This morning, Phyllis, Gord and I took a train to Orpington, then a bus to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin. He and his wife Emma lived in the expansive home for forty years, and they raised their family there, eight of the ten surviving to adulthood. This is where he wrote On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, as well as his other books. The rooms have been nicely restored and, with the help of the audio guide narrated by Sir David Attenborough, one got a good sense of who Darwin was, including as a father. (I can't imagine his children running throughout the house and interrupting him while he was trying to write and do research.) The grounds were beautifully maintained and I only wish I could see it again when the flowers are in bloom and when it wasn't so cold. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

We returned back to London and parted company with Phyllis at Victoria Station. Then Gord and I went out to Hammersmith to meet up with Jen et al. at the Riverside Studios to see a Butoh piece called Bye Bye Reflection by one of Japan's leading physical theatre companies. I'm not sure what to say about it other than it was very powerful and violent. I was unfamiliar with Butoh as a form. This piece was billed as a critical portrait of war, violence and prejudice, inspired by 9/11. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I heard rumours of rock music and strobe lights, none of which happened in the 70-minute piece. In fact, it was quiet for most of the performance and the performers moved very slowly and precisely. Occasionally a performer would emit these powerful cries of anguish from their very depths that were quite disturbing. I went with it, not truly understanding it, but it helped to hear the discussions afterward by Jen, Josh and some other theatre aficionados who were in attendance.