Lots to see and do this weekend - don't succumb to staying indoors and waiting for spring. Grab your coat, keys, wallet and camera and keep going - there's no stopping in this town and no excuses either...
Tonight
Because the Night is a special event organised by Artangel to celebrate the end of the Nights of London which saw many artist collaborations producing and presenting work on the theme of darkness and night time. Tonight's event sounds quite extraordinary: bat experts, paranormal researchers, music and cabaret, sleep scientists and a screening of Hitchcock's The Lodger (A Story of London Fog) in the intriguingly named smoking room are just part of a very packed programme, held in the old Bethnal Green Town Hall. Because the Night, tonight, 7.30pm to 3.00am, Bethnal Green Town Hall, tickets are £10.00 each. For more information go to the Artangel website here.
It's the last Friday of the month so of course, it's time for the Friday Late @ V&A. This month's late opening coincides with the Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment and Design exhibition and has a theme of invention - visitors can explore all types of inventions ranging from home-made disasters to staggering successes and will also have the chance to see the Next Big Things from the graduates of Innovation RCA and Interactive Design Royal College of Art. Live music, a bar, general relaxing and unwinding in an environment slightly more stimulating than a crowded pub is the key thing for the evening. Friday Late @ V&A, tonight, 6.30pm to 10.00pm, free. For more information go to the V&A website here.
Tomorrow and onwards
It's the Elefest! We've really enjoyed elephants in the capital this year, and there's one last pachyderm themed weekend before 2007... it's more arts-based than animal based, but it is held in Elephant and Castle and has a cute name so we're mentioning it in the Culture Crawl. This is the third festival celebrating the creative and cultural diversity of the Elephant and Castle area, and is a showcase for live music, photography, dance, short films and videos by local people. Readings, talks and workshops make up the rest of the programme and it's worth a visit to see the area and its people in their current state before regeneration stampedes across the territory. Elefest, from 25 November until 3 December, all events are free. For a full programme of events, go to the Elefest website here..
Through the Looking Glass is the first major UK exhibition of contemporary Korean art and uses the idea of Alice going through the looking glass as a unifying theme for the artists and audience, experiencing new forms of perception and vision in this cultural exchange. The exhibition runs throughout Asia House, even replacing chairs in the cafe with specially commissioned new work and a full programme of talks, workshops and panel discussions will run alongside the exhibition. Through the Looking Glass, from 23 November until 3 March 2007, Asia House on New Cavendish Street, W1, £2.00 entry . For a full programme of events, go to the Through the Looking Glass website here..
Image Untitled (News) by Beom Kim, as part of the Through the Looking Glass Exhibition.
