As you know, London is always renewing itself. Often the changes can be seen through the hairstyles of people or sometimes just through the ZIP codes of the coolest addresses. These changes occur quite rapid. I just got back from the city and will share some impressions with you:

* Have you ever imagined finding clothes of the maison Balenciaga in the heart of Dalston in East London? The shop LN-CC (which stands for Late Night Chameleon Cafe) made the unexpected idea possible - considering that until recently the area was at the opposite of the idea of luxury. The store has been around for less than a year selling super exclusive brands and is becoming more and more known in the universe of e-commerce. Like the virtual store, the real store is super cool. It has a gallery, a bookstore, a dance floor – all connected by a corridor like the one in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”. You must make an appointment before visiting the shop. Once there, be prepared for the fact that there is no sign at the entrance and you have to walk to one of the sides of the building to find the door bell. But the effort of going there is worth it.

* Actually East London undergoes a cosmetic surgery at the moment. Streets and sidewalks in areas like Dalston and Hackney are being completely redone. All to receive the 2012 Olympics Games, held in the area in a year from now.

* Patti Smith’s book “Just Kids” has everything to be one of the books of the decade. Almost everyone of my generation that is interested in art, has read it or is reading it. The book is a beautiful testimony about Patti’s “larger than life” relationship with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Rumors say the film is already being pre-produced in Hollywood. The question that remains is: who will play the singer? I can’t think of any name among the young actresses today. It is a great chance to discover a new talent.

* Still on movies, I can’t not talk about the new film by Pedro Almodóvar, “The Skin I Live In“. It seems to be a new phase for the Spanish director since he is using ideas of science fiction – or horror B-movies, as you prefer. “The Skin I Live In” refers to several cult movies such as “Vertigo” (1958), directed by Alfred Hitchcock and “Eyes Without a Face” (1960), by Georges Franju. It also is a generous tribute to the work of the artist Louise Bourgeois, who died last year. More than that I shouldn’t tell.

* From Berlin comes the news: “the avant-garde is dead”. Who says it is the English art director Peter Saville (responsible for, among other things, the album covers of Joy Division). He was in town to be part of the exhibition Transmission1 organized by the online magazine “Avant/Garde Diaries” and curated by the fashion designer Raf Simons. During a roundtable about pop culture with the journalists Tim Blanks and Jo-Ann Furniss and the artist Peter Potter –  Saville commented from the audience that the avant-garde is dead. If there is a chance of resurrection, he believes then that will come from groups oppressed by the system but not from within the industry. This is for sure something to think about.

Above: the corridor of the shop LN-CC in London.

Photo: Hermano Silva © 2011