Brighton Bling

From the tacky flashing lights and noisy fairground games and rides of Brighton Pier, to the pebble beaches, to the ostentatious flamboyance of the Royal Pavilion, to the melancholic poetry of the charred skeleton of the West Pier, to the quaint beach carousels, to the colourful beach huts, to the bold seagulls, to the long seafront promenade, to the old Victorian Madeira Lift, to the oldest working theatre in the country, the Regency era Royal Theatre Brighton (where incidently, I saw my childhood crush, Maxwell Caulfield, perform a bedroom farce), to the thronged centre of town, which reminds one why they call Brighton, 'London by the Sea' so full of shops and busy bustle it is, to the Lanes with their narrow alley-like passages, to the kiddie pools and English language schools, Brighton has a little something for everyone. It's only an hour away from London and has long been a gay haven and site of choice for dirty weekends. In fact, Brighton is so cool they nicknamed it Be Right On.

Some of my favourite views from Brighton:

Above is the West Pier as seen from the Brighton Pier.

Below: The flamboyant Royal Pavilion, built for George, Prince Regent, at the turn of the 19th century as his pleasure palace.

Beautiful brightly coloured beach huts along the seafront promenade in Hove.

The skeletal remains of the West Pier, which burned down in two fires in 2003.

Victorian carousel that claims to date back to 1888.

All photography by Shehani Kay

Walking Under the Thames

The Greenwich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich in the south with the old London docks and shipyards in Isle of Dogs to the north. We entered the tunnel from the northern entrance at Island Gardens, a park on the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs and emerged in near the docks in Greenwich. The tunnel was cold and damp and the thought of the mighty river coursing above me freaked me out only just a little.

Photography by Shehani Kay

Clink Tunnel

Clink Street Tunnel near Borough Market in London.

Photography by Shehani Kay

Cherubs of St. James Park

These two ethereal children ran past us giggling as they chased birds and squirrels, like a vision from a dreamy children's fairy tale. It was magical.

Photography by Shehani Kay

Around the Barbican

The very ancient lives quite snugly with the very modern in this area. Here, around the ruins of the old London Wall (Roman wall) and a 14th century church that was bombed during WWII, modern buildings have sprung up.

Below is a juxtaposition I don't see often. The remains of London's Roman wall, a pond with Water Lily pads, and St Giles Cripplegate Church, (where John Milton is buried and Oliver Cromwell got married) flanked by two concrete high-rises.

Below is a reflection off an office window with a seagull soaring in the corner for good effect.

Below are some very posh and mod apartments.

Close up of Andrewes House, which is one of a number of apartment buildings that overlooks the gardens, fountain, moat and pond near the Barbican Arts Centre (Europe's largest performing arts venue).

The decor through this window is so classic English, it belongs in a magazine.

All photography by Shehani Kay

Princess Louise on Holborn, the Alhambra of London Pubs

The Princess Louise on High Holborn Street, Holborn has an interior dating to the late 19th Century. This is a genuine high style Victorian pub with splendid plaster cast ceilings, fine ceramic tiles, ornate glass partitions and opulent mirrors. It's the Alhambra of pubs, with every inch decorated in elaborate detail, even the floor. The long dark wooden bar is surrounded by "private booths" where you and your friends can enjoy a conversation. We came in for our pint of bitter shortly after lunch so we had our pick of booths as the place was empty. Lucky us, as this pub gets very crowded during peak hours.

If you have a taste for plush and sumptuous decor that teeters on ostentatious, as I have, then this pub is not to be missed.

All photography by Shehani Kay

Photo essay: A stroll along London's Grand Union Canal

"How did you find out about this canal?" inquired a random woman who chatted with me about the swans.

"My brother lives nearby so I thought I ought to have a look."

"You're lucky then. This is one of the most beautiful areas in London."

While Grand Union Canal is certainly not one of London's most well-known tourist attractions, it's utterly charming and romantic with the sweet chime of bicycle bells echoing under its bridges, colourful houseboats, and elegant swans. brring. brring. The narrow lane along the canal is filled with local joggers and bicyclists and the people you meet along the way are exceedingly friendly. This area has a quaint village feel to it and I suppose this is just one of the many varied faces of London I will encounter on my explorations and wanderings about town.

All photography by Shehani Kay. This bit of canal is in the Islington area: from Colebrooke Row to Southgate Road.

Shots from my exhibition at El Gato Verde

Setting up the show on Sunday.

Me and Gina in front of my street art wall.

Me, Belen and Pam enjoying the opening party.

The early crowd. It actually got a lot more crowded than this but by then I was schmoozing and boozing and not thinking of taking photos.

I got final confirmation of the exhibition Wednesday night and in the following days worked so hard on putting together a show that I couldn't even think about my move to London, let alone be sad about leaving Madrid.

Instead I spent my last few days in Madrid curating, getting my photos print ready, framing, working out logistic installation problems, making labels and worrying about the food. This was a DIY project and very labour intensive. Fortunately, I had a lot of help from my friends. They were amazing and I wouldn't have been able to pull off this show without them. So I humbly thank you, in particular:

Buchanan for the enchufe and acting as my advocate

Belen who was my translator and appetizer-making/installation goddess

Gina who helped me curate and put the prints up and whose endless encouragement was like an angel whispering in my tired ear

Sirio who helped me install the show with meticulous efficiency and invited so many people, he filled my exhibition space with bodies.

my buyers, I won't name you but I thank you for your financial support of my work!

and the guys of El Gato Verde for being lovely and to Quique for making it happen by squeezing me in, in between exhibitions.

Besos to the lot of you!!

I got a lot of really positive feedback and I feel like I'm prepared to have another show again soon. Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a success! This was my opening/farewell party and so many of my friends came out to wish me well on my new adventure. It was a wonderful night and a awesome way to leave Madrid - not with a whimper but with a bang!

In the next little while, I'll be doing a revamp of this site since I now live in London and need to widen the scope of my blog. I'm also planning on setting up an etsy shop to sell my prints. So stay tuned, exciting changes are on the way.

Today I went for a lovely walk along the canal - one of London's lesser known beautiful spots. A photo essay is currently in the works.

So for now, cheerio!

My Photo Exhibition

I'm super excited about my upcoming show. It's my first ever show and I'm a bouncy ball of nervous and thrilled. So much to do, so little time. This show was an unexpected gift and I plan to carpe diem! A day of random bumping into friends in my barrio, Lavapies, on Friday, led to a solo photo show. How freaking cool is that! Thanks to Buchanan, a man about the barrio extraordinaire, who made this all happen!! You are the man!

I hope that some of you will be able to join me this Sunday and help me make this show a success!

See you Sunday! Besos!