my quirky eye: Southbank(Centre) Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope (n) is a complex, colourful and shifting pattern or scene.

Southbank Centre is a complex of colourless brutalist architecture of dubious charm and I absolutely love it!

I am a big fan of bright colours in an obsessive sort of way (I sometimes have every colour of the rainbow on me!). I also love walking along the south bank of the Thames (from London Eye in the west to Tower Bridge in the east) and I certainly love the exhibitions and galleries at the Southbank Centre (The Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward Gallery). So this summer, when someone decided to paint colourful portraits on those concrete walls, open a café (Indian themed!!) and paint it bright bright bright!!!, they certainly put a huge smile on my face. I was in rainbow heaven!

The cold harshness of the concrete buildings against the beautiful blue summer sky and all those lovely colours will surely make your day as it did mine. I could write more but I think these pictures could do with less words. For now, let me leave you with a snippet from a Phil Collins masterpiece…

"You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness, inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow..."