facing upstream, floating downstream

there is a flock of cormorants on the river, in the water, all facing west but going with the flow (east)
.

yesterday two swans flew upstream at my level (eight floors high) such that I could see their flight in great detail: such huge solid bodies, such strong wings, beating in synchrony, so effortless to watch - incredible
.

a little later I walked across the bridge, under what had been the swans' path and took the tube into London
.

I went to see an incredible art installation by someone I'd never heard of, but perhaps ought to have done? viewing the same exhibition with me was one of the world's richest men, a Russian, who - amongst other things - owns a football club that is just over the river (so just that I can see the floodlights from The Tower when there is an evening game)

rɐˈman ɐrˈkadʲjevʲɪtɕ ɐbrɐˈmovʲɪtɕ

and his girlfriend*
.
the girlfriend is spending this guy's money (she's got up to US$12 billion to play with, it must be fun) amassing a huge collection of art for him - but as you know, I don't do celebrity so wouldn't have recognised him if it hadn't been pointed out; but - and mel you're gonna love this - apparently his first footstep on the ladder of success was selling plastic ducks!
.
(*you'd think the first thing she'd have done was bought him a razor, wouldn't you?)
.
of far more interest to me was the art. . .

. . .sculpture

anyone who's been around long enough will remember how much I love sculpture, especially the Hepworth in Cornwall
.

(-:
.

these pieces would dwarf those, they were. . .
.

. . .HUGE PIECES OF SCULPTURE

the work of RICHARD SERRA

not this specific piece,
(which was at MOMA in NYC)

but I like the image
and it gives you an idea
of the proportions of the pieces that I saw

the pieces I was were SO VeRY enormous that one of my first questions was "how on earth did they get it in here!?"

(I'm so vEry naive)
.

later I read a review and it turns out that the gallery - of course - had effectively been rebuilt so that these steel sculptures could be put in place, assembled for Joe and Josephine Public to view at their hearts' content
.

I write view, because - disappointingly - one wasn't allowed to touch the work

I like touching sculpture

I like hugging trees too, but that's a different story altogether

walking thru the pieces was a little like walking in a forest where the tree trunks have been welded together so that you have but one path to follow. . .
.

one of the pieces was a very very large flat slab of steel, standing on its edge, with the most wonderful rust and decay in the metal - it was so large that even standing back at the edge of the gallery space one could not take in the whole piece at once

in fact it drew you in, so despite its size I found myself looking so closely that the security guard (who I think was there to stop people abusing the work, rather than abusing the Russian - but I'm not sure) kept his beady eye on me to try and ensure I didn't end up in physical contact with the metal. . .
.

. . .it's hard to explain, and I'm not eloquent enough to describe how it felt - here's a link so you can get a glimpse, altho that won't convey the physical sensation of being in the exhibition space
.

but quite why it makes me think of the swans' flight along the river, I don't know