Brixton Design Trail returns for its second year as a London Design Festival District with a theme of Love is Power, communicating the positive force of love in celebrating difference and promoting acceptance.
The aim is to design by community and collaboration to ensure Brixton’s creative spirit is kept alive during the natural process of regeneration in town centres. Brixton will showcase an exciting line up of local designers from a range of backgrounds, highlighting that our community is made up of many cultures living alongside each other with respect for diversity and an appreciation of many shared values – it is this mix that is the essence of Brixton. Once again Brixton Design Trail will champion the democratisation of design by establishing it as part of the everyday and accessible to everyone, using streets and public spaces as a canvas for expression. In partnership with the Brixton BID and supported by Lambeth, a number of installations will bring permanent improvements to public spaces, putting creativity at the heart of the areas regeneration. In addition to installations and design showcases, a series of talks and tours will focus on Brixton’s evolving design heritage from street art and murals to loved landmarks and unusual spaces. For more information, visit: www.brixtondesigntrail.com.
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London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London as the design capital of the world. Now in its 15th year, the Festival will be returning to venues and institutions across the city from now until the 24 September 2017. A major feature of the Festival is an ambitious programme of over 450 projects and events, offering Londoners and visitors to the city an opportunity to experience world-class, innovative, and challenging design across the capital.
Key exhibitions to see at The London Design Festival... Set in Stone The Design Museum, which opened the doors to its new home in Kensington in November 2016, presents an exciting project during this year’s London Design Festival. Set in Stone presents a selection of works by eight designers invited to explore the potential of marble and limestone. These works, displayed in various locations both inside and outside the museum, include objects intended for public use, such as seating by Eduardo Souto de Moura; a slide by Elemental; graphic pieces by Sagmeister & Walsh; and a series of domestic objects by Michael Anastassiades and Jasper Morrison. The project is an investigation of the qualities of stone, and the technical means through which it is cut and shaped. The natural formation of stone over millions of years produces patterns and textures that are unique and unrepeatable. The designers’ responses represent small moments of monumentality that reflect the solidity and permanence of an elemental material. Drop in the Ocean Designer, Brodie Neill, presents ‘Drop in the Ocean’ at ME London, a mesmerising site specific nature-driven installation, located in The Atrium of the iconic Foster + Partners designed hotel, the Official Hotel Partner for the Festival. ME London, is the flagship property for the ME by Melia brand, located in the cultural heart of Covent Garden. Neill’s presentation premieres his work Flotsam, produced using his self-created material Ocean Terrazzo which Neill developed for the Australian Pavilion for the 2016 London Design Biennale, and confronts the problem of the world’s plastic waste within our oceans. Cast completely as singular pieces, the Flotsam collection is created from a combination of all-white Ocean Terrazzo to reflect water and multicoloured ocean plastic fragments to reference the floating nature of the plastic waste which travels across oceans and break down into small fragments from the force of the currents, meanwhile the single drop seen in the melodic installation symbolises the smallest essence of nature resulting in momentous consequences. Bestival 2017 is just around the corner (7-10 September)! Kicking off this Thursday, this beloved festival isn’t to be missed. Throughout the festival, visitors can discover a wonderland of exciting arenas including: Castle Stage, Bollywood Stage, Temple Stage and unique areas such as the Ambient Forest, Slow Motion, Cuckoo Clump, Colour Field, Love-Bot Park, The Lawn and Caravanseria. Key acts this year include: The XX, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pet Shop Boys, Little Dragon, Rag’n’Bone Man, Wiley, Laura Mvula, Danny Brown, Loyle Carner, Soul II Soul and The Cuban Brothers, to name a few.
