OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON - 2

November 2013

The British Museum and Islington N1.

I had some business to attend to in Islington, but as it was a dingy rainy morning decided to stop off on the way at The British Museum and take in their current exhibition entitled SHUNGA -  Sex and Pleasure in Japanese art . 

                                                                                  Shunga

The easiest approach to the museum is via the aptly named Museum Street which runs roughly south to north almost from Covent Garden to Bloomsbury and takes you right to the main entrance.     Its quite a narrow street with lots of interesting little shops , cafes and galleries – all independents, you’ll find no Starbucks or Bodyshops here -  along the way.     At the Covent Garden end on the corner of Endell Street is The Oasis Sports Centre providing London’s only all year round outdoor heated swimming pool.   Owned and operated by Camden Council it’s been here for more than fifty years and has just undergone an expensive re-fit.  

 

As a 17 year old I worked in the old Billingsgate Market starting  at five in the morning and usually finishing at about 11 a.m., then after a good clean up in a local Turkish baths spending the rest of the day wandering about the West End and Soho with a few of my mates .   We spent  many a summer afternoon by the rooftop pool  at The Oasis ogling the glamorous bikini clad chorus girls – and the occasional star- from nearby theatre-land lying out on the terraces hoping to get a bit of  sun to their bodies.  

On the corner where Museum Street crosses High Holborn is James Smith & Sons , an absolutely unique place commonly known as The Umbrella Shop .  Still a family owned business with it’s original polished wood and glass Victorian shop front , it sells every kind of umbrella, walking stick, mace and cane imaginable.  They also have a highly skilled workforce able to repair broken or damaged items , including old or antique pieces , a service I found quite useful  when we opened our Antique Centre in the 1960’s.  

 

Like the majority of London Museums, entrance to the general exhibits at the British Museum is free  , but they usually make a charge for special events like the Shunga  which probably goes towards the general overheads of running the place.   It’s a bit difficult to find things sometimes in this museum and over the past few years there always seems to be some kind of building work going on, but I was very impressed with the show which as well as having a nice display – some of which was very sexually explicit – also documented the cultural and social history behind this kind of art.  

 

I have quite a collection of this genre,  not original of course but  lots of small prints and pictures that I’ve picked up in little galleries and street markets over the years in the oddest of places ,which surprisingly included much smaller versions of a couple of the exhibits.  

   

Most of the early examples of SHUNGA (meaning reclining postures ) were destroyed by the ravages or war, fire or earthquakes  so the majority of what is available nowadays dates only from the 17^th and 18^th centuries .   Visitors to this fascinating exhibition cannot help but notice that in all these finely detailed illustrations the Japanese penis is always depicted far in excess of its real size. 

 

 Contrary to popular belief this has nothing at all to do with sexual boasting , but simply the veneration of the phallus as the symbol of life and power as expressed in ancient Japanese customs and worship.   Modern writers often make note of this fact without seeming to notice ( or mention ) that this male feature is perfectly balanced by an equal emphasis on the female sex organs which are also represented in a similar kind of magnification.  

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time I had finished my tour of the exhibition and I was soon on my way by underground to The Angel , Islington , an area named after a coaching inn originally built in the late 15^th century, a more recent version of which still stands at this busy junction.  

There used to be a large and very popular centre for antiques here called The Camden Passage Antique Centre , until this part of the area was redeveloped some years  ago .  Although the covered market has long gone, many of the original shops and outside stalls still remain in the old Camden Passage and little lanes that are adjacent to it.  

In some ways it’s now better than it used to be, with an interesting and varied selection of goods for sale , mostly at affordable prices but also including a fair amount of higher end and specialised objects of art and antiques , amongst them a shop called Japanese Gallery who have a large selection  of antique and modern Japanese prints for sale.    Ask to see their selection of erotic prints and you may well find an excellent  copy of something you have just seen at the British Museum – as I did.

Feeling a bit peckish after my mornings travels I decided to pop into The Breakfast Club just a few doors up from the gallery, for a quick bite to eat and drink before making my last call .  It’s part of a  small,  independently owned chain which began life in 2005 and now has five branches in London , although each one still retains the old fashioned style of personal service. 

 

Although there is one much nearer to me I prefer the Angel Cafe  where a  trio of the most delightful young women provide a perfect combination of good food and a friendly  atmosphere. The groups  amusing advertising slogan – “ everyone loves a big sausage in the morning”   plus a lifesize picture of a smiling Elvis Presley at the door puts  a smile on your face even before you get around to ordering your food. 

After my final call – to a large specialist showroom not far away selling just about every kind of artist’s materials – down came the rain again and I was glad to get back home in the warm.