11 minute read
WHAT'S ON
The AgendaLONDON’S HOTTEST HAPPENINGS
MUSIC
Feel The Music
BARBICAN • FROM 17 MAY
After a year with no live events, Barbican has revealed that its Live From The Barbican series will take place from the 17th of May. The critically acclaimed series will feature performances from Moses Boyd and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The Barbican hall will operate at a reduced capacity for a safe and socially distanced experience.
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS barbican.org
FILM
Hideaway Cinema
From 20 May VARIOUS LOCATIONS Hideaway Cinema is coming back to London this summer, with locations to include Hampstead Heath and Kew Gardens. Londoners are invited to choose from a number of fi lms to enjoy outside on warm summer evenings in the Capital’s most picturesque locations. Scheduled fi lms include Mamma Mia and Pulp Fiction. hideawaycinema.com
DINING
Hot Stone Fitzrovia
Opening 19 May FITZROVIA & ISLINGTON The acclaimed Islington restaurant Hot Stone is opening its doors in Fitzrovia. The restaurant claims to be an immersive experience with hot stone cookery and an elevated modern Japanese menu curated by Chef Padam, who has two decades worth of experience at London’s most prestigious restaurants, including Nobu and Zuma. 3 Windmill Street, London W1T 2HY hotstonelondon.com
ART
Take one picture
17 June - 12 September THE NATIONAL GALLERY The 26th annual Take One Picture exhibition returns to The National Gallery this summer. The gallery invites primary schools from across the country to focus on one of it’s paintings and respond in a creative way. The exhibition aims to put art of the centre of children’s learning. This year, the gallery has chosen ‘The Battle Of San Romano’ by Paolo Uccello as the source of inspiration. nationalgallery.org
A DATE WITH LONDON
See the city through fresh eyes with a unique tour
TREASURE HUNT EXPERIENCES
Take a journey through London with HiddenCity and experience undiscovered places and secrets about the capital. Opt for the Cheshire Cat game and solve a range of clues on an ‘adventure in the strange, surreal and absurd’. inthehiddencity.com
EXHIBITION ELECTRIC CITY:
GOD’S OWN JUNKYARD TAKEOVER AT LEADENHALL MARKET
26 May - 31 July MONUMENT From 26 May, Leadenhall Market is getting a neon makeover from the brains behind God’s Own Junkyard. Designed to inject colour and joy back into our lives after a difficult year, the exhibition will celebrate the reopening of the market’s 35 restaurants, bars and shops with an immersive technicolour light production. leadenhallmarket.co.uk
This Month’s Must See
27 MAY – 31 OCTOBER • CHISWICK HOUSE AND GARDENS
From the 27th May, Chiswick house and gardens will be transformed into a cultural hotspot with an impressive selection of artist commissions, events and activities on offer. The exhibition will feature three site-specific art installations curated by Turner prize winner Mark Wallinger.
Burlington Lane, London W4 2RP chiswickhouseandgardens.org
GUIDED WALKS
Discover the history behind the streets of London with a guided walk. The Jack The Ripper Tour takes you through the dark streets of Whitechapel and Spitalfields, revealing the city's dark history. The tour is dedicated to the victims of Jack The Ripper. walks.com
HOP ON, HOP OFF
Play tourist for the day with one of London’s famous open top bus tours. See London illuminated with a ‘London By Night’ bus trip, or enjoy a night of laughs with ‘Comedy Night On An Open Top Bus’. Public transport has never been so much fun. goldentours.com
ORIGINAL DRAWING FOR ALICE IN WONDERLAND OF THE WHITE RABBIT, 1967 © RALPH STEADMAN ART COLLECTION, 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOTO CREDIT: VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
M E E T A L I C E
Fall down the rabbit hole at the V&A’s new Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition
By LAYLA TURNER
The much anticipated exhibition is open to the public from 22nd May
We first met Alice in 1865 in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. Over 150 years later, the book has seen countless reinventions, including Walt Disney’s 1951 film adaptation as well as Tim Burton’s 2010 dark-fantasy esque portrayal.
The V&A’s exhibition, taking place in the Sainsbury Gallery, is set to be their ‘most ambitious yet’, aiming to ‘inspire visitors to conjure their own ideas of wonderland’. Originally set to open in 2020, there has been a huge amount of anticipation surrounding the event.
The exhibition will be made up of over 300 objects and five sections: Creating Alice, Filming Alice, Reimagining Alice,
ARTIST ANNA GASKELL, SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM (C) COURTESY OF GALERIE GISELA CAPITAIN, COLOGNE. PHOTO CREDIT: VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
Staging Alice and finally, Being Alice. Each ‘Alice-inspired world’ will explore key themes relating to the title including film, performance, fashion, music, art and photography. Creating Alice will transport visitors right back to the origins of the story, exploring Victorian London and the people, politics and places that inspired the character.
Fashion lovers will be able to marvel at Alice inspired fashion collections from Iris Van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf, while the 2018 Pirelli Calendar – which has been described as ‘chaotic - in the best possible way’ – will also feature in the exhibit.
VIKTOR&ROLF HAUTE COUTURE AUTUMNWINTER 2016 – VAGABONDS. PHOTO CREDIT: TEAM PETER STIGTER
Reimagining Alice is set to be a particularly eclectic part of the collection, celebrating the surrealist works of Salvador Dali and featuring a life-sized Mad Hatter’s tea party, bought to life with psychedelic and playful digital projections.
The exhibition will also be the first ever by the V&A to offer a virtual reality experience, inviting guests to the Queen of Hearts’ croquet ground for a Curious Game Of Croquet. The experience was produced by immersive games studio Preloaded and will of course offer fun for all the family.
