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27 Jan
2012

Dickens on Your Phone: A Tale of Three Apps

Posted by in London 4 Comments

Among the events and activities celebrating Charles Dickens’ birth (the big day is 7 February), are these fun Dickens-themed apps. Follow in Dickens’ footsteps (with the aid of GPS!), examine one of his manuscripts, or enjoy a Dickensian graphic novel – all from the comfort of your smartphone:

Dickens: Dark London, Museum of London

Museum of London has launched an interactive graphic novel to coincide with its Dickens and London exhibition. Accompany Dickens on his night time walks and experience the darker side of Dickensian London in this app, based on Dickens’ short stories. Dickens: Dark London is illustrated by David Foldvari and voiced by actor Mark Strong. New editions will be released monthly. Dickens: Dark London, iPhone and iPad only, first edition free, subsequent editions, £1.49

Treasures by The British Library

Get your fingers on a handwritten draft of Nicholas Nickleby with The British Library’s Treasures app. This fascinating manuscript from the library’s collection is now available to view in a digital format on your phone, and shows the corrections and alterations Dickens made to the story. Among the other, erm, treasures on the app are sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, a first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and audio excerpts from the library’s expert curators. iPhone and Android editions (£2.39), HD iPad edition (£3.49)

Dickens Map on Spottd

Find and visit highlights of Dickensian London on location-based sharing app Spottd. The Dickens map pinpoints famous locations from his novels, as well as some of Dickens’ own favourite haunts, including his family home in Camden; The Prospect of Whitby pub; and The Old Curiosity Shop on Portsmouth Street (often cited as the inspiration for the novel of the same name). Spottd, iPhone only, free

What do you think of these apps and are there any we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below?

9 Jan
2012

What the Dickens? Why London’s Novelist is Everywhere in 2012

Posted by in Arts, Special Events 3 Comments

You may have caught the BBC’s Great Expectations adaptation over Christmas, and already seen the fantastic Dickens and London exhibition at the Museum of London, but for fans of London’s most famous novelist, the phrase “please sir, can I have some more?” has never been more appropriate.

7 February 2012 marks 200 years since Dickens’ birth and institutions and organisations all over the world are staging a variety of cultural events to celebrate.

The programme, called Dickens 2012, is being co-ordinated by the Charles Dickens Museum and Film London and patrons include Sir Derek Jacobi, Peter Ackroyd and Claire Tomalin.

In London – the city that Dickens more than anyone else helped to document and mythologise – venues include the British Library, BFI Southbank and of course the Charles Dickens Museum. The main highlights are:

Other Dickens 2012 events are at the V&A Museum of Childhood, the V&A itself and there’s even a Dickens book club at Foyles bookshop. (My 2012 resolution is to finally finish Little Dorrit).

For more information on Dickens 2012 visit www.dickens2012.org. And use the comments below to let us know if you’ve enjoyed any of the bicentenary events, or even your favourite Dickensian London spot.

7 Dec
2011

Dickens and London Exhibition at Museum of London

Posted by in Arts No Comments

Winter, Christmas and Charles Dickens just seem to go together so this morning was the perfect time to visit the Dickens and London exhibition at Museum of London, before it opens on Friday.

Dickens often walked the streets of London at night to piece together ideas for stories and characters. This exhibition takes you on a similar tour of Dickensian London, showing how the city he called his “magic lantern” inspired his famous tales.

Like any Dickens novel, there’s plenty of information about the grimy, poverty-stricken side of London in the 1800s. But there are also cheerier aspects on display, such as a beautiful painting of people enjoying Hyde Park in the summer, strolling, relaxing and playing – just like Londoners do today.

My favourite exhibits were:

  • Handwritten letters by Charles Darwin, plus one of his own inkwells
  • A display of period doorknockers (straight out of A Christmas Carol!)
  • Dickens’ writing desk and chair

Also, Museum of London have added to their excellent app collection with Dickens: Dark London, a gorgeous-looking, graphic novel app, with monthly additions, available from 9 December.

