Krapp 39 and All I Want for Christmas: Two lives, poorly lived
Lawrence has thrown away his life, counting down the days until he is the right ages, 39 and 69, to take the leads in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape. Spending his days wandering between psychotherapeutic whinges, snuffing out birthday candles by sucking the light into the pit of his existence. Today, a year shy of forty, he is finally ready to be Krapp.
02 Dec 2010
The Black & White collection
‘Bobby Gillespie’. Image Courtesy of the Artist
Standing tall next to the music photographers who inspired him, Andy Willsher’s Black and White Collection is somewhat awe-inspiring. A long established NME photographer, Willsher has photographed anyone who is anyone in rock ‘n’ roll, from the Foo Fighters to Paul Weller, in a way that really captures both the playful and serious side of their career. A thrilling display of such iconic, stunningly composed images, this exhibition is one for music, art and photography fans alike. Until 31 Dec. The Book Club, 100 Leonard Street, Old Street, EC2A 4RH www.wearetbc.com
02 Dec 2010
Francesca Woodman
From Space 2 Series Providence Rhodes’ Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery
A retrospective encompassing 100 photographs taken by the enigmatic Francesca Woodman between 1970 and her untimely death in 1981, this exhibition explores but a snippet of the artists’ 800-strong archive. Rare coloured prints and other unseen photographs sit along aside familiar images of Woodman’s body, as she plays with sexuality, performance, furniture and fashion in carefully arranged compositions. Truly compelling, Woodman’s work often identified with the performative nature of photography, reflected in the blurred movement beneath cracked surfaces, off-kilter focuses and stunningly haunting shadows. Experimenting with her body as both the object of the gaze and the acting subject behind the camera, her work is perfectly brooding, flirtatious and beautiful. Until 22 Jan. Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, Angel, N1 7RW 020 7336 8109 victoria-miro.com
02 Dec 2010
Suki Chan: Utopia on the Horizon
Suki Chan ‘Interval II’ Film Still Courtesy the artist and Tin Type Gallery
Notable for their dream-like aesthetics, Suki Chan’s breath-taking panoramic films often trace abstract human narratives through urban environments. Possessing a rare clarity, this specific exhibition features Chan’s crisp and honest photographic series A Place On Earth, which focuses its lens on the newly sprung fraught, tense and yet hopeful towns in the suburbs of Shanghai. ??Until 18 Dec. Suki Chan will be speaking at Tin Type with Artesian Magazine co-editor Gareth Evans on 8 December. Tin Type Gallery, 23-25 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch High St, E2 7DJ 020 7503 9642 www.tintypegallery.com
02 Dec 2010
Bloomberg New Contempories 2010
Vasileios Kantas ‘Red Ball’ Image Courtesy the artists the ICA Gallery and Bloomberg New Contemporaries
A snapshot of today’s emerging artistic trends, the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition returns to the ICA once more to showcase work from some of the most exciting young artists around. Displaying work from over 49 artists, highlights include the aesthetic wonderment of Sam Knowles ‘Field’ series and Darren Harvey Regan’s ‘Aletheia’ in which a taxidermy bird appears to stare at its own reflection. Merely a photograph mounted on a shiny black surface, the work plays with shadows and mirror effects as the heavy light creates a real shadow of the taxidermy and of the audience. The exhibition is not only completely free but is offering free, guided tours to introduce to the collection. Guided Tours: Wednesday – Fridays 2-6pm. Guided tours by exhibiting artists: Sunday 2-6pm 5 & 12 Dec. Meeting point in ICA Reading Room. Until 23 Jan. Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, Charing Cross, SW1Y 5AH ica.org.uk
02 Dec 2010
Exhibition of the month — Byroglyphics
Having only begun exhibiting solo in 2008, his current show seems effortlessly curated as it ranges from physically hand-made collages to more mechanically generated impressions.
