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  • Mother Goose review: a dame good show at Hackney Empire!

    Clive Rowe as Mother Goose and Kat B as Billy Goose in Mother Goose at Hackney Empire. Photograph: Robert Workman
    Clive Rowe as Mother Goose and Kat B as Billy Goose in Mother Goose at Hackney Empire. Photograph: Robert Workman

    There’s a homecoming atmosphere to the Hackney Empire pantomime this year, with Clive Rowe and Sharon D. Clarke returning after a break from the annual giggle-fest.

    Rowe is regarded as one of the best dames in the business, making the title role in Mother Goose the perfect vehicle for his talents – it being the only pantomime with the dame at the centre of the tale. Set in Hackneytopia, it’s a more-complex-than-average plot featuring two warring witches who become pitched in a Faust-like battle for Mother Goose’s soul.

    A gold egg-laying goose sent to help Mother Goose only makes her “money mad”, and so a morality tale begins. Plot aside though, this is a comic caper at its core. The jokes are laid on thickly, with dancing skeletons, a rowdy kitchen scene with smashed plates, innuendo for the grown ups and one-liners aplenty.

    A huge vulture even makes a cameo for the sake of a topical gag. Rowe meanwhile is back to his boisterous best: bursting out of a pie, cheekily flirting with a terrified member of the audience, quick witted when ad-libbing and quicker still with the multiple costume changes. Writer and director Susie McKenna is wicked witch Vanity, though her high-pitched Grotbags impression is no match for Sharon D. Clarke’s effortlessly cool good witch Charity.

    Even hardened panto cynics would struggle to fault Clarke’s singing, from her sultry rendition of ‘I’m Every Woman’, to duetting with Rowe on Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’, which had the audience in the aisles. Hats off to Stephen Edis’s score then, which eschews soppy ballads in favour of soul classics, balanced with chart toppers such as ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen.

    Clarke and Rowe may steal the show, but there are fine turns from supporting characters. Kat B as Billy Goose is the most likeable of unlikely romantic heroes, and green haired henchman Frightening Freddie (Darren Hart) received perhaps the greatest compliment of all: the character’s trademark yelp could be heard long after the curtain went down while the audience filtered out – the sign of an enjoyable night.

    Mother Goose is at Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ until 4 January
    www.hackneyempire.co.uk

  • Winterville gets underway in Victoria Park

    Sink the Pink at Winterville. Credit: Sink the Pink
    Performance party: Sink the Pink are coming to Winterville. Photograph: Sink the Pink

    Victoria Park has been transformed into an East London Christmas kingdom this December, guaranteed to get East Londoners in the festive swing.

    Taking place throughout the month until 1 January, the festive event has something for everyone, even the grinches among us. Covering most of the park, Winterville transports Londoners to a frozen wonderland. Set out like a mini town, it features a classic fairground, market place and town square, brimming with festive treats.

    Crash about in a dodgem cart, shriek your way through the hotel of terror or try your luck at winning a plush soft toy. If that’s enough to make your stomach turn, sup a craft beer at Brewdog or warm your cockles on hot buttered rum cider in the Hot Cider Bar.

    What’s more, feast on a scrumptious array of the best street food East London has to offer, including jian bing pancakes at Mei Mei’s Street Cart, burgers at Butchies fried buttermilk chicken and soft shell crab at the Crabbie Shack. For those with a sweet tooth, Bad Brownie delivers with decadent flavours like peanut butter and bacon and maple syrup.

    For Christmas shopping, peruse The Bizarre Bazaar Victorian Market run by Marbles and Ware Collective for an incredible selection of handmade gifts including puppets, paintings and kaleidoscopes.

    Skating lovers can slip and slide over to the outdoor ice rink, or hit Bump Roller Disco with special guests like Optimo and Will Viper to provide the soundtrack. The little ones will love The House of Fairy Tales for the ‘Make it Market ‘with live shows and artists to entertain.

    One of the highlights is the Dutch wooden Spiegeltent with a huge variety of cabaret, club nights and the Robin Hood pantomime.