The final section of the exhibition, Being Alice, will explore the 'the modernday fascination and reinvention of Alice In Wonderland across art, science and popular culture. The Being Alice section of the exhibit will feature photos from political protests, album artwork for British rapper Little Simz and Alice-inspired street wear garments. Being Alice will demonstrate the varied interpretations of Alice In Wonderland through the ages.
Finally, guests will be invited to leave through the looking glass. The exhibition will end on a 'through the looking glass-inspired' digital art exhibition, set to be a huge hit with art lovers. 2021 marks the books 150th anniversary,
ALICE AT THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY, ILLUSTRATION FOR ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND BY JOHN TENNIEL, 1865 (C) VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
CONCEPT ART BY MARY BLAIR FOR WALT DISNEY'S 1951 ANIMATION OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND (C) DISNEY
ZENAIDA YANOWSKY AS THE RED QUEEN IN CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON'S BALLET ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. THE ROYAL BALLET. ©ROH, JOHAN PERSSON, 2011. SETS AND COSTUMES BY BOB CROWLEY CONCEPT ART BY MARY BLAIR FOR WALT DISNEY'S 1951 ADAPTATION OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND (C) DISNEY
and there has been countless reinventions of the story over the years. Through all adaptations of Alice In Wonderland, the main themes have been apparent: Identity, coming of age and absurdity. The story depicts a young girl ‘falling through the looking glass’ into a crazy and colourful world – think talking rabbits and magic potions. Living in London in the current day can sometimes be a stressful and tiresome experience and many of us are guilty of taking life too seriously. Sometimes we need to slow down and take a second to enjoy life and all its absurdities. The V&A invites you to explore a different world for a day. Kate Bailey, Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance at the V&A, sai: ‘We look forward to welcoming visitors of all ages into Alice’s magical and mind-bending wonderland, to imagine their own world on the other side of the looking glass’.
ALICE: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
Victoria and Albert Museum. Tickets £20. Children go free. vam.ac.uk
The Royale
EXPERIENCE
EVENT DIRECTOR PAUL MATHERS
The new event that will change what you know about luxury cars By MARK KEBBLE It’s hard enough staging a new event without having to deal with a global pandemic along the way, something the founder of Auto Royale, Paul Mathers, knows only too well. “For any event organiser, COVID has been an overwhelming challenge and most of us, despite not being able to deliver events, have had to get by on little or no support – Auto Royale is no exception,” he says. “As a start-up with a new certain paradigm,” Mathers takes up the idea behind his event. “With the exception of the cars on the field, which are always a joy for an enthusiast, the rest of the event runs the risk of being predictable and underwhelming. Auto Royale seeks to subvert people’s expectations. “If other events aim to be traditional, then Auto Royale is contemporary. If others are snobby or elitist, Auto Royale aims to be high quality and inclusive. If another has a soundtrack of jazz, then event we have been pushed to the limit ours will be of Bowie. I’ve often said and our innovation and problem-solving that if other events are ‘the Queen’, has been really tested. But, right now, then Auto Royale is ‘Queen’, the band. summer looks clear for us to restart.” We want to take some of the stiffness It is indeed time to look forward, not out of concours and make it fun.” back, and Auto Royale is certainly an event that will help banish lingering memories of lockdown. Being staged from 16-18 July at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, this promises to be something car enthusiasts have not experienced before. “Concours d’Elegance events have been around for many years, and many have fallen into step with a
ALFA ROMEO 8C
ASTON MARTIN D24 VIGNALE
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NOVELLI WILL BE CREATING A SPECIAL MENU
What else is ON SHOW AT AUTO ROYALE
THE TOUR & GRAND ARRIVAL
The extensive tour takes entrants in the British International Concours d’Elegance from the historic Wappenbury Hall, former home to Jaguar Cars founder, Sir William Lyons, on a scenic drive through Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. • CONCEPT & INNOVATION LAWN
This showcases the very latest designs and innovations as incorporated into the classics of the future, whether they be high-end, motor show concepts, pre-production or launch models. • THE PARTERRE TERRACE
Located above the Parterre and with views to the beautiful Chiltern Hills, the Parterre Terrace is Auto Royale’s second entertainment and hospitality space. • VIP LOUNGE
Where Jean-Christophe Novelli will be a guest chef, serving up a lunch menu to 200 lucky VIPs. • SUNSET PARTY
As the sun sets on Waddesdon Manor, festoon lights illuminate the French chateauesque building’s facade as invited guests enjoy five-star hospitality at the official opening night party.
WADDESDON MANOR
Who would he say the event is aimed at? “Anyone who really loves cars, history, storytelling, great art and design – because the stories behind great cars capture all of these things,” Mathers replies. “Auto Royale is an event where you can meet your like-minded friends and celebrate the path back to normality, or meet new friends and connections through a mutual love of motoring.”
There’s sure to be some truly magnificent motors on show in a stunning setting. “The Concours d’Elegance is essentially a beauty pageant for cars, and they range from vintage (1910) through to contemporary (2015),” Mathers says. “Over 100 cars will compete for Best in Show, and many of them are already award winners from other events. Some are one-offs, some are very low production numbers, and some have been famous racers or have been owned by celebrities. Some of these cars have never even been seen in the UK before, and some are worth tens of millions of pounds. The common factor that unites them is that they all possess a special story – and Auto Royale is where they get to tell that story.”
AUTO ROYALE
To be held from 16-18 July at Waddesdon Manor autoroyale.org
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CARS...
& DRINK FOOD
CHICKEN TONIGHT
SIDECHICK The heart of Marylebone newcomer Sidechick's offering will be juicy corn-fed roast chicken, but it will be so much more than this, with seasonal vegetables, salads and flatbreads cooked over coals playing an equal counterpart. sidechick.co.uk
