ARTS & CULTURE
Originally published on Wednesday, 02 December 2009
The Culturist - December
The amber streetlights are aglow outside, children are laughing, wallets are emptying, and that radiance of tipsy cheer is upon us. So you know what that means: 1) winter is really here, with the Festive Season hot on its heels, and 2) nothing will make you happier than a spot of cultural distraction. Especially when the month holds everything from a Colette pop-up to cross-dressed dinner, oversized sculpture to prostitutes in the National Gallery (see, that got your attention) and of course a veritable swathe of wintry delights to keep you both warm and cheery in equal measure.
BOOK NOW: Christmas at Number 42
Dec 3-20, £40 adv.
The Architecture Foundation, Ground Floor East, 136-148 Tooley St, SE1 2TU
After his ever returning sell-out pop-up restaurant in Dalston, the Pale Blue Door's Tony Hornecker is getting a little more Central (and a touch larger in scale) with his latest creation: Christmas at Number 42. Merging his trademark tranny-tinged dining experience with stunning (if occasionally bizarre) room sets – cosy supper for two in a toilet anyone? – expect a full-on Hornecker treat with a refreshing architectural twinge. And expect the tickets to go crazy fast. So snap 'em up now…
ART: One Foot in the Grove
Dec 4-20, Fri-Sun, £1-£3
3-6 Acklam Rd, W10 5QZ
Returning for the festive season, everyone's favourite underground curatorial collective, Mutate Britain, are returning West with some prime art-meets-bar Christmas escapism. So should you happen to be doing a spot of winter wallet-bashing in Portobello, treat yourself to a break from the shopping gore with 12,000 square feet of giant sculptures and an array of visual enticement, grab yourself a beer or three to unwind … and if you're still feeling a little under-shopped you can always pick up a few exclusive prints and posters while you're there to allay the guilt.
FESTIVE: Winter Wonderland
Nov 21-Jan 3
Hyde Park, W1
One of the questions that has plagued mankind since the earliest dawn of his cognitive emergence: do ice-skating, carnival rides and mulled wine truly constitute 'Culture'? Why, of course they do. So lay aside that bahhumbuggery and get straight to Hyde Park from now through till the New Year. If you need an excuse to preserve your 'dignity', borrow a nephew or niece (one of yours, please, and with full parental consent, naturally) or your own child, should you be so endowed, and remind yourself of what it is that makes the Festive Season (TM) so darn wondrous.
LAST CHANCE: Anish Kapoor + Sketch Pop-up Café
Ends Dec 11, £12
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, W1J 0BD
Combining a selection of old and new work, everyone's favourite sculptor/installation artist is back on top form with his latest incredible exhibition at the Royal Academy. Expect beautiful splashes of livid magentas and yellows to liven up Burlington House, with Kapoor's ubiquitous giant distorting curves, and a slightly angrier feel to many of the works. And while you're there, drop in on the Sketch GSK pop-up café where they'll don you in warm blankets and hot water bottles, while you feast on crèpes, sarnies and a limited run of eco-friendly champagne. Not sure which part is the excuse and which the reward, but whichever it's surely the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
TALK: Tom Harford on Frugality
Dec 13, 11:30am, £10 adv.
The School of Life, 70 Marchmont St, WC1N 1AB
Love 'em or loathe 'em, you've just got to respect whoever's in charge of scheduling The School of Life's ever entertaining Sunday Sermons. Last month saw the author Oliver James preach about the green-eyed monster just in time for those first festive cravings. And now it's the economist Tom Harford's chance to let rip on – wait for it – frugality. And double-irony: it'll still cost you a tenner to hear him. Bah humbug! (Of course it'll be worth every penny, mind…)
FESTIVE: Somerset House
Fashion Revolution until Dec 20, Skate until Jan 24
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Fashion meets potential injury in only the most enjoyable way. No, it's not another run of Catwalk's Cruelest Catastrophes on late-night Channel 4. Instead, swing by Somerset House for the last of ShowStudios live fashion shoots (model-groping remains a faux pas, I'm assured) which run until the 20th, and while you're there why not slip into something a little sharper (sorry) for a spin on our favourite ice-rink - just remember to pre-book. If bonus brownie points are what you're craving this Christmas, you could even triple-up and stick around for one of the late-night DJ sessions while you're slipping all over the place so gracefully. Guest DJs for the month include Matthew Stone (Dec 4), Horse Meat Disco (Dec 5), White Wedding (Jan 9), and everyone's favourites The Broken Hearts (Jan 15).