    Whether you’re a kid or just a big kid at heart, wrap up in your warmest woollies, grab your spare change and head to Winterville for top quality food and entertainment this Christmas.

    Winterville is running throughout the month until 1 January in Victoria Park. See website.

     

  • Art to the Streets of East London

    Lerato Shadi, Makhuba, performance/installation, 2014. Photo by Erik Dettwiler
    Lerato Shadi, Makhuba, performance/installation, 2014. Photo by Erik Dettwiler

    Over the years artists have been invited to ‘speak to the street’ and following a 2013 ROSL Visual Arts residency at Hospitalfield Arts, artist Lerato Shadi presents Makhuba, a new work to be created over six days from 9 – 16 December. Thereafter it will remain as a trace of her daily actions.Lerato Shadi uses her own body to investigate ‘the politics of transformation, or transition, from absence to presence, subject to object, inclusion, exclusion and vice versa‘. Makhuba is a companion piece to a work performed in Berlin and Johannesburg in 2012, Seipone, where she wrote about her past, and on alternate days she created and erased words. Her new work will focus on the future. She will conjure a future for herself connected to society, placing herself in the world. She will again write and erase.

    Performance for this artist is a journey for herself as much as for those watching. Lerato Shadi explores assumptions about the (black) female body and how performance creates a stage to make the body both visible and invisible. Using time, repetitive actions as well as stillness, she questions ‘How does one create oneself?’. Seipone, meaning mirror in Tswana, reflected on whether you can lose your past and who is in charge of one’s own history. Makhuba, translated as ‘to wave/paddle’, will question whether one can project a different future for oneself, and how in our imaginations we all live very different lives.

    Shadi will undertake a performance in Rivington Place’s large window (on Rivington Street). She will write and erase on alternate days over six days from 9 until 16 December, and thereafter her actions will remain as a trace until 4 January 2015.

    Live: 9-16 December 2014

    Installation: until 4 January 2015
    Iniva, Rivington Place’s street facing window
    Live: 9-16 December 2014
    Live performance: Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm
    Installation: until 4 January 2015 visible from Rivington Street
    Christmas closure: 24 December 2014 – 2 January 2015
    Venue: Iniva, Rivington Place, Rivington Street facing window
    London, EC2A 3BA
    Rivington Place is open:
    Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 11am – 6pm
    Late Thursdays: 11am – 9pm
    Saturday: 12noon – 6pm

    Tubes: Old Street/Liverpool Street/Shoreditch High Street
    Rivington Place is fully accessible, for parking & wheelchair facilities call +44 (0)20 7749 1240

  • East London artist paints UK’s tallest mural to highlight crisis in affordable housing

    Tall order: Stik puts finishing touches to Big Mother mural
    Tall order: Stik puts finishing touches to Big Mother mural. Photograph: Joyce/Division

    East London artist Stik has painted the tallest street artwork in the UK to highlight affordable housing issues and to show solidarity with groups such as the New Era estate tenants and Focus E15 mothers.

    The mural, entitled Big Mother, stands 125 feet (38.2 metre) tall, and is painted on a condemned tower block in Acton, West London.

    Painted in Stik’s characteristic style with two large-eyed, long-limbed figures against a bright yellow background, the artwork depicts a mother and child gazing forlornly from their soon-to-be demolished council block at the apartment complexes being built around them.

    Stik, who started painting 10 years ago whilst homeless in Hackney, said: “Affordable housing in Britain is under threat, this piece is to remind the world that all people need homes.

    “The mural is a symbol of solidarity with the pockets of resistance across the country like Focus E15 single mothers community and New Era estate in Hoxton who are refusing to leave quietly.”

    Big Mother by Stik is painted on Charles Hocking House, Bollo Bridge Road, South Acton, W3 8DA East Acton Estate, 10 minutes from Acton Town tube station and is visible from the Piccadilly line and London flight paths.

    Charles Hocking House was built in 1967 for low income families and is due for demolition in 2016.

    'Forlonly
    Gazing forlornly: Big Mother. Photograph: Joyce/Division

  • La Grace Du Ciel at Gallery Extreme

    La Grace Du Ciel
    La Grace Du Ciel, from 2 December at Gallery Extreme

    La Grace Du Ciel is the name of the opening show at a new East London art gallery – Gallery Extreme.

