Tag Archives: Sculpture

This Is An Ex-Parrot!

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GIANT DEAD PARROT INSTALLED ON LONDON’S SOUTH BANK AS MONTY PYTHON RETURN FOR FINAL LIVE SHOWS

 exparrot montypython deadparrot

  • 15-metre long deceased “Norwegian Blue” unveiled to mark the screening of Monty Python live on TV channel Gold this Sunday 20th July
  • Dead Parrot Sketch voted the ‘nation’s favourite Monty Python sketch’

 

The dead parrot at the centre of the eponymous sketch performed by John Cleese and Michael Palin, first screened 45 years ago, has been recreated on a giant scale to celebrate the screening of the very last Monty Python live show on comedy TV channel Gold this Sunday, the 20th July.

The mammoth model of the ‘Norwegian Blue’ was commissioned by the comedy channel following a survey of 2000 comedy fans which named the surreal pet shop skit as the nation’s favourite Monty Python sketch of all time. The famous sketch was first broadcast on 7 December 1969 and remains a firm favourite with audiences who have been enjoying the live shows at The O2 this month.

The sculpture caused a stir amongst London commuters as it was hung upside down by a crane before being respectfully laid to rest on its back at Potters Fields on London’s South bank near Tower Bridge.

The model, which is made from fibre glass, took a team of three sculptors over two months to design, construct and paint.  The giant dead parrot measures 15 metres (almost 50 feet) from the tip of its tail to the top of its head, the equivalent to the height of five elephants standing on top of one another.

Lead sculptor Iain Prendergast says, “We are all Monty Python fans so we were delighted to receive the brief from Gold to recreate the mythical ‘Norwegian Blue’ on a giant scale. We watched both live and televised versions of the sketch and found that there have been a number of different incarnations of the parrot with a variety of different plumages.  Our sculpture provides a colourful hybrid of the dead parrots which have featured in the celebrated sketch. The key challenge for us was capturing the comedy value of the dead parrot, keeping the realism of the bird whilst also adding touches like the bloodshot, ‘stunned’ eyes.” 

The homage to the iconic Monty Python sketch will be taken to The O2 arena where fans attending the final run of live shows will be able to say their final farewell to the comedy troupe, taking pictures of the giant dead parrot and adding to the Twitter buzz using the hashtag #montypythonlive.

 

Gold will be screening the live broadcast of the final Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down Five To Go stage show on Sunday 20th July.

 

The top ten Monty Python Sketches according to 2000 Brits 

 

  1. Dead Parrot – 45%
  2. The Lumberjack Song – 28%
  3. The Ministry of Silly Walks – 23%
  4. The Spanish Inquisition – 16%
  5. Spam – 15%
  6. Four Yorkshiremen – 12%
  7. Nudge Nudge – 11%
  8. Fish slapping dance – 8%
  9. The Restaurant sketch (dirty fork) – 7%
  10. The killer joke – 6%

Just missing out on the top ten were the Silly Olympics, Hell’s Grannies and Gay Policemen (all with 6%).

 

 

Toulouse City Guide | Travel

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Sometimes it is hard being a writer and editor, especially one with their own magazine. Going to the South of France to review Toulouse was not one of those times. In fact, it is now one of my favourite places in the entire world and I will definitely be returning. The Pink City of Haut-Garonne is called the pink city because of the brickwork of the buildings. It is the 4th largest city in France with 437,000 inhabitants and it is beautiful, dynamic and friendly.

toulouse

We flew with BMI Regional via Birmingham. We also had a great time in the No.1 Traveller lounge at Birmingham Airport before flying to Toulouse Business Class. The flight was incredibly enjoyable and included free food and drink. The service on-board was also great. Our air steward, Michael Love, seemed to know what we wanted before we did and kept us happy with Gin & Tonics and brilliant, yes it is possible, plane food.

BMI Regional plane

Toulouse is the birthplace of Concorde, the Ariane Rocket and the home of Airbus.Toulouse has also had a 100-year love affair with rugby. Stade Toulousain are one of the Northern Hemispheres best teams. 7 million passengers are transported via Toulouse Blagnac Airport every year.

Toulouse has more than 2000 hours of sun a year and more than 1000 restaurants. Sold yet? Whether the answer is yes or no, read on….

We arrived in Toulouse via Toulouse Blagnac Airport, a beautiful and stylish airport and made our way to our hotel, the Citiz Hotel, a modern four star hotel in the heart of Toulouse. It opened in 2010. The hotel has air-conditioning, free wifi and a car park near the hotel entrance. The hotel faces Wilson square and is only a 15 minute drive from Blagnac airport. My hotel room was incredibly stylish, the bed was large and comfy, the bathroom was elegant and the shower powerful. There was a minibar, safe and a flatscreen TV. I also had a balcony and a wardrobe. The hotel also does a great breakfast spread and the staff are very helpful.

Rio Loco, the world music festival that happens every year on the 21st of June to get all of France partying, happened while we were there. We had lots of fun listening to all of the different music and went to bed in the early hours.It was like one huge street party. Definitely recommended.

