Our interns have once again put together a diverse list of recommendations for things to do in London. Speed dating or churches, you decide!
Ilkka’s pick: Last Night a Speed Date Changed My Life
When Love Actually or The Holiday doesn’t feel the same anymore I can recommend trying something different. Last Night a Speed Date Changed My Life didn’t actually change my life but it did change my attitude towards dating. In this modern era when your life is filled with social media it’s nice to meet people face to face once in a while. The atmosphere at the event is relaxed and accepting and I was wondering “why didn’t I try this sooner?” Currently they are not organizing LGBTQ+ events which is a pity (but this might change in 2020).
The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard St, Hackney, London EC2A 4RH
Tuesday 14th, Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th January 2020. Tickets from £10.00–£25.00.
https://last-night-a-speed-date-changed-my-life.designmynight.com/
Eeva’s pick: Choral Evensong
I can’t say I’m a religious person by any means so telling people to visit churches might come off as a bit of an odd choice. I appreciate all kinds of music and have a great appreciation for religious architecture, so I’m going to go for it anyway. Choral evensong is a centuries old choral tradition where you can experience a high-quality choral performance in a spectacular centuries old setting. Evensongs take place daily around 5pm and last for around 45 minutes. In London you can go experience Evensong at cathedrals such as St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. This is also a budget-friendly way to explore these legendary London landmarks, as Evensong is always a free event (and normal visitor tickets to these places can cost you up to 15-20 pounds!).
Choral Evensong at St Paul’s, please check the daily schedule as service times are subject to change: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/calendar/month
Free admission, no need to book.
St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Choral Evensong at Westminster Abbey, sung daily, except on Wednesdays. Please check the daily schedule as service times are subject to change: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-music/services-times/regular-services/evensong
Entry is via the Great West Door or the West Cloister Door, just tell the guards you are going for an Evensong and they will be happy to let you pass.
Free admission, no need to book.
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA
Sara’s pick: Tim Walker – Wonderful Things
Do you like surrealism and fashion? In that case, I would recommend escaping from the big city buzz and dive into Tim Walker’s fantasy worlds in his exhibition Wonderful Things at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Tim Walker has been one of my favourite fashion photographers for a while and probably the reason why I got interested in fashion photography as a teenager. His style is known as extravagantly staged imagery with fine details, often inspired by different folklore creatures and art artefacts ranging from medieval to modern art. The exhibition allows you to follow the photographer’s creative process through pictures, films and installations. In addition, ten new series of photographs influenced by the V&A’s collections are shown.
Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Until Sunday 8th of March. Tickets £15.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/tim-walker
Rosaliina’s pick: Misbehaving Bodies: Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery
If you’re around Kings Cross, go to visit the Wellcome Collection! The free museum and library aims to challenge how we think about health by combining science, medicine and art. I’m particularly interested in their current exhibition Misbehaving Bodies that will be running until the end of January. It includes photographs by Jo Spence together with Oreet Ashery’s recent video pieces. Neither of the artists deal with the human body, health or illness the way we’re used to. Instead the exhibition offers an artistically curious take on a subject often perceived as scientific and clinical.
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK. Until 26 January.
Free admission.
https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/XFHHShUAAAU_pE70
Photo: “Victoria and Albert Museum” by Evan Didier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 2.0 Generic License.
