Iain Cameron's Diary
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2011-01-14 - 12:50 a.m.

I havent been to Brill in ages - in fact it was chilly there and the heating was playing up but there was a wood fire in the stove and the floor heating in the kitchen was working. The Heathrow to Oxford coach was more crowded than I can remember. I started to read about Adorno and Heidegger but ended up just looking at the countryside. Lunch in the Red Lion 2 days running. I chatted to Derek in Pasadena before he went to Downtown LA to shoot a model. Gilbert mailed to say that the mix on Ambient is OK. Bette had a rough time at the dentist but still managed to cook some deliciously fresh pieces of cod for supper.

Thursday morning I got the coach back from Oxford to Heathrow then the bus back to Heston. I checked by e-ms and then set off to meet Rob at Faringdon. I had some trouble finding the Jerusalem Tavern but it was well worth the effort - here's a guidebook description:-

The Venue
The Jerusalem Tavern has a beauty in its design that few other London pubs get near to. The pub is small, with flaking painted wood and intimate shuttered alcoves. Wooden partitions separate the tables that sit in the light of flaming oil wicks that stick out of green fuel-filled bottles. The place is like an old speakeasy, the cracked fireplace and chipped, bare tiles look like this is a drinker�s temporary workshop, but it has secrecy and excitement in its wooden grooves and a touch of Parisian romance. The table for two that perches on top of a tiny mezzanine is the top spot for couples and the long table at the back is hidden from the bar and cosy enough for a large group to make their own.

The Atmosphere
The days are quiet yet thoughtful at the Jerusalem Tavern. There�s no TV and no music to destroy the internal solace that the place inspires. The pub fills up from 6pm as the Clerkenwell crowd pour in and the atmosphere shifts - come the summer this atmosphere spills onto the lonely street outside. The lack of entertainment puts a good emphasis on the art of conversation and what sounds like the �rhubarb rhubarb� of extras fills the place. The crowd is as diverse as The City; refined gents talk over wine whilst younger groups drink in the atmosphere. Just being in this pub, even if you�re alone, is to be entertained by a true original of its time.

The Drink
The bar itself is one of the pub�s most striking features. Built in the same style of wood as the rest of the venue, it whines to be leant on and ordered from and something in the knots call to the drinker. The ale is stored in barrels that protrude from the wall in decorative fashion and the only negative about the whole bar are the branded bottles that seem so out of place with the nature of the wood and its design.

We sloped off to the North and stopped off at an Italian restaurant eventually finding our way to the London Centre for Creative Collaboration.

. http://www.creativecollaboration.org.uk/

There was no entry fee and wine was on offer with an honesty box. The programme involved a wide variety of artistic performance. I was particularly looking forward to the 1971 Alvin Lucier piece - The Duke of York. This was created not long after one of his most famous pieces - I am Sitting in a Room. The DoY was originally scored for voice and synthesizers but this performance was voice and DSP - I couldnt help womdering how faithful this was. The first three performances were the most enjoyable or so we thought. This performance series happens on the second Thursday of every month - I will certainly go again.

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