Dickens and London, Museum of London, 9 Dec-10 Jun (admission charge). Get two-for-one entry to Dickens and London with our special offer

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More….

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens in 2012 with more Dickens-themed activities in London:

  • The Charles Dickens Museum: See where the author lived between 1837 and 1839
  • Meet Ebenezer Scrooge: Visit one of Dickens’ most famous characters in the grottos of Museum of London and Museum of London Docklands between 27 December and 1 January, and win a prize if you can cheer him up!
  • The British Library: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural examines how Dickens used supernatural phenomena in his stories. Until 4 March
  • BFI Southbank: Dickens on Film showcases archive footage of classic Dickens adaptations and examines his contribution to film and television history. 15 December
  • Charles Dicken’s London: Our guide to the London landmarks featured in Charles Dickens’ novels
11 Oct
2011

Mauritius in London: Music, Food, Stamps and the Dodo!

Posted by in World in London No Comments

Shreena Soomarah is a copywriter whose parents emigrated from Mauritius more than 30 years ago.

There is no one race, religion, cuisine, or way of life that defines Mauritius. Much like London, life there is a cosmopolitan existence.  No wonder the two cultures get on so well, and so many Mauritians choose London as their second home.

There are a few places you can find Mauritian culture in London:

  • The Mauritian Open Air Festival takes place each July in Down Lane Park, Tottenham, and offers Mauritian cuisine and performances by some of the biggest names in Mauritian music
  • Tune into Spectrum Radio, a radio station based in Clapham, to hear Mauritian sega and soca music, plus programmes dedicated to the Mauritian community in the UK
  • The first Mauritian post office stamps are among the rarest in the world and can be viewed as part of the Tapling Collection at the British Library.  Dating back to 1847, only 500 of each value were produced
  • At the Natural History Museum, you can see a native Dodo.  These are a Mauritian emblem, having been made extinct when the country was colonised

Where else can you find Mauritian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

23 May
2011

Out of this World at the British Library

Posted by in Arts 1 Comment

The new exhibition at the British Library is subtitled “Science Fiction but not as you know it” and aims to demonstrate the genre’s often overlooked breadth and depth.

Breadth is represented by the range of authors, including writers from 2nd century Roman Empire to 21st century China by way of the Brontë sisters, and topics, everything from first contact with aliens to the end of the world, from cyberpunk to steampunk. Depth comes from the examination of such themes as what it means to be human and how we relate to the universe around us and the technology we use.

The emphasis is on the written word – mostly prose fiction but also graphic novels, comic books, manga and poetry – with original authors’ manuscripts sitting alongside mass-market editions. There are film clips and science fiction inspired music, and should you be inspired, or just think you can do better, you can design your own alien.

In the middle of the exhibition you’ll  find a TARDIS , which when added to the one at the Doctor Who Experience, the one at the The London Film Museum and the real police box at Earl’s Court means London must currently be a nexus in the space-time continuum. Or something like that.

Science fiction fans and newcomers alike will come away with a lengthy list of books they want to read.

Out of this World is on at the British Library until 25 September 2011. Free admission to the exhibition itself. Tickets to the surrounding programme of talks and screenings are £7.50, £5.00 concessions.

22 Oct
2010

Poland in London: Polish Films, Food, Art and More

Posted by in World in London 3 Comments

Karolina Kolodziej from the Polish Cultural Institute tells us where to find a taste of Poland in London for our World in London series.

Since 2004, the cultural picture of the UK’s capital has dramatically changed. “The Poles are coming!” the British newspapers shouted. And so we came… in quite big numbers actually (some estimated the total at one million!).

Polish shops (polski sklep) sprang up in every London borough and our rustling language can be heard on practically every street corner.

But our relationship with the UK goes way back and has for a long time influenced cultural life in the capital. Bonnie Prince Charlie was the son of James Francis Edward Stewart and Polish aristocrat Maria Klementyna Sobieska, daughter of the Polish King Jan III Sobieski.

