The Rain Room

An installation that requires a 3 hour queue must be worth it. Surely? Surely. And so, yesterday afternoon, Em and I settled down on the Barbican's floor to wait our turn into The Rain Room. 

An installation by contemporary art group Random International, the Rain Room is quite something. True to it's title it is, essentially, a room full of rain... but controlled by you. Entering the 100 square metre area, the rain magically stops falling wherever you step - just don't walk too fast or wear dark clothing.

With a focus on behaviour and interaction, the Random International collective have certainly captured our attention and for good reason. The sensation as you walk through is truly weird - surrounded by pouring water, the sound of the splashing droplets reverberating around the room, you stay (nearly) completely dry.

Our initial trepidation quickly forgotten, we were soon prancing around, punished once in a while with a light spray for too quick a step (or too wild a jump). Lit by just one harsh spotlight from the corner of the room, it was hard to make much out through the deluge and despite there being up to 10 other people in the installation at one time, you felt quite isolated in your own little bubble.

Open until 3rd March, it is definitely worth a visit. But if you just can't face the queue, whack your earphones in and watch this - then go and queue.

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Weekend Wonders

There is a list the length of my arm of fun things to do in and around London this weekend... but how to choose?

It's the last night of Camden Brewery playing host to Street Feast this Friday, so go fill your boots with the finest foods and fresh-brewed beer. 

For a bit of pop up art, catch the The Horsebox Gallery's Best of British exhibition in the beautiful Blewcoat school. I'm yet to go to one of this team's event, but they're doing a whole load of great stuff, including touring this Summer's Polo, racing and country
events with their gallery-in-a-horsebox. Nice.

Forzawin launches this Saturday, a new rooftop supper club serving three course Italian meals (including Pizza Pilgrim's delicious pizza), specially chosen drinks and a nice bit of mystery entertainment all set against a view out over our fair city.

The Garden of House of St Barnabas - pic from here

This Summer, the Lexi Cinema presents The Nomad, a travelling cinema with screens popping up all over the city for some magical viewing. This weekend sees them set up shop at Greek St's House of St Barnabas (one of my favourite places) for a Baz Luhrmann extravaganza. Tickets are still going for the burlesque-dream Moulin Rouge on Saturday night, with a drink and nibbles thrown in.

Wilton's - the auditorium

On 2nd July, the lovely Wilton's Music Hall closes for 6 months worth of repairs. Head down for talks on the plan for this amazing building on Saturday and Sunday followed by cocktails in the newly opened upstairs Mahogany bar to say your farewells until 2013. 

Sunset at Frank's Cafe - snap from here

Frank's Cafe re-opens this Saturday for another year of car-park coolness. I hear the opening party is always a good one.

What I See in Her (Quello che vedo in lei) - Gianluca Capaldo

For cheap (free) and cheerful entertainment on Sunday, go check out this year's BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery. There are some lovely pieces this year. I had a weird double take situ at the private view last week as the naked girl above wondered past me (fully clothed).

Wyndstock

I, meanwhile, will be bailing on London tomorrow to head up to Norfolk for the lovely Wyndstock. So, if you fancy escaping the city, come join - it seems that there are still tickets going. It all kicks off with lunch on Saturday followed by lawn games, back to the manor (tent) to tart and onto dinner and dancing under the stars. 


Let me know if you make it to any of the above... I've got serious FOMO.

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Things I'd do if I were you...

Why do all the fun things always happen at once? I'm off to Morocco tomorrow for a week with my pretty Polly, but turns out there's a fair bit of fun going down in London town in the meantime...


Street Feast has got it's night market taking place tomorrow night in Shoreditch, with great food, art and cocktails. If you were sad to miss last week's StockMKT, this is the perfect op to get your foodie fill.

The fourth Land of Kings music and art festival is hitting up Dalston this weekend. Based on and around Kingsland high street, events will be happening in over 15 venues, from school halls to secret gardens. I'm most sad to be be missing Stoke Newington's International Airport's Live Art Speed Date - please go check it out for me.

I've been dying to check out The Big Red, ever since my friend Em (dawg) mentioned it to me a while back - top pizza joint on and around an old Routemaster bus, winner! And what better time to head down, than on Sunday (6th May) when they will be screening The Tunnel as part of the New X and Deptford Free Film Festival.


Tara Arts, the lovely South London based theatre company, are hosting a reading of a new play in progress, Reginald, on Friday 11th May. Written by EastEnders and Bend it like Beckham actor Shobu Kapoor, it will be read by the lovely Kris Marshall (Love Actually dude and star of the BT ads). The play consists of readings and interviews that look at the man behind the 1919 Amritsar massacre.

