h.mag issue 26 by topright design ltd.

2011 – Issue Twenty Six – London

Cover photography Simon Brown lives and works as a photographer from his London studio. He specialises in interiors, people and still life. Limited edition prints are available through the Bonni Benrubi Gallery in New York & through Michael Hoppen Gallery in London. Â Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s London Commercial Agent is Jo Clark www.simonbrownphotography.com

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

The Introduction

erhaps it was just us, but that felt like a rather long winter. With this issue of The Hospital Club magazine, we’re waving a cheery good bye to central heating, woolly hats and mammoth fur gilets. As the mornings get brighter, we’re saying a hopeful hello to al fresco lunches, floral interludes and justified sunglasses. As Frank Sinatra sang, ‘You look at me, I look at you/We’re young and free, and suddenly it’s spring.’ It’s hard to find an icon from the ‘60s who defines decadence, survival, evolution and beauty quite like Marianne Faithful, proving that a successful creative career is bound to be peppered with peaks and troughs and that survival also requires hard work and a wily sense of humour. The chanteuse we encountered was charming, wise, smoky and circumspect. Fast forward to more contemporary art and the work of Katie Surridge, which has been turning heads since it was hung in the Club. In Found she explains the methods and motivations behind her creative output. Cram a bunch of cynical journos in a bland room with a ‘star’ and a grinning flock of PRs- and what have you? Stuart Heritage

has an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with press events and knows only too well why Nobody Love a Junket. Tom Lillywhite found that the bass put a smile on his face at Mercury Prize Sessions. James Blake and Magnetic Man have different takes on the dubstep genre and we were lucky enough to experience both, live in The Hospital Club Studios. Eliza Doolittle is a quirky pop sensation who’s creating a fuss on both sides of the Atlantic. Silvana Lagos spent 8 Minutes with the lady whose songs will be among the hottest sounds of 2011. Keith McDonnell is a lauded opera critic who was utterly charmed and impressed when he interviewed CiR star, Luc Mollinger. The future of opera has never looked so modern, vital and vibrant. The ‘I Love…’ photography competition attracted a huge and eminent response, which left our judges with a hard task when they had to select their favourite image. This issue features the judges’ selections and why they fell in love with them. You can view all the entries online and you’d be wise to check out our other competitions on the site. While we were dazzled at the CiR showcase in March, boasting the work of our previous graduates, we’re equally excited

about the new crop of residents. In this magazine, the class of 2011 share their inspirations and what they intend to bring to the creative table. With the anticipation of some sunnier days ahead, The Hospital Club has a range of refreshing additions to the menu. In Raising the Bar, Sasha Ash has a cocktail recommendation that’s pseudo kitsch, but retro cool, while Head Chef Duncan Cruickshanks has a mouth watering recipe in What’s Cooking? So, who are the people that keep the drinks flowing, the food hot and the party jumping? You can meet the Events Team and our Club Managers in the Shooting the Staff spread photographed by Joanna Dudderidge. You can read about your fellow members’ motivations and recreational pleasures in What Are You Up To? We have a thrilling and richly textured range of entertainments occurring in the Club over the next three months - check the Members’ Film & Events Highlights to make sure you don’t miss anything. Enjoy this issue, feel the spring in your step and remember that ultimately, smiling more often will reduce the need for botox and is the cheapest way to make the world a better place.

Bombardment: Nik Mackey www.topright.co.uk

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

CONTENTS

Features

Club

4. Incarceration of a Flower Child

24. Cir 2011 announcement

Julia Rebaudo learns Broken English

The nu school

7. Artistic interlude

28 Club News & Events

Lost and found

What’s occurring and what you missed

8. Nobody Loves a Junket

30. Beautiful People

Toxic truth from Stuart Heritage

They came. Did you?

10. Stepping the Dub Fantastic

34. What are you up to?

Tom Lillywhite feels the vibe

Members answer the questions

12. 8 Minutes with Eliza Doolittle

40. What’s cooking?

Silvana Lagos goes pop

Duncan does a rack

14. Mollinger’s Magic

41. Raising the bar

Keith McDonnell falls under a spell

Sasha shares his sherry

17. I love

42. Shooting the staff

Snap happy winners

Peep behind the curtain

Calendars 46. Members’ Film & Events Highlights The future, in words and pictures

49. The Guide Where to be and when…

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CONTRIBUTORS

© The Hospital Group Ltd 2008. The copyright and contents of this publication are owned by The Hospital Group and no unauthorized copies of the whole or part may be made without express permission of The Hospital Group Ltd.

Incarceration of a Flower Child

Photograph: Partick Swirc

by Julia Rebaudo

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

I’m sitting nervously in a penthouse bedroom in London’s May Fair Hotel while Marianne Faithfull finishes up an interview with Harpers magazine in the adjacent lounge. “Shush,” the PR whispers to me when I raise my voice too loud. Iconic sixties rock chic, ex-junkie and most famously, exgirlfriend to Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull is in town to promote her 23rd solo album, Horses and High Heels.

alf an hour later, I’m escorted through to find a tousled blonde, smartly dressed in black trousers and blazer, kittenishly curled up on an oversized sofa. At 64, the Paris-based Faithfull’s only remaining vice is cigarettes – she kicked heroin in the eighties, booze in the noughties –and these she keeps close at hand, lighting up roughly every 20 minutes, tapping expertly into the ashtray on the sofa beside her. “I haven’t lived a crazy lifestyle for years,” she assures me. “I’ve got a certain extrovert side, but not entirely extrovert. I do need to hide away.” She speaks slowly in the low gravelly voice of her ‘79 comeback album Broken English – the first album she released after her ‘lost decade’ of heroin addiction, when famously, she lived homeless on the streets of Soho in the early seventies. She’s happy to talk about this period in her life, emphasising how lucky she was. People like her dealer Gypsy, were unaware of her identity, yet were so kind to such “a desperate little person”. She describes the day-in day-out existence of her addiction as, “very boring, not much happened” despite needing a hit every six hours. “That’s what I was trying to get, didn’t always manage it,” she says wryly. continued overleaf.

........................... “I’ve got a certain extrovert side, but not entirely extrovert. I do need to hide away” ........................... 05

continued.

........................... “You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve had to put up with over the years. But I’m fine. It rolls off of me now” ...........................

It was all a stark change from her days as rock and roll royalty, on the arm of Mick Jagger, best friends with the even wilder Anita Pallenberg – “We were dangerous”. Faithfull was a star in her own right; her first hit in 1967, aged 17, was As Tears Go By – the first song ever written by Jagger and Richards.

she says with a twinkle in her eye. “Ruby Wax was one of those people. But even she couldn’t really hate me when she met me, but she was quite prepared to. People can put you on a pedestal or in the dirt as the case may be. It’s so irrelevant to the truth. I know that now, but it got to me at the time.”

Faithfull says at the time she was quite unaware of what she was caught up in: “I didn’t realise. It all went by in a blur. It was success and that goes by very fast. It seemed to be happening at a death-defying rate.”

Being out of the press is something she values dearly today: “I get these Google alerts which explain to me who I am that day,” she says with a smile. “The one yesterday, it was a celebrity site, said ‘What’s the gossip on Marianne Faithfull?” And there isn’t any! The news is I’ve got a new record and that’s the only news. It makes me feel really good.”

She also claims not to have been aware of her looks, at least not at first. “At 17 I wasn’t really hip to it all, but by 19 I was getting there. I began to know I had a very big effect on men,” she says, before adding, “But I judged myself much harsher than other people did. I think I always had a low self-image. Somehow I got the message it wasn’t okay to be happy with myself.” Her confidence also took a real knocking from the infamous 1967 Redlands drug bust when police raided Keith Richards’ home and the press had a field day with reports of Faithfull dressed only in a fur rug and the so-called Mars Bar incident, which she has always denied. “I lost my good name,” she says, suddenly sounding quite old-fashioned. “I’ve had to hack that back, really hue it out of obsidian. They nearly destroyed me. But luckily my whole rebellious side, my defiant side, said no, you won’t, you will not destroy me. And they didn’t.” She goes on to say: “Anyway a lot of the rumours about me weren’t true, which we are now discovering to be the case.” We discuss how people wanted to hate her, jealous of her beauty and of being Mick Jagger’s girlfriend. “I must have been infuriating,”

The new record was recorded in New Orleans in just two and a half months. “I’m much quicker than that usually,” she adds. It includes songs penned by Faithfull, such as Love Song, which is about her break-up with long-term boyfriend, her manager Francois Ravard. “This is what I call a real record, with my own songs,” she says in reference to her previous 2008 album Easy Come Easy Go, an album of covers, which she put out when battling both writer’s block and clinical depression. “Depression you can’t really do much about. You can take anti-depressants. I do take a very mild one, but it really is very mild. I only take it at night, it helps me sleep, so it doesn’t really affect everything,” she says matterof-factly. As we wind up, I realise my nerves have melted away and that the iconic Marianne Faithfull has been warm and open, never once raising her hackles or clamming up. “I do see myself as a strong person,” she says, reaching for one last fag. “I know I am. You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve had to put up with over the years. But I’m fine. It rolls off of me now.”

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

e’re excited to showcase new work from a very talented young artist, Katie Surridge. Her work was featured in the Saatchi New Sensations finalists last year and bears the stamp of talent that’s turning the heads of leading contemporary art trackers. Using natural raw materials, Katie appropriates found objects and assembles them in a meditative and meticulous way that echoes the spirituality and ritual of some indigenous art. Although not featured in this series, some of Katie’s works are driven by the seedy detritus of London’s nightclubs and squats, so she is informed by the cyclical nature of urban contemporary living and responds to a variety of environments. Watch out for news of her private view – it’s certain to be a wild night. Surridge explains, ‘I am primarily interested in sculpture. My work more often than not includes some, if not all found materials. Travelling is a huge passion of mine, be it round London, or further a field. It is these trips which provide me with exciting structural ideas and the chance to collect disowned, often overlooked objects. These found objects are later rearranged to construct large structural forms, embellished with mini narratives. Hence the work often involves some activity outside to obtain material or to make-work, and so the sculptures I make become reflective of my lifestyle and environment around me.

