24/7 | Deptford X | Craig Charles Funky Halloween Party | Impostor | Simplicity Burger...
This week our blog goes big on immersive art, with a provocative new exhibit at Somerset House and the most surreal visual arts festival south of the river. We also check out where to get your ghostly groove on this Halloween and where to buy the (potentially) most meat-tasting vegan burger ever.
SEE 24/7, the new exhibition at Somerset House exploring the ‘non-stop nature of modern life’. The average Brit - and that almost certainly includes us – checks their smartphone every 12 minutes. In this über connected, always on world, where we are constantly at the mercy of our handheld devices and the lines between our private and public lives are increasingly blurred, many of us could do with a wake-up call every now and again. And that’s exactly what Somerset House is billing it’s huge new exhibition 24/7, which contains over 50 entertaining but thoroughly thought-provoking multi-disciplinary works of art. Highlights include Tatsuo Miyajima’s meditative isolation chamber Life Palace, which encourages visitors to step inside, escape from the outside world and bask in its relaxing LED glow, Catherine Richard’s Shroud/Chrysalis I, a copper blanket which completely blocks out electro-magnetic (mobile phone) signals, and Jet Slag, Alice Vandeleur-Boorer’s disturbing study on the damaging effects of sleep deprivation. While the exhibition won’t necessarily force you to chuck your phone into the Thames and check into a Premier Inn for an uninterrupted night of sleep, it will almost certainly lead you to be more wary every time you reach for your handset to scroll aimlessly through your social feeds.
24/7: A wake up call for our modern world, runs from 31 October 2019 to 23 February 2020 at Somerset House. For more information, visit https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/247 and follow @SomersetHouse for updates on Twitter.
VISIT Deptford X, London’s longest running contemporary visual arts festival, which this year celebrates its 21st birthday with its largest programme to date. This year, artists explore the theme ‘stop making sense’, and will showcase surreal, playful and unruly art that pokes holes at conventional wisdom - all intended to disrupt our current political climate. The programme includes seven new works by emerging artists, curated especially by the festival, and almost 100 fringe events across the borough of Lewisham. Highlights include works by artist Tiz Creel, who has created Space for Autonomous Imagination, a bespoke interactive bouncy castle designed to stimulate creative play at Leander Hall, Kobby Adi’s installation End in the And, bringing together 120 JD Sports drawstring bags filled with manure, on display at St Pauls House, and Ikra Arshad’s public art installation Fill me Up, a playful structure made with abstract coloured shapes in Margaret MacMilan Park. The festival ends with the Parade of Friendly Monsters, featuring a spectacular costume show of ‘fur, feathers, horns, drones, drums, bagpipes, sequins, leather, lions and bells’. It all sounds totally bonkers, but we’re intrigued.
For more information, visit https://deptfordx.org/ and follow @depfordx on Twitter for updates.
CELEBRATE Halloween at the Craig Charles Funky Halloween Party, in Walthamstow on 2 November. Mirth Marvel and Maud is a fabulous art deco landmark near Walthamstow’s famous market and a hidden gem of a cinema, bar and party spot for East London. With its stunningly elegant interior, historic cinema and stylish cocktail bar, this hip vintage venue transforms itself to offer a great programme of arts and music events. Not to miss this week, is the Craig Charles Funky Halloween party – with funk and soul tunes for groovy ghosts and fans of the legendary DJ's BBC 6Music show. The line-up will also include a DJ set from The Allergies, Sir Funk and other special guests.
For more information about this and other events at Mirth, visit https://mirthmarvelandmaud.com/whatson/. For updates follow @mirthmarvelE17 on Twitter.
LISTEN to Impostor by LJ Ross, narrated by Hugh Dancy. Thriller fans are in for a special treat this week, with the release of the ultra-gripping and psychologically intense new book from bestselling author LJ Ross, which is brought to life in a riveting audiobook narrated by Hannibal star, Hugh Dancy. The first in the Dr Alexander Gregory Trilogy, Impostor pulls listeners into the dark world of a criminal profiler with a reputation for being able to step into the most sinister criminal minds. The action begins with a sick child, whose mother seems to be hiding a horrible secret. It will be down to Dr Alexander Gregory to find his way through a labyrinth of mind-games in search of the truth. For a taster, listen to seven special extracts from the audiobook by following the official audio trail (which starts here).
Impostor by LJ Ross is published by W.F. Howes and is out on 31 October. For updates from the author and publisher on Twitter follow @LJRoss_author and @WFHowes.
DINE at Simplicity Burger, the new plant-based burger joint opening in Shoreditch this Friday. Top chef Neil Rankin, best known for his meat-focused BBQ and flame-grilled restaurants, hopes to offer diners a vegan burger that packs a punch and doesn’t compromise on taste. That is why he has spent the last eight months researching pickling and fermenting techniques to create the ultimate plant-based patty made from 10-day fermented vegetables and barley miso. The simple menu will include five different variations of burgers, starting at £7 for the ‘Simplicity Burger.’ The two story, 45-seater venue, has a ground floor cocktail bar, which also serves up vegan drinks and snacks until 1am. And what better day to open than World Vegan day this Friday 1 November.
For more information, visit https://www.simplicityburger.london/ and follow Neil Rankin on Twitter @frontlinechef and @simplicity_burger on Instagram.
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