    The show is a homage to the cultural icon that is Grace Jones and is curated by her close friend Moussa Sanogo.

    This exhibition showcases a group of upcoming artists and their interpretation of what Grace represents to them.

    Gallery Extreme can be found at Morrell House in the heart of Shoreditch, within the iconic ‘sub-terrainian’ wonderland that is ninetyeight bar and lounge.

    The collection will be available to view for a week from 2 December 2014 – please note the launch evening is by invitation only.

    For the guest list please contact bookingsatninetyeightbar@gmail.com

  • Patti Smith and Caribou to play at Field Day

    Field Day headliner: Caribou. Photograph: Thomas Neukum
    Field Day headliner: Caribou. Photograph: Thomas Neukum

    Some of the main acts for Field Day have been announced, with Ride and Caribou headlining and punk legend Patti Smith also confirmed for the weekend festival, which will be held in Victoria Park on 6–7 June next year.

    Patti Smith, the 63-year-old ‘godmother of punk’, shot to fame with her 1975 debut album Horses, which she plans to perform in full on the main stage on the Sunday to mark 40 years since its release.

    Smith will be joined by Ride, the cult shoegaze act who will be returning after a 20 year hiatus to headline Field Day Sunday, while electronic maestro Caribou, fresh from releasing the critically acclaimed album Our Love, is to headline the main stage on the Saturday night.

    The ninth edition of Field Day sees a festival debut for composer and avant-garde violinist Owen Pallet, a return for ambient Brooklyn four-piece DIIV, while Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile will be appearing with his side project Ducktails.

    World music, as ever, will form a significant part of the line-up, with Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia set to be one of the highlights. Meanwhile, Russian techno DJ Nina Kraviz will be headlining the Bugged Out tent with her signature blend of acid infused house and techno.

    There will be ample respite from the music at the Village Mentality area on the Village Green, including side stalls inspired by country pastimes fete games such as sack racing, tug of war, tea bag tossing, a winkle-picking competition and, for the brave/foolhardy, a return of 2014’s nettle-eating competition.

    Field Day Festival will be held in Victoria Park on 6–7 June 2015

    Book tickets here: http://fielddayfestivals.com/tickets/online-tickets/

    #FDLondon

  • Argentine film festival returns to Hackney

    Living Stars
    Two to tango: Real people were filmed dancing in Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat’s documentary Living Stars

    Winter is finally sinking its fangs in, but citizens come warm yourselves in some Argentine sunshine this week as Hackney plays host to some of South America’s hottest cinema.

    The Argentine Film Festival, now in its third year, returns to London from 27–30 November, with screenings at Hackney Picturehouse and at Brixton Ritzy, kicking off with black comedy Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales) this Thursday.

    A hit at Cannes a couple of months ago, the film is produced by the Almodóvar brothers and directed by Damian Szifron, already selling two million tickets back in Argentina and sure to get the festival off with a bang.

    Movies & Malbec

    Meanwhile, for those of you familiar with some the country’s more widely-known exports such as Malbec and Tango (or anyone that needs an extra incentive for watching sub-titles), this year will see a dedicated wine hub set up shop at the Gallery Bar in the Hackney Picturehouse.

    It sounds like Punto Argento will be the perfect place to rendezvous to talk about the films, with the Tango Light troupe performing between screenings for a real taste of Argentine culture. “We’re delighted to be back for our third edition with a knock-out programme that includes three of Argentina’s highest-grossing films from the last 18 months, as well as some amazing gems from the international festival circuit and some unique documentaries,” says the festival’s director, Sofia Serbin de Skalon.

    El Cine Argentino

    The fact that we can now go to a festival of Argentine films at all is of course, in itself, notable. Forty years ago the country’s movie industry was still muzzled by a paranoid military junta, which chased some of the most promising filmmakers of a generation underground or into exile.