Found Katie Surridge

‘I also enjoy working with elements of the animal and botanical. Work often consists of pelts, leather, bones or animals which I preserve or taxidermy myself. There’s an element of the shamanistic and the transgressive, a kind of simultaneous veneration and abjection of the animal. ‘My aesthetic is not usually clinical or overly concerned with high gloss or expensive looking finishes, but seems to come about and evolve quite naturally through my innate passion for materiality. As my assemblages are large and tend to grow to fit a space. I am also interested in developing different methods of linking islands of work successfully to make the piece come together as a whole.’

For sales information please contact alih@thehospitalclub.com

Nobody Loves a Junket by Stuart Heritage

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

So you’ve got a film that needs promoting. Stitching together a misleading trailer and sticking it on YouTube won’t cut it, nor will filling industry publications up with For Your Consideration ads in the blind hope that someone is concussed enough to agree that your crappy little movie deserves an award. No, what you need is for the stars of your film to sit in a room lifelessly repeating the same bland anecdote to a dehumanising procession of faceless nobodies. What you need, my friend, is a press junket.

........................... ‘Hey, I thought my job was supposed to be glamorous. Clipboards are not glamorous.’ ...........................

or the uninitiated, the press junket is a tool whereby several journalists from a range of outlets all take turns to interview the cast of a film in a single day. Most people know junkets from the scene in Notting Hill where Hugh Grant blags his way into one, asks Julia Roberts three questions about horses and then has it off with her. The truth, as it turns out, is slightly removed from that. The nearest point of reference is probably speed dating. The basic set-up is the same - you’re given five minutes to impress a stranger in the desperate hope that they’ll sleep with you, then you repeat the process with someone else. At the end of the night you collect your scores, realise that nobody wanted to sleep with you, trudge home and cry. At least that’s what I heard happens. I haven’t actually been speed dating or anything. Ahem. Anyway, the press junket sticks to the basic speed dating formula, with a couple of minor alterations. For instance, the person you try to impress will be a film star, and therefore several thousand times more attractive than you. And if that wasn’t a big enough clue that they’ll never have sex with you, the look of weary distain that they’re bound to greet you with should help to hammer it home pretty brutally. Apart from that it’s identical. But the weird thing about junkets is that nobody seems to enjoy them. Let’s start with the stars. Of course the stars don’t enjoy junkets - nobody on the planet could possibly enjoy sitting in the same chair repeating a handful of

stock answers again and again to dozens of strangers for nine hours at a time, but it’s even worse for them because they’re famous. If it weren’t for you and your stupid boring questions then they’d be off jet-skiing in the Caribbean or taking drugs on a private plane or engaging in a bout of mutually degrading oral sex with a supermodel. So they’re out. And then there are the public relations people who put the junket together. They don’t enjoy it because there’s so much to keep on top of. Even if there’s a small army of them - and there usually is, shepherding journalists and timing interviews and sitting by doors and clutching clipboards as if their lives depended on it - they all carry the same anxietyworn expression. The expression that says ‘Hey, I thought my job was supposed to be glamorous. Clipboards are not glamorous.’ Finally there are the journalists. And here it’s important to distinguish between the various types of journalist. First there’s your archetypal grumpy journalist, who maintains an air of cynicism about him; partly because he’s tired of waiting hour after hour to get a tiny sliver of material, partly because he knows that the interview room will be packed with so many strangers that it’ll be impossible to build any kind of intimacy with the star whatsoever, and partly because he was born without the capacity to love and feels obliged to bitterly take this out on the entire world whenever he can. This type of journalist clearly won’t care for the junket. Then we have the professional junket junkies. These people

spend their entire lives at junkets. They all know each other well, because they’re used to spending entire days inside anonymous waiting rooms with each other. They’ll say things like “Did you do Season Of The Witch?” and “See you at Drive Angry tomorrow.” And, worst of all, they’ll pretend to be on a first-name basis with the actors. “Oh, Halle was such a darling this time,” they’ll blithely blather, or “I could feel a real connection with Meryl there,” even though they secretly know that the stars wouldn’t even recognise them in the street ten seconds after their interview ended, let alone care about their hacky, overfamiliar opinion of them. Sometimes they’ll even dimwittedly refer to their fanbase. It’s obscured by a thin sheen of delusion, but the hatred from these journalists is just as tangible. And then there are the foreign journalists. They’re different. They love junkets. They love everything. They’re so perky and caffeinated and alert and constantly on fullbeam that there simply isn’t any room in their lives for glumness. They’re even on in the waiting room. “HI! How are YOU? What’s YOUR name? STUART? HI STUART! I’m from CANADA. You look TIRED. Right now I’m a little tired too because it’s FOUR AM in Canada!” they’ll bounce up and down and squeal at you, while giving off the impression that they aren’t even aware of the concept of sleep. So there you have it, outsiders - your anatomy of a junket. In short, everyone hates them. Except for people who work for the Canadian Family Channel. And that’s only because they’re weird.

Stepping the

Dub Fantastic

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

With reputations preceding both James Blake and Magnetic Man as forerunners of the mainstream dub-step movement, the hype was high and buzz potentially a little deafening as we waited under the blue tinted lights of The Hospital Club’s underground TV studio.

........................... ...intimate, intricate and haunting... ...........................

ames Blake is up first in the Mercury Sessions showcase; named as runner up by the BBC in their Sound of 2011, this 22 year old dub-step producer turned nu-triphop pioneer crept onto the stage with his drummer and guitarist/sample operator. They sit; heads bowed and sink into their first track Unluck. The sound comes across as both minimal and complex as James’ haunting yet slight vocal floats, dives and soars amongst a sea of soft organ, sparse drumming and offbeat samples. There is a real intimacy to the set that begins to emerge as the sound of silence fills the room during the effective break downs. There is something strangely hypnotic about his intricate use of sampling and effects, something that demands your attention in the most subtle and modest of ways: if you switch off for just a second you’ll miss it. The Wilhelm Scream is a real stand-out track which the trio performed second. The subtle vocal weaves between soft arpeggiated keys and sonar pulse samples, giving a real depth and an underwater feel mirrored with James’ layered vocal “falling, falling, falling…”. James weaves through his set, through the vocoder heavy but beautifully delicate Lindisfarne to the breakthrough single Limit To Your Love, the Feist cover which has crept to the top of radio playlists over the past few months. It becomes apparent that to fully

appreciate James Blake both live and on record you must offer your full attention: it was not a live performance that you can dip in and out of, it’s not easy to listen to and you have to work hard with the complex timing of the samples that are woven into the tracks - but the reward is certainly worth it. Magnetic Man seem to fit the dub-step billing in a much more obvious way, coming from the ashes of UK garage and the expansive underground and mainstream drum and bass movements. The stage is filled by Magnetic Man in the form of DJs Benga, Skream and Artwork at the back of the stage armed with a selection of laptops, a live string quintet on one side of the stage and a series of guest vocalists on the other. The string quintet open up proceedings with the rousing instrumental Flying into Toyko followed by the first of the guest vocalists; UK garage sweetheart Ms Dynamite who breaks straight into Fire. The bass is low, rumbling and makes you feel a little bit nauseous which I guess is the point: you physically can’t help but move your body as it’s being shaken. Other guest vocalists to grace the stage include Katy Shotter performing previous single I Need Air, Alex Clare stepping in to sing John Legend’s parts in Getting Nowhere and dub-step favourite Katy B finishing with Crossover

and Perfect Stranger. Magnetic Man are definitely emerging as a force to be reckoned with in the mainstream dub-step movement and have landed a formula that is easily transferable to clubs and festivals across the land. The string section brought a lot to the live sound and some really interesting arrangements to a set that may have lacked without them. Whilst James Blake and Magnetic Man came across in very different ways, the atmosphere and environment of The Hospital Club Studios suited both to a tee. James Blake’s intimate, intricate and haunting set created a silent air of admiration for the fascinating and introvert minimalism that he was able to create. Whilst Magnetic Man’s power, rhythm and melodic prowess forced the audience to admire this new movement and appreciate why club, radio and DJ playlists are being overrun by the hybrid genre. So, as Magnetic Man leave the stage, and the audience attempt to re-adjust their ears to hearing a normal amount of bass, all that’s left to do is to wait for the Mercury Sessions footage to appear online and on Channel 4 and see how it translates. There aren’t many places where two of the most hyped acts in the UK can be seen in such an intimate and atmospheric venue. Long live the Mercury Sessions at The Hospital Club.

by Tom Lillywhite

8 Minutes with

Eliza Doolittle What’s been the hardest part of the whole process? Nothing’s been hard, I enjoy what I do so much and I know how lucky I am to be able to do it. The only thing that’s sometimes difficult is missing my friends and family when traveling, but at the same time, I feel like I’m at the perfect time in my life to be alone and independent.

What’s been the most surreal moment so far? Probably sitting in a dressing room with Jermaine Jackson. That was something that I’d never thought I’d experience. It was mainly surreal because he was real. And I kind of saw him as some kind of fairytale that I watched and listened to when I was little.

How do you feel about shows like the X Factor? I do worry about some of the people who go on the shows and are disappointed by what they find. It must be crazy not to have a real journey to the place you’ve always dreamed of. Firstly, the journey can be the best bit and secondly, when you’ve got to where you think is a dream, it might not be what you think, especially when it’s come through a television show rather than real sweat.

Where do you get your inspiration from? I don’t know exactly. Melodically I just let whatever is on the tip of my tongue fly. I never really think about it too much. When it comes to lyrics, I write about whatever is on my mind. It can be a really amazing way to release my scrunched up thoughts.

What’s in store for 2011? I am writing like mad again which has been so good. I can’t wait to get more songs going. I am touring a lot. I am spreading the Doolittle love to as many countries as I can, getting people to hear my first record. Me and my boys just got the live show sounding super buff the other day so I can’t wait for my shows. And of course, festival season!

Who would be your dream collaboration? Well I always say Stevie Wonder, but that really is a dream. And it’s starting to turn up in my actual dreams. I love him so much. He can change my mood instantly no matter how down I am. I want to be able to do that too. And even if I could just have a lesson from him I could be happy forever.

What’s the biggest misconception about fame? I don’t feel famous. I’m surprised by it whenever it does crop up occasionally. The only thing I’ve had to change for a little bit is my judgment. I’ve had to harden myself to it. But life’s way too short to get bothered by anything anyone thinks.

