Why blog?

I just heard from a most interesting artist: the sculptor Richard Aumonier. When I checked out his blog, I noticed he had written:

"I started blogging as a way of responding to the escalation of development here in King's Cross. Taking photographs, recording the changes has helped deal with the disorientation."

I like that. Blogging as a way to help deal with disorientation.

Face of King's Cross

If King's Cross were an artist (any genre, any era), who would she or he be? And why?

Out of the darkness, the light

Earlier in the week, I promised an interview with Lightmaster Laurent of Creatmosphere and here we go... in the most charming of French accents, Laurent has kindly answered my nosey questions about his work and the KX area.

Ms KX: Blog I believe you are based in King's Cross. What brought you to the area in the first place?

Laurent: Its very strategic central location (you can go anywhere in London anytime..), the new Eurostar arrival (I’m french!) and we found with my partner a nice quiet place to live not far from the canal!

Ms KX: What excites you about King's Cross as an area?

Laurent: Its very rich history reflected through architecture buildings and environment, the diversity of people living around here and the challenge to turn the bad reputation of the night time economy within KXs in an area safe where light highlight the beauty rather the nasty and grim!

Ms KX: Is there a building or space or environment in King's Cross which you find particularly inspiring?

Laurent: Saint Pancras chambers of course but also all the area around the gasholders, the canal, the water tank, the canvas derelict buildings, the wildlife park (Camley St natural park) and Saint Pancras Hospital gardens and square and church with the big London planes!

Ms KX: Are there any other local artists whose work you admire in the area? Who are they and what do they do?

Laurent: I have moved in recently and not connected much with the local people yet which I’m trying to do through Create KX now. I’m interested to meet other multimedia artists and develop collaborations. I’m very interested to find out what will happen with the new King’s Place building on the music front and hope to work with their foundation on light and sound projects... I’m also interested to meet with the people who are behind King’s Cross Voices and integrate sound archives in a project.

Ms KX: What is the most exciting idea that you have for bringing your art to the King's Cross area?

Laurent: Illuminate the gasholders or Saint Pancras chambers would be such a statement!


But also creating a light trail around all the sites I have mentioned before, would be a good way to make people discover King’s Cross treasures in a new light! It would also allow some community projects to take place on the subject relating history and social context to light art and the story it can tell us about a space! I’m open to look at any brief which relates to this subject...Light can change perception you have of an environment, space...it brings emotions, create experiences and remain as a very good moment in your memory. I want to bring that magic to people so they think positively about KX and its change. I’m looking forward to those moments...

END OF INTERVIEW

Postscript of Ms KX: I *heart* artists.

Always raises a smile

My favourite place in King's Cross? Well, there is only one place which is always guaranteed to raise a smile. It's that pavement stone in Cartwright Gardens on which Camden Council have etched an image of a dog with a steaming poo behind it. Why does it make me laugh? Well, apart from the steam on the poo (a little bit too much detail there!), there's the fact that this notice is totally ignored by Camden dogs. In fact, I think they seek it out... perhaps in dog land this is the symbol for a lavatory?

Anyway, that paving stone amuses the same part of me which giggles at Carry On films. And, by the way, did you know that Kenneth Williams was born on Bingfield Street just off York Way? I think there should be a special 'Mmmmmmmmatron' festival to celebrate him this summer.

Multiple nationality disorder

Great pic you used in your last entry, Miss Create. Is that you spinning your wheel there?

You ask me what the best prize I have ever won is. My Dad always used to say that he had won the best prize in the Lottery of Life by being born an Englishman. This comment used to drive my (normally apolitical) Swedish mother crazy.

I do think there’s something though in what he identified about prizing the riches of a cultural background. I have lived in some amazing cities in the course of my life: Lagos, Moscow (in the incredible Dom na Naberezhnoi), Stockholm, Dusseldorf and now in my beloved heartland London.

I love London and Londoners because of our diversity. Everything is all jumbled together. And King’s Cross is a brilliant epicentre for all that. Sacred & secular. Filthy and fragrant. Light & dark. Happy & sad. Frivolous & serious. Old & new. Clever & obtuse. Quiet & loud. Green & grey. Grand & grotty.

On these streets, I can be every ‘me’.

And that’s definitely a quality prize in the Lottery of Life.

Do scented wheels add extra personality?

Charles Schwab said, "Personality is to a man what perfume is to a flower." I think I'm a little like the fragrance department at Selfridges...

And worry not, Miss Create, I’ve been managing my personalities for some time now and my inner Ringmaster has some excellent tactics for ensuring that only one character is at the driving wheel at a given time. Today I think it's Immodesty...