02 Dec 2010
How do I tell my boyfriend I fantasise about other women?
I’m a 21-year-old woman with bi-curious tendencies who’s been in a committed relationship for four years. He’s sweet and kind. We share a lot of interests and get along very well. Thing is, I don’t know if I’m meant to be in a committed relationship. For the past year and a half, I’ve been thinking about what things would be like with another man. I also frequently imagine what it might be like to sleep with another girl. In fact, whenever I’m masturbating, I get more excited by lesbian scenarios than straight scenarios—although I’ve never been able to come.
02 Dec 2010
Snipe Exclusive: Everything Everything (Entrepreneurs Remix)
Who’d have thought that the preposterously catchy “Photoshop Handsome” by ubiquitous indielords Everything Everything could be improved? Entrepreneurs do, evidently – they’ve inject their “Socratic Suplex” remix with a languid, bass-heavy punch without disturbing the intricate hi-speed hooks of the original. A remix of the year contender.
Photoshop Handsome (Entrepreneurs Socratic – Suplex Remix) by snipelondon
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02 Dec 2010
Present ideas for book lovers
It’s December. Which makes it time to start buying presents. Don’t leave it too late, or you’ll find yourself rushing round on Christmas Eve like a lunatic, desperately trying not to get your sister a scarf for the thrid year running. Snipe speaks from bitter experience. If you happen to know a book lover, here a five ideas for a distinctive literary gift. NB. None of these are Kindles, which are the devil’s work.
The latest Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this new project is beautifully conceived. He’s taken his favourite book and, in a burst of alchemy, created from it another book. Is the final product more or less than the sum of it’s parts? Snipe hasn’t read it yet so we don’t know. We’d love to find out.
A pretty little wordy necklace
These are cute. Necklaces the pendant of which contains the word of your choice cut out from an old dictionary. Very sweet.
Quirky bookmarks
Now, no one is suggesting you just get your beloved some bookmarks for Christmas. That way lies a smack in the face. But if you’re gifting a book, they add a lot of extra thought for very little extra cost. This way lies extra slices of cake and various other Christmassy rewards.
Penguin’s new Fitzgeralds
It wasn’t Snipe’s intention to recommend something from the Penguin website. Give us some credit for occasionally trying to be original. You cannot, however, argue with pure beauty, and that is what lies before us here. As if the novels weren’t good enough, just look at the covers. Gaze at them. Drink them in like a jazz age cocktail. The design for Tender is the Night is…well…I’m going to stop before I embarrass myself in public. (Full disclosure: the author of this Top 5 is a gimp who owns two books on book cover design. It’s weird).
Classic fairy tales
Sometimes you know someone likes books, but you don’t know what sort, or what they’ve already read, or whether they’re going to turn their nose up if you get them the latest Twilight/Millennium/Dan Brown etc. This is a good solution. It’s timeless, but has a contemporary feel. It’s nostalgic, but edgily gruesome. It’s cute, but has dark, foreboding illustrations. Problem solved.
Or, if all else fails, get them a Mills and Boon. At least you can guarantee they’ll read it.
02 Dec 2010
Black Dice & Growing » 2 December
The Dome | 178 Junction Road, N19 5QQ
Upset The Rhythm present two very different iterations of electronic noise music here. Black Dice’s most recent works are chittering, systematic progressions, like pressing your ear to the grass if the earth was turned up to one thousand and eleven. At other times their sets have been more indulgent, blasting out crashing waves of ear-splitting distortion. Growing, on the other hand, alternate between shimmering post-rock, tectonic drones and techno minimalism on record; live, they often lean towards the latter. In short, neither band’s set will be predictable, apart from that aurally sensitive audience members should definitely take along their earplugs.
02 Dec 2010
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- An interview with Desiree Akhavan
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- Peter Bayley has worked for 50 years as a cinema projectionist in East Finchley
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
- The best church names in London, and where they come from
- Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
- Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
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