Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 23rd March 2010
The Culturist - March
With a severe case of Alice-in-Wonderland-itis doing the rounds, it’s nice to see her less frilly cousin Rapunzel getting a look-in at the Riflemaker gallery. And if you fancy a little more grown-up distraction, then there’s plenty of that on this month too… from three-course desserts to an endless pool of imagery in which to lose yourself. And of course there’s a spot of dancing and shopping to keep it all in balance.
ART: Alice Anderson: Time Reversal
March 1 – April 24, Free
Riflemaker, 79 Beak Street, W1F 9SU
www.riflemaker.org
‘So what are you up to today?’ ‘Me? Oh, I’m just threading together a few thousand metres of hair to form a giant curtain that will climb out through the windows of a key Soho art gallery, up a whole floor and then back down through the chimney. All part of an investigation of my fictional childhood memories.’ So goes the life and work of the internationally acclaimed artist, Alice Anderson – and who are we to argue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: A Positive View
March 10 – April 6, 10am-6pm, Free.
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
www.somersethouse.org.uk
You go to a bog-standard photographic exhibition and if you’re lucky maybe 40% of the images are arresting enough to grab you; powerful enough to hold you, capture your imagination. Blame the internet. Blame the magazine saturation. Blame cheap digital cameras. Whosoever you chose to saddle the blame, it’s easy to argue that we’re O.D.ing on photography. In which case, this is the antidote. 100 of the greatest photographs of the last 100 years. All under one roof. It’ll remind you why you picked up that camera in the first place.
SHOP: Face Hunter by Yvan Rodic
£14.95
www.amazon.co.uk/Face-Hunter-Yvan-Rodic
The self-styled provider of ‘eye candy for the style hungry’, Yvan Rodic’s Face Hunter blog quickly defined itself as the edgier, younger counterpoint to The Sartorialist. And like its iconic cousin it’s now in print. Peppered throughout with bitesize nuggets of wisdom (‘fashion is what you buy, style is what you are’) Rodic’s models populate everywhere from Brick Lane to the original Batcave in LA, via every Fashion Week on Earth. It’s part coffee-table tome part inspiration bible, and it’s officially out this week.
CLUB: ICA Gala Fundraiser
March 24, 10pm-late, £95
Koko, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE
www.ica.org.uk
Whoever says that charity is boring just needs to reach a little deeper into their pockets and get down to this annual ICA shindig. Not only does your £95 get you into a huge, exclusive night, replete with gratis bar, celebrity guests and performances from the likes of Bryan Ferry, Lily Allen and I Blame Coco, but its proceeds also go to support one of London’s favourite creative institutions.
EAT: Dessert Night at the Wapping Project
March 25
Wapping Project, Wapping Wall, E1W 3ST
www.thewappingproject.com
There are, at the risk of sounding a little too indulgent, three things that I love almost more than anything else in this world: chocolate, art and alcohol. Pop down to catch The French Picture Show exhibition at the Wapping Project and Rémy Martin are throwing a glass of their lovely Coeur de Cognac in with every meal. Alternatively (and this is the stealer), swing by this Wednesday for the three course dessert dinner instead. Yes: three courses. Of pure dessert. And all with a soupcon of fine cognac in the mix. Take me now.