How did the modeling come about? Well, I’m not sure exactly. I think the ladies at Select must have seen me doing my thing and became interested. It’s surreal ‘cause I don’t think I have the look of a model at all, but they see some kind of potential, which is super sweet of them!

What gives you butterflies in your tummy? Love. Just before a show. Getting ready for a party with my favourite music on. Meeting somebody I admire. I think anticipation of anything is thrilling. It’s the sexiest moment before the sex rather than the sex itself.

What are you doing modeling wise? Well I still keep music as my priority, so I haven’t had that much...but I did just shoot some stuff for Moschino.

What new artists are you listening to? CeeLo Green, Warpaint, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Kanye’s new album, and not new but new for me is Elton John. Wow, he’s a killer! Which five people, alive or dead, would you would invite for dinner? Stevie Wonder, Stephen Fry, Michael Jackson, Natalia Vodianova and Carole King. But I can’t cook!

You’ve just been touring the USA. What’s the response been like? I’m brand spanking new over there. Just introducing myself, but my first New York gig went really good. Had so much fun. Best gig yet for me and my boys! Is it quite a daunting prospect to go out there to the States as a British artist? No not at all. I just want to do what I do and do it in as many countries as I can. If they want me, they can have me!

by Silvana Lagos

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

........................... I am spreading the Doolittle love to as many countries as I can ...........................

Mollingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Magic by Keith McDonnell

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

Film and opera have always seemed natural bedfellows. The lure of the epic sweep and grand gesture that the direction of an opera requires has often proved too great for some of films’ most feted directors to resist. It came as no surprise that the likes of Luchino Visconti and Franco Zeffirelli took on the challenge in the 1950s to huge acclaim. Not only did they bring a director’s eye to the movement required on stage, they encouraged opera singers to act, which was a far cry from the ‘park and bark’ style to which audiences had become accustomed.

f course not all film directors can cut it – Mike Figgis’ lamentable staging at ENO earlier this year of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia was a prime example of somebody trying to ‘revitalise’ the art form, yet delivering as dull, inane and inert staging of an opera that it’s ever been my misfortune to sit through. Let’s just hope that Terry Gilliam makes more of an impression later this season with Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust. Having said that, outside the constraints of the opera house, film and opera can unify in many ways, as I found after meeting Luc Mollinger, one of The Hospital Club’s Creatives in Residence. His project is an exciting re-imagining of Mozart’s The Magic Flute where he uses several of the arias from the opera, “but I’m completely reconceptualising them although I’m keeping the context the same although the story will be different.” Four arias from the opera have been used in the film, along with the overture, but what Luc’s aiming for with this venture is a fusing of the themes from the opera with the creative ethos of The Hospital Club. Mozart and his librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, littered the work with allegorical references to Freemasonry, membership and being part of the great and the good during the age of the Enlightenment. Luc wanted

Luc Mollinger, one of The Hospital Club’s Creatives in Residence

to look at the way in which art, creativity and commerce currently come together. “What The Hospital Club is striving to achieve is the bringing together of interesting minds and the promotion that technology has the potential to generate- a modernday sense of enlightenment.” On beginning to examine the relationship between art and commerce, Luc immediately thought of a TV studio shoot – inspiration that came from attending TV show recordings as a kid in Australia. “I loved the bits between the ad breaks the best, with all the camera crew running around and the performers having their make-up touched up – that for me was the most exciting part of the show.” The story he’s telling with his opera film is of a music video shoot that’s filmed in the studio at The Hospital Club. Tamino (the prince in Mozart’s opera) is a young hot-shot director, “He’s very talented but isn’t necessarily able to handle the situations he finds himself in.” There are two divas (Pamina and The Queen of the Night) who are duetting at the record company’s insistence. “There’s a bit of an uneasy recording relationship between them”, Luc explains. “They have all been thrown together for twelve hours to shoot the video, Tamino fancies Pamina, who’s young, lovely and beautiful, but is a bit of a prisoner, in that she’s tied to her continued overleaf.

continued.

recording contract. The Queen of the Night character is really full on and from a different era. She’s uneasy about being undermined by Pamina, but now her career’s flagging so ‘Queenie’ has lots of built up resentment and begins to lose it on set.” The fourth character, Sarastro (the benign leader of the ‘brotherhood’ in the opera) is the producer, “who’s been a failed Hollywood producer, but is now more of a mentor, especially to Tamino, the director.” Luc’s aim was to show the core relationships between the two generations. “In the film everything kicks off at about 1am and The Queen of the Night has a massive fight with Tamino and storms off as she’s basically crossed a line that she shouldn’t have crossed. There’s a dagger involved but at the end of the day Tamino has to save the day as they can’t get their last shot but he’s learnt the lesson on how to be a responsible leader.”

The Magic Flute is a journey from darkness into light, something that Luc’s reflected with the set for his film, which starts off, “in darkness which reinforces the old way of doing things but then transforms to a kind of enlightenment. The ending is triumphant,” but as he adds, “it’s more than just a film, as what we’re going to do with it to bring in that theatrical element as having edited the footage I’m then going to lay down the soundtrack with the singers, and I’ve used real opera singers, and they’re going to perform their arias live in front of the screen with the film in the background.” Luc admits that he’s been influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s iconic film version of The Magic Flute which interweaves shots of audience reactions, the singers getting ready to go on, and even the Queen of the Night having a crafty fag backstage in front of a no smoking sign. He also cites the film Aria from the late ‘80s as being seminal in helping explore his own

ideas relating to the juxtaposition of film and opera. Produced by Don Boyd, ten film directors were given free rein to interpret an aria from an opera of their choice. We share the same favourite - Franc Roddam’s interpretation of the Liebestod from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, where two teenagers try unsuccessfully to commit suicide after consummating their relationship. It mirrors Isolde’s transfiguring music perfectly and is a prime example of how combining film and opera can create a new art form which remains respectful to the original. Luc is refreshingly passionate about opera and it’s evident that he’s carefully considered how a modern audience might digest the art form in a multimedia age. His interpretation of The Magic Flute will no doubt convince audiences that opera is not only thriving, but as relevant today as it was when Mozart composed The Magic Flute in the first Age of Enlightenment.

................................ The ending is triumphant,” but as he adds, “it’s more than just a film ................................

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

I love... Back in January, TheHospitalClub.com launched a photography competition called ‘I Love…’ It asked entrants to take a photograph of something they love, then write no more than 150 words explaining their passion for the subject. There was no prize, aside from the sheer joy of taking part, sharing one’s love and a possibility that the snap may be featured in this very magazine, perhaps on the cover. Perusing the entries were a swirl of connoisseurs from across the artistic disciplines who were each asked to pick a personal favourite.

The Judges

Niall Horton-Stephens runs world renowned photograpers’ agency Horton-Stephens, with affiliates in New York, Hamburg and Warsaw. Amongst a number of photography awards and competitions, he’s judged the prestigious AOP Awards.

Etan Ilfeld is a Hospital Club member and the Founder and Director of the Tenderpixel Gallery in Cecil Court, Soho. Ilfeld launched Tenderpixel as a platform to showcase emerging artists in central London.

Princess Julia is a legendary DJ whose interests lie on the peripheries of art and fashion and is well known for her definitive personal style. A music editor at i-D magazine, she’s contributed for not only the Hospital Club magazine, but also GQ Style, Ponystep, Pop, M Magazine, QX International and The Daily Terror. She also writes and films for i-D Online and her cutting edge blog.

Billie Ray Martin describes herself as a ‘kid from the red light district of Hamburg who wanted to be a soul singer and ended up making repetitive electronic music, while still trying to be a soul singer’. She’s currently causing ripples with her latest single Sweet Suburban Disco and regularly contributes to the Hospital Club site and magazine.

Darrell Berry is a freelance photographer and writer who documents London’s alternative club & performance scenes. His nightlife portraiture has been featured internationally in magazines including L’uomo Vogue, A Magazine, and i-D.

Ali Hillman is responsible for The Hospital Club’s artistic programme, including visual art, club music, performance and creative events that support the brand platform.

Photograph of Naill Horton-Stephens by Gavin Evans Photograph of Princess Julia by Kenny Campbell

I love winners...

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Darrell Berry chose Chocolate by Claudio Pestana

Lovely composition, but it’s something in the slightly off-key narcissism and the chocolate (or is it blood?) on his left cheek, and the dark pools of his eyes eating up the camera as well as the chocolate (which is surely a gift, where else do you get red-foil-wrapped chocy bars that size)? I’m glad there isn’t much explanation on this one, it would spoil the possibilities...

Princess Julia chose Gotta Love Fierce Black Girls by Giovanni Martins

These girls really do rule! Vibrant and full of attitude.

Etan Ilfeld chose Inspiration by Philippa Brangam

I love the optimistic naivety in this image. Tattoos are often used to symbolize a rite of passage, and some believe that tattoos have magical qualities. The tattooed words in this image - which are usually hidden as the hands have to be aligned and observed from the right perspective - are an inspirational reminder of our infinite potential

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Niall Horton- Stephens chose Mundesley Arcade by Duncan Cargill

For me, I wanted to factor in adherence to the brief, ‘I Love’. I wanted to give credit to the style and composition. I didn’t want to mark shots up particularly for their technical proficiency, as I felt this was an exercise more about soul and emotion rather than f-stops and focal lengths. In the end though, as they say, there can only be one winner and for me that was Mundesley Arcade by Duncan Cargill. A small child, oblivious to the camera, is completely absorbed by a devotion to Hot Dogs. Mysteriously however his reflection stares straight at the viewer. I like the way the photographer has chosen to frame this shot, complete with the neon reflections that put us immediately in that arcade, leaving just enough context for us to place the boy, but not so much that it distracts. The reduced colour palette is appealing to the eye and serves perhaps to conceal the age of the photo. It could have been taken last week. It could have been taken when the arcade opened 50 years ago.

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Billie Ray Martin chose I Love Pigs by Paul Grace

Ali Hillman chose Silhouette by Peta Adderly

I was drawn immediately to this strong image, having one of those days where only a direct pointer to something important would reach me. Animals and their sad plight occupy my thoughts a lot, but also their ability to simply delight with their mere presence. If an image can literally magnify something, but bring joy at the same time, by simply pointing at it, willing us to take a stand, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good enough for me. It re-affirmed my love for all things living and my duty to protect them.