Funnily enough, Poland Street in London’s Soho was named in honour of King Sobieski, who won the Battle of Vienna in 1683 defending Europe against the Ottoman Empire’s army.

The Second World War saw the Polish flying aces fighting in the Battle of Britain and our mathematicians helping to break the Enigma code. After the war, Polish soldiers and their families settled down in the UK, many of them in London, choosing areas such as Ealing and Hammersmith to build their new lives.

The next generations became prominent individuals in the capital’s cultural life, from composers, musicians, artists, to museum and gallery directors, film producers and directors, designers, architects… the list goes on.

So find your Polish London! Here are a few clues on how to discover it:

Try our food delicacies. Be brave and venture into one of London’s many Polish shops, buy some kiełbasa (polish name for sausage) for the barbeque and try our bread.

Visit one of the Polish restaurants. We highly recommend Baltic in Southwark or The Knaypa in Hammersmith, which serve modern Polish cuisine and great vodka cocktails.

See some Polish contemporary art. Works of Paweł Althamer, Zbigniew Libera, Mirosław Bałka, Wilhelm Sasnal and Artur Żmijewski can be seen in Tate Modern as well commercial galleries such as Gagosian or White Cube. You can also check out London’s branch of Warsaw gallery Lokal 30.

Look out for Polish classical and jazz music. Our orchestras, bands and soloists visit the UK capital very regularly with concerts in venues such as the Barbican, Southbank Centre or Wigmore Hall.

Every March, we host the Polish Film Festival Kinoteka with the crème de la crème of Polish cinematography being screened at the Riverside Studios, Prince Charles Cinema, BFI Southbank and the Barbican.

Don’t forget to grab a Polish read. Books by established writers such as Miłosz, Kapuściński and Mrożek, as well as contemporaries including Huelle, Tokarczuk and Krajewski, are available in every good bookshop. And for a real literary treat, visit the British Library and ask for the Polish Collection, to see the historical gems as old as 15th century.

So no excuses – Polish London is out there and within easy reach!

Check out the Polish Cultural Institute website www.PolishCulture.org.uk for regular updates on what’s to come. And let us know your Polish London recommendations below…

2 Sep
2010

London Exhibitions: Last Chance to See

Posted by in Arts No Comments

Every September, the current crop of London exhibitions close to make way for exciting new shows. That means it’s your last chance to see some of the summer’s hottest exhibitions…

Closing on 5 September:

Closing later this month:

But don’t worry, there’s plenty to look forward to this autumn. Major new exhibitions include Gauguin, Treasures from Budapest, Serge Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, and the Turner Prize.

14 May
2010

British Library wins Oscar of the Museums World for Innovation

Posted by in Attractions No Comments

Congratulations to the British Library in London, which won a prestigious award at the “Oscars of the museum world” this week.

The library won the Innovation Award for Timelines: Sources from History at the 2010 Museums & Heritage Awards.

These awards recognise and celebrate achievements within the world of museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions.  The Innovation Award is given for the best use of technology in a museum, gallery or attraction.

The British Library’s Timelines: Sources from History is a rich-media interactive technology that allows you to explore the British Library collection chronologically for the first time.

Timelines: Sources from History brings together material from the library’s vast collections and uses Flash technology to allow you to discover historical connections in an exciting new way. As museumpublicity.com explains:

“Users can visually travel through time, finding sources, viewing transcripts, adding items to favourites, and switching timelines – all at the click of a button. Scanning through centuries of images, audio-visual and printed material, users can explore various themed timelines, such as ‘everyday life’, ‘music and literature’ and ‘politics, power and rebellion’.”

Roger Walshe, the British Library’s Head of Learning, says:

“The British Library’s virtual history timeline saw off some impressive competition from the National Gallery’s Love Art iPhone app and the Natural History Museum’s Attenborough Studio to win this award.

“Finding innovative ways of engaging with the past is increasingly crucial… – this timeline demonstrates how we can mesh traditional historical sources with new technologies to support future teaching methods, allowing users to engagingly pursue their own research.”