If you’re quick, there’s still time to get your boutique glamping tickets! The exclusive camping experience includes a spacious and beautiful VIP camping area, a funky chill-out bar with food traders serving until late, dedicated toilets and showers, free car parking and 24- hour security. So, what are you waiting for? Get your wellies at the ready and head to Bestival! Ben Ricci Glorious Mud Didn’t Hold Back Memorable 10th Birthday Celebrations The torrential rain and ankle-deep mud didn’t disturb the fun that was had at Lulworth Castle in Dorset for Camp Bestival. I think the organisers were caught by surprise at the relentless weather – there could have been more undercover areas, especially for the little ones and big families – but you can’t blame them for that. That being said, on the day of our arrival our spirits were lifted thanks to sunny weather and a pleasant surprise in the form of a festival survival kit courtesy of Waitrose. In true Camp Bestival style, the atmosphere was friendly and safe, making it a great place for families and young people alike to let their hair down and celebrate great music, food and comedy, while having stacks of fun. All Hail The Bollywood Tent! My favourite place throughout the weekend was undoubtedly Raindance at the Bollywood Tent, which was packed every day and night, with what felt like a car park of festival trolleys, prams and push chairs at the back of the marquee, full of sleeping children donning ear protectors as their parents danced nearby. Norman Jay MBE During the Saturday afternoon Norman Jay MBE, played an unusually slow set to start with – I think the crowd wanted more because of the rain. But after a while, it was obvious we were in the company of a proficient atmosphere architect as he upped the tempo and kept everybody smiling. Liquid Later in the evening Raindance reigned supreme with early rave scene legend, Liquid (Eamon Downes) playing four tracks during his set, including one from his new album Energy Flows. Eamon was welcomed to the stage by his adorable five-year-old daughter, Bella, who introduced him in Italian (she was raised in Rome), while being held in the arms of her uncle-figure and Raindance host, Billy Daniel Bunter. Liquid began with Closer; followed by Liquid is Liquid (his personal all-time favourite), then his most popular big-room piano anthem, Sweet Harmony, which made the crowd go wild. He wrapped up his set with a dub- influenced jungle track from his new album that left us all wanting more. Buy Energy Flows on a limited vinyl pressing here. Watch my interview with Liquid here. Shades of Rhythm Shades of Rhythm (Rayan ‘Gee’ Hepburn, Nick Slater and Kevin Lancaster) had a captivating and warm stage presence, while playing all of their big hits, including The Sound of Eden, Sweet Sensation and Homicide, to a welcoming crowd. One of the memorable moments during their show was an acapella performance of The Sound of Eden by lead vocalist Gee who dedicated the song to a couple who had just got married at the festival! Mark Archer As one would expect from Mark Archer, aka ‘Altern-8’, he played a goose-bump enticing set full of old hardcore favourites and rave classics, which everyone loved. Scratch-masters 2 Bad Mice, left us all in awe with their amazing turntable antics and singer Rachel Wallace shook the tent with her upfront bellowing style and feisty vocals with I feel This Way and Don’t Stand in My Way. Leftism 22 Leftfield headlined the Castle Stage on Sunday night and were in one word – incredible. Read my full review here. Family Fun Thanks to pressure from my 10-year-old niece, and wanting to get into the family spirit of things, I had my face painted (featuring a cool dragon) courtesy of Siobhan Collett and Nam Nam’s. Showcasing the Silent Volunteers Camp Bestival brings together many groups of volunteers that make the event extra special. The Isle of Wight Youth Trust for example, manages the lost property office, and I am forever indebted to them because they found my car keys that fell out of my pocket on the first night! Music Angels is a social enterprise that provides battery packs and a mobile phone charging service, which for most festival-goers is as important as having a tent to keep you warm and dry at night. All of their profits go towards helping children in Rwanda. Culinary Camp Bestival French Crêpes The food was exceptional at Camp Bestival and one of my favourite food stalls was French Crêpes where crepes take centre stage. Each night I enjoyed a delicious mushroom and cheddar cheese crepe – a lovely and indulgent treat before heading to bed. La Grande Bouffe On our final evening, we treated ourselves to a mouth-watering tartiflette – a traditional French dish from the Alps made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions - from la Grande Bouffe (The Big Nosh). This efficiently run food stall with its exquisite and authentic foodie offering is a must. Magnificent Fireworks Finalē
