Bulletin

It has broken the news that icon and founder of global furniture empire, IKEA, was found dead in his home in Sweden at the age of 91 last week. Instead of harping on about his success that we are all familiar with, we thought we simply share a handful of our favourite quotes uttered from the mouth of Ingvar Kamprad himself. Some of his wise words really resonated with us and we hope they spark some inspiration for you too.

1. Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wrong.
2. A company that feels it has reached its goal will quickly stagnate and lose its vitality.
3. The word impossible has been and must remain deleted from our dictionary.

Having undergone a two-year revamp and renovation, the Hayward Gallery in Southbank and all of its striking Brutalist architecture is back and ready to go. This rejuvenation of the gallery has come at a fantastic time too, because it just so happens that it is also its 50th anniversary!

In celebration of this gallery's momentous landmark, the Hayward Gallery is kicking off with a very thought-provoking exhibition by Andreas Gursky, and it just so happens that this is his first UK exhibition. Until 22nd April you can immerse yourself in this amazing installation by Gursky which will ‘paradoxically bring us closer to the truth’ according to the artist himself. Featuring approximately 70 pieces of his artwork, everything from his early work of idyllic landscapes to his most recent efforts where he aims to depict normal and contemporary life, you will understand how and why Gursky has made such a successful name for himself in the world of art.

His latest artwork is renowned for portraying hectic nightclubs and crammed cities which all aim to make us think about human perception and perspective scale. See for yourself this phenomenal display and why it has created such a profound impact.

Ah Covent Garden - full of boutique shops, a vivacious atmosphere, an exciting history and extraordinary secrets. We did a little digging and found some extremely interesting facts and secrets about this little cultural pocket in Central London.

1. Covent Garden is known and loved for its market stalls and with good reason too! Covent Garden has been running markets since 1656, so something in the air must reel the crowds in!
2. Originally, ‘Covent Garden’ was meant to be called ‘Convent Garden’ – imagine that? Back in the day, the area was the market garden place for the Convent of St. Peters church.
3. In the 18th century, it took a turn and it was definitely not ‘Convent Garden’ anymore, as it was actually considered as a red-light district within London.
4. Did you know that Covent Garden is London’s only district to have a license for street entertainers and performers?
5. When visiting Covent Garden, it is actually quicker to alight from Leicester Square station than Covent Garden station. Considering the journey time between the two stations is less than a minute long, I’d save the £2.90 and get off at Leicester Square.
6. There is always something new to eat/drink/see – in fact, there are over 60 pubs and bars to visit, no wonder it is one of London’s top tourist attractions.
7. Following on from point number six, not only is Covent Garden one of London’s top tourist attractions with over 44 million tourists visiting a year, it is actually the third most popular in the world.

There we have it, some facts and figures that I bet you didn’t know about Covent Garden. Do you have any more that should be on our list?