I chose this image because I love the way the composition signifies the meaning or message of the picture. It captures the harnessed beauty of a modern urban landscape. It also gives a sense of the spirit triumphing over the constraints of modern society. The image is ultimately uplifting and beautiful and moves the viewer to feel some of the best parts of love, namely the way you can look beyond immediate hardships of day to day life, the freeing nature of love, the romanticism and poetry of it.

Applications for the 2011 Creatives in Residence programme far exceeded expectations and elicited the largest response to date. With over 800 entrants, it was quite a task to process the volume of work received. We interviewed 35 potential candidates, all of whom proved astoundingly talented. There were up to four judges for each category and selecting only eight Residents from such a strong group proved agonising- as they were all worthy and will doubtlessly progress to great success. Ultimately, after much debate, we had to let many go as final decisions had to be made. The 2011 Creatives in Residence are….

Theatre & Poetry Sabrina Mahfouz:

Graphic Design What inspires you and influences your work? I’ve just completed Crystal Kisses, a play co-written with Avaes Mohammed, which premiered at Contact, Manchester and about to tour schools nationwide. I’m really into physicalising poetry and using it to create theatre, so it’s not limited to the page or a 5 minute stand up set. I’m also into mixed media and using illustration, graphics, sound and photography to illuminate live (and written) literature, exposing work to an audience that would never seek it out. Shlomo’s beatboxing orchestra at Southbank Centre and Laura Dockrill’s Word Orchestra were two of my most fascinating discoveries of 2010. Most of all, I am into making all of my work fun in some way. The small things that tell us about the big things - they always find their way into my work. When did you develop a passion for your chosen field? It may be an X-Factor cliché, but it’s true - I’ve been writing since I can remember! However, I only performed my first poem in March 2009. I won an award that night and have been on a mission ever since, winning the Westminster Prize (2nd) for my first short play in March 2010 and the IdeasTap Group Award for my first self-produced and directed collective play, End of the Line in August 2010.

‘I am delighted that Sabrina will be in residence at The Hospital Club. Her work is lively, vibrant and profound. She is passionately committed to exploring forms, engaging audiences and creating unforgettable, entertaining events. I am sure she’ll benefit enormously and make a daring, rich contribution to the club.’ Nina Steiger, Associate Director Soho Theatre (CiR Theatre judge)

Bianca Wendt

What inspires you influences your work?” I always draw inspiration from my surroundings, wherever they may be. I think this is partly because as an Australian I see things with an outsider’s eye. I think it’s important to do self-initiated work as well as work for clients and to retain a curiosity in the world. I recently set up a new studio in Smithfield and enjoy exploring the area and its history. There has been a meat market on the site for more than 800 years and it is still in operation today. It has quite a village atmosphere, even though it’s in the centre of the City of London.

I lived and worked in Istanbul for two years, which was an amazing experience. Wanting to document my time there, I worked on two personal projects: One involved documenting the city’s taxis and their drivers. Another project involved taking a photo outside my living room window every waking hour for a year, to document an erratic schedule and an amazing view. When did you develop a passion for your chosen field? When I was studying architecture, I became interested in the presentation of a proposal, and was happier hunting down typefaces than tiles. I got a graphic design job in an architecture office, where I designed an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. That really set off a keen interest in exhibition design. This led to me doing an internship at the MoMu in Antwerp, which ignited an interest in the representation of fashion. ‘Bianca Wendt presented the Judges with a fantastic portfolio of her work for high profile clients all over the world. What persuaded us she was the right choice as a Hospital CIR was her passion for a next move that was not just about being bigger and better. Blanca sees The Hospital Club as the right environment to unleash her creative vision and we agreed. She will do something inspiring…’ Catherine McDermott, MA Curating Contemporary Design (CiR Graphic Design judge)

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Film Jonathan Entwistle

Film & Television What inspires you and influences your work? At the moment I’m very into the idea of bringing a noir/ thriller element to my work. Finding a seam within the landscapes of Yorkshire to spin a thread. The myths and legends of the land that has lain bleak for ever, intertwined with the characters I know. Taking all of the real, gritty, authentic characters and drop them in a slightly offkilter world. Motorway service stations at dawn on the edge of the hills, racism, incest, dead bodies and hooligans - It’s Chinatown on the moors. Who are your cultural heroes? In film-making terms, I love Werner Herzog. He made me realise that cinema, filming and cutting a story together can create a poetry that is not necessarily present in reality. I’m a big Lars Von Trier fan too. His audacity is a big influence on me, as well as his visual style. When did you develop your passion for your chosen field? My passion for moving image came whilst studying fine art both at Leeds and Chelsea Colleges of Art. I started with Super8, sequences of images projected in different spaces. Disillusioned with my art practice, at the end of my degree, I thought about ‘mainstream’ cinema and something just clicked for me. I started to see a craft present in Hollywood movies - perfectly formed scenes designed to make you feel something.

I was really impressed with Jonathan’s honest approach and dedication to his work, and his fantastic body of material so far – I think he’s got a great career ahead of him. He is both original and ambitious. We really believed he could use the space at The Hospital Club to his benefit, both practically, artistically and to meet like-minded souls.

Sean Gray

Can you describe your current work and process? I am currently working as a writer across film, television and radio and also as a director in film and television. I have just written, directed and co-produced a short film starring BAFTA-winning actor Peter Capaldi. I’m currently writing a solo 6 part comedy series for BBC Radio 4. I worked as a researcher on Armando Iannucci’s Oscar-nominated In The Loop and am also part of the writing team for ‘The Thick Of It’.

Who are your cultural heroes? My cultural hero would probably be Stanley Kubrick, because after the first couple of films, he did his best not to compromise which I’m beginning to realise is as much about endurance, as it is about talent. He made a number of absolutely amazing films and there’s barely a dud amongst them. When did you develop a passion for your chosen field? I started writing comedy at University, when I discovered Peter Cook’s work. It was around the time they were showing a lot of documentaries about his work and his comedy seemed completely different to other stuff I was aware of at the time. So weirdly, it was only off the back of the long-dead Peter Cook that I got into Chris Morris (through ‘Why Bother?’) and hence Armando’s work. ‘I’m so pleased that Jonathan and Sean will be taking advantage of the hugely generous offer of the Hospital Creatives in Residence. They are both enormously talented and I’m sure will be two bright stars for tomorrow.’ Stephen Woolley, Director & Producer (CiR Film and Television judge)

Gemma Spector, Head of Distribution, CinemaNX (CiR Film and Television judge)

Dance Riccardo Buscarini

Music Who are your cultural heroes? My ideas, customs and social behaviour have been influenced by the education I’ve received and the people I’ve encountered along the way. I was raised by my grandparents who’re amongst my cultural heroes. They taught me to listen, to be respectful and to be independent. On the ‘intellectual achievements’ side; I have to mention Marina Abramović her work is based on a real, visceral dialogue between performer and audience. She’s an artist truly challenging the limits of the body, the possibilities of the mind and of course, the possibilities of beauty. Aesthetically simple in their form, but full of subtle ramifications of content, her early performances have inspired me for a long time.

Elspeth Brooke

What inspires and influences your work? In terms of other art forms I’m particularly influenced by poetry, especially poets such as Elizabeth Bishop, Geoffrey Hill and E.E. Cummings. In the visual arts I’m interested in artists such as Alexander Calder and Rebecca Horn whose work has kinetic elements. I’m also very interested in video art, with Tacita Dean being a favourite. Film soundtracks and Foley techniques fascinate me. In my own work compositionally I’m exploring how a sense of character can be communicated through words and in purely instrumental music. Ultimately my aim is to write music that is both musically inventive and has an emotional resonance.

Who are your cultural heroes? When did you develop a passion for your chosen field? After approaching theatre, cinema, and visual arts, I started studying ballet when I was 17, feeling an urge to move my body. I soon felt the need to escape from the rigour and formality of its code, so I approached contemporary dance. Driven by a curiosity for choreography and improvisation, at 21 I decided to broaden my knowledge by joining the London Contemporary Dance School.

‘Whilst still a young choreographer, Riccardo has already begun to stand out. This is, in part, because of the originality of his ideas but it is also about the style and confidence with which he is realising them. The CiR residency will provide the perfect place for him to flourish at this moment in his career.’ Eddie Nixon, Director, Theatre and Artist Development of The Place (CiR Dance judge)

My cultural heroes are diverse. Musically I would say that Leafcutter John is a big hero as he tells stories by weaving beautiful melancholy folk song and electronica together. I love Sarah Vaughan, David Bowie, Phil Lynott, Frank Sinatra. Songwriting is one direction I feel I’m headed in, which is why I wanted to set up a duet. I’m excited by artists such as Imogen Heap and Tim Exile who use their voices in combination with electronic music. I also love opera, especially Britten and Mozart operas.

When did you develop your passion for your chosen field? I’ve always been passionate about music and have composed since learning the piano aged 8. It seemed natural to create tunes and songs. At school, I was in a pop band and played sax in a jazz/funk fusion band. I particularly developed my composition skills whilst attending Junior Guildhall and continued at University. I had a brilliant time at the RAM and learnt so much there.

‘I met Elspeth 3 years ago while she was working on a sound installation in a field in Suffolk. I was struck then by her drive, willingness to collaborate and desire to think outside the box. With an amazing track record as a contemporary composer this is a relevant and exciting new voice. I believe that CiR will give her a platform and new connections that will push her ideas and concepts even further. I am looking forward to see where this residency will take this fantastic musician.’ Joanna Seguro, Director of Lumin (CiR Music judge)

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Visual Arts Edward Cotterill

Fashion What inspires you influences your work? Today I went to Whitstable, I ate oysters and collected pebbles for new work. Tomorrow I will go to my studio and study and use these pebbles toward a new body of work. Yesterday, I read from two books, The Man Without Content by Giorgio Agamben and When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, I also watched three episodes of Twin Peaks. I then met friends and we talked about music, art, fashion, television, jokes, clubs, pubs, food, racism, politics and other things which I cannot remember. I’m inspired by every day that passes and what happens within it. I’m inspired by the idea of art permeating all aspects of life. Striving to achieve a position where art and life are indistinguishable. Who are your cultural heroes? My cultural heroes are many, anyone who is able to present something with conviction and passion, from the world of art, Josef Beuys, from fashion, Hussain Chalayan, from music, Mark E Smith, from literature, Georges Perec, from the moving image, Chris Marker. My ideal mentor would be Marcel Broodthaers, the Belgian conceptual artist who revolutionised art by shunning the idea of the medium. He allowed artists a freedom to utilise any medium they wished to suit the idea. In doing so, he opened up a whole spectrum of opportunities for artists to explore.