The fireworks and animated finalē was set against the backdrop of Lulworth Castle and is carefully engineered to a soundtrack of popular tunes and poignant messages about the environment and citizenship. It made for a memorable ending to what was a great few days - no matter what the weather. Listen to my exclusive Rave Britannia Camp Bestival 2017 DJ mixes here. Ben Ricci *Camp Bestival took place between 27th and 30th July at Lulworth Castle in Dorset. During Camp Bestival I was hosted by Camp Bestival. All opinions are my own. High Quality Folk, Indie, Disco, Funk & Soul Wonderland My journey from Bournemouth to the Latitude Festival in Southwold, Suffolk, was epic to say the least. But the 7-hour trip of trains, tubes and buses was well worth it once I’d arrived. Here festivalgoers from all over the country come to celebrate with some of the biggest bands in folk, indie, electronic, dance, disco and soul. The atmosphere is incredibly welcoming, with a mix of young people, families and hardcore band fanatics all merging together united by a shared love of music. Albeit pretty middle class – it has a Waitrose on site – Latitude Festival is an absolute delight. The bar staff, market traders, servers and local volunteers were standout and the famous vibrantly dyed sheep were a must see. Musical highlights from Latitude Festival Mavis Staples At 78, Mavis has spent the past 67 years curating her own brand of ‘real’. Throughout her set she serenaded the crowd with gospel, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and new jack swing. Since her early days with The Staples Sisters, she’s collaborated with every musician on the planet including Prince, Bob Dylan, Curtis Mayfield and The Gorillaz. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people watching her at first, but 20 minutes into her set the field filled to capacity. As she performed, her infectious smile let everyone know that she loved every minute of her performance - a memorable masterclass in originality, powerful vocals and joyful stories. Her new album Living on a High Note is out now. Mumford & Sons I’m not a big fan of folk bands, but Mumford and Sons took my breath away with their unbelievable energy and vocal synergy with Senegalese front man Baba Mall - something I’ll never forget. Sadler’s Wells Set on the beautiful Waterfront Dance stage, dance supremos Sadler’s Wells’ presented ‘Voices of the Amazon, a jaw dropping and imaginative immersive performance. Disco dancing I’m a huge fan of rare disco, funk, Italian disco, New York Boogie and 80s disco infused electronica and Latitude proudly had all of these in abundance. I couldn’t have been happier! During the daytime, Peckham’s hallowed Eccentrics Disco set the standard at the luxurious Oatly Bar and Every tune– all on vinyl – was in my top 20 of all time. When the sun went down, the fun-filled funk boys at Disco Shed kept everybody moving. And to top it off, legendary S Express icon Mark Moore played a host of classics that kept the crowd dancing into the early morning hours. The Quintessentially English Pimms O’ Clock at Croquet East
Another unforgettable experience during Latitude was enjoying a refreshing Pimms on the croquet lawn, hosted by London’s very own croquet club, Croquet East. Donned with straw hats, pin stripe suits and hipster moustaches, they made Pimms O’Clock an important addition to festivalgoer’s daily schedules. Delicious food at Latitude Baz & Fred The heavenly homemade pizza from Baz & Fred took an hour to make but every bite was well worth the wait. The posh ingredients and fresh dough were exceptional and enjoying it in the middle of a field in the idyllic Suffolk countryside made it all the more special. Blixen Blixen ran a very efficient operation. With its deluxe marquee akin to a sleek London nightspot, fine-dining-style service, super cocktails and nightly DJs, it was impeccable in every way. Their sensational espresso martini shots made my festival! Overall, it was a fabulous festival with something for everyone to enjoy. Ben Ricci *During Latitude I was hosted my Pimms. All