Across this evening from Somerset House, with Elaine and in intense rain, to Hyde Park and the Serpentine Gallery. The invitation was to see the Serpentine’s ‘Back To Earth‘ exhibition, then to speak at Berenberg Bank’s first major event for clients for their wealth management services. Confess I liked the theme of the exhibition – ‘how can art respond to the climate emergency?’ – better than the execution.
Next, we progressed from the northern gallery to the southern, marvelling at a green woodpecker’s back luminous in the setting sun as it swooped up into one of a ride of great trees. Then, as we drank English champagne and moved into the Black Chapel, the rain returned with serious intent. In the darkness inside the chapel, cross-cut by spotlights playing on the panel, composed of Richard Brass of Berenberg, Baroness Bryony Worthington and Gabrielle Walker of Valence Solutions.
Richard did a wonderfully moving kick-off, referencing the Queen’s death earlier in the day, and then the panel proper began Andy all accounts, went very well. As the rain sluiced down outside, and also streamed through the Pantheon-like hole in the roof of the Black chapel, cross-cut by the arc lights, all sorts of interesting people – and of all ages – came up to talk. A day I think we will all remember for a very long time.
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