A London Overview

I have been in London for fifty-eight days now.

Surprisingly enough, I don’t think it has rained more than seventeen of them (not that I take any account of that) which is supposed to be incredible luck.

But why does one always have to start talking about London Ð'«weather-wiseÐ'»? There’s obviously much more to the city, but the bare observation that you get a free umbrella with your copy of the Ð'«Evening StandardÐ'» daily newspaper kind of force you to this small talk.

Anyway... So far, my stay has been lovely (which reminds me that Ð'«lovelyÐ'» is possibly the third or fourth most-employed-british-word, right in position before Ð'«brilliantÐ'»). The fact that english students (or is it the teachers?) are incredibly lazy and get a maximum of sixteen to twenty hours course obviously contributes to making this visit even more enjoyable. I am trying not to generalize, but studies at London College of Communication are far less stressful and demanding than what we’ve experienced at Estienne. However, it is quite pleasant to benefit from all the open classes at this huge school ; it was very easy to join many of the fine printing workshops available. As an Erasmus student you are able to pick whichever course you’re interested in, so I tried to focus on traditionnal techniques, which we never have enough time to explore back in Paris. So now my time is consumed between letterpress courses, silkscreen printing, etching and printmaking, and, finally, bookbinding. It’s a real break.

I haven’t met yet a single british student. At the school, and more generally in London, almost everyone seems to come from a foreign country. This is usually a nice feeling, except that a lot of these foreigners are french as well, which hardly helps to maintain a sense of authenticity to this trip.

As a remedy, I have tried to explore a lot of different neighbourhoods in London, in a quest to finally meet the real face of the city, and not its extensive touristic areas. Last Friday, I found myself trapped in the centre of Borough, a southern - and usually quiet - neighbourhood past London Bridge ; it was nearly six o’clock, right after work breakout, sun had been shining all day long, and the streets were surprisingly