opinions are my own. Exciting, nostalgic and powerfully performed It has been 22 years since Mercury Prize-nominated electronic duo Leftfield (consisting of Paul Daley and Neil Barnes) released their legendary album Leftism. Voted one of the top 10 albums of all time, and described by Mixmag as “perhaps the best electromic album ever made,” Leftism remains current today. Camp Bestival 2017 was the perfect setting for Leftism’s 22nd anniversary showcase - their biggest gig of the year - performed in front of an appreciative, 20,000 strong crowd who bounced along throughout their set, which featured every performer from Leftism’s original hall of fame (minus Paul Daley, who is no longer part of Leftfield) plus a couple of new additions. During the set, Neil Barnes sang and played a variety of instruments, including guitar, wind instruments, conga drums and an Ektara – a single stringed Indian instrument that looks like a simpler version of a Sitar. Add to that at least seven synths, drum machines and controllers and it made for an exciting, nostalgic and powerfully performed show that conveyed perfection with every note. Fully in charge and overflowing with intense concentration and occasionally jumping around and pumping his arm in the air, Barnes ensured the crowd were in for an enthralling, bass crunching, visually mind-blowing masterclass in old skool electronica. It was in one word - incredible. The sound was outer-planetary and the atmosphere astonishing, with influences of reggae, dub and roots, jungle-infused drum and bass, tribal house and tough symphonic progressive house dominating the show. During ‘Release the Pressure’ MC Cheshire Cat with the Dexterous Earl Sixteen rocked the stage and Neil Cole aka MC Djum Djum’s deep African rhymes left us captivated by his power on ‘Afro-Left’. ‘Bass shaking Inspection (Check One)’ began with dub adroit Danny Red grooving across the stage as he revved up the crowd and his Dancehall patois, were later joined by the formidable MC Cheshire Cat whose street style stage presence was undeniably radical. Enchantress Tarantina mesmerised the audience with her Stevie Nicks-esque hip twisting moves and haunting vocals, replacing Toni Halliday on the first release of ‘Original’, and Ofei delivered a captivating performance, closing the show with ‘21st Century Poem’, with its poignant messages that couldn’t be more relevant today. Leftism 22 was timeless, majestic and mesmerizing. These feelings were echoed by Q Magazine, as they asserted, “It’s hard to overestimate the significance of Leftism, roundly acknowledged upon its release in 1995 as the first truly complete album experience to be created by house musicians and the first quintessentially British one.”
At the final curtain, it was all over too soon, no matter how much the audience wanted ‘one more.’ Instead, Barnes and his team grouped together in what felt like a family shot and exited leaving us all breathless and stirred by what we had just experienced. It was an emotional moment for all dance music aficionados. After the show, we had a chance to catch up with Neil Barnes who said, “I get contacted all the time by people that tell me how much Leftism has changed their life. It changed my life…every single track has a special moment for me, I just try to do it justice.” Watch Destination Delicious’ interview with Neil Barnes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMTawcrCS4Q&feature=youtu.be Buy Leftism 22 here. Ben Ricci *During Camp Bestival 2017 I was hosted by Camp Bestival. All opinions are my own. A Luxury Open Air Barn Dance
Smoked & Uncut is a food and music festival that focuses on locally farm-sourced organic produce, ciders and wines all accompanied with music from local bands and acoustic artists. Visitors can choose to camp for one or two days in the grounds of The Pig boutique hotel and restaurant in Brokenhurst, located in the heart of the New Forest.
The most distinctive feature of the Smoked and Uncut festival was its uncompromising quality. Everything was of top-notch quality and the relaxed atmosphere makes it a great choice for everyone, whether it be couples, groups of friends or families.
Set in an open air field, with hay bale seating surrounded by food and drink stalls, it was a great way to mark the beginning of the summer season. The food was sensational and there was lots of choice. I loved the wood fired oven baked chipotle chicken quesadilla. The guacamole was exceptionally delicious with a lovely balance of coriander and lime.
