A few weeks ago the National Portrait Gallery was holding an Audrey Hepburn exhibition and seeing as I’ve seen her face all over Tumblr and Pinterest over the last few years I joined up with Krissy D from INTERLACED to find out more about this style icon.

london explore national portrait gallery trafalgar square-26

As girls are usually late for any kind of meeting I decided to explore the area and see if there’s more to Trafalgar Square than meets the eye. Trafalgar Square actually holds a huge significance in my life as it was here around 13 years ago that I got my first taste of London as I climbed on top of one of the bronze lions that adorn Nelson’s Column. A little fun fact about the lions is that they were actually melted down from the cannons aboard French and Spanish ships that had taken part in the Battle of Trafalgar.

NATIONAL GALLERY

Address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, Phone: 020 7747 2885, Established: 1824

sansovino frames

tim berners lee 3d printed figure

National Gallery and the adjoining National Portrait Gallery were opened to the public on 10 May 1824 and since then it’s undergone a number of cosmetic and architectural changes, most notably the work on renovating the Parthenon-esque front of the gallery.

Although we know the structure as it stands today, at the time it received public criticism before it was even completed, as an early version of the design had been leaked to a newspaper.

The entire National Gallery is a living exhibit as you feel like you’re walking through the history of art, starting with early Christian fresco’s and finishing with some postmodern art of the 20th century. The entire gallery is a mathematicians paradise with perfect angles and symmetrical shapes adorning the place and 4 huge glass domes letting in natural light from the outside.

audrey hepburn exhibition london national portrait gallery

The National Portrait Gallery was also a welcome surprise as I’ve just started getting into people photography and it helped me realise the importance of feeling relaxed when taking as well as posing for photos. As a photographer it gives you much more flexibility if your subject is relaxed and comfortable being around you.

The 3D printed model of Tim Berners-Lee (best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web) got me giddy as without him it would be impossible for this technology to exist in the first place. Although still in it’s infancy 3D printing has the potential to seriously disrupt a number of global industries. If you’re interest in these kinds of things check out my latest TECH ROUNDUP.

The Audrey Hepburn Exhibition was an interesting one as it showed the snowballing nature of success and just how different the media landscape was in the 50s. Although looks didn’t hold her back, it was Audrey Hepburn’s charm that won over many writers and producers who wanted to work with her despite the obvious lack of experience. The wall of magazine covers at the end of the exhibition don’t do justice to her career which has spanned well over 4 decades but serve as great motivation to anyone thinking that it’s too late to start.

STYLEDESK

audrey hepburn paris romance shopping

I’m a sucker for some trinkets so decided to pick up some snaps and polaroids to decorate my room. Images of Audrey were of course a must, a young David Bowie as well as some close ups that caught my eye. No room would be complete without a CEREAL Mag (this one focused on New York) and the latest Farfetch Curates coffee table book in which the focus was on all things design in 2015.

STYLEGRAM

Make sure to check out my latest photo journal from a photowalk organised by Richard Harris and my shoot with ASOS Menswear for the ‘As Seen On Me’ campaign. You can also use the links below to stay connected 🙂

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