Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 4th September 2012
The Culturist: September
September, the start to a pseudo-New Year. This month is jammed full of things to see, do and eat (London Design Festival, London Restaurant Festival and, of course, LFW). Our picks this month run from everything from fashion films, Olympic exhibitions and Vogue’s FNO to Parisian nudity and parties in Vancouver and Portland. And fried chicken. Have fun.
ART: KRIS RUHS AT THE WAPPING PROJECT
September 13 – October 14, Free
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Hall E1W 3SG
Idiosyncratic designer/artist Kris Ruhs is impossible to categorise (architect, ceramicist, sculptor, conceptual artist…). His most recognisable piece of work is 10 Corso Como in Milan – a fashionable gallery-hotel-bookshop-design store-restaurant-rooftop – as well as having counterparts in Marrakech and Seoul. Kris will be setting up his studio in The Wapping Project’s Boiler House, coinciding with the London Design Festival. See him in his natural habitat (there’ll even be films of his Milan studio to make him feel more at home)..
EAT : TRAMONTANA
Opening September 6, 50% off during soft launch September 4-5, 152 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AT
Another outpost from tapas haven Brindisa, Tramontana will be serving up Spanish Mediterranean cuisine to Shoreditch hipsters from a new site on Curtain Road. It’s all about rice here. Daily rice dishes – think lobster, rabbit, artichoke, salt cod – will be cooked at half hour intervals (with a bell ringing to tell you the next batch is ready). You’ll find us in the courtyard sampling the Spanish twist on the Full English. Or at the cheese counter.
FASHION : VOGUE FASHION'S NIGHT OUT
Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, September 6
As always, expect the usual sartorial pick-and-mix of happenings. There’ll be t-shirts (by Jonathan Saunders this year) limited edition lines (Bally’s Brilliance ballet flat), collaborations (Charlotte Olympia x Olympia Le-Tan), talks (Chanel Old Bond Street) and vending machines (Chanel Beauty Covent Garden). However, we’re looking to New York’s FNO, where Philip Lim will be launching his exclusive comic Kill The Night, which is the inspiration behind his AW12 line. If you can’t make it to New York, you can sign up for the comic here.
PARTY : RA HORIZONS IN VANCOUVER AND PORTLAND
September 21 and 22, from $10
NY, LA, Berlin, Ibiza, London… just a few of the locations that discerning electronic music webzine Resident Advisor profiles. Yet their new series of nights, RA Horizons, focus on dedicated scenes that exist outside of the global club circuit. They’ve already done Shanghai, Beijing and Nagoya, with Vancouver and Portland to follow this month (before going on to Aberdeen and Oslo). Vancouver’s Open Studios (a warehouse on the outskirts) will hark back to its big 90s rave scene – Toronto techno heads Ginger & Bordello will play – while Portland’s party will take place at Holocene.
FILM : DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL
Film release September 21
Before Mirabella, Wintour and Coddington, there was Diana Vreeland. As the one-time head of Harper’s Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue, Vreeland changed the face of fashion for a new generation and made Vogue what is today. Her global vision and forward-thinking photographic work have transcended time and trends, and have been documented in this film, directed by her granddaughter-in-law Lisa Immordino Vreeland. Curzon Mayfair will be holding a preview screening and Q&A session with Lisa on September 19.
CABARET : FOREVER CRAZY
September 18 – December 22, from £35
70 Charlotte Street, W1T 4QG
Southbank’s getting a dose of Parisian sexy this September. Avant-garde cabaret show Crazy Horse is crossing the Channel, reincarnated as Forever Crazy. Forget burlesque of the nipple tassel and feather ilk – this is naughty nakedness done to perfection, from matching bright red bobs to Louboutin kicks. The debut (most fittingly) is during LFW, and tickets are now on sale.
PHOTOGRAPHY : A SINGULAR EYE AT ELEVEN GALLERY
September 14 – 28, free
Eleven, 11 Eccleston Street, DW1W 9LX
It may be nearly over, but you can still revel in Olympic fever after the Games are over. From pitch to pool, park to road, London fashion photographer Jonathan Glynn followed Team GB around for a period of 16 months during their training. The collection of photographs is abstract and colourful, with more than a measure of high fashion. Expect athletes in a new light: Jessica Ennis in gold lamé leggings, Tom Daley breaking the pool in a suit, and an otherworldly shot of fencer Heather Fell.
EAT : WISHBONE
Opening August, Brixton Market, SW9 8JX
Dirty chicken gets an upgrade at this new Brixton Village joint. We’ve been banging on about this trend for a while (there are too many puns to resist), so you should be well versed in the crispy chicken craze (Tramshed, Shrimpy’s, The Chicken Shop). Head to Wishbone for wings, cocktails, Czech beer and the only free range fried chicken around. And if you’re still riding the burger wave, nip round the corner to Honest on your way home.