There's nothing better to accompany great food than great music and Smoked & Uncut didn't disappoint. My favourite acts during the day included Portsmouth based band Winters Hill,who opened the festival, and Just Millie and Lucy Mayhew who set the tone with their charming Americana style.
Just Millie has been going from strength to strength recently and she deserves all of the attention she's getting thanks to her bold stage presence, feisty style and powerful vocals, making her one to watch.
Lucy Mayhew performed an acoustic unplugged set with her guitar in a prestigious marquee, complete with leather chesterfield suites, vintage carpets and rugs galore. I particularly loved her honest performance. Lucy played a variety of covers in her unique style, taking well known songs and giving them her own unmistakable narrative.
Smoked and Uncut continues at venues throughout the summer in Devon, Somerset and Limewood in the New Forest. Tickets can be purchased here.
http://www.smokedanduncut.com/ https://www.thepighotel.com/brockenhurst/ *During Smoked and Uncut, I was hosted by The Pig Hotel. All opinions are my own. Ben Ricci Summertime 2017 is set to be one of the biggest ever as far as festival frivolities are concerned, with Camp Festival (27-30 July) expected to reign supreme for its 10th year running.
A family festival at its heart, (but please don’t let this put you off if you don’t have any small creatures of your own), Camp Bestival is a wonderland that keeps on giving across three days of fun-filled festival deliciousness, suitable for all ages and musical tastes. The line up is tantalising. The beautiful grounds of Lulworth Castle are spectacular. The world’s biggest disco ball will be there. The locally sourced food is going to be sublime and hopefully the British weather will be on our side, too. This will be my second time attending this festival and even while I’m writing this preview, the acts and DJs that are appearing give me goosebumps. The line up Headlining Friday night is Grammy and Brit Award winner Mark Ronson, one of Britain’s most successful musicians who continues to set the music industry alight. His collaboration with Bruno Mars on Uptown Funk was the biggest selling tune of 2014 and the fourth most viewed video of all time on YouTube! Saturday sees 80s 2-Tone ska legends and comedic Londoners Madness, who will be performing their 15 top 10 greatest hits, ensuring a party on stage. But the best is saved for Sunday night where Leftfield will celebrate the 22nd anniversary of their ground-breaking album Leftism. This is expected to be an emotional moment for all hardy electronic fans and will be set against the backdrop of a fireworks finale. And if that’s not enough, The Beach Boys’ front man supremo Brian Wilson will present Pet Sounds also on Sunday evening during the sunset. Released back in 1966, Pet Sounds remains one of the greatest pieces of experimental music of all time and shouldn’t be missed. Additional acts over the weekend include All Saints, The Cuban Brothers, The Christians and T'Pau. Sing-along moments and childhood memories will be a-plenty. From a dance point of view – which is very close to my heart – Good Times maestro Norman Jay MBE will be playing along with Rob da Bank, Raindance DJs, Altern-8, Billy Daniel Bunter, Shades of Rhythm and Liquid. I think I might pass out when Liquid plays Sweet Harmony live! It’s my favourite track from way back in 1992. BBC Radio 2’s Sara Cox will also be playing an assortment of 80s nostalgia with Clint Boon from the Inspiral Carpets and Bez from the Happy Mondays taking us back to the glory days of Indie gems. To end each night, the amazing Silent Disco will ensure smiles all round. Something for everyone to enjoy This year, the theme is Pop Stars and Rock Stars and the festival organisers thoroughly encourage getting you involved with dressing up. Other activities taking place during the festival include comedy, kids entertainment, massage, creative workshops, gourmet cuisine and family friendly storytelling to spark your imagination. Plus Son Et Lumière Castle Fireworks, The world's biggest bouncy castle, giant kids’ disco with the world’s largest disco ball, the travelling barn, Bollywood, Dingly Dell, Art Town, Freesports park, science tent, Sunday Best Record Shop, wall of death, The Blue Coats' Clubhouse, dressing up area, fancy dress parade, pimp my trolley & beard and moustache competition, face painting tent, maypole dancing, Morris dancers, and the soft play tent