In the company of Scousers

I just returned from a fascinating week in Liverpool. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people (mostly through CouchSurfing), took in all kinds of interesting sights and learned a great deal about the city.

Liverpool as a city dates back 800 years. While it's recent history is probably known to most people, to some degree, because of the legacy of the Beatles (Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, etc), the more distant history is really quite riveting.

(On a the ferry across the Mersey)

As a port city, Liverpool was a stopping place for people from all over the world. In the 18th century, it grew wealthy from the trading of slaves, raw materials and finished goods. In the 19th century it was the site from which almost 9 million emigrants to the New World (Irish, Scottish, Swedes, Norwegians, Russians, etc.) said good-bye to the Old World. The people who have been here for generations (the "Scousers") display elements of this unique past in interesting ways -the dialect of "Scouse" being perhaps one of the most obvious. The term "scouse" refers to a type of stew -a version of "lobscouse" (which some think to be originally a Scandinavian dish imported to the area by Norwegians sailors). The stew (sometimes prepared meatless) is a symbol of the grinding poverty endured by generations of Liverpudlians trying to make it through lean times. Scouse is a symbol of the resilience of the people and many locals proudly call themselves "Scousers".

(The new Liverpool One complex)

The city is a wonderfully crazy mix of gritty and grand; the obvious signs of urban blight coexist, and sit next to, conspicuous symbols of "development" and regeneration. In the context of the EU's Capital of Culture year in Liverpool 2008, the competing notions of "culture" and identity become quite significant, especially as these discourses influence the appropriation and use of city space. This is the topic of my MA thesis.

(Famous Banksy Rat -opposite the entrance to Europe's oldest Chinatown and down the road from the world's largest Anglican cathedral)

Seattle to Liverpool via Amsterdam

The blog has been quiet for the last week or so because I have been traveling for my thesis. I am researching the discourses of culture that influence the production of space in the context of the EU "Capital of Culture" program in Liverpool (more on this at another time).

My flight to Liverpool was long but thankfully it was broken up by a lovely layover in Amsterdam. I had never been to the city before; it really is a delightful place. I spent the majority of my time in the Western Canal area sitting in the sun and watching the day go by.

It was early in the morning when I trained in to the center so I started off with a yummy breakfast of dutch pancakes and coffee. It was almost too perfect -sitting amid tulip-topped tables watching the Monday morning cyclists on their way to work.

It wasn't long before I found myself sitting at another outdoor terrace in the Jordaan area. Sitting in the sun with my white beer was the perfect antidote to the post-flight "ick" brought on by my 10 hour plane ride.

Rec Night at Paul's Pad

One of the most fabulous perks of Mallar's job is that, as an employee of a Paul Allen enterprise, he gets invited to Monday "Rec Nights" at Paul Allen's estate on Mercer Island. As co-founder of Microsoft (see pic of him and Bill Gates circa 1975), Paul Allen is one of the wealthiest men in America.
In addition to funding the (non-profit) scientific project Mallar is working on, Allen also owns three professional sports teams: the Seattle Seahawks, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Sounders FC.
On the first Monday of most months, Allen graciously invites his employees (+ guest) to his private recreational-sports complex to swim, play tennis, basketball, play pool, etc. Mallar and I had the incredible privilege of attending this past Monday. WOW! We played basketball on the same court that once graced the Rose Garden in Portland and where the Trail Blazers still do pre-pre-season training, then we swam in this beautiful pool with views out enormous windows onto Lake Washington (and complete with waterslide), and finally we soaked luxuriously in one of his many hot tubs. It was such a treat. Can't wait to try the tennis court next time...

Biking It

The bike ride from our place in Capitol Hill to Mallar's office in Fremont is along a pretty route. Mallar makes the trip daily, but I did the trip with him for the first time this weekend to check out the Sunday markets in Fremont and Ballard.


Mallar's office is right on the water. From his desk he looks out onto the Lake Washington Ship Canal. There are great bike paths along the length of the canal. We took the path all the way to Ballard. We were pleasantly surprised to see a choice of brewery "pit-stops" along the path. We couldn't help thinking how fitting that would have been on our spectacular bike trips in Denmark. The Danes love cycling and they certainly love their beer. But, perhaps the capitalist spirit isn't quite as strong in DK.

We were reminded of Scandinavia once again when we got to Ballard. There are significant Nordic roots in Ballard as evidenced by this mural celebrating Ballard's relationship with sister city Bergen (in Norway).


The bike ride home is almost all uphill in the last leg. Thankfully, when we stopped to catch our breath we had terrific views. The mountain view on the horizon never comes out well when I try to capture it with my camera. It is pretty spectacular, though.

Weekend Wanderings

Mallar and I have been taking advantage of the good weather these days. On Saturday we decided to go to the Seattle Aquarium for the first time and then walk around downtown taking in the scene. The aquarium was fun but not as impressive as I had hoped.

I felt a little incomplete without a throng of young children to corral through the exhibit areas. Hard not to smile at the enthusiasm of the kids we tried not to trip over on our tour. It seems to me that strollers are a handy way to mow your way through the crowds. ahhh... the perks of parental "right of way".

We stopped for lunch at a really great Italian place in Pioneer Square called Café Bengodi. The place only seats about a dozen people and feels warm and charming as soon as you walk in. The pasta there was incredible -simple ingredients but all quality. The cannoli was really yummy too.

One of our last stops before coming home was at the Elliott Bay Book Co. (also in Pioneer Square) -a sumptuous bookstore with over 150,000 titles. Now there is a place to whittle away hours. There is a café on site too.

The Lusty Lady

Directly across the street from the downtown Seattle Art Museum sits the "Lusty Lady" peep show establishment and the hilarious marquee announcements that adorn it.
The Lusty Lady actually has quite an interesting history. I discovered this just now (as I wikipedia-ed it). The San Francisco franchise was apparently bought by the strippers working there and is now managed as a workers' cooperative. The Seattle branch is more renowned for its cheeky play on words.
I guess reading is one way to get your jollies.

Creatively Speaking

Creatively Speaking: The Artist's Point of View is an event put on by SAM (the Seattle Art Museum) to create a dialogue between artist and public. Artists are invited to discuss the philosophies underlying their work and the audience has the rare opportunity to ask questions (about finished work, process, materials, inspiration, etc.). On April 3rd, Mallar and I attended the series that featured artists: Corin Hewitt and Titus Kaphar.

Hewitt's work combines performance, sculpture and photography. His Weavings project is a result of a week long performance that involved the construction of a studio space within a gallery (with viewing apertures in the walls, so gallery audiences could watch him in action).In this constructed space, Hewitt made eclectic still-life compositions combining a variety of materials (organic materials, historical and artisinal objects, plasticine sculptures of these materials and objects and photographic images of all of the above). Hewitt's description of his motivations and processes were very interesting.

It was Titus Kaphar, however, that drew us to the event. His History in the Making collection questions the position of black subjects in the classic pantheon of "historical" painting.
An MFA graduate of Yale University, Kaphar spent time observing the "great works" featured in the university art gallery at Yale. He is intrigued by the way art is used as a visual construction of history (key moments, key figures, etc). Kaphar's work turns classic paintings on their head (sometimes literally), challenging us to rethink the grand narrative that is presented in the famous European and American portraits of the 18th and 19th century.

Kaphar's paintings open a provocative discourse about race and representation.

Check out this link to hear Kaphar describe some of his pieces.