Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 2nd June 2015
The Culturist: June
June has hit us with what seems like an endless supply of happenings on the cultural front. From big and bright installations to neon overload – the month is filled with technicolour. Food wise, we have, yet another, food market and Brixton may just be the ‘it’ culinary hood of the moment. And for those planning to escape to sunnier shores–Greece is the word.
EAT: DINERAMA
June 12 19 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3EJ
Street Feast is at it again with their latest street food market, Dinerama. The 1,000 capacity day and night market in Shoreditch Yard will open five days a week with food shacks, trucks, diners, and a plethora of bars. From Model Market to Dalston Yard to Summer Tales and now Dinerama… keep up, people!
SEE I: LIGHTS OF SOHO
35 Brewer Street, W1F 0RX
For a complete sensory OTT overload on all things light, bright and neon, head straight to Lights of Soho. Following a complete refurbishment, the art gallery, in collaboration with Gods Own Junkyard, will not only feature a number of its pieces but also the who’s who of light art, including Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Chris Levine, and of course, the late great Chris Bracey – with most artworks up for grabs. Plus, there’ll be a café with Michelin-starred Mark Hix in charge of the menu. By night, from 6pm, the gallery transforms into a members' bar and lounge, so if you like cocktails and neon, apply now!/p>
GO I: POP BRIXTON
Popes Road, SW9
Shipping containers housing shops, restaurants and events is no longer a Shoreditch-only concept, thanks to Pop Brixton. From events such TEDx Brixton talks, gigs and cinema screenings to a selection of retail outlets and – its biggest draw card – over 20 food vendors (think Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, Baba G’s and Miss P’s BBQ, to name a few), it’s not just about Brixton Village anymore.
SEE II: SERPENTINE PAVILION 2015
June 25 - October 18 Kensington Gardens W2 3XA
Speaking of all things light and bright – this year’s Serpentine Gallery 2015 follows suit. Designed by Madrid based Selgascano architects, expect, in their words, “a morphous, double-skinned, polygonal structure consisting of panels of a translucent, multi-coloured fabric membrane”. In other words: a huge see-through multi-layered technicolour structure. The stained glass interior will also hold a secret passage between the layers. Wow. Just wow.
INTERNATIONAL: SCORPIOS BEACH CLUB
Paraga 84600 Mykonos, Greece
We said it once, we’ll say it again, this year we’re feeling the pull of Mykonos. And with the opening of Scorpios Beach Club last week, our bags are all but packed. The new beach digs by the guys behind UJ fave San Giorgio Hotel is, as you would expect, rustic chic with neutral shades, wooden tables, boho daybeds and thatched roofs. Here the focus is on balance: healthy but refined food in the restaurant, holistic and wellness programs in the ‘house’ and international DJs (from Berlin to Detroit) on the terrace at night. Look out for Kaz James, we hear he has a residency.
SWIM: KING’S CROSS SWIMMING POND
20 Canal Reach, (entrance on Tapper walk), N1C 4BE
Get back to nature… in King’s X. Thanks to the innovative experiential art project Of Soil and Water created by Ooze Architects and artist Marjetica Potrč, this summer you’ll find us under water in London’s first inner city bathing pond. 10m wide by 40m long, the King’s Cross Swimming Pond has all the traits of a pond - plants, wild flowers grasses, and bushes – but it’s all man-made, so hopefully sans scum, hopefully. Bookings for swimming slots are a must – so check the forecast and well, dive in.
GO II: BEHIND THIS WALL AT THE OVAL SPACE TERRACE
Oval Space Terrace 29-35 The Oval Bethnal Green, E2 9DT
Wandering bar Behind This Wall have always done some interesting things, from club sessions and themed speakeasies to curated record fairs, and this year is much the same but on a bigger scale, under an alfresco canopy of the Oval Space terrace. Open five days a week, expect a daytime work space, lunch spot, terrace bar and evening BBQs, plus, vinyl exchanges, label take-overs and some Balearic-themed brunch sessions. But the most interesting? Medicinal cocktails served up by top bartenders. Move over cold press, we feel a new trend moving in.
