Culture Calendar #36: Picks For The Week
Wanna know what's on in London this week?
Look no further...
w/c 18th September
WHAT: Slave/Master
WHERE: The Victoria & Albert Museum
WHEN: All week until Sunday 24th September
Slave/Master is a free week-long installation taking residence in the V&A until Sunday, combining contemporary dance, robotics, and projection graphics. An intriguing premise, Slave/Master is fully interactive, engaging audiences as a part of London Design Week, with events throughout the city. With help from the London Contemporary Ballet Theatre and graphics by renowned studio BR Innovation, Slave/Master aims to deconstruct the barriers between human and robotic experiences, minimising the traditional collective public fear of a robot future.
WHAT: BFI x MUBI Present: On Body And Soul Preview + Q&A
WHERE: BFI Southbank
WHEN: Monday 18th September
Bear with me, but yes, we are suggesting a Hungarian language film. Not known for their cinematic output, writer-director Ildikó Enyedi puts Hungary back on the map, in an early Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film. Once you slip into the subtitles, this film explores a classic trope of love in hard times; in this case an especially grim eastern European slaughterhouse. Middle-aged manager Andre meets Mária, the new quality control babe, and a surprisingly delicate romance ensues. Enyedi’s first film in eighteen years, the BFI are hosting a Q&A afterwards to pick her brains and practise your Hungarian. Élvez!
Get tickets here.
WHAT: The Jesus And Mary Chain
WHERE: The Forum (o2 Kentish Town)
WHEN: Wednesday 20th September
The Jesus And Mary Chain spent most of 2015 re-touring their 1985 debut album ‘Psychocandy’ in full to rapturous, nostalgic audiences of old men. Though the Reid brothers may themselves now be grumpy old men, I was relieved when they came through with a new album this year. ‘Damage And Joy’ proved they’ve still got it, with confidence to steer away from the ‘Pyschocandy’ formula. ‘Always Sad’ and ‘The Two Of Us’ are particular faves, and this tour is expected to cement The J&MC as a relevant and modern band, now they’ve got all that dirty nostalgia out of their systems.
Book tickets here.
WHAT: Basquiat: Boom For Real
WHERE: The Barbican
WHEN: Opens Thursday 21st September
The first large-scale UK exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work has been garnering a lot of deserved attention recently, as hype builds for a major collection of Basquiat the likes of which hasn’t been seen for years. Jean-Michel died at 27 in 1988, and his star has been posthumously on the rise ever since, one of his graffiti paintings selling for $110M in 2016. Undoubtedly idolised in death, Basquiat is nonetheless a remarkable talent, and deserves to become a household name over here as in his native USA. The Barbican exhibition will include his infamous graffiti works, alongside photography, film, and rare ‘archive material’ (whatever that means), until January 2018.
Book tickets here.
WHAT: King Lear Live From Shakespeare’s Globe
WHERE: Cinemas Nationwide
WHEN: Thursday 21st September
Thankfully a lot of the early snobbery for live theatre broadcasts has died down and they are rapidly becoming the norm for the London bestsellers. The Tung reviewed King Lear at The Globe earlier this summer and can heartily recommend it, and a cinema might be preferable to standing in the yard as autumn rolls in. Kevin McNally has announced he may do ‘something fun’ for the cameras, and any chance to watch a Globe performance whilst sat in a cosy cinema chair with snacks and central heating should not be passed up.
WHAT: Nasty Women UK
WHERE: Stour Space, Hackney Wick
WHEN: Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th September
It’s hard to define exactly what Nasty Women UK is. As a collective, Nasty Women describe themselves as “a global art movement that serves to demonstrate solidarity among artists who identify with being a Nasty Woman in the face of threats to roll back women’s rights”. The UK branch are hosting their first event this weekend; part art exhibition, part festival. Expect talks, comedy, music, spoken word and workshops, with all proceeds going to End Violence Against Women, a leading coalition of specialist women’s support services working to end violence against women and girls in all its forms. No complaints here.
Let me say first, unequivocally: this is a beautiful piece of work…