So who would Immodesty dine with?

Well, as we're on the subject, I think I’d have to pick someone else who does multiple personalities. So I’m going to pick the delicious* Mr Daniel Radcliffe (NB not in character as the personality connected with King’s Cross).

And I wouldn’t cook. We’d eat out at the superb Great Nepalese in Eversholt Street where Gopal Manandhar and his charming sons would serve us tasty exotic cuisine.

* Mr Radcliffe's precise deliciousness to be confirmed when I have (quite literally) inspected him in the flesh.

Disco Diva

I SURVIVED THE ROLLER DISCO! Not just survived it, but enjoyed it. In the accurate words of one of my fellow skaters, it was "lots of sparkly leg warmers, 1970s attire... we mostly just fell down and laughed." And I got to wear my beloved GLC headband with impunity! I am definitely going skating again. I really want my own pair of skates, especially since this morning's interweb investigations have revealed that you can buy scented wheels. How fab!

Right, less of the blueberry scented wheels... better get back to the blogjob interview. You ask, Miss Create, for a similarity between me and King's Cross. I remember you mentioned the 'dust, diggers and diverse expectation' in your first post...

Dust: Today, a lady came round to quote for cleaning my home. I spent an hour before she arrived cleaning and tidying because I was embarrassed at the way the dust had collected into huge tumbleweeds on the floor. Despite my efforts, the lady arrived and (a la stereotypical mother-in-law) wiped her finger along the dusty bookshelf. Thus the deal was done. From next week a hired domestic goddess will be hoovering my sofa cushions. And, on reflection, I think I'll send her details over to the Powers That Be in KX - the area could do with a few domestic goddesses armed with antibacterial floor wipes and a few squirts of Mr Muscle.

Diggers: I spent the last couple of years learning how to be a miner, initially mining my Self for my own potential at the Institute for Arts and latterly helping others to dig into themselves in my work as a creativity coach. So my life is pretty diggerly. Much like it is round the the back of King's Cross Station.

Diverse expectations: One of the things I love about KX is that it has such diverse expectations of itself. Just try asking a local resident, a commuter, a local businessperson, a tourist and a property developer what they think of and want from the area... Being me is a bit like that. And I don't even need to ask around. Inside me there's a rabble of voices clamouring to be Lily Allen, Mary Poppins, Anais Nin, Immodesty Blaize, Nigella (how cool is Nigella's cupcake logo! I need a logo... calling all young KX designers... get your submissions in now to be the official Blog KX logo designer), Cath Kidston, my mum, my grandmamma, Elizabeth Clontz, my old English teacher, Karen Leeder and the girl at the Roller Disco with the fingerless lace Madonna gloves. It ain't easy to manage that rabble, but then it never gets boring either. Much as with the diversity of King's Cross.

Why not?

'Why me?' you ask.

Why not?

OK, I'll get to the list of my most wonderful KX-y attributes in a moment. For now, I just want to linger on 'Why not?' for a moment. Isn't this a great question?

I'd heard it a million times, but the first time I really heard it was a couple of months back when I was sitting in the cafe at the National Theatre for Caroline Natzler’s writers' group meeting (this was back when I was actively working on the KX-based novel that currently languishes inside the hard drive of my computer...). The group was having a pee break and I was guarding bags and manuscripts whilst simultaneously earwigging the conversation at the table next to ours. I couldn't quite make out what they were talking about, but from the tones of the voices I could tell there was an atmosphere of general stagnation and low energy.

Mumble, mumble, "problems with the set design", mumble, "just too big", mumble, mumble, "not going to happen" and so on and so forth.

Until all of a sudden, one chap who hadn't been saying anything just burst out with:

"Why not?"

They all looked at him and a ripple went through the group as they adjusted their negative world view to a world view of POSSIBILITY. Why not indeed?

All of a sudden the whole table was fizzing with energy and solutions and potential.

And I woke up to what a great question that is.

A blog: Why not?

About King's Cross: Why not?

A straight answer to your original question: Why not?

So... why me then? Well, I’d allege that I've got a soupçon of KX street cred as, on and off, I’ve lived, worked and played around KX for over ten years now. I know the fragrant bits, the less fragrant bits, I got my marriage licence at Camden Town Hall, I've worked with the kids at South Camden Community School and the hip creative sorts at St Luke's, I've grown tomatoes on a balcony in Somerstown and I’m going to the Roller Disco tomorrow night. If I survive I’ll be back for the next step of this blogerview…

Wish me luck!