    When democracy returned to the country in the 1980s films like La historia oficial, which deals with the horrors of the regime, received critical acclaim, but like many foreign-language films at the time did not gain mainstream traction outside of Latin America. However, there’s no doubt films from this region are beginning to resonate with international audiences, with high-profile movies such a Walter Salles’ Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and Fernando Meirelles’ City of God (2002) helping pave the way for Spanish language movies in non-Spanish speaking countries.

    The Oscar win for El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in their Eyes) in 2010, however, can be seen as a significant inflection point for Argentine cinema, with Hollywood shining a spotlight on the country’s rich film heritage. It was by no means the country’s first big prize, but its surprise box office success did much to win over new audiences.

    What’s On

    Over the weekend you’ll have the chance to see 10 contemporary films from and about Argentina. As ever, there’s a rich sweep of styles and genres, from Death In Buenos Aires about a detective solving a 1980s high society homicide in the country’s shaky first steps of democracy to Cerro Torre, which explores the ethics of mountaineering and the ascent of Patagonia’s most-dangerous mountain.

    Also not to be missed is the Nuevos Talentos section, where you can watch seven short films from some of the country’s most-promising young directors. This is well worth checking out for a flavour of the sharpest talent in Argentina right now, with films exploring everything from Argentina becoming a safe haven for Nazis after WWII to beauty queens.

    Argentine Film Festival is at Hackney Picturehouse and Brixton Ritzy from 27–30 November.

    www.argentinefilmfestival.co.uk

     

  • Princess of Wales – review

    PrincessOfWales 620
    Pub royalty: The Princess of Wales

    Where Lea Bridge Road meets the River Lea is The Princess of Wales pub, like the proud gatekeeper of Hackney, welcoming in commuters, travellers and lorries from Leyton, Walthamstow and beyond.

    A few years ago The Princess got a makeover and on a dark autumn evening the pub is a warm and welcome respite from the frantic traffic of the nearby road.

    At the heart of the pub is a stove fire (a rarity in London’s boozers) and the interior is light and warm – almost nautical, befitting its canal side situation. We sat in the dining area, which was snug like a living room, all mismatched retro furnishings and dark aubergine walls. There is a terrace facing the canal and picnic tables out by the towpath, making it an ideal summer watering hole.

    The wine menu offered an impressive selection, including a Dorset cuvée and house Viognier. There were ales and Aspall cider on tap, being enjoyed by a number of punters propping up the bar.

    For starters was a generous board of charcuterie, which came with fresh leaves and strips of sweet grilled peppers. The large prawns that came with my partner’s calamari were juicy and well-seasoned.

    For mains he had sirloin steak medium rare, which came on a wooden chopping board atop a pile of dressed leaf salad and triple dipped chips. It was excellent: the steak succulent and pink, and the chips alone were worth the visit – with skins on, crunchy and piping hot. The quail, if a little overcooked, was beautifully presented and came with a delicious butternut squash puree. We managed to secure the last slice of pecan pie, which was sweet and nutty – just as it should be.

    This pub does the pub grub options well – our neighbouring table was tucking in to good-looking fish and chips; the steak is worth returning for, not to mention the triple dipped chips, which are some of the best in Clapton at least.

    It’s a nice, mixed crowd at Princess of Wales, lacking the pomp of some other East London gastro pubs and with the advantage few others have of being tucked away by the canal.

    The Princess of Wales, 146 Lea Bridge Road, E5 9RB

  • Emma Ware: sustainable jewellery for the 21st century

    A piece by jewellery designer Emma Ware

    Emma Ware is a sustainable force to be reckoned with. Hovering on the border between jewellery, art and fashion, she creates unique pieces from found objects. The end result is delicate yet tribal, moulding to the natural forms of the body. Ware abandoned a career in television to start her own business in 2009, gaining meaningful, creative independence. Gaining initial inspiration from the inner tube of a bicycle tyre, her brand has now grown substantially, acquiring a loyal fan base and international recognition.

    What inspired you to become a jewellery designer?

    Jewellery is something I’ve experimented with at various stages in my life. I just love being in control of the whole process, of making a wearable piece of art from start to finish, and then selling it.

    How long have you had your studio space in East London?

