Alison Lapper Pregnant

“It is a work about courage, beauty and defiance, which both captures and represents all that is best about our great city. Alison Lapper pregnant is a modern heroine – strong, formidable and full of hope. It is a great work of art for London and for the world.”

Alison Lapper, a friend of Marc Quinn (the sculptor), was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a chromosomal condition called Phocomelia. Her mother rejected her and she was brought up in a care home. Now a recognized artist, she was awarded an MBE in 2003 and featured with her son in the BBC series Child of Our Time.

Burton’s Sketches

The Guardian offers a peek in Tim Burton’s sketchbooks.

“They help me think more than anything else. They calm me down and, also, they’re a way for me to think subconsciously. I prefer to act out of my subconscious – I find if I think too much, I start to confuse myself again.”

By the way, I really enjoyed going to see Charlie & The Chocolate Factory last Saturday. As ever, Johnny Depp makes a brilliant performance and — to my delight — the movie never turns into the kind of big sappy musical where, every two seconds for no reason, the entire cast will burst into song.