for the under 5s ensure that no one will go home bored. I’ll be bringing you the latest news; photos and videos live from Camp Bestival on social media throughout the weekend, so follow me on Instagram mrbenricci and destinationdelicious for regular updates. Camp Bestival takes places between 27-30July at Lulworth Castle in Dorset. For more information visit http://www.campbestival.net/ and buy tickets from Ticketline. Ben Ricci Sound sculptures, a thought provoking if somewhat macabre photographic exhibition of unclaimed corpses dressed in high fashion, cutting-edge video installations set up in dilapidated warehouses, the sadness of a water journey for a Syrian refugee’s family brought to life in the ‘Sea of Pain’, a water installation, and a dark labyrinth that echoes the voices of exiled poets inside a 40-foot pyramid constructed of cow dung. These are some of the memorable encounters I experienced at the 3rd annual Kochi Biennale held in the coastal state of Kerala in India. Spanning 12 venues and with 97 participating artists from 35 countries, Kochi comes alive with art, performance, talks and workshops. Its spectacular setting in Fort Kochi, a water-bound extension of the mainland, lends the Biennale its unique atmosphere. The Kerala region has been a trading centre and a melting pot for centuries, with seafarers from Arabia, China and Europe seeking the spices that Kerala was famed for. Fort Kochi’s amalgam of old churches from the Dutch and Portugese period, synagogues, forts, trading warehouses, old homes and palaces have been creatively utilized by the organisers to create a special ambience for artists to show their work. The whole aesthetic experience is cleverly tied together with an 88-chapter text of ‘Baroni,’ a novel by Argentinian writer Sergio Chejfec stenciled across the city walls. Since the start of the three-month event in December 2016, there have been 800,000 visitors to the Biennale, according to the organisers. I visited in mid-March in sweltering heat, just as the build up to the final ceremony was starting. As an artist myself, I came away with my conviction strengthened --- art is an essential medium to discover, challenge, and turn on its heads our pre-conceived notions of the world. The theme of the Biennale ‘Forming in the pupil of an Eye’ came to Sadarshan Shetty as the curation process developed. He had initial conversations with Raul Zurita, the Mexican artist, and things organically grew from there. This was Shetty’s first curating experience and he wanted to create a ‘space’ where the artist/curator relationship was symbiotic, “I was merely the facilitator of a shared space,” he told me over lunch at Solar, a café frequented by the Biennale crowd. I asked him how artists were responding to the space, meaning of course the physical space of the Biennale’s setting. “What do you mean by space? Your perception and mine are very different,” Shetty said. Our Biennale guide, Anjali, a student of English from Hyderabad University, emphasised the “interactive” nature of the exhibits and encouraged us to make our own interpretations of the artwork. For me, the potency of the ‘Sea of Pain’ was a fantastic example of this. The viewer is made to wade through an expanse of water, which connects you to the fate of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year old Turkish boy whose body was washed ashore on a sandy beach in Greece after the boat he and his family travelled in capsized. The image of his crumpled and lifeless body washed up on shore shocked the world and humanized the refugee crisis. The dark maze of the Pyramid of the Exiled Poets, by Aleś Śteger, where the whispers of dead and exiled poets is the only sound you hear as you walk single file, claustrophobic and scared in the dark, recreates in you the fear and repression experienced by poets persecuted for speaking their truth. I cannot but mention the incredible 38-minute video installation Inverso Mundus by the Russian artists AES+F shown on a 15 metre screen. A surreal slow-motion film that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy in a topsy-turvy post-industrial world, Inverso Mundus also questions the power dynamics of today’s world, between the sexes, class, generations and even the animal-human relationship. Yet another interactive piece was Turkish artist Ahmet Ogut's "Workers leaving the factory - Version 2.” Two simple Merritt sewing machine on which a television screen replaces the operative part of the sewing machine stands in