May 10th: Day out at the University of East Anglia (UEA)

Photos for this post
A lazing morning but, just before lunch, we heard drumming in the distance, but getting closer. Where could it be? What could it be for? We raced down the stairs, out the door, paused to listen, then ran straight into Transe Express drumming up enthusiasm for the upcoming Norwich Festival. It looked as though the opening of the festival will be fun.

We caught a double decker bus - my first since I’ve been home! - to the University of East Anglia (UEA). We picnicked on the grounds and were joined by magpies as we surveyed the Beasts sculpture by Lynn Chadwick. The “three 'Beasts' (Crouching Beast II, Lion I and Beast Alerted I) are monumental animals captured in various states of action, made of welded stainless-steel sheets.” We were unimpressed.

We took a guided tour of the "Superstructures: The New Architecture 1960-1990" exhibit at the Sainsbury Centre, which we both found fascinating. The exhibit marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of The Sainsbury Center - the first public building designed by Norman Foster - and had wonderful models of the Pompidou Centre by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano; the International Terminal Waterloo by Nicholas Grimshaw, the Hopkins House by Michael and Patty Hopkins, and a three-metre-long model of the Sainsbury Centre. Overall, the exhibit explored “architecture's fascination in the post-World War Two decades with new technology, lightweight structures, pioneering building techniques and innovative engineering solutions.” We were fortunate that we were two of three people on the tour - the other being a professor at the university, so our many questions were answered thoughtfully and precisely, and we were given plenty of time to explore the various models on display.

Remaining at the UEA, we walked over to the Thomas Paine Center for a lecture by Professor Steven Vertovec on "Global Britain: Super diversity," part of the Global Britain: Beyond Brexit series. The panel discussion afterwards was chilling. It’s is painful to consider the changing situation of immigrants - not refugees - in many countries across the world. It feels that the world is changing, borders are going up and countries opting for isolation.Being an immigrant, it is difficult to contemplate the ramifications.