the goodies home in a lovely mint green doggie bag.

So if you’ve looking for a treat and an afternoon to indulge in luxury, head to The Berkeley right now!

(First image courtesy of The Berkeley, all other images owned by Raja and Rani)

Indian Doors and Windows

How's your weekend going?

I've just put together my final instalment of photos highlighting doors and windows I found in Rajasthan. I just love the bright colours that some of them are painted in - it's provided me with some inspiration for my own home!

Nahagargh Fort, Jaipur

Nahagargh Fort, Jaipur

Nahagargh Fort, Jaipur

One of my favourite doors - at my grandparents house!

Knock Knock!

As promised from yesterday, here are some images of doors and windows that I snapped whilst in Rajasthan. I realised that I have lots of great pics so I'll put a few more together as a final instalment tomorrow.

Practically all of the doors appear to be very heavy duty – perhaps to protect the jewels that were adorning the walls inside the palaces or to protect against elephants attempting to barge in (which was common in the palace forts during an invasion!)

And many of the doors are green for some reason? Does anyone know why…..?

Amber Fort, Jaipur

Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

Peering into a private doorway - Sanganer, Jaipur

City Palace, Udaipur

Saheliyon-ki-Bari Gardens, Udaipur

Doors and Archways

My home is currently in the deep midst of renovation and whilst I’ve been searching through magazines and the internet for décor ideas, my trips to India never fail to provide a mass of inspiration. 

I love unusual doors and archways and during my recent trip to India I saw some real jems.  Whether I was wandering through royal palaces, villages or markets, the humble door and archway took on a story of it’s own…….

A key feature is the scalloped archway, which normally act as a kind of portal or frame for the view which lies beyond.

An example of this is the entrance to the Taj Mahal from the Great Gate (darwaza –i-rauza) which leads into the decorative gardens and ultimately the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal. It was designed in such a way that it would be impossible for the Taj Mahal to be seen from any angle until you reached the main archway.  The pointed arch frames the visitor’s first glimpse of the great white monument.

Great Gate, The Taj Mahal

City Palace, Jaipur

Other key decorate features of archways include swirling pietra dura patterns, marble inlay work, inscriptions and motifs. Normally most of them have some form of religious or fable connotations. Also, I noticed archways tended to be either in single or triple forms as odd numbers are frequently used in Indian architecture. 

Doors and windows coming tomorrow….Enjoy!

Nahagarh Fort, Jaipur

Amber Fort, Jaipur

City Palace, Jaipur

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Red Fort, Agra

Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

A Month in Marrakesh

After eating some fabulous falafel and other homemade goodies this weekend, I’ve been inspired to discover some more exotic recipes. Part cookbook and part travelogue, A Month in Marrakesh is definitely now on my shopping list.

Andy Harris, editor of Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Magazine, has been drawn to the magic and culture of Marrakesh for the last ten years and on his latest trip, he was joined by renowned photographer David Loftus. After spending a month scouring the souks and mingling with the locals, they have produced a wealth of exotic tasting and easy to follow recipes using fresh ingredients. 

 
Now you can impress your guests with dishes including Roast Lamb with Orange and Honey Syrup, Spicy Squid with Harissa Yoghurt and Orange Flower Doughnuts.

The book is bursting with stunning photography, both of recipes and colourful locations, taking you right to the heart of the spice filled souks and food havens of the vibrant Djemaa el Fna. A must buy book, even if it’s just for the pictures!

Buy the book from Amazon
Inside page photos taken from Interstate of Mind