an open room overlooking the sea. As you pedal the machine, a grainy video of workers walking out in protest from a factory site plays out on the screen. The viewer, in other words, has to labour in order to view a labour force, in this case, in protest. Indian artists have also been featured heavily. P.K. Sadanandan, a mural artist from Kerala, started on a mural in the traditional Kerala style at the opening of the show and completed the 10-metre mural by the closing week. It depicts the pernicious institution of caste, which is still very prevalent in India. I spoke to him when he was on his final strokes, and hoarse from talking to visitors over the last three months. Running alongside the main Biennale are 20 Collateral events, where more international and Indian artists are given the opportunity to show their work. I visited an exhibition by the recently discovered artist Brij Mohan Anand, who came of age in pre-Independent India and was involved with the nationalist and Communist movement. His energetic black and white etchings on subjects such as the futility of war, social oppression, serve to shock the viewer, but are aesthetic in their own right. Roots/Routes, a collaboration of four Pune-based artists portray the individual artist’s journey in mediums as varied as ceramic, video, sculpture and painting.
The ABC (Art by Children) programme engages 5000 children from across 100 schools in Kerala. It provides a platform for children to engage in high quality visual and performance art and will surely ensure that the rich legacy of the Biennale is kept alive and developed through generations to come. The selection process for the curator of the 2018 edition of the Kochi Biennale is already underway. There is talk of a women being chosen but no one knows as yet. What is certain, if Biennale 2016 is a benchmark, is that it is sure to be another exciting and event of global art standards, where boundaries are pushed and fresh perspectives created.
Outside of the formal Biennale experience, or indeed as a ‘collateral’ experience, there is a plethora of things to do and see, and fantastic places to eat and stay. It is easily accessed from the international airport at Kochi, and getting around by taxi or autorickshaw is easy for first-timers. An overnight houseboat trip on the beautiful Kerala backwaters is highly recommended and can be combined with your visit to the Biennale. To fully immerse yourself in Biennale, allow yourself a week to visit. To avoid disappointment, book early and stay at Secret Garden, a fantastic, reasonably priced boutique hotel. It’s also worth enjoying a houseboat experience with Bay Pride Tours. I hope that this provides you with a taste of the joys that attending an international biennale can bring and that it whets your appetite for the Kerala Biannale in 2018. Elinor Seath Magnus Plessen's 'The Skin of Volume' exhibition was my first visit to the White Cube Gallery, Mason's Yard. One of four White Cube sites across London, this petite gallery tucked behind The Ritz was an old electricity station in its former life. Today, it features an expanding programme of exhibitions, hosting a wide range of art from international artists.
In this exhibition, Magnus Plessen presents a series of provocative images exploring the impact of war on the human form. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the artwork has a playful, child-like quality and his use of vivid colours is striking against the back drop of the black walls. There are two main rooms in the Mason’s Yard White Cube. In the first, Plessen’s work is presented in a dimly lit room with black painted walls, which add an air of drama. In the larger space down stairs, the walls are white, which created a lighter atmosphere. In addition to the larger works of art displayed in the two main rooms, I loved Plessen’s smaller ink on paper works in the lobby, which showed a completely different side to the artist. I was also thrilled to have caught a glimpse of the founder of the White Cube dynasty, Jay Joplin, and his new beau! While I tend to prefer my galleries on the larger side, allowing me to get lost within the space, I absolutely loved this exhibition and was immediately transported into Plessen’s world. It's definitely worth a visit for anyone who's a fan of vivid, modern art. Magnus Plessen ‘The Skin of Volume’ White Cube Mason’s Yard Dates: Now until 14th January 2017 http://whitecube.com/ Elinor Seath |
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