Late at Tate Britain - The perfect cultural destination for an alternative night out in London

Searching for an alternative Friday night out in London, I found myself looking at gallery lates. I had a distant memory of playing a weird ball game one evening in a grand hall at the Victoria and Albert Museum, so I was looking for something similarly unique to enjoy.

I searched Google for 'London museum and gallery lates' and I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that exists. After a considerable search, I discovered the  The Body (November)  exhibition at Tate Britain. It had something to do with bodies and DJ’s were playing, which was enough information to convince me. I happily found a willing friend to join me, who, incidentally had never been to the Tate Britain, shame on her!

Status at Late at Tate Britain
This season, Late at Tate Britain is inspired by the theme of ‘Status’, and each event will explore a different idea: Power (October), The Body (November) and Celebrity (December). The series will explore representations of status and its parallels with the Tate Collection, from historic royalty to YouTube fame.

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Tache fun times... 

Tache anyone? 
​Looking the part at The Body Exhibition at Late at Tate Britain...


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Some of the unique artworks on display at Tate Britain...

Have a bit of a boogie in a classic art gallery... 

Shortly after we arrived, it was not a promising start. The only alcohol offering seemed to be weird tasting warm beer in plastic cups that you had to queue far too long for. Undeterred, we pushed on through to the grand main hall (where parts of Spectre were filmed), where a DJ was pumping out cool music that  livened the mood.
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After a bit of a dance, we followed the crowds to join a seriously long queue. We had no idea what it was for, but we figured it was probably worth it, given the level of interest from attendees. As we were waiting, we saw girls wandering past us sporting elaborate mono brows and tashes, oh yes – we’re in for some fun!

The Body Exhibition
After waiting for 25 minutes, we were finally inside the exhibition. We were greeted by a female compare in full coat and tails doing a bit of crowd control on her mic. We bee-lined for the table covered in material and glue; we needed to get some facial hair going!

Tache anyone? 
​Mono brow and taches firmly in place, we were ready for action. We scanned the room and unfortunately didn’t feel very inspired. The only activities consisted of colouring in male and female genitals and dressing up in men’s clothes, which just didn’t do it for us.  We left after five mins, feeling a bit disappointed about the experience, but pleased that we had checked it out firsthand to see what all the fuss was about.

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Enjoy some fabulous art...
When we had finished the exhibition, we decided to take advantage of viewing the fabulous artworks on display. From modern sculptures to traditional paintings, there is something for everyone to enjoy. While sadly, the experience didn’t quite live up to our expectations, it still ticked the box for a great alternative night out and I am now on the search for more!

​Elinor Seath