When did you develop your passion for your chosen field? I have had a passion for the visual arts all my life. I think my activation came aged 9, walking around the Tate Liverpool and seeing the Carl Andre Firebrick sculpture ‘Equivalent VIII’. I remember thinking, ‘Yes, I understand!’ It was the realisation that art is limitless, that it has no boundaries which really excited me and still does.

`I liked the look of Edward’s work. His playful, improvised formal arrangements of objects are attractive and engaging. They blur the conventional distinctions between art and designed objects and environments. His interest in what constitutes art and what constitutes craft and design seems relevant at a moment when many artists are collapsing aesthetic distinctions a mode of social and cultural critique.’

Brook Roberts:

What inspires you in general and what influences your work? Medical imaging inspires my work. I work mostly with CT scans, but my specialist area is Cardiac Angiography. I’m currently expanding my knitwear programming techniques to include MRI scans and combined CT Angiography. I’m excited about developing the bespoke element of my business, to create knitwear for clients from their own body scans. I’m also investigating surgical techniques, including suturing, to use in garment construction. Science is what inspires me in general. Specifically applied science. When did you develop a passion for your chosen field? I’ve been interested in science since I was a child. I‘m curious, and want to understand why things are, and how they work. I’ve also been interested in aesthetics and style since was young. Fashion is a form of self-expression and reflects the cultural and technological landscape of the time.

‘Brooke Roberts work instantly captures the imagination, the story behind the design is compelling and interesting and that transcends through into the collection. Intricate medical scans transformed into complex and boundary breaking knitwear techniques create unique individual pieces that are both striking as well as infinitely wearable. The scientific conclusion is that everyone including myself will want a Brook Roberts piece in their wardrobe and i am confident that under The Hospital Club’s guidance the label will become unstoppable.’ Romilly Mason Fashion & Style Editor, mywardrobe.com (CiR Fashion judge)

To view the shortlist and judging panel go to thehospitalclub.com/cir For CiR enquires contact loloc@thehospitalclub.com

Paul Hobson, Director of Contemporary Art Society (CiR Visual Arts judge)

Club News & Events

A letter from Marketa and Oliver

Dear Members… We’ve embraced 2011 like kids on a daytrip to Disneyland. There’s a wider array of members’ events, more new films, additional music sessions in the Studio, extra helpings of contemporary art, exciting new work from our Creatives in Residence and of course, an abundance of fantastic food and drink. We tend to have a technical spring-clean on the website in the first quarter. After listening to all your comments and feedback, we’ve spruced up and polished the following three areas – the homepage, the event booking system and our communication policy. The mobile optimised version of the site has already proved very popular. Now you can book into all events while on the move. Always wanting to embrace Zen philosophy and the joy of simplicity, we’ve ditched the slightly chaotic flash-based homepage. All visitors to the site will now experience one unified entry point to the site. This should help you locate what you’re looking for much quicker and on a spiritual front, assist in keeping your chakras in alignment. Following feedback from members, the booking system has

been overhauled. With regards to film, we have a movie made active everyday at noon, one week prior to its screening. Not everybody is raring to go at the crack of dawn on a Monday, so this system has proved much fairer. You may have noticed that the number of communications from us has been reduced to a weekly affair. There will still be the occasional one-off invitation to special events, but our new philosophy is one newsletter per week, alternating between Events and Editorial. We understand that in a world where we’re all overwhelmed with information, invitations and solicitations, less is more and might also be the new black. We’ve also made it much easier for you to share content from TheHospitalClub.com to your social media feeds, via Facebook and Twitter buttons. If you read a feature that tickles you, give it a thumbs up. Our contributors will love you for it and they’re all keen for feedback and online debate. The What Are You Up To? section of the magazine is proving very informative, bringing you the lowdown on your fellow members. In this issue, we have another range of these in-depth

profiles. To help you become acquainted with the lovely teams of staff here at The Hospital Club, we’ve profiled and quizzed the F&B Managers and the Events team. The 17th of March saw us bid adieu to another group of Creatives in Residence; and simultaneously embrace a new posse of creatives. Actually, their departure was more au revoir, as we’ll be tracking the 2010 creatives and ensuring we continue to support them. The 2011 CiRs are very enthusiastic about bringing their work to the Club and are looking forward to making an impact…just watch this space. Congratulations to all the winners of our various online competitions with prizes ranging from entry to Vauxhall Fashion Scout shows to nightclub, gig and theatre tickets. We’d also like to say cheers to those cocktail connoisseurs whose creations have won a place on the Holy Grail that is our drinks menu. We hope to see you at our monthly Back to Ours, Jazz Night or the fantastic Music Sessions with the Barclaycard Mercury Prize in our studio. Take care,

Marketa and Oliver Membership

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Marketa and I, on one of our many reconnaissance missions, ensuring we find the hottest new acts for you, stumbled upon the inventive EastEnd Cabaret.

Our Highlights

Now the story goes…Bernadette and Victy (our heroines for this tale) found themselves in London’s East End (via the Eastern Bloc) with only a suitcase of Bolshevik puppets and an accordion to their names. What is one to do? Well, whatever any enterprising and narcissistic person would do, start a cabaret show, assisted by that master of ceremony Mr. Little Red Book. With Bernadette’s penchant for salaciousness and Victy’s assortment of musical instruments, the duo intend to enrich our lives with tales of love, sex and communism. Armed with their own batch of original songs (and some shamelessly reappropriated ones from Radiohead to Right Said Fred), they will shock, arouse and enlighten you. Suffice to say this outfit is as intriguing as they are captivating. After being mesmerised by the EastEnd late last year, we wanted to bring them to the Club, so you too can be entertained by these charming communist comrades. They’ll be performing on the 1st floor, on the 7 April. We look forward to lifting the iron curtain and seeing what the EastEnd have been keeping up their sleeves.

.................................................................. We were approached by a couple of members, Nick Ashdon and James Walker, who’ve been working on a film which blurs the line between documentary, online conspiracy theory and old fashioned horror.

EastEnd Cabaret

Blooded is set in October 2005, when five young people were kidnapped in the Highlands of Scotland. Or were they? Stripped and abandoned in the wilderness, they were forced into a deadly game where the hunters became the hunted. Their ordeal was filmed by an extreme animal rights group as a warning to others: if you hunt...you’re fair game. Combining cold realism and extremely dramatic reconstructions with compelling interviews from the survivors, Blooded finally tells the full story behind one of the most extreme internet virals of modern times. This is certainly not an experience for the faint hearted, which is why I will not even consider watching it. Unable to withstand even a mild episode of Casualty, this film would leave me paralysed with fear. I’d be unable to leave the cinema, scared of meeting an end like those unfortunates in the movie. Marketa on the other hand will be ready for the gore fest and looks forward to seeing brave members who love a good fright. Blooded is being screened in the Club on the 6th April, showing at 6.30pm and again at 9pm.

Blooded

Are you one of the beautiful people in some of these shots? A selection of snaps from members’ events in the Club over the last few months… Back To Ours: Fashionable Friday; John Lydon launches Mr Rotten’s Scrapbook; Mercury Sessions with The Hospital Club – Young Knives + Frankie & The Heartstrings; Broadcite Oscar Night Party To see more scandalous photos from our events, head to the Party Nights group online or facebook.com/TheHospitalClub Photography by Anna Raad, Suzie Blake, Steve Glashier and Mario Mendez

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

Anna Collins Company Act Productions Industry Theatre

What project in your career have you been most proud of? So, taking a deep drag of Gauloise and stares into mid-distance….I’m proud of my blagging skills actually; a lot of what I have done can be attributed to those. When I was a freelance Casting Assistant, I did an Adidas commercial on the Scilly Isles. Casting and co-ordinating 100+ islanders for a highly secret ad campaign was hard, as I couldn’t breathe a word about the ad’s content. When David Beckham and Steven Gerrard appeared from a 1970’s pre-fab changing hut on top of a cliff, the shock on people’s faces was brilliant. Keeping that a secret was bloody tough, but ridiculously rewarding. How do you let off steam? Power Pilates except, in my case it’s more Pathetic Pilates; not a week goes by without me catapulting myself off the machine…oh so graceful!

If you could be trapped in a lift with any three living people who would they be and why? Sia Furler, a dirty, funny and brilliantly talented girl; Joanna Lumley: a private audience with that voice now that would be bliss; and finally Mark Rylance, a kooky and god-like talent. What are you currently working on? Act have a smorgasbord of projects in development. We’re also co-producers of Legally Blonde, which is currently running at the Savoy Theatre (and has, incidentally, been enjoyed by even the manliest of men) and touring productions of Journey’s End and Yes, Prime Minister. Last year, we began developing a dance adaptation of Peter & the Wolf, to be choreographed by the incredible Adam Cooper, hope will be something pretty bloody special. I’m also learning to knit, but I’m spectacularly inept at it,

so am doubtful the Tate will be demanding a knitting installation any time soon. What one thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? I’ve done some testing jobs, and hole-punched a billion scripts, so when a work experience rolls their eyes at being asked to do a tea run, I do get cross. It’s only because I have worked hard, from the bottom rung, that I can even begin to start knowing how to do what I do now. It’s patronising, but true, that you are always learning. Having delusions of grandeur is a ruddy great big handicap in Theatre.

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WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

Christina Lundberg What project in your career have you been most proud of? Starting my own business. I’m inspired by anyone who does it as the risks of not succeeding are always considerable. I feel motivated learning new things and getting out of my comfort zone, and launching a company in a country where I have never lived before. How do you let off steam? Easy question, relaxing on the Bed of Nails of course! It helps you destress and releases endorphins - the body’s own happiness drug. If you got trapped in an elevator with three people, who would it be and why? Author Cormac McCarthy. I was fascinated by The Road and would love to talk about life and death with him. The Dalai Lama, so I could soak up some of his wisdom (and he could help me stay calm as I’m impatient and slightly claustrophobic). I think we’d need to cheer things up as well, so the third

would be Andy Samberg from the Lonely Island! Maybe we could even do a music video for Saturday Night Live in there, featuring me, Andy, Dalai and Cormack. I think it’d be straight up SNL’s alley. What are you working on and where can we see your work? I’ve been working on launching Bed of Nails, with focus on the UK. The standard product has been around in Russia for ages, but we created the additional design and a brand with website, logo, image photos, gift boxes etc. (www.bedofnails.org) I have been making or taking part in every process and decision from the beginning. Starting a business is a creative process in itself, you need to have a vision and then come up with ways to achieve your goals. I have found the whole experience invaluable. It has been, and is, very educational. It exhausted me at first, so I’ve managed to learn from the ‘downs’ and not letting it affect my self belief too much.

What thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? Perhaps when people laugh at alternative medicine and treatments, which have been around for thousands of years. Funnily that seems to be people who aren’t very aware of their wellbeing or methods of how to improve it. Luckily though, there’s a current trend to take better care of yourself, and not mainly to look better but to feel better and increase your own quality of life. An annoying event for us was when Jonathan Ross introduced Bed of Nails on his show in front of Lady Gaga, boasting about its positive effects to the audience. Even the guests were trying it and loved it, but they edited that part of the show out due to timing. If you run a business the only thing you can change is how you handle it. I learned how to be less emotional and not take things as a personal failure. A good sense of humour is the best survival kit

Company Bed of Nails Industry Health & Wellbeing industry

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

Ed Bartlett

Company The Future Tense thefuturetense.net Industry Emerging talent

What project in your career have you been most proud of? My last company, IGA Worldwide was probably my biggest achievement to-date. As pioneers of advertising in videogames, we developed the idea from concept through over $50m of VC funding to the media plans of every major brand in the world within a handful of years. We also helped a lot of struggling game developers to retain their independence and realise their vision through the new revenue streams. I’m also really proud of my involvement with the Courvoisier Future 500 project. I’ve been involved as a judge and ambassador since day one, and it’s brought together an amazing network of talent. How do you let off steam? Live music is one of my biggest passions, but I’m also a total adrenaline junkie – providing I’m in control! Probably the craziest thing I do is an annual mountain bike event in Alpe D’Huez called “Megavalanche”. We race from the top of Pic Blanc at 3300m to Allemont at 720m. It’s utter madness, especially on the glacier.

If you could be trapped in a lift with any three living people who would they be and why? I think I’d choose Steve Jobs, Charles Saatchi and Thom Yorke. Steve because I’d love to hear his thoughts on the future of personal digital content, Charles for his insights into the next generation art market, and Thom for his perspective on both creativity and the music industry. The three of them pretty much sum up my current interests.’ What are you currently working on? After 17 years working in videogames and advertising, I’ve recently set up a new business in a totally different sector, which is exciting. The Future Tense is a hybrid company working in and around the arts. Our core focus is representing the interests of emerging contemporary artists, which includes putting on shows and exhibiting at art fairs, but we also create and curate innovative projects both for ourselves and for third parties, especially brands looking to do something engaging, cutting edge and cultural.

What one thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? My problem with most companies in general is that they almost always end up introverted, and unable to really innovate or see the big picture. I’ve witnessed some of the most exciting start-ups stifle themselves half to death as they grow and become bloated and overly self-aware. However working with the music industry on the Be Here Now project has probably been the most frustrating yet rewarding period of my life so far. Unfortunately the music industry is its own worst enemy – full of paranoia, introversion and practically paralysed with fear. It makes me desperately sad as a music lover.

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Stephen Holmes What project in your career have you been most proud of? Last year we completely redesigned a daily newspaper (Lloyd’s List) for Informa, creating sample issues and templates for their in-house design department to roll out. It was a really intense project but the result was fantastic.

be one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. And Charlie Brooker, I reckon with those three the time would quickly pass.

How do you let off steam? Vegging in front of the TV with the beloved and a Chicken Dhansak works a treat.

What are you currently working on? As always, it’s juggling a load of projects at once. We’re currently doing a lot of work for King’s College Hospital, helping them to raise a shed load of money for major upgrades to their Critical Care Centre, through their annual report and a host of fundraising initiatives.

If you could be trapped in a lift with any three living people who would they be and why? The legendary Dave Knockles (iamtheclient.blogspot.com) – the man’s a genius. Lucinda Belle (thelbo.com), she’s an amazing jazz singer, seeing her at Ronnie Scott’s on my birthday has got to

We’re also coming to the end of a branding project for a hedge fund, both for itself (ML Capital) and one of its products (Montlake). And with an advertising campaign for CitySocialising just being rolled out across the Tube network we’re pretty much everywhere at the moment.

We’re also working on our own side venture, Unherd (unherdprints.com ) – a company that’ll sell high end prints that are a bit cooler and individual than something from Ikea.

Company bloodybigspider.com Industry Graphic Design

What one thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? Free pitching - we always decline (politely, of course), who wants to work for free? Some companies seem to have the belief that you’d be delighted to spend a fortnight or more working on their project for them, at your own expense and with a fairly good chance that you’re only there to make up the numbers for their procurement department. The mind boggles!

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

Miles Meredith Burton Company Saatchi & Saatchi Industry Advertising

What Project in your career have you been most proud of? Easy, the Guinness 250 campaign. I have a framed picture of the campaign hanging on my wall! The boldest campaign in the brand’s history - a worldwide celebration for the 250th anniversary of Guinness. I’d always loved Guinness campaigns as a kid, and to be part of such a landmark moment for the brand, contributing to its ongoing legacy, it was a huge honour. Outside of the sentimental, the work was brilliant and good fun – a continent spanning TV ad, live bands playing around the world on Arthur’s Day, a promotion sending someone in to space... The entire team were at the top of their game and it showed in the end product. How do you let off steam? Eat, drink and get merry, offset by the gym. It’s a delicate balance, the first often wins. I just love fun, and I’ve got fantastic mates, some I’ve known since I was about 12, so I make time for them.

If you could be trapped in a lift with any three living people who would they be and why? Sir Richard Branson I admire anyone who can build something from nothing, but I love the child like passion he still has for chasing it all and his creativity. I’d love to bounce some ideas off him. Scarlet Johansen so she can finally realise that she fancies me. How about Homer J. Simpson, does he count as alive? What are you currently working on? Arthur’s Day is now entering its third year, and after the success of the previous two, we’re looking for new ways to keep up the momentum. The idea is still about bringing people together around the world to share an epic experience, and Thursday September 22nd is the date for this year’s celebration. I love art, and recently met an art broker in New York who shared my fascination with the relationship between art and sport. We’re looking to bring a few exhibitions to London this year.

What one thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? The class system of advertising is ridiculous. Above the line look down on below the line, below the line complain about above the line, while through the line sit on the fence. Yes, this may be the minority, but it still annoys me. I’ve worked across all three, and it’s clear that the lines are already being blurred organically anyway. But I really believe good ideas can come from anywhere, even if they are written on the back of a stamp as opposed to a TV screen. People should be given their chance based on the strength of their ideas, not necessarily what side of the line they live on.

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

Ed White What project in your career have you been most proud of? Last year we provided the score to the indie Hollywood feature film Beautiful Wave. The film is set against the surf scene in Southern California. It stars Aimee Teegarden from hit NBC TV show, Friday Night Lights and Lance Henriksen from the Aliens movies. We provided a beautiful score for the film which was performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra - the best of the Eastern European film orchestras - and mixed in LA. We proved that big orchestral scores are not just the province of major studio pictures! How do you let off steam? We watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of very diverse music! We love what we do and, in many ways, turning up for work each day is almost like letting off steam! Almost...

If you could be trapped in a lift with any three living people, who would they be and why? John Williams the composer of classic film scores such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Superman. Steven Spielberg - who we recently saw eating breakfast with his wife, Kate Capshaw, in Le Pain Quotidien on San Vicente and 26th in Los Angeles. He had the healthy porridge! Last but not least Drew Struzan - graphic artist who created iconic poster images for classic movies during the eighties and nineties. To us, this is what movie posters should look like. What are you currently working on? We are currently working with Octopus ME - an ad agency based in the UAE - on a 3D commercial for one of their major global brands. This one features a full eighty piece orchestra, vocals, electronics, band etc... everything but the kitchen sink basically! The visuals are amazing though and warrant that massive surround-sound ‘cinematic’ approach. We were bought on early

whilst the agency were planning the visual, so we were able to begin working on ideas even though the CG was just an animatic at that point. With most commercials you don’t get the opportunity to develop the musical concept in parallel with the visual. Our working methods are flexible enough that we can go on that conceptual journey with the creatives. What one thing really annoys you about your industry and how would you change it if you could? Pressure on budgets can really impact on the quality of music for film and TV. Composers tend to use samples because it’s cheaper, but, because we’re all using the same sound libraries, everything begins to sound the same! We work with production companies to creatively ring-fence budget for musicians. Even one violinist can add unquantifiable production value in a way that is very tangible for the viewer! It’s far more emotionally engaging and has a massive qualitative impact on the work.

Company Alpha Dog Music Limited alphadogmusic.co.uk Industry Music

If you would like to take part in “What Are You Up To?” email membership@thehospitalclub.com

What’s Cooking? Head Chef Duncan Cruickshanks

After a season of wet and cold months, comforted by casseroles, soups and stews, the onset of spring and a shift into summer sees lighter and brighter foods arriving in the markets and onto the Club menus. Waking to a radiant sunrise is far more inspirational than darkness and rain pressing against your window. Expect men all over the country to revert to their primal cooking urges, sizzling over the barbecue, as the weather (hopefully) kicks into gear.

Always a favourite period for British chefs, Duncan’s no different in looking forward to using a variety of home grown produce. Over the next few months in the Club, expect to taste some of these seasonal delights; wild garlic, sprouting broccoli, sweet peas, young leeks, rhubarb, apricots, radishes, broad beans and new potatoes. Keep a keen eye out for...

New Season Lamb - look for an even covering of fat, but avoid thick, yellow fat. The meat should be slender and slightly lighter than beef in colour, also look for marbling of fat in the eye of the meat.

English Asparagus – the season only really lasts one month, but it’s a nutritional and cleansing vegetable that’s ideal with chicken, fish and shellfish. Best enjoyed simply with a mimosa dressing, hollandaise sauce or simply seasoned with Malden sea salt.

