From Somewhere in Time

Tweedledum and Tweededee, above, do remind me of someone. Twin Tory politicians, perhaps? Oh dear, I've never been much good at putting names to faces.

Anyway, the Tweedles adorn an invitation I've received to a private view of John Vernon Lord's "Alice Through the Looking Glass," at the Illustration Cupboard in London. This distinguished illustrator has a love of fantasy and nonsense and his book work includes "Alice in Wonderland" and "Hunting of the Snark" as well as works by Edward Lear and fairy tales from all over the world - I specially like his Icelandic Sagas.

The date and time for the private view is not that convenient for me, but if I do get along, I'll ask him to autograph my invitation, and ask him who the Tweedles are modelled upon.

And, whether I go to the view or not, I will make time to go to the exhibition of his wok. It runs from 18 October - 5 November and the address of the Illustration Cupboard is 22 Bury Street, St. James's, Londno SW1Y lAL. (Follow them on Twitter at @illustrationcup. ) It's a fantastic place and a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary children's book illustration.

Oh, and here's a selection of the works that will be on display - click the link

Lewis Carroll has many students and fans in Japan, and I was lucky enough to receive a lovely gift from Yoshi Momma, a major Japanese collector. He knows the illustrator Hirai Takako and he has asked her to inscribe her 2012 Alice calendar which he gave as a gift to me.

I love it. On the back, it shows each month's picture.



I like all the pictures, but my favourite is February



I don't know whether to use this calendar every day next year, or keep it in its wrapping in perfect condition ...

I'm often amazed at the way Lewis Carroll and his work will crop up in the most unlikely places. Googling for something else entirely, I came across a list of Masters' Theses at McGill University School of Architecture. More specifically, this one:

"Caroline Dionne, 1999
Geometrical Behaviour: An Architectural Mise en scène for A Re-enactment of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The content of this thesis is two-fold. The first part takes the form of an essay while the second part presents a theoretical project for an architectural installation. Using these two modes as different ways to address similar issues, the present work proposes to question the instrumentalisation of geometry in today's architectural practice. The work of Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) and, more specifically, his masterpiece, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, will be approached and interpreted in order to observe the participation of geometry-of Euclidean geometry-in our understanding of the notions of space and time, and to reveal their paradoxical aspect. The aim is to explore how geometry, language and nonsense bear intimate connections to our perception of space and time. Once revealed, these connections will enable us to address the following question: can architecture be comprehended and experienced as an event? "

I'd like to have seen this installation. Caroline Dionne later co-founded the artists centre Espace Tilt in Switzerland.

My picture, at the top of this post, shows a piece of architecture which I find fascinating - the empty and semi derelict Commonwealth Institute, London. It will soon become the new Design Museum.