Things to see and do: May 2015
1. PHOTO LONDON 21ST-24TH MAY
Big news for photography buffs and collectors; Somerset House is hosting London’s first international photography fair, Photo London. It’s like Frieze for photography, or so I’m reliably informed, and will include up to 70 of the world’s biggest photography galleries, as well as exhibitions and an impressive programme of talks (speakers confirmed include Steve McCurry, Stephen Shore and Mitch Epstein). Come nightfall, there will be music to accompany the imagery, with a different event every night happening in the catacombs. My pick is Saturday night when Rinse FM DJs will provide the soundtrack to Bill Bernstein’s 1970s disco imagery (above) from his forthcoming book, Disco – The Bill Bernstein Photographs.
2. MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE AT CHATSWORTH – UNTIL 23RD OCTOBER 2015
I had no idea Chatsworth was such a contemporary art and design destination! But it turns out it is, so I’m definitely making time to visit. Make Yourself Comfortable at Chatsworth celebrates the art of the chair, with designs by Thomas Heatherwick and Marc Newson mingling with the Duke and Duchess of Chatsworth’s personal collection.
3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND CONFERENCE: MAY 9TH
It’s all about Alice In Wonderland this month, with endless amounts of Alice-themed activities going on to celebrate 150 years of the ribbon-haired one. I’m enjoying re-reading Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland in its snazzy Vivienne Westwood-designed harlequin-patterned jacket. Event-wise, I’d choose the one-day conference next Saturday at the V&A Museum Of Childhood, which will explore Alice as both follower of fashion and trend-setter.
4. FONDAZIONE PRADA OPENS ON MAY 9TH
If you happen to find yourself in Milan anytime soon, head to the new Fondazione Prada. No, not for the art, silly, but for the in-house café, Bar Luce, designed by Wes Anderson. OK, if you must look at art, head to the Thomas Demand installation, ‘Processo Grottesco’ – his intricate paper sculpture will blow your mind.
5. SONIA DELAUNAY AT TATE MODERN – UNTIL 9TH AUGUST
Last year we had Matisse – The Cut-Outs, this year’s colour and pattern fest comes from Sonia Delaunay at Tate Modern. I’ve always loved her work but don’t know much about the woman so I’m mad keen to see this UK retrospective of the collaborative multi-media artsist. For now, I’m loving this off-beat video with Caroline de Maigret.
6. SELFRIDGES PRESENTS WORK IT – UNTIL MID JUNE
Selfridges has a new in-store campaign and this one is exploring the world of work. As usual, there’s a million strands to the campaign, one of which is the express beauty experiences in which you can get yourself one of a number of speedy lunch hour beauty treatments. Oh and here’s an important diary date: On Wednesday, I will be in conversation with Fashitects’ Toni Tran and What Olivia Did’s Olivia Purvis, where we’ll be discussing blogging and how we make it work. All 100 tickets were snapped up instantly, so it’s standing room only now, but the talk will be streamed live on Periscope which I believe you can sign up through via Twitter. It’s all happening on Wednesday at 6.30pm so get your P.A to diarise…
WORDS: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl
IMAGES: Photo London image copyright of Bill Bernstein, used with permission; Fondazione Prada image via Ilpost.it