In addition to our usual suppliers, Duncan is now using a Forager who delivers new surprises every month. Alexanders Herb was the first to appear on the Club menu, but keep an eye out for gems such as Three Cornered Garlic which looks like white, wild bluebells

Ingredients 2 trimmed rack of lamb (7 bone) 600g new Jersey Royal potatoes, washed 600g purple sprouting broccoli 100g unsalted butter 10g Maldon sea salt 10g milled black pepper 20g roughly chopped wood sorrel 50ml olive oil 80g flaked almonds

British Strawberries – nothing evokes the British summer more than an aromatic bowl of these beauties.

This period also sees the season for Wild Salmon which is noticeably different in taste to its farmed cousin and justifies a position at the premium end of the market. In keeping with using wellsourced produce, The Hospital Club where possible uses seafood delivered daily from the coast by fishermen who follow methods for sustainable catching.

Rack of Welsh Lamb with Crushed Jersey Royals and Sprouting Broccoli Serves 4 Method Place a pan of salted water on to boil | Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C | Place the potatoes into the pan, cover, bring the water back up to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are cooked enough to fall off a fork when stabbed | Drain the potatoes, return to the pan, add the butter, chopped sorrel, season well and crush with the back of a fork | Cover the pan, leaving the flavours to infuse.

Heavily season the skin side of each rack of lamb | Heat some oil in a pan and once hot, place the racks skin side down and sear the meat until a golden colour. You only need to colour the skin side | Remove from the heat, cover the bones in tin foil to prevent burning, return to the pan and place in the oven for 12 minutes at 180˚C

but boasts a fresher milder flavour than bulb garlic. Hairy Bittercress, Rape Cabbage, Gorse Flowers and Pennywort are not only fun to say, but sensational to taste.

Place a pan of salted water on to boil | Wash the sprouting broccoli, keeping the leaves and all of the stalks Remove the lamb from the oven, and rest the meat on a metal rack for at least six minutes before carving. Place the broccoli on to boil for approximately 3 minutes until cooked but still firm. Once rested, remove the small bone from the end of each rack and slice each rack into six pieces. To assemble: spoon the crushed potato to the centre of each plate | Place the carved lamb on top of the potato and drizzle over and around the lamb | Place the broccoli into a bowl with a big knob of butter and sprinkle with the flaked almonds and season.

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

Raising the bar Sherry is often thought of as the bottle the back of your grandmother’s cupboard, covered in dust. Those who enjoy the tipple tend to be seen as equally dated and best hidden from sight. Those days are over, because we at the Hospital Club think that sherry is an underrated star of the wine world, offering great value and quality across all the variants. If you consider it as a refreshing summer aperitif and not a winter warmer, it might persuade this summer to hang around a little longer this year. Ranging from the dry and light through to darker and heavier possibilities, find yourself a seat on the Martini Lounge terrace, close your eyes and imagine the balmy sea air of the Mediterranean washing your cares away.

Fino - Dry and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. Great apéritif. Manzanilla - Aged sherry that has a richer, naturally dry and distinctive taste – salty and nutty almost – and a colour pale in yellow hues. Amontillado- Traditionally an aged Fino or Manzanilla/Oloroso. Medium to medium-dry with an intense nutty flavor and brown/ yellow color. Palo Cortado - A very rare style of sherry originally selected to become a Fino but fails. The resulting wine is similar to an Amontillado, but, on the palate has the full body of a dry Oloroso. Oloroso – With a warm russet color and with the highest content of alcohol of all the sherries. Naturally dry with a rich full warm nutty palate. Pedro Ximenez - Dark brown or black viscous dessert wine that has the intense flavour of raisins and ripe dried figs. Great with non-fruity ice creams – perfect for summer!

........................... “Wine is sunlight, held together by water!” ........................... Galileo Galilei

Summers’ for Sherry

To accompany the summer festivities, we suggest a refreshing cocktail that truly utilises this phenomenally versatile wine.

Sherry Cobbler In 1862 such novel cocktails such as Cosmopolitan, Blow Job, Cum in a Hot Tub and Screaming Orgasm hadn’t yet caught on, surprisingly. Odds are that the discerning drinking man of the period would have gone for the Sherry Cobbler. A hit worldwide, the American Bar in Paris was going through 500 bottles of sherry a day making this cocktail. In the days before air conditioning this was the tipple to have.

It’s a truly classic cocktail that defies belief. How can this simplicity deliver such magic? The added beauty of this cocktail is that its moderate alcohol levels ensure it won’t take over your evening and leave you drooling in the gutter. That last characteristic, by the way, is doubtless why it didn’t survive Prohibition: If you’re paying through the nose for bottle goods, you’re going to want them as concentrated as possible. Well, our twist on that theme - you can also make ‘em with whiskey.

Ingredients 4 ounces (100ml) sherry * ½ tablespoon superfine sugar 1 Orange Glass: Collins / High Ball Instructions Cut a slice of orange about a half a centimeter inch thick, and then slice that in half. Shake the sherry (either the dry fino or the slightly sweeter and mellower Amontillado) and other ingredients well with cracked ice, then pour unstrained into a tall glass, throw a couple of raspberries or what-have-you on top and shove in a straw. The variations on the Cobbler give a slightly different result - slightly muddling the orange slice before you shake it up with the ice is nice. Some authorities prescribe the addition of a teaspoon of pineapple syrup or a couple chunks of the fresh fruit. Others add a teaspoon or so of fruit liqueur -- Grand Marnier, Maraschino, or such like.

SHOOTING THE STAFF | Club managers

Photography by Joanna Dudderidge

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

1. William Falconer

4. Frederic Mesme

Assistant Club Manager

Who is your favourite fictional character? Philip Marlowe in The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler. He’s a broken man (as is the author). It’s a book every male should read.

What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? Clarks Desert Boots, I’ve been buying them since I was 16. I love them

What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? It’s a toss up between Frank Sinatra & Antonio Caros Jobim’s eponymously titled album, Serge Gainsbourg’s The Ballad of Melody Nelson or Johnny Hammond’s Gears. I think I’m going with Serge. Pure filth. But with French style…

What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? Anything from Serge Gainsbourg

Where do you relax? On my bike, cycling around London. On a nice spring day there’s nothing better. Until some twat in a lorry cuts you up and you catch up with him at the lights and he gives it Johnny Big Potatoes and mouths off at you but he’s too much of a wimp to climb out of his cab and have a full and frank discussion and then he drives off. Then your day’s ruined.

2. Rob Seals Operations Manager

Top 3 films? Les Valseuses, Pulp Fiction, Coup de tête

5. Renee Tillott Club Manager What song will you have played at your funeral? Rocks Off – Primal Scream Favourite book? Immortality by Milan Kundera How do you nourish your creative side outside of work? Just finished writing a short film which we aim to shoot in next few months

6. Ezra Good Assistant Club Manager

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself? Falling off my bike at the Long Acre mini roundabout 200 metres from work and eating my handlebars. Not really my most clever dramatic moment.

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself? It’s a day to day struggle.

What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? Beach shorts – because 99% likely I am on one.

How do you nourish your creative side outside of work? I like to collaborate with Dj’s and musicians and put on gigs, hopefully you have been to one?

Where do you relax? Watching Ipswich play football – always space to lie down and snooze at home games.

What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? Paul Simon - Graceland

What song will you have played at your funeral? Wow, umm, Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi, maybe.

3. Sasha Ash Club Manager When was the last time you embarrassed yourself? I was in a cab in the early hours of the morning and asked the driver to change the music because it wasn’t the right time for Luther Vandross. It was really grating. The driver turned it off abruptly…and asked what I’d like to listen to. Through gritted teeth. As he turned around, I think he was Luther Vandross, or a Luther impersonator. We were stuck for words and asked for a bit more of Luther’s smooth grooves.

3. 4.

1. 5.

What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? My sock suspenders as I am allergic to elastic. When did you last shed a tear? When my Venus fly trap ‘Dion’ passed on. He’d been with me for 5 years R.I.P Dionaea Muscipula 06/06/06-12/02/11

Photography by Joanna Dudderidge

1. Simone Pyne

2. Will Smith

3. Daniel Bobroff

Film & Events Programmer

Events Trainee

Senior Events Manager

Where do you relax? I absolutely love Duckie at the RVT… technically it’s not really relaxing as such – but for funny nights out, flagrant dancing and sights that are no doubt making my Granny turn in her grave it can’t be beaten! Apart from that I’ve always loved Chislehurst Caves and Greenwich Park, both near to where I grew up.

What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? As part of the cyber generation, I listen to pretty much all my music on YouTube or in Podcast’s. My favourite album would still be Dark Side of the Moon.

When did you last shed a tear? 14th Feb, when I saw the scan of my new baby.

Who is your favourite fictional character? Lotta from the Astrid Lindgren books. In retrospect, definitely my first crush! I’m also a fan of the Moomins, interestingly political if you go back far enough, but now a hopelessly global brand like most things.

Top 3 films? Into the Wild, The Lord Of The Rings, Being John Malkovitch

How do you nourish your creative side outside of work? Running a film festival of early cabaret and burlesque films from pre1933, it’s a bit geeky but fun

SHOOTING THE STAFF | Events

Favourite book? Phillip Pullman - His Dark Materials

What song will you have played at your funeral? Glory Days- Bruce Springsteen and Dog Days Are Over- Florence & The Machine Who is your favourite fictional character? Danger Mouse

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

4. Michael Berg

5. Dominic Munroe

6. Juliette Abora

7. Dan Maxwell

Head of Events

Event & Administrative Coordinator

Wedding & Events Coordinator

Events Manager

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself? Having a drunken discussion with a lady about the state of the acting profession and not realising that she was a very well known actress herself!

You’ve got a hot date you want to impresswhat do you cook them? Mulled wine. The guest’s disappointment at being offered an array of crisp based snacks would be offset by the wine.

What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? My Jasper Conran suits. His cut is the best, and they fit perfectly and make me feel good!

Who is your favourite fictional character? Michael Berg

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself? About a year ago when I was escorted out of a very busy club by the bouncer and then slipped on an icy man-hole cover in my ridiculous heels. I then laid there laughing hysterically to myself which certainly didn’t help the matter.

When did you last shed a tear? Outside internal heartbreak or family bereavement, I last cried at the end of Bigfoot & The Hendersons, when Bigfoot realises there are more Bigfeet and he wasn’t the only one. I was about 10 and I guess a little weird.

