#thecoffeeworksproject

[pattrixter-blog]

#coffee #cafe #mochajava #sun #london #thecoffeeworksproject (at The Coffee Works Project)

[melformelanie]

The other day I went to #thecoffeeworksproject in #camdenpassage ○《👌👌👌👌》○

[eatinlondon]

Breakfast at The CoffeeWorks Project @coffeeworksproj in Islington. Photo from @winedinewear. #FoodInLondon #food #foodporn #thecoffeeworksproject

[allforusophia-blog]

My visit to "Behind the Mask: Andy Gotts MBE portraits for BAFTA"

Saturday was exhibition day and it was a good one. After having a nice cup of latte at Angel’s The Coffeeworks Project it was time to head down to Somerset House for Behind the Mask: Andy Gotts MBE portraits for BAFTA.

I like films. Love them. And actors are a part of films, so I love them too. Simple really.

As I read on the website, “Behind the Mask is a BAFTA Future Archive collaboration with renowned photographer Andy Gotts MBE, a celebrity photographer of 23 years who specialises in actors’ portraits”. Now, for me Gotts will always be the guy who created “Degrees”, the coffee table book inspired by the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Gotta love a guy like that, right? I was already sold, but read on. “The exhibition is a photographic census of over one hundred international actors and actresses to have won or been nominated for a BAFTA since 1954. The project has been over two years in the making with Gotts travelling across the globe in order to photograph subjects including Lauren Bacall, Jeff Bridges, Daniel Day-Lewis, Al Pacino, John Hurt, Sidney Poitier and Tilda Swinton”. Sweet gig Mr Gotts and much respect to you!

So that’s the official version and I was intrigued. Since we’re in the middle of “awards season” and the BAFTAs are the last big one before the big one, i.e. The Razzies, it seemed like a good time to visit. Also because the exhibit is only running until February 7th...

So I got off the 341 bus, entered the Somerset House courtyard and headed straight for the West Wing. Once inside I was greeted by Mitzi Cunliffe’s Bafta Mask. It was right next to a photo of John Hurt CBE and Dame Tilda Swinton (she was born a dame in my eyes). Since I’m heavily OCD, I got a guide and started following the numbering of the rooms, to make sure I cover them all, the way BAFTA and the superior power of the cosmos intended.

The rooms featured quotes on the walls, taken from BAFTA nominated films, although it would have been helpful to know which ones. I tried guessing but got exactly 0 right.

Definite highlights were the portraits of:

- Dustin Hoffmann, a love of mine ever since I saw The Graduate, Tootsie and Kramer vs Kramer

- Heath Ledger, because after his death I couldn’t bring myself to watch The Dark Knight and still haven’t watched it to this day

- Jake Gyllenhaal, because to me he will always be Donnie Darko

- Sir Ian McKellen for making the world a better place

- Christopher Walken for this

- Robert DeNiro for pulling that silly face

- Dame Helen Mirren and I believe I don’t need a reason

- Meryl Streep (see “Dame Helen Mirren”)

- Cate Blanchett, because I think she really is Galadriel and is acting the rest of the time

- Sir Michael Caine, for fogging up car windows in Alfie

- Helena Bonham Carter CBE. You’ll understand when you see her portrait

- The whole G7 room (Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Geoffrey Rush, Alan Rickman, Emma Thomson, John Cleese, Ralph Fiennes), because that’s a dream guest list to any self-respecting house party

- Dame Judi Dench for being the one and only M. Yes Madonna, you heard me right

- Sir Christopher Lee, for making me love evil

- Adrien Brody, my original obsession

- Sally Field, because she photographs amazingly

- Jeff Bridges for being The Dude, always

- Colin Firth for the wet shirt scene in Pride & Prejudice

- Sir Kenneth Branagh for Loki. Our leader.

- Kevin Spacey CBE for being an unusual suspect

- Christoph Walzt, for making it ok again to be an actor from Austria and healing our collective wounds from the damage previously caused by The Governator.

- Javier Bardem for not having crazy hair in his pic for once

 Definite lowlight:

- Benedict Cumberbatch for not being featured in the exhibition. Boo.

Interesting fact and something to look forward to:

“In addition to the exhibition, BAFTA will project every image from the series onto the façade of its headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London during the weekend of the EE British Academy Film Awards (15 and 16 February 2014) as part of an art commission supported by luxury watch brand 88 Rue Du Rhone”. So instagramers, get ready!

The exhibition will run until the 7th of February 2014 and is open daily from 10am to 6pm (last admission at 5.30pm). It’s at Somerset House’s West Wing and admission is free, so run along and marvel at all the pretty people.

Here are some pics if you require visual persuasion. I thought about whether to post actual jpegs of some of the portraits or the ones I took myself during my visit yesterday, glare and all. I opted for my own pics in the end, because it’s my flippin’ blog in the first place and you can always check out Andy Gotts' website. For you lazy ones out there, here, I even did it for you (Andy Gotts website). Now get off whatever crisp infested futon/sofabed/lilo you’ve been sitting on for the past few hours and get yourself over to Somerset House for some culture. Or to ogle at Scarlet Johansson’s / Hugh Jackman’s pretty picture. Up to you.

All in all a wonderful day was had!

[emilyeohara-blog]

#Want this walk-in fridge! #thecoffeeworksproject

[livinginthenow1-blog]

Chicken walnut apple sandwich and a cappuccino- heaven #thecoffeeworksproject #london (at The Coffeeworks Project)