I know I said that September in London was full of exciting activities and happenings, but all the fun stuff appears to be happening over the next three weekends. And definitely not today (which is probably just as well, given the miserable weather). So, being at a loss for something thrilling (and dry) to do, I thought I'd flick through the pages of this week's Time Out in search of some places to go. It'll make a change to actually use my copy for once, rather than just forking out £2.99, flicking through once and bunging it in the recycling. I've circled some stuff that looks interesting, and I'm about to head out across town to a variety of free events that I'd not have thought of attending if I hadn't spotted them in the listings. And then I'll report back here during the course of the day, via my mobile, to tell you what I'm up to. Better tuck my magazine away inside a waterproof bag! Cue Saturday Out.
Time Out Times (page 50): The only place to begin is the exhibition of Time Out covers at the Museum of London, celebrating 40 years of the capital's leading listings magazine. Plenty of iconic (and rather dated) imagery covers two walls near the entrance. There are also a few archive copies tethered to the display, including the very first folded A2 sheet from August 1968, so you can flick back and check which veggie restaurants were serving 'rabbit food' and where Jimi Hendrix was playing. Good start. [posted 10:47]
Skeletons (page 51): Twenty-six sets of human remains, lifted from former cemeteries throughout the capital, are on display at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road. It's a minimalist but highly effective exhibition, laying bare the illnesses and chronic conditions of Londoners across the centuries. Roman soldiers with arthritis, babies with smallpox and a variety of nasty dental decay, it's a sobering look at centuries of mortality. And that's the second time I've been introduced to 'spondylolysis' in the last 24 hours. [posted 11:20]
Illumini (page 49): A great place to hide from a downpour is the crypt of St Pancras Church, currently illuminated by some rather nifty modern artwork. The theme here is light, and most of the pieces shine, glow or reflect. Exhibits include dancing dayglo filaments, glowing android torsos, lightbulb-shaped candles and mirrored lightboxes (Amy Winehouse has already bought one of the latter with her face on). Compact but unexpectedly impressive, and getting to wander round a dark undercroft is an added bonus. [posted 12:06]
Cliff Richard (page 65): Britain's most youthful pensioner has a new book out, and this lunchtime he's signing copies at Waterstones in Piccadilly. A queue of mostly 60-ish ladies snakes round the corner from the entrance, and every now and then the doorman allows another batch inside and up to the secondary queue on the first floor. Admittance to the autograph area is by £20 purchase alone, so I was unable to sneak a glimpse of Sir Cliff's radiant face. But streams of departing fans seemed delighted, jabbering away about the smile he'd shot and the photos they'd snatched. Congratulations, young ones. [posted 12:53]
London Through a Lens (page 49): Just round the corner from Oxford Circus, at the Getty Gallery, is this Time Out sponsored exhibition of a century of historic London photographs. Black and white they may be, but they're an extraordinarily powerful way of evoking the past. Londoners themselves are at the heart of it, from a folorn feathered King waiting for the royal coach to crowds of grinning urchins paddling in the Thames. The gallery was surprisingly crowded, and it wasn't always easy to read the informative labels bottom right. But you missed a trick, guys. If you'd had copies of the accompanying book available, you'd have sold a shedload. [posted 13:40]
Brick Lane Thrift Store (page 40): I've headed out to Shoreditch to Time Out's featured 'just opened' shop of the week. Good, I could do with a cheaply-filled slightly-trendy partially-updated wardrobe. But could I find the place? Could I hell. Sclater Street yes, unshuttered shop no. So I've hidden in the beigel shop to escape a rainstorm instead, yum. Next stop, the main event. [posted 14:31]
E17 Art Trail (page 48): From this weekend to next, 300 local artists are displaying their work around the streets and suburbs of Walthamstow. The idea is you pick up a map from a participating location and then track your way from gallery to temporary display space to enjoy what's on offer. Well that was the idea. I struggled in the wind with the flappy map, and the absence of a simple key made working out precisely where to go surprisingly difficult. Several times I walked past a unsigned participating venue without noticing, or missed the crucial message that they were only open next weekend. As a result I've seen a lot of streets, and a lot of rain, but not a lot of art. Some charming ceramics at the Vestry House Museum, some portrait photos in Waterstones' window, a couple of greyhounds and not much else. "It's normally much busier than this," said the lady behind the counter at Penny Fielding Beautiful Interiors, "the shop's usually rammed with people." Not this weekend, dear. If the maps dry out, maybe next. [posted 17:07]
Time Out Times (page 50): The only place to begin is the exhibition of Time Out covers at the Museum of London, celebrating 40 years of the capital's leading listings magazine. Plenty of iconic (and rather dated) imagery covers two walls near the entrance. There are also a few archive copies tethered to the display, including the very first folded A2 sheet from August 1968, so you can flick back and check which veggie restaurants were serving 'rabbit food' and where Jimi Hendrix was playing. Good start. [posted 10:47]