Where do you relax? Newcastle upon Tyne, under the sun lit sky beneath the palm trees and amongst smashed Brown Ale bottles.

Who or what would you take with you to a desert island? John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum. Humidity is not my friend!

Who is your favourite fictional character? Sally Bowles, Auntie Mame & Elosie

What’s your favourite item of clothing? My blue suede, open toed Gaga-esque wedges, because they’re simply fierce!

3. 2. 1.

Favourite book? The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts Louis de Bernieres How do you nourish your creative side outside of work? Crack. Anything else we should know about you? I was joking about the crack.

6. 4.

Winnie the Pooh screening

April

In a landscape of extreme 3D thrillers, AA Milne’s cheering, gentle natured bear and his woodland friends head to the big screen this year. It’s five short stories of honey, cheery misadventure and friendship. Ahhhh, that’s better

Quiz Night Source Code screening Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this new sci-fi thriller from acclaimed Moon director Duncan Jones. He’s stuck in a Groundhog Day style conundrum, living the same experience of an exploding train over and over, desperately trying to solve the mystery of the person responsible. What is operation Beleaguered Castle? How can he stop this tragic event? And why is that teen listening to dubstep at such an inconsiderate volume?

Bring in a team of worldly wise friends and take part in our evening for the generally knowledgeable – squeeze out facts you’ve been harbouring, feel mildly embarrassed at your pseudo-Heat journalist depth of celebrity knowledge, or feel smug that finally your history degree came in handy…

h highlig Back To Ours

Our monthly Friday night party that’s sure to leave an impression. It’s a themed bash, based on London’s sharpest artists, DJs and performers. There’s always a surprise in store, as you no doubt experienced at the recent Back To Ours: Spring Break where we saluted the US teen tradition with live music, beer pong and wild abandon. Check the Party Nights group online to see the photographic evidence.

Members Drinks

If you’re new to the Club, or even if you’re not, come along and meet some of your fellow members. Chinwag, network and socialise over the Games Room ping pong table with some complimentary drinks to get the chat in swing.

Thor screening Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this is the story of the mighty God of Thunder cast out for his arrogance and misbehaviour by his grumpy dad Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to mix it up with the non-magical everyday folk of Earth. What a comedown! However, he finds a way to make himself useful when he falls for a foxy scientist (Natalie Portman) and finds himself defending the future of humanity against the dark forces of Asgard.

h. ISSUE TWENTY SIX | 2011 | THE HOSPITAL CLUB. LONDON

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strangers Tide

MEMBERS’ EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

May

screening

Who would have thought a film inspired by a theme park ride could have so much mileage? Put it all down to a worldwide fascination with the rum soaked romantic pirate life, and the charismatic Mr Depp, mincing from one misadventure to the next with the greatest of ease. This time he’s joined by lady pirate Angelica (Penelope Cruz), facing mean old Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and a quest for the fountain of youth.

hlights gs Music Sessions

Poker Night

Nerve, guts and schadenfreude - this is just for fun (with a small buy-in) but enjoy the thrill of the game and the banter of the table. As Gaga would say, ‘Can’t read my, can’t read my/No he can’t read my poker face’. Come and learn the game. It’s simple to pick up and tricky to be great at. But there again, it’s all about luck, right? Beginners very welcome.

Thanks to our partnership with the folks from the Mercury Prize, once a month we profile top live acts in our TV Studio. Recently we’ve been treated to the edgiest newcomers in the shape of Magnetic Man with intelligent post-dubstepper James Blake. Handclapping fun came from Frankie and the Heartstrings, with spiky punk rockers Young Knives. If you’d like to be the first to hear about new musical events in the club, head online and join the Music Sessions group. Be sure to check out the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Sessions on Channel 4 on Friday nights (they’re also available again on 4oD).

The Hangover: Part II screening Following the biggest grossing adult comedy of all time (even beating Beverly Hills Cop) is no mean feat. Leaving sex, drugs, kidnapping and stolen tigers behind them in Las Vegas, the next logical destination of debauchery had to be Bangkok. Stu (Ed Helms) is marrying a local girl and opts for a subdued pre wedding meal with his friends. However, things go horribly and hilariously awry

Creative Capital A meeting of minds where specialist guests discuss hot topics, where business and creativity meet. There’s plenty of opportunity to join the discussion, pose questions and chat to peers. Recently we’ve discussed learning from failure, with hilariously revealing stories from early creative experiments gone wrong.

13 Assassins screening It’s 1884 and retired samurai Shinzaemon is tasked with assembling a crack team of assassins to take out Lord Naritsugu. He’s cruel and depraved, so ripe for the chop. Unfortunately he’s backed by an army of loyal henchmen, happy to fall under the Samurai blade for him. Let the bloodbath begin, in this brutal and beautiful film from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike.

Green Lantern screening

June

Finally, an old DC comic that hasn’t yet been turned into a film! Quick, get it made. Phew, they have. The Green Lantern are intergalactic peace keepers making sure the galaxy behaves itself. They choose earthling and US Airforce pilot Hal (Ryan Reynolds) to join their ranks. He’s a cheeky ne’er do well who doesn’t think much of the Lantern Corps stuffed shirts. He’s also their only hope in defeating a parasitic entity dating back to the dawn of time, the dreaded Parallax.

The Messenger screening Woody Harrelson plays a US Army captain who shadows a young sergeant giving notice to the families of fallen soldiers. An ethical dilemma arises when the sergeant becomes involved with a widow of a dead officer. Nominated for two Oscars and winner of a Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at Berlinale, it’s a storming performance from Harrelson.

And Then The World Presents If you’re keen to hear about the next big thing in digital, or the chance to meet other tech heads, And Then The World Presents is for you. It’s monthly talk exploring the latest innovations in the creative industry. We’ve recently hosted speakers from the world of gaming mechanics (including TED speaker Tom Chatfield) and some of London’s hottest innovators in online communications and social networking. There’s opportunities to get your burning questions answered and pick up an idea or three to help you conquer the virtual world…

highlig Cocktail Competition

Comedy Night

Whether it’s satirical, scatological, or just plain taking the Michael, we all love a good snigger. See the kind of stand-up talent you’re likely to find in far bigger venues and on the telly too. We bring you some of the slickest stand ups on the circuit, to entertain in uncertain times.

Once a month we give you the opportunity to concoct some crafty refreshments with a different spirit each month. The most delectable and appealing creation will be awarded a coveted place on the The Hospital Club cocktail menu for a month. Keep an eye on the events page online for other tempting tasting events.

Senna screening

Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, this is a documentary about the life of Brazilian F1 über racer Ayrton Senna, who died at the age of 34 while 300 million people watched live on television. The downside of life in the fast lane.

For more detailed information, check out our Events section at www.thehospitalclub.com

The Guide

April

May

June

11 April - 13 May The London Book Fair Earl’s Court

6 (opening) Shrek the Musical Theatre Royal

11 World Naked Bike Ride Hyde Park

The publishing industry’s jamboree for securing deals in sales and distribution. Also cool for those of us that still love the printed word and literature that lasts more than 140 characters. It’s also about the innovations of the publishing industry (the stuff that’s not printed on paper, but on those new fangled microchips) with talks from best selling authors.

Beauty is only skin deep you know, and this summer we’ll all fall in love with a hideous green monster all over again. But enough about your ex, it’s live action Shrek time. Already a big hit in the USA, the Scots ogre and his donkey companion hit the West End. The cast include Nigel Lindsay, Richard Blackwood, Nigel Harman and Amanda Holden.

Brothers and sisters of the world cycling community in will be gathering together in the buff to show off two cheeks to the car driving masses and celebrate cycling and the human body. Why not borrow a Boris bike and get your kit off.

ghts 21 John Digweed presents Bedrock Arcadia (formerly The Arches)

13-15 All Tomorrow’s Parties Minehead

For old skool ravers and nu club kids alike, John Digweed is an international prog house legend and one of the few über DJs to make it big Stateside. Expect a roadblock as fans flock to hear the master work his magic accompanied by the venue’s intelligent lighting, ample lasers and their rocking Nexo Geo sound system.

The indie kids favourite, Animal Collective curate this festival with a line up that equates to a Pitchfork.com reader’s wet dream. Outkast’s Big Boi, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Lee Scratch Perry and Gang Gang Dance come together in this eclectic mix of the weird, wonderful and downright scary.

29 Royal Wedding Westminster Abbey

19 May – 18 June Lord of the Flies Regents Park

Make a republican run for the hills or get the flags out and party in the streets, the choice is yours. Wills marries Kate and we all get something to smile about. Economic recovery, sunshine, lollipops and rainbows are sure to follow.

Imagine a world without those pesky grown ups, us kids could run free, play all day and live on coconut juice and berries. Surely nothing could go wrong? See William Golding’s classic in the fresh air of Regents Park.

30 April – 1 May Camden Crawl - various venues

25-30 The Mind Body and Spirit Festival Royal Horticultural Halls

As if an excuse was needed to crawl around Camden, this weekend festival set in London’s capital of kook and goth features gigs across lashings of venues. Performances are promised from The King Blues, Saint Etienne, Villagers and probably bands that are so underground, they haven’t even played a note yet.

7 June – 15 August Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts It’s the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world, with hundreds of submissions jammed in covering everything in arty splurges as far as the eye can see.

18 London Feis Finsbury Park Celebrating Irish culture by doing something other than wearing a silly hat and pretending to like Guinness. Feis is a celebration of Irish and International music by veteran festival boss Vince Power. Just as well the ‘international’ caveat was added on there, as the headliner is none other than Mr Bob ‘not Irish’ Dylan.

22 – 26 Glastonbury Festival Somerset becomes the centre of the UK cultural world once again in June, body painting and mud diving for the kids, Jessie J, mushrooms and portaloo tipping for the teens….and headliners U2 and Coldplay for the old folks.

Embrace your inner hippy, heal your aura and get your chakras in alignment. The Mind Body Spirit Festival is all about spirituality, meditation, yoga and holistic living. Of course, cleanse the soul and you’ll release your creativity.

A HIDDEN GEM THE HOSPITAL CLUB STUDIOS IN COVENT GARDEN

Call Anne Marie Phelan for more information on 020 7170 9110 email studio@thehospitalclub.com or visit thehospitalclub.com/studio