Study & Shop Sci Fi Style

It's still The Dome to me!

Eh?

No privacy here!

Living beside The Dome (yesI know it's called The 02, but I'm a local so I'm allowed to call it by it's original name!), is fascinating because development in the area is so continuous. Every time I go there another new venue appears; most recently a Tesco supermarket, a chemist, SubWay and Wagamama noodle bar. And these are on the outside. About 18 months ago a new building on a scale overshadowing all others appeared; the new home of Ravensbourne College specialising in digital media, design and technology. It is the only open plan university in the whole of the UK and is regarded as a blueprint for what studying in the future will be like.

By open plan it means lectures, seminars etc all take place on different floors, separated by dividers but are happening at once allowing any student studying any discipline to be able to learn about anything they want. The first thought that came to my mind was isn't it noisy and what about privacy? I remember in my day seminars could get heated, personal and private, you expressed opinions you didn't want to leave the room - yet I was told by our guide the emphasis here is to move away from that kind of thought process - students should be willing to share anything and everything.

You loose all sense of perspective walking around the building. This image was taken from floor nine looking down on the ground floor which is a communal chill out space often used for events. What's strange is that while in most buildings 'the 9th floor' sounds like a thigh-aching trek, between each floor here there are hardly any steps. You go between them without even experiencing any sensation of going downstairs.

A scene from The World is Not Enough?

On one side of the building the windows look directly onto The Dome. It reminds me of how excited I was when I watched the opening credits to the James Bond movie The World is Not Enough when Pierce Brosnan falls and lands on the roof of the iconic building, before it had even opened (or maybe to coincide with around the time of the Millenium when it did first open.)

What a view!

On the other side is magnificent views of the River Thames. Inside the fashion tech room (what an incredible place to design from) the sewing machines look directly out on to the walkway that leads you to The Thames Clipper - so you can commute to college via boat...amazing! (Shame is it is so expensive though maybe there's a student rate?) Years ago I used to commute to Blackfriars Bridge and it cost just £1.30 each way (you could purchase a book of 10 saver tickets) now it costs somewhere between £5-£8 for a single....sheesh!

Exterminate?

So back to school - this is the lockers, they are few and far between but they resemble Daleks. Everything about the college is Modern with a capital M but quite how it will work (the college has been open for just one year) still remains to be seen. 

Here's some fascinating things I found out about whilst going on a public tour last week:

1. There are no computers (not like the IT suites at normal colleges). All students must bring a laptop with them - plugs are everywhere and the biggest investment went into WiFing the building.

2. Every single window in the entire building is round.

3. The college will play a vital role in the TV broadcasting of the Olympics as they have such sophisticated broadcasting suites and equipment.

4. Major media companies like ITN and Sky work closely with the college to get access to the next generation of tech savvy employees. 

5. The building cost £70million to construct.

6. It recently won a prestigious RIBA architecture award.

7. You can leave your work out over night with a note whereever you're working and it's fine, it will still be there in the morning (apparently).

8. As there's no rooms students are encouraged to grab chairs and have meetings whereever they want.

What I thought of it:

1. While they have amazing courses and I would love to make clothes and look at the river Icouldn't study here. It felt too compact - there's no green spaces anywhere, you're just trapped in doors where everyone can see you whatever floor you're on.

2. I hate the idea of noise, how can anyone truely concentrate and think straight.

3. Students having to bring their own laptops......so unfair.

4. Yes I get that they are trying to make it like the real world as open plan is just what it's like in the actual workplace but I still think there's room for studying in a classroom (there are a few but it's discouraged).

5. The proof is in the pudding and whether this kind of study works is evident in the students work. I saw the Post Grad end of year exhibition and was deeply unimpressed, it felt technology heavy for the sake of it and was so bland. Every video was shot in 3D and ideas felt old (the trouble with technology is you have to be ahead of it. These students should be setting the trends not running with them as they loose their appeal.

6. It probably does work well for digital media courses but there's alot of subjects that wouldn't work in this environment and I cannot see how anyone could ever revise for an exam in a place like this. 

Will colleges be like this in the future? I hope not but I hope so too at the same time....

M&Ms take over the world

So on to futuristic shops. I don't hang out in Leicester Square often, but occasionally I end up at the Cineworld cinema at Trocadero because it shows Bollywood films and is slightly cheaper than other central London cinemas. Some months ago I noticed huge hoardings saying M&M World. I didn't know what it was but I didn't for one second think it literally was a mega shopping mall dedicated to selling M&Ms...I mean, come on - they're not even tasty!! Give me an (Orange) Smartie any day. These huge stores are already in Las Vegas, Florida and New York and now Europe has one in London town. It's been open just over a month (June 13th) and it's like the loudest, brashest most horrific shop I've ever been in. It's soooo noisey and full of complete and utter tack.