National Music Day in Toulouse

We went on a walking tour offered by the Toulouse Tourist Board.This was informative and very enjoyable, a great way to see the city. Great things to see include The Capitole (the City Hall), Saint-Sernin Basilica, The Jacobins Convent, The Hotel d’Assezat (built by Nicholas Bachelier for Pierre d’Assezat who made his fortune from Woad, a plant used in dyeing. More of which later), the river Garonne and The Augustins Museum, an amazing fine arts museum with beautiful pieces. It has a lot of 19th century sculptures.

J'GO Toulouse

J’Go, 16 Place Victor Hugo, 31000 Toulouse. Tel: 05 61 23 02 03. They accommodate people regardless of importance and budget and have authentic cuisine from the love of Gascon culture. The fruit and vegetables are grown by farmers in the South West and is in season. They also buy the whole carcass of animals from farmers in their region. The food we had was amazing and a brass band started playing outside while we were eating. The waiter also really knew his stuff.  Check the pictures out here.

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Cite de L’Espace. Avenue Jean Gonord – BP 25855 – 31506 Toulouse cedex 5. This wonderful space adventure theme park is dedicated to space. We went to Mars (Almost), walked on the moon thanks to the Moonrunner (I was six times less than my usual weight, which was great!), and saw a documentary on the Hubble Telescope in their glorious IMAX Big Screen 3D cinema. The theme park covers 5 hectares and receives 270,000 visitor a year, but it should be more, Globally, 50 million Euro has been invested into the Cite de L’Espace and it shows in the quality. They do tours in English in the summer and have had over 4 million visitors.

There is also a 53 meter high Ariane rocket, I am now one of the privileged few to go into Soyuz Vessel, the indestructible Russian spacecraft. There was authentic Moon Rock on loan from NASA which was brought back by astronauts during the Apollo 15 landing, rock from Mars, great photos which show how the earth looks from up close, to outer space, there is also exhibitions, a children’s area, a planetarium, restaurant and lots of experiments to test yourself on. Do not go to Toulouse and not go to the Cite de L’Espace. It is a must visit.

Cite de L’Espace is accessible to disabled people.

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Le Chai Saint-Sauveur, 30 rue Bernard-Mule- 31400 Toulouse. Tel: 05 61 54 27 20

This was a brilliant restaurant with a rustic, country feel. The food was amazing and so were the staff. Highly recommended. See the food here.

Terre de pastel

Terre de Pastel is a museum, boutique, spa and restaurant opened in June 2013 in Toulouse-Labege. The spa is amazing, with lots of different treatments, an idyllic swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, jacuzzi, herbal tea shop and a gym. The museum is informative, telling the story of the woad plant which is responsible for the pastel, the wonderful blue colour. You will learn about the history of blue, the symbol of blue, traditional applications and all about the woad plant, which grows in a field and looks like a rapeseed field; pretty and yellow. Sandrine Banessy, the owner and also author of books on woad, showed us how the woad dyes fabric. It was incredibly interesting and the woad will continue to dye the fabric blue until the fabric is dry.

The shop at Terre de Pastel made me want to spend all of my euros and go over my luggage allowance. There is a great selection of homeware, cosmetics, food, haberdashery and books. It is almost all blue. There is also a restaurant with great food and wine.

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Le Py-R. 19 descente de la Halle aux Poissons – 31000 Toulouse. Tel: 05 61 25 51 52. Chef Pierre Lambinon has won many awards and it was easy to see why, the food in his small gastronomic restaurant was amazing and unique. Pictures here.

victor hugo marketplace

The Victor Hugo Marketplace. This is the most prestigious marketplace in all of France. It has 5 small restaurants on its upper floor. I bought some great cheese here.

All of the above places are where you should go if you visit Toulouse. It is a wonderful city and everyone I know loves it. Frost loves….

For more pictures check out Toulouse in Instagram Pictures Part 1, 2 and 3.

Get the Toulouse en Liberte City Card at the Tourism Office to get more than 250 discounts on hotels, restaurants, museums, shops and tours.You can also explore by boat.

www.toulouse-tourisme.com

www.toulouse-visit.com

www.tourisme-midi-pyrenees.com

www.uk.toulouse-tourisme.com

Have you ever been to Toulouse? Make recommendations below.