Find out more at www.bl.uk/timeline

7 May
2010

Murder Killed The Radio Star murder mystery day in London

Posted by in Attractions, London, Open Spaces, Pubs & Bars 2 Comments

On a recent sunny Saturday, I put on my best Sherlock Holmes hat and joined five friends to solve a murder mystery presented to me as”Murder Killed the Radio Star”  courtesy of A Door in a Wall.

The day started at the Vibe Bar in Brick Lane where about 100 people convened to get their briefing, including a list of possible suspects and clues to locations all across London.

This is where the fun started: having pinpointed certain areas to find clues about our suspects, we headed to the city. We covered great mileage including The Barbican, The British Library, The British Museum and Soho to name but a few.

The clues were hidden by ingenious methods of using shops or museums to display pieces of information. We also met with several actors throughout the day who offered gossip for some insights.

After about five hours of running around, with the occasional hop on a bus or tube to save our ailing feet, we returned to Brick Lane to write down our findings and to name our culprit.

We didn’t win, despite identifying the correct suspect, but to be honest after such a great day I don’t think people cared if they had won.

I can’t recommend this enough as this was one of the best days I have spent in London and the bonus was I have  discovered some hidden gems in the city. The company (A Door in a Wall) that organises the event set it up originally for friends but when they realised what fun they all had, they opened it up to anyone.

It takes about three months of preparation to make each day happen, which didn’t surprise me as the level of detail was amazing.  I won’t tell you how much as that might spoil the next event.

I will hopefully be solving the next murder sometime soon. Perhaps I will be Miss Marple next time and perhaps I will see you there. Find out more at www.adoorinawall.com

20 Feb
2010

Uncommon Nonsense: Alice in Wonderland Themed Treats in London

Posted by in London 2 Comments

Excitement about Tim Burton’s new Alice in Wonderland film is still fizzing away, like a tempting “Drink Me” potion…

Happily, there are plenty of places in London you can indulge in your Alice in Wonderland fantasies before the film finally hits our screens.

Alice in the Wonder Room at Selfridges: from 22 Feb
Selfridges’ concept store, the Wonder Room, is being transformed into an Alice-themed wonderland from Monday, in honour of our favourite new heroine. You can see costumes from the film, including Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter suit and hat. You’ll also find Alice-inspired pieces including Stella McCartney and Tom Binns’ Wonderland jewellery; Alice Temperley’s on-trend scent, Alice; plus trinkets like playing cards and chess boards.

Curiouser and Curiouser at the British Library: 23 Feb from 6pm
Join Michael Sheen (White Rabbit), Matt Lucas (Tweedledum and Tweedledee), and Christopher Lee (The Jabberwock) at the British Library for this exciting celebration of all things Alice. There’ll be readings, discussions and film screenings. You can also see a new BL Alice display featuring the original manuscript handwritten and illustrated by Lewis Carroll in 1862, and another costume from the new film.

The Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson: 1-31 Mar
Throughout March, the Courtyard Garden of the Sanderson Hotel is offering The Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea, inspired by the new film. You’ll find treats like Queen of Hearts teacakes; a fruit tart topped with the White Rabbit’s pocket watch; pineapple lollipops that turn tongues from cold to hot; and mint chocolate chip ice cream lollipops that explode with a single bite. You’re sure to leave grinning like the Cheshire cat. Prices from £20 per person.

Mad Hatter’s Film School at the BFI from 6-9 Apr
If you’re between 9-13 years old, don’t miss the Mad Hatter’s Film School: fantastic-sounding workshops and screenings at the BFI. You can compose a soundtrack to the 1903 Alice film; design, make and animate puppets; and use a custom-built mini set, complete with green screen to create your own Alice-inspired world! In the afternoons, there’ll be screenings of different Alice films, including Tim Burton’s new version.

And finally, for all the girls out there who wish they were Tim Burton’s new 19-year-old Alice, I thought I’d share this fantastic photo gallery of Alice fashion from Glamour magazine: I just love it all!

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