Gallery trip

This is the first week of my summer holiday so far where i haven't been working-  artwork or other, so i decided on Tuesday to go on a London trip with my mum and sister to see some art and see whats going on  in town. My dad also decided to come, which was nice because usually he would be working. We started off by going to the Hayward gallery to see Ernesto Neto, the main reason was because there was a swimming pool there- my sister generally picks what we see, she likes interactive work. It's probably more my style too, however i wasn't so keen on the pool- i didn't really see why the pool would need to be there, and i often find with these things, especially within participatory art that artists will through a piece in last minute to attract crowds even though it doesn't flow with the rest of the exhibition. It was good overall though, apart from the other obnoxious children that were in the pool that kept fighting with each other. The gallery assistants didn't know what to do with them (Why would they) and the parents obviously didn't give a damn- they were too busy chatting to each other and saying 'boys will be boys' while every other child that went near the pool were too scared to get in.

But anyway, despite that incident it was pleasant- although my dad did get told off by an assistant for touching a particular part of the 'participatory' piece  of work which wasn't participatory (Another thing that gets on my nerves about mainstream participatory exhibitions- the lines are hazy to where the participation starts and stops and then, as a member of the public that doesn't necessarily have knowledge of the artwork that they are seeing for the first time, you get belittled by someone who has been briefed on every aspect of it. I don't think having respect for an artwork should have to replace respect for each other)
So onto Trafalgar square- a pop up event of a maze containing knowledge of London streets- Covent garden, fleet street etc. Very enjoyable and informative if not a little crowded. this wasn't an original plan that i had- but it had been on the news and we were only a short walk away. To finish the day we went to see the Voyeur exhibition at the Tate M, maybe one i shouldn't have taken my sister into because of the nudity and violence but i think she appreciated the hidden camera display and there were lots of pieces of artwork that were directed to modern history e.g. the paparazzi and princess Diana's death in relation to Marylin Monroe. I could easily have spent another hour or so in there so i think i will take another trip there.
Yesterday i took a trip to Tunbridge Wells- Joe's dad was singing in a local venue, so Joe gave us a tour of Tunbridge Wells, mainly of pubs, but there was also a Cath Kidson shop that we went into. We also tried all day to get apple pie with custard but we couldn't find anywhere- I can't say that i didn't leave at the end of the day slightly disappointed but Joe's dad was very good- as were the other acts at the gig.