I like an early starting party and Fruit Palace's Rooftop event next Saturday (12th May) looks a good'un. Up on the roof of the Bussey Building, there'll be live acts and DJ's along with a nice bit of graffiti-time, so nab a ticket for a sun-downer and get there in good time, the views are meant to be ace.


This month's Wills-Moody jumble is happening on Sunday 13th May at The Lexington. I had a whale of a time when I went (see here) - with big bargain success.


After singing the praises of the delightful Wilton's Music Hall in my post on The Great Gatsby, I would urge you to head down there on Sunday evening (13th May) for Tea With Ruth. 'An evening of chat, songs and laughter' fundraiser in pirate costume - get your tickets quick.


And then I'm home again, hopefully mega bronzed and mega chulled, back to big-city-life. 

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Ellen von Unwerth

I first discovered this photographer's work in a David Morris ad campaign back in 2006. I loved the shot below so much that I was straight on the phone to their PR department to find out a) Who had shot it and b) Whether I could get a print.

Sadly I could not, (the PR girl's advice being to tear it out of the mag - not that helpful), but I was hugely grateful for the introduction to Ellen von Unwerth's work nonetheless.

This woman is great - with commissions ranging from high fashion magazine shoots for Vogue, Vanity Fair and I-D, right through to album covers and portraits; her list of celeb subjects has become a who's who in the coolios of the last two decades.

Christy Turlington & Linda Evangelista shot for Italian Vogue, 1990

Despite being the same age as my mother, the erotic femininity that she has become famed for is still an underlying theme of her work. And I tell you what... it's pretty hot.

Photo from the 2005 book Omahyra and Boyd - a collection of shots of the beautifully androgynous Omahyra and her boyfriend Boyd. This is perhaps the cleanest shot of the collection...

Whilst her black & whites are my faves - the depth of contrast and richness of texture keeping even the raciest of her snaps away from the tawdry - her Spring/Summer 2012 campaign for River Island is lovely. The popping clashing prints are a thing of beauty and lay testament to the fact that dear old R.I. have actually got some ace stuff this season.

Here I am, 5 years later, and still no print.
I'm hunting, but any help would be appreciated - a print, and a bum like this. Please. Thank you.

Dioni Tabbers & Hana Jirickova shot for issue 40 of Japanese glossy Commons & Sense

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Damien Hirst - Tate Modern

Never a fan of Tuesdays, a nice bit of modern art was an uplifting prospect to see me through the day. And whilst uplifting is not perhaps the adjective I would use to describe Damien Hirst's new exhibition, it was certainly quite a punchy way to overcome my doomsday blues.

And so, yesterday evening, my friend Moggy and I headed down to  Tate Modern  for the private view of this undeniably polarising artist.

After a quick glass of white in the dark upstairs of the turbine hall, we headed up to the exhibition itself (somewhat distracted by the beauty of Rosie Huntington-Whitely - dear god is that girl human?!). 

As the first substantial review of the artist's work from the last 20 years, the anticipation for this event has been well publicised; both negatively and positively. I felt pretty lucky to be one of the first to see it - though kicked myself for not watching Noel Fielding's 'The First Look' on the tellybox on Monday to get me some background.

But with a little briefing from dear Mogs: 'It's about death, all about death' - it soon became apparent that he wasn't far wrong. From the notorious formaldehyde preserved animals, to the rows of pharmeceuticals - there was a nod, and an aggressive one at that, to Hirst's obsession with mortality in nearly all of the works we saw.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living 1991

We queued to get into In and Out of Love, passing through a room of dead butterflies and into a sweat box full of hundreds of living ones, the walls covered in cocoons yet to hatch. It was surreal and sad - it felt like a lesson in the fragility of life, almost a warning to catch it before it's gone. 

In and Out of Love 1991

We wandered on, feeling increasingly trippy: the endless dot, butterfly and pill motifs suddenly getting jazzier in frames of gold and mirrors. Giant ashtrays filled with fag butts and rotating garish canvasses only adding to the weird atmosphere.

The Void 2000

An hour or two later and we stepped back out into the pouring rain, brows furrowed and heads full of what we'd seen - thoughts of Tuesday's terribleness fully erased.


Open until 9th September, the exhibition is definitely worth a visit. Astounding artist or complete con, you decide, though I'm yet to make my mind up about this Hirst man.

The Incomplete Truth 2006

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