BOOK AHEAD: The Habit of Art
New run Mar 2010 (tickets released Dec 2)
National Theatre, Southbank, SE1 9PX
Whilst Alan Bennett's hotly anticipated new play about WH Auden and Benjamin Britten is entirely sold out until Jan 24, you still have a few options open to you: 1) Queue nightly for the chance of returns (hey, we can hope, right?); 2) Bunk off work and nab a day seat; or 3) Wait till Dec 2 to snap up the extended run until March of next year. Whichever you opt for, this deliciously entertaining play-within-a-play is a truly Bennettian pleasure. If The History Boys tickled your fancies, head to the NT forthwith.
ART: Kienholz: 'The Hoerengracht'
Nov 18-Feb 21
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
Here's a bit of a strange one: American artists Ed and Nancy Reddin Kienholz are breaking more barriers than one, as Nancy brings 'The Hoerengracht' (which is to say, 'The Whore's Canal' – an assemblage installation originally conceived in their Berlin studio) to the National's Sunley Room – temporarily transforming it into a section of Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District, addressing themes of prostitution, crime and humanity in equal measure. Sex, drugs and rife degradation at the National? Happy Christmas one and all!
FAMILY: Dr Seuss vs. The Snow Queen
Dr Seuss until Mar 13, Snow Queen Jan 8-17
National Theatre, Southbank, SE1 9PX & The London Coliseum
No, not some bizarre MTV Death Match, nor the latest Godzilla sequel. Should you find yourselves saddled with that curious familial urge that the festive season can often summon, or else just an overwhelming need to get in touch with your inner-child, then these are for you. The Dr Seuss show at the NT (and then The Young Vic after that) looks like an absolute child-friendly blast – and face it: you're never too old for Green Eggs and Ham. The Snow Queen, meanwhile, is the very epitome of winter magic, inducing all those childhood feelings of wonder and icy beauty. Choose your weapon and book it fast, as these have sell-out written all over them.
SHOW: La Clique
Nov 20-Jan 17
Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8EH
Sure it's easy to get all uppity about modern circus. But we defy you to book a seat for Marawa Ibrahim and the rest of the La Clique show and not have to scrape your jaw off your lap at least once. It's an awesome (not in the Bill and Ted's sense of the word, clearly) feast of entertainment and visual splendour. After 24 sell-out performances worldwide you'd think it might be a bit tired by now… But not in the slightest. If there was ever a show to get you to lay aside your adult cynicism and find that old childish appreciation of the incredible, this is it. And it's back in London for two months only. And those tickets are going fast already so get to it!
POP-UP: Nissan Cube x Colette
Nov 26-Jan 3
Free, but registration essential
As part of the latest Truman Brewery takeover for the (almost-so-ugly-it's-attractive) Nissan Cube, there's a cute little pop-up including some of Paris's Colette goodies right here in town. Sure the offering is a touch slim on the actual goods, but they're still mighty tempting – and with a range of tasty events set for the next month this is one place definitely worth checking in on while it's here. So put aside those Eurostar tickets for your Paris hit. And maybe a spare 20 minutes for the online ticket application form. It's a big 'un.
PARTY: Circus
Dec 20, 8pm-late
Paramount, 101-103 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DD
Partying is cultural, right? Well, a pre-Christmas special down on Tottenham Court Road could mean any number of things to any number of folk. But to the ever delightful Jodie Harsh – and us – it means but one: P-A-R-T-Y, Circus style. So if all this art-this and shop-that is getting too much, here's one for you. Whilst there's not a lot of info on this just yet, trust us: it's going to be fun fun fun! Combine mile-high entertainment (not that kind of mile-high mind… well probably not) with Jodie's inimitable ability to get a party going and this is all set to be a corker as he brings MPHO and an as yet undisclosed but doubtlessly fabulous line-up to rock the erstwhile Paramount to its knees.