    I’ve had a studio in Hackney Wick for six years, and I sometimes live in Hackney as I’m on a boat and we move around.
    Describe your aesthetic and favourite materials to work with. It’s really hard to describe subjectively, but I guess in a few words:
    bold, quirky, tactile, sexy, contrasting. I’ve been working with rubber and chain, and now I’m using leather and precious metals. It seems I like materials with a weight and a presence that I can reform into a completely new object – something more than the sum of its parts.

    And do you think that your time spent in East London has influenced your aesthetics?

    Seeing how bold East Londoners can be with their style is inspiring and it’s always good to be able to picture my work on real people. The eclectic mix of cultures, music, and creativity sucks you up and encourages you to be a part of it.

    Which collection has been your most memorable?

    My rubber collections follow on from each other and have been my main focus. It’s these that have taken me into my fully-fledged career as a designer, which is pretty memorable.

    Is there anything that you think sets East London designers apart from the rest?

    I guess we’re all here for the same reason, for the freedom of creativity which is ‘normal’ here and everything that comes with it. There’s loads of amazing stuff going on all over London, but it does feel like East London is the place to be, the cutting edge of international design even…

    Favourite spot in Hackney? 

    The canals, no question. They’re so beautiful.

    What’s next for Emma Ware?

    I’m excited to see where my designs will go. I’ve decided not to limit myself necessarily to jewellery and if things want to get bigger, I’ll let them. I’m imagining sculptures, mobiles and costumes.

    www.emmaware.co.uk

  • How to design happiness into your life

    Designs on happiness: Paul Dolan. Photograph: Jochen Braun
    Designs on happiness: Paul Dolan. Photograph: Jochen Braun

    Is there a key to being happy? One would assume so, judging by the title of Paul Dolan’s Happiness by Design.

    But if you are looking for a spirituality-meets-science explanation of how to ‘design’ happiness into your life, this book will only give you half of what you wish for.

    Hackney-born LSE professor Dolan is an economist and behavioural scientist, and it shows. There is nothing approaching metaphysics here and philosophy is only mentioned in the conclusion.

    Once Dolan lays bare his assumptions, he approaches human experience mechanistically. Using hundreds of studies he suggests ways to be happy, or – more in line with his thinking – to design your ‘context’ so that happiness is produced more easily.

    His book is full of dozens of conclusions from studies on happiness, maybe too many. Some of these are fascinating. For example, spillover effects from being ‘good’ (e.g. doing some exercise) often lead to more undesirable effects (gaining weight by rewarding yourself with cake). This is the “promoting, permitting, purging” nexus of behaviours.

    Are you a “pleasure machine” or a “purpose engine?” How much pleasure would you trade for purpose (by having children, for example)? And are you making the mistake of basing decisions on your evaluative self rather than your experiential self?

    These questions are backed up by a few sense-making frameworks. Dolan invokes his intellectual hero, the Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman’s system one and system two thinking; the first system is fast, instinctive and emotional, while the second is slower, more deliberate and logical. The message being that you may think you are in control but – guess what? – your context is driving you through system one.

    This book is academically rigorous in how well-referenced its claims are, though peppered with few anecdotes about Dolan’s own life and opinions. It is also lean on the kind of generalisations or narrative structure that make other books on psychology or self-help titles easily accessible. This is densely packed prose, which may not suit the casual reader.

    Perhaps most useful and original is Dolan’s own academic contribution about the role attention plays in manufacturing happiness. “Your happiness is determined by how you allocate your attention,” he writes. “The scarcity of attentional resources means that you must consider how you can make and facilitate better decisions about what to pay attention to and in what ways.”

    This is an economist speaking, cool and rational. “If you are not as happy as you could be then you must be misallocating your attention,” Dolan continues.

    The Dalai Lama is reported to have said: “If there is ever a conflict with religion and science, science wins.” Well this is science. And as such it corroborates parts of other approaches towards finding happiness that do in fact work. Approach this book like a mine. You won’t remember it all but you’ll almost certainly find valuable nuggets to make it well worth your time.

    Happiness by Design: Finding Pleasure and Purpose in Everyday Life is published by Allen Lane. RRP: £19.90. ISBN: 9781594632433