The city of London now holds a special place in my heart in reality versus the fiction it merely was to me before. This trip was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of and more despite the world’s impending panic. Not only was I able to enjoy this experience with some of my closest friends, but I was able to make new ones and branch out with common interests and uncommon experiences. Being my first time out of the country, it was great having this group to be guided with and yet given independence. This gift of freedom allowed me to surprise myself in terms of navigation, and a new found love of London transit! I would have never guessed that taking the tube would be one of my favorite parts but it certainly was an experience I’ll never forget, along with almost getting lost when having to find my own way. Another of my favorite things that I could enjoy about London, especially when lost, was of course the architecture. Being able to figure out where I was based on the style of storefronts was actually quite helpful. We were given tours of some of the must see buildings, whether it was the brutalist maze of Barbican, which highlighted some beautiful features of concrete and made me more interested in brutalist projects and even the benefits of a community built around it, or when we craned our necks to see the top of skyscrapers only to find some of the most interesting parts at the mundanity of eye-level. One of my favorite parts about these towering buildings was learning the intricacy of manipulating past forms and ideas in ways to push structural limits whether it be suspending an entire building above train tracks or putting the industrial guts on the outside of a building to understand how these masterpieces tell us how they work. Overall, this trip opened my mind to a whole other world and I’ve been talking about it non-stop, and probably never will, but I wouldn’t have been able to wonder about brutalism, almost get lost on the tube, or eaten in a real London pub without Aimée for being our devotedly organized, even in chaos, trip advisor and dealing with the wrangling of kids that aren’t her own and to share with us her piece of London, Troy for always knowing the way, protecting people from playing in traffic (*cough* Tori *cough*) and recommending great food markets, Jeff for being able to set up an interactive iPad class literally anywhere so we can have a chance to participate while in the field, and all of my trip mates who made this experience that much more fun, so thank you all for this amazing opportunity!
Author: Liliana Yocum
World Wonder: Big Rocks
When visiting Stonehenge, I was in absolute awe. Seeing rolling hills of green on the way there couldn’t compare to the vast open air feeling that surrounds you as you make your way to the famous site. This landscape drew me in immediately and I wanted to be able to capture a calm feeling of nature despite the imposing trabeated stones. In this sketch I wanted the softly uneven earth to be shown as a separate entity yet still surrounding the stones as well as the sky. The sketch is simple even in color as I wanted to keep the serenity of the site included.
My colored sketch of the famous Stonehenge
Piece By Piece
After our first couple of days in London, I was absolutely in awe of the eclectic styles and cultures seen blended into an everyday hustle. While visiting the British museum, I was able to enjoy beautiful art from these many different parts of the world that were acquired by the British, whether it’s fully intact paintings, replicated models, or bits and pieces of sculptures. This varied display shows the history of the world and Britain through their own eyes in a heroic way, but the pieces were often wrongfully taken from other societies that have been pieced into British culture. Although this appropriation has a horrific past and troubled presence today, the scavenged art, even if broken, is beautiful and a sight to see all in one place. I focused on one broken piece that provoked this idea of collaging cultures, with one bust of Apollo split asymmetrically and chipped all over. Despite the damaged material and brutal facial reconstruction, it is a glimpse into another time and allows a look at its past by its current state, all the while remaining a breathtaking view, just like London.
Sketch of Apollo
Liliana’s Pre-Departure
After experiencing my very first flight from Columbus to Chicago, the trip went from surreal to palpable in one turbulent ride to be followed by another. I am very excited for the first night of sleep in another country as well as our first trip to St.Paul’s and really being able to navigate the area around our hotel and to orient myself in London. Being able to explore the city in different ways is important to me for the independence of our visit and being able to fully immerse myself in a different city and culture. Among the days spent traversing the dense city, I am looking forward to the days planned to break away from the urban area and be able to experience a more serene atmosphere of nature landscapes such as Stonehenge and Stourhead which have always felt sublime and unreal to me. I am also looking for smaller opportunities in London like markets in Covent Garden or getting a discounted ticket to a show, or even seeing a play. Once I get a feel for the city I am really excited to know my way around with a new transit system and be able to find unique places to visit in my free time.
Lili’s Bio
Hello All! My name is Liliana, or Lili for short, I’m from a super small town called Bellaire, Ohio, near Wheeling, West Virginia. I am a second-year Architecture student pursuing a minor in Consumer Sciences and Fashion Retail Studies. I have been really looking forward to this study abroad program, London has always been a dream destination of mine due to the very historic features that are very familiar in our own popular culture. Outside of the historical or other tourist attractions I am exited to try as many different restaurants, bakeries, markets, and coffee shops. I also want to “live like a local” in different ways, whether that is mastering finding a cool hangout spot or figuring out transportation and directions. (Which I am normally really bad at!) On my free day I am also wanting to see a musical in West End, as well as various plays and entertainment in places like Piccadilly’s Circus or elsewhere. Overall, I’m super thrilled for a chance to make some new friends on this trip while being able to create new memories and having cool first experiences, such as flying on a plane for the first time and leaving the country for the first time!
Photo shot with friends while in the Short North.
Liliana Yocum’s Selfie
Lili’s Selfie