Features
Grading a nation by protecting its structural history
There’s something very British about ‘listing’ buildings. The process of protecting historical and artistic mainstays has been going on since the end of World War II when deciding what structures should be rebuilt in the event of future bombings. Its legacy… Read More
London is divided and united by its river; one of few cities in the world to find its essence in two profoundly different, yet nearly touching, urban characters. Born in Milan and arriving with little previous knowledge of London, Matteo Pericoli made an intensive 20-mile… Read More
Stimulating experiences have never been in short supply during Dance Umbrella’s 33-year history, but this autumn the annual London-based international dance festival seems determined to surpass itself. The work on offer runs the gamut from interactive performances to revivals of bona fide classics,… Read More
Rooftop dance at Peckham’s über-cool Bold Tendencies
So is Peckham the new Hackney? Well, if Bold Tendencies is anything to go by, then it’s definitely looking in the right direction. Founded in 2007 by the Hannah Barry Gallery it has become an institution in itself; an essential summer-time destination complete with… Read More
In my humble and not remotely biased opinion any London visitor should not miss a single artwork in this fine town. If though, your visit isn’t to last a number of years and you need to limit the number of artworks you ingest;… Read More
Is sport art? A question I'm sure which has been debated on many an occasion but one where no definitive answer has ever been provided, and probably never will. One question that has been answered however, and emphatically so, is whether sport and art… Read More
Playground city: An interview with art architect Nicola Read
The 815agency is a new kind of architectural practice interested in the idea that a new building isn't always the solution to a client's problem. Set up by Nicola Read in 2010 their current interests include abandoned spaces, urban infrastructures, high streets, narrative, ritual,… Read More
Buying Narnia: The simple magic of owning a work of art
Opposite Fortnum and Mason’s, another great British institution and temple to beautiful things, stands Burlington House - once home to Lord Burlington, the archetypal neo-Palladian architect who remodelled the existing house into a manifesto for the fashionable style of the age. The Royal… Read More
Five fantastic gift shops, with great galleries and museums attached
A museum geek friend recently pointed out that the things we mostly buy in gift shops aren't really gifts at all. At least not ones we intend to give to other people. Instead the modern museum gift shop is primarily intended for visitors to… Read More
There's an art to getting the most out of a city like London. Culture is a moving target, and time out increasingly a thing of the past. We're all time starved at the best of times, and yet our appetite for anything… Read More
