London On The Cheap

By Kira Last edited 189 months ago
London On The Cheap
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So very many opportunities to take advantage of this week in London! Summer's in full swing, and there are more outdoor festivals, gallery shows, lectures, film screenings, and general merriment than we know what to do with. Get started with this round-up for those light on the pocket jingle-jangle.

Monday: Fancy yourself a BobCat? Heard all the rare B sides, own all the bootleg vinyls? Perfected your famed 3-pints deep gravelly-voiced rendering of 'Blowin' in the Wind'? Then a rare showing of Bob Dylan's watercolors and gouaches is up your alley. Free, but reservation of timed tickets in advance a must here. Halcyon Gallery, through 13 July. Extra tip: if you're reading this column but still somehow have £1,500 lying burning a hole in your vintage waistcoat pocket, this gallery also offers the opportunity for you to get your hands on one of Dylan's limited-edition prints.Tuesday: Tonight, Amnesty International sponsors a free showing of The Exonerated, a gritty exposé of the American justice system starring Brian Dennehy, Aidan Quinn, and the beloved Danny Glover (who doesn't love him?) At 6.30pm at the Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard. Free.Wednesday: Scoot over to the East End after work for a guided tour through a lovely Spitalfields-area unrestored Huguenot silk weaver's home coming up on its 300th year. A locus of civic engagement by immigrants over the centuries, with a synagogue built in its garden, this fascinating architectural artifact of London's diverse immigrant history offers a rare public viewing, talk, and tour. 19 Princelet Street from 5.30-7 pm, £6, £5 concessions.Thursday: If you’re feeling rather Antwerpian and in the mood for a lecture (two things that may or may not ever, ever occur to you, but still—), then take advantage of Gresham College’s regular free lecture series. Tonight’s lecture situates the Elizabethan merchant and Royal Exchange founder Sir Thomas Gresham in the context of 16th century Antwerp and London.Friday: A new exhibit linking a wide group of artists featuring a diverse range of media, all working off of the theme of 'the suitcase' opens this week at The Crypt at St. Pancras Church. 'Carried Away - Life in a Suitcase II' on display through 28 June. Free, 12-6 pm.Saturday: The Camberwell Arts Festival is a week-long festival with myriad events, exhibitions, open screenings, talks, walks, and more. From presentations by S.C.U.M. to video installations of five Hasidic Jews playing underwater basketball (a sentence we never thought would be formed, but there it is), the festival promises a diverse roundup of events well worth attending throughout the week. Through 22 June.Sunday: West End Live brings the top musical theatre acts in town to you for free ninety-nine all weekend. Subscribe to the newsletter here for show times and updates. Featured performances include acts from Chicago, Grease, Lord of the Rings, Dickens Unplugged, and more. Leicester Square, noon to 6 pm. Or, you could just stay in and ... no, really, there's no alternative. Sorry. Too many lovely things on offer this week and we will be personally offended if you don't take full advantage.

Image courtesy of Dartar's flickrstream.

Last Updated 16 June 2008