Zones of Enchantment – Walking Past London’s Living Windows
The first few visits to London are invariably enchanting as no one can resist going to places like Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street, Carnaby Street, King’s Road in Chelsea, Covent Garden, Marylebone High Street, and Knightsbridge… to list just a few. In fact, every high street in nearly every borough here has stores with...
You can hear the leaves thinking – autumn in London
Autumn in London is poetry… it is as if the soul was walking through smoke and cinnamon. The leaves learn that even a change in colours gets the attention of photographers. If a poet were asked to describe London during autumn, he will surely talk about air turning to amber and the sky wearing its...
X-ray of a living city – London
Any city stands exposed when seen from a vantage point. One could be in London and watching this city from Horizon 22, like we did yesterday… well, we have seen London sitting in a capsule of London Eye, from the roof of Tate Modern, from the Sky Garden, and even from the walkway above the...
When books became benches in London
One of the public art projects that I still remember are the Book benches of 2014 which was a mesmerizing marriage of literature, art, and public space. In a summer where stories spilled into the streets and books took the shape of benches, London became a living library—inviting everyone to pause, perch, and fall back...
Theatrical Reflections in London – A City on Stage
One day the sun was up. Warm and sunny, Chorused all Londoners. Another day it was raining again in London. The kind of rain that doesn’t pour but lingers – soft, stubborn, and gray like an old coat that doesn’t fit but keeps you warm. The streets were slick with it. The pavements mirrored the...
Luring London – The City’s Playful Public Art Trails
London surprises me. Every time. This is one city that doesn’t just wear its history on its sleeve but paints it across pavements, balances it on rooftops, and hides it in plain sight. Every time I have stepped out of my home in London, I have stepped into a story told in sculpture and colour....
Stories move us, stories shape us
Each of us can tell stories. Even Indra, my two and half year old grandson, tells stories. Most are, of course, those that he has heard, liked, and loves to hear repeatedly. But whenever there is a chance, he is now able to create one easily. Look around and you’ll know how well artists, filmmakers,...
Words, Wordle, and Intuition
Words, Wordle, and Intuition Arvind Passey 28 February 2025 Those who know what the Wordle is about will also know that one gets only six chances to reach that 5-letter word that the creators of this game have decided for the day. Those of you who will now mutter, ‘That seems easy enough’ have overlooked...
Brushstrokes of discovery
I have begun to paint. Well, this includes drawing, sketching, and using a wide selection of available mediums. If completing nearly 30 A4 watercolour sheets in a few months appears fine, then I am going on fine. For decades I have been fascinated with buying colours. Watercolours. Pastels. Blendable pencils. Watercolour pencils. Graphite pencils. Stencils....
It is time to binge-everything
Binge-watch TV shows is the last thing I mean. Though if you are the sort who sits in front of a TV and discovers that his personal universe is smiling, so be it. Go ahead. A happy person is what the Big Creator above loves. But then there is hardly any art involved in switching...
Writers and a fragile moon in a ruthless sky
There are a few quotes that are used often and have been attributed to several people. One of them is: ‘If it is truly yours, it will come back to you.’ There was one presenter who thought it was written by Ian Fleming for James Bond in some film. Many think it is Richard Bach...
A visual storyteller called Varna_Katha
This world needs more visual storytellers like Sheetal Verma. This artist calls herself Varna_Katha which is what a tale of colours would mean and her artworks, in her own words, reflect her journey of self-expression. The artworks on her Instagram page are an inspiration to not just aspiring artists but also pull in people towards...