Start of the rainbow

 The most appealing part is looking at all the walls of M&Ms which you can hand pick.

Fashionable flavours

 There's a colour of confectionery to suit every outfit you own.

Recipes

Or if you can't make your mind up, ready made mixtures. BUT the majority of the store is dedicated to the ugly M&M characters - you can buy anything with them on - so many cheap and nasty plastic toys and sweet dispensers and even household items, clothing and luxury goods which are sooooo expensive it's sickening. Who wants a diamond M&M compact mirror anyway? I sincerely hope this is not the shop of the future, it personifies everything that's wrong with mass consumerism. And I never want to go inside it again!

Purleeese! The M&M characters are not as legendary as they think they are....

Red Carpet Glamour

The best looking couple of the night, move over Hritik and Barbara

This week I unexpectedly had my first Red Carpet experience, attending the European Premiere of the Bollywood movie Kites. Leicester Square was cordoned off to allow A-List celebs who had just flown in from India to make their way across the legendary carpet while hundreds of screaming fans lined the sides. Attending with The Great Bollywood Deewana, I lapped up the cheers as we sauntered along what felt like a very long catwalk, waving at all the lovely people who commented on my hair!

Making my entrance on the red carpet

It was the first time in my entire life that I have ever worn heels from my house all the way to my destination. Normally I pop them into my bag, wear comfy flats and then change into them when I need to look glam, but for this event I didn't think the the bulkiness of carrying additional footwear was appropriate.....and I'm pleased to say, my feet survived! Yay!


If you've ever wondered what a Red Carpet is like, well it's very soft and feels very lovely to walk on. As for seeing so many faces watching you, it feels quite surreal, esp when you know you're not important! You can pretty much walk at whatever pace you like, we timed it so there weren't too many other guests in front or behind us.

I was among the first fans in Europe to see the film!

I really couldn't wait to see the film, I've seen a few terrible Bollywood flicks lately and so I had high hopes, especially as Hritik, the leading man normally chooses his projects so well.
Once inside we hung around a bit but were told to take our seats which was a shame as we couldn't watch the other stars arriving.

The movie's stars took to the cinema stage

When we entered the cinema screen we were convinced we would have the worse seats, maybe in the corner somewhere but to our complete and utter surprise we had the best two seats in the house, directly in the centre, second row from the front and as you can see there was no one sitting in front of us, we felt like VIPs!


After sitting in the screen for 1/2 and hour and munching on free popcorn all of a sudden there was an applaud in the room and all the stars of the film entered the screen and one by one walked onto the stage to introduce it. This included the leading couple Hritik Roshan and Barbara Mori, the film's producer and two directors (there are two versions of the film, one in hindi and one in English - a Bollywood first!) and the music director. It was completely surreal to think we had the best view ever!


Overall I loved the film, it was an action packed romance, about being in love whatever the consequences and whatever the cost. The pair were soooooooooooooooooooo gorgeous, I hope they both win awards for their excellent performances.


If one day you find yourself in a similar situation (i.e. you're a totally ordinary member of the public and you suddenly find yourself thrust into the Red Carpet limelight), here's my top tips on how to survive a Red Carpet experience:

• Theme your outfit - I went Vintage - if you opt for a theme you'll immediately look distinguished, not like a star but someone special, which of course you are.
• Pack efficiently - you don't want a bulky handbag so take miniatures of whatever you need that fit into a smaller purse such as a mini lipgloss, compact mirror etc.
• Wear red - don't worry about being camouflaged, the stars rarely wear red so you'll be safe knowing you'll be the only lady/gentlemen in the shade.
• Don't over do it - leave the Oscar ballgowns to the leading actress, if you wear one you'll look out of place and worse still like a wannabe so just be comfortable in something that reflects your individuality.
• Add height - hats are sure to make an impression if you're out to get noticed just don't forget to take it off when the film starts!
• Take your time - it's your unique moment so walk slowly, take it all in, wave at random people, take photos and make sure you smile. Don't get there too early or you'll miss the atmosphere and don't be too late or you may not be let in!
• Promote something - preferably something that's handmade by you or by an up and coming designer just incase someone asks you where it's from and you can get some business for someone who deserves exposure.
• Enjoy! - who knows when you'll get to walk the Red Carpet again, it's a once in a lifetime tick box thing, so if you make it on there, just have fun and enjoy yourself : )