About No.1 Traveller – fast facts

· No.1 Traveller specialises in premium hospitality and provides a complete ‘driveway to runway’ service – smart Chauffeur-driven airport transfers, express train tickets, airport parking, airport meet-and-greet and airport lounges (No.1 Traveller’s own collection, plus associate lounges abroad)

· It works with airlines, businesses and individuals to offer a convenient and comfortable service to take the stress out of going to and through airports – the smart traveller’s choice

· No.1 Traveller can be booked by anyone at www.No1Traveller.com or passengers can make their way to the reception of the airport lounge on the day

Airport lounge: Birmingham

· Opened October 2012; the first of No.1 Traveller’s lounges outside London

· Accessible to all passengers travelling through the airport

· Open daily from 0430hrs – 2030hrs; facilities include a range of seating areas across two levels, fully-tended bar, bistro area serving complimentary hot and cold dishes, complimentary newspapers, magazines and internet access

· Entry £27.50 per adult at reception, for up to three hours access (children £17.50 each), £22.50 if booked in advance (children £15)

BMI regional operates over 450 flights a week throughout the UK and Europe with one way prices starting from £59. bmi regional flies from Aberdeen, Antwerp, Bristol, Bremen, Billund, Birmingham, Bristol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Gothenburg, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Esbjerg, Frankfurt, Hannover, Hamburg, Lyon, Milan, Munich, Norwich, Manchester, Toulouse and Zurich. All flights include complimentary food & drink on-board, free 20kg hold baggage allowance and 30 minute check-in. bmi regional is the world’s most punctual airline having recently been crowned the title for the 8th consecutive year.  For more information, visit www.bmiregional.com.

COWLEY MANOR & COUTTS TO CREATE SCULPTURE AWARD WITH THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART

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COWLEY MANOR & COUTTS PARTNER TO CREATE SCULPTURE AWARD WITH THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART

Sculpture exhibition open to public: 3 May to 30 September 2012

London: Cheltenham’s infamous Cowley Manor and Private Bank Coutts have partnered to create a unique and inspiring sculpture competition for post graduates from the Royal College of Art. Of the 27 submitted concepts, eight have been awarded funding to bring their designs to life. The sculptures will then go on to be displayed at Cowley Manor from 3rd May through to 30 September, with the winning sculpture taking up permanent residence in the 55 acre grounds of the manors grade II listed gardens.

With an alumni boasting Tracey Emin, James Dyson, Philip Treacy and Erdem as well as David Hockney and Aston Martin designer Marek Reichman, the world-famous Royal College of Art’s post graduates are tipped for success. The winner of the award is being announced at an event to launch the exhibition in the grounds of Cowley Manor on 2nd May.

The sculptures, based on the brief: ‘Cowley Manor and its rich history, grounds and reputed contemporary design’ in the exhibition include:

o Ben Fowlers – 8ft tall wire ‘Tornado’;
o Claire Poulter – Underwater Mirrored balls;
o Cradeaux Alexander – garden plaques with a twist;
o Emma Alonze – Carrot trousers cast in brass;
o Lauren Kelly – brightly coloured geometric sculptures;
o Lucy Tomlins – Concrete Country in Blue – 2.5 metre concrete stile;
o Wonwoo Lee – 3 metre steel sign interpretation titled ‘Hey’; and
o Zoe Paul – 2.4m wide Palace of Aegae sculpted rock.

The judging panel includes many art collectors, artists and entrepreneurs hand-selected by Cowley Manor and Coutts from across Gloucestershire. With many millions of people expected to descend on the UK over the summer for the Jubilee and Olympics, and many of these expected to visit the world-known beautiful British Cotswolds, the unique exhibition is the perfect day out or mini-break hotspot just 70 minutes out of London.

Christine Wadley, Client Partner for Coutts in Cheltenham commented: “Coutts has a long-standing history of championing the creative industries, and have looked after many clients from within the art and design world for many decades. Today we recognise and support British design excellent in order to aid growth and foster future British talent. This partnership with Cowley and the RCA is further evidence of that.”

Peter Frankopan, owner and founder of ‘A Curious Group of Hotels’ including Cowley Manor commented: “In its 10th year, Cowley Manor has long been in support of emerging British talent with many original works of art, textiles and bespoke furniture created by British artists, artisans and craftsman displayed throughout the manor and its 30 bedrooms. By partnering with Coutts, the future support and awareness of young artists trained at the Royal College of Art has been made possible.”

Steve Bunn, RCA Sculpture Tutor said: “Having the opportunity to work with Coutts and Cowley Manor on this exhibition has been a fantastic experience for our students. Site specific art like this is a great way to showcase the work of some very talented young artists.”

Hotel residents, restaurant guests and picnic-goers will be able to enjoy the exhibition at Cowley Manor, Cowley, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL. Many of the pieces will be available for private sale with the proceeds going towards the young artists.

The exhibition, featuring all of the post graduate first and second year student submissions, will open on

Thursday 3 May and run through to 30 September.

#couttscowley

Kobi Levi's Wearable Feet Sculptures {Design}

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Why wear ordinary shoes when you can wear hilarious pieces of art on your feet instead. Designer Kobi Levi specialises in creating unusual footwear that lie somewhere inbetween fashion and art.

Levi describes his personal shoe creations as “artistic footwear” making each pair in his studio by hand. “the shoe is my canvas. the trigger to create a new piece comes when an idea, a concept and/or an image comes to mind. the combination of the image and footwear creates a new hybrid and the design/concept comes to life. the piece is a wearable sculpture.”

His latest collection includes shoes by the name of “blow” “xxx pump” and “market trolley” proving that inspiration can literally come from anywhere.

Take a look at more of Kobi Levi’s collection on design boom [design boom]