events

This month in our gallery: a collection of live sketches by artist Inga Bystram. Inga's work is a personal yet universal story of finding one's own way to resist and support political causes. For Inga, the most suitable way is through her art. At protests, she perches herself on her little stool and diligently goes about depicting the dynamic energy of the demonstrations through her quick yet detailed sketches that she completes in real time. Free.

‘Flirting On An Escalator’ and ‘I Saw Michael Caine’ are two simply brilliant debut anthologies from Bettina Schroeder and James A. Smith. Embark upon a voyage of discovery with Bettina and James and experience poetry live at their joint launch event. There will also be other exciting poetic talents performing, tbc.   

BETTINA SCHROEDER is a London based multimedia artist. She has been writing verse and spoken word pieces with and without musical accomplishment for many years and loves performing live. “Bettina Schroeder revels in the joys of travel on London buses, of passing through the netherworld of airports, of wandering like a twenty first century Dickens through the streets of London. All this with an acute eye, with humanity and with humour. These are sensuous poems that reward the reader” -Hank Wangford

JAMES A. SMITH: On a roll of inspiration since the recent publication of his first book of poetry ‘I Saw Michael Caine,’ James A. Smith will choose from old favourites and brand new verses, checking in on romance, grief, overheard conversations, and his love of nature, all performed in his characteristic conversational style. “You really capture the atmosphere of places - you conjure up that magic portal where the reader can see and feel what they’re reading. It’s a kind of alchemy” -Robyn Hitchcock

This month in our gallery: Rug Hooking by textile artist Graham Hollick. Innovating and subverting the age-old technique of Rug Hooking, Graham Hollick's textiles are steeped in tradition but his imagery remains resolutely contemporary. Taking cues from sources such as street art, evocative masks, found graphics and landscapes, his work leads the viewer to reflect on the human condition. They are made entirely with materials derived from used clothing and textiles.

Pop Formation is an new series of works inspired by the Pop icons and lyrics from Graham's formative years. Free.

 All good comedy club

We are hosting a Comedy Club, on the 1st Friday of the month. The Comedy Club 

show-cases some of the most exciting rising stars of London’s vibrant, contemporary circuit. Come & check out some of London’s emerging comedy talent, and experienced comics trying out new material!

Join us to mark the birthday of Douglas Adams in the style of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Featuring:

-A talk by Kevin Jon Davies, Editor of 42.

-Awful poetry and the chance to inflict it on other people. Prize for the worst poem of the night.

-A bar that (as well as beer, wine and other conventional Earth drinks) offers The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster nb: local recipe and ingredients ;D

-A free drink if you arrive wearing a dressing-gown and carrying a towel. 

Connecting creativity and upcycling of common household materials. Learn how to create a classic intaglio image on the suitable Tetra Pak carton and how to print it.

Learn how to adapt the traditional engraving print technique on metal plates to the suitable Tetra Pak carton of drinks and foodstuffs. The tutor will guide you throughout the steps from creating an image and its mark making strategies on the plate, finishing with a small limited series of prints. Because of the fact that Tetra Pak is a versatile material recycled, accessible to everyone and practically ready to use, the workshop is a fantastic opportunity to experience the expanded printmaking boundaries about techniques and methods. For beginners or refreshers on printmaking, all are invited to be creative while helping to save the environment. With Ananda Kuhn`s tuition.

Ananda Kuhn is a Brazilian multi-artist, working and living in London. Focused on painting and printmaking she studied Fine Arts in Brazil, graduating in 2012. Since then she has integrated more than 70 exhibitions, including 8 solo shows and 10 international art prizes, and her artwork is part of public collections of the most important museums in South Brazil. While in the UK, in 2022 she opened DIATRIBE Printmakers in Bristol, an art space focused on teaching the variety of printmaking techniques, and supporting the local art community. Since she moved to London she has been sharing her love for art at care homes, supporting residents with dementia, connecting art and wellbeing.

Noisy Silent Film Club - aka local sound artists Ark Potyka and Sam Enthoven - are delighted to return to the shop for a live soundtrack screening of classic silent film FILIBUS - the finest 1915 genre-busting gender-flipping steampunk caper movie ever seen! Join us!

Do you like retro video games? So do we!

On the back of our board games afternoon, we realised there's a few of us who love the classic days of gaming. So we'll bring some classic consoles and games, and feel very free to bring your own.

Whether you want to play, show and tell, or just have some drinks and chat about classic video games, come join us!

At the very least, we'll have a PlayStation Classic, an N64 and a Japanese DreamCast up and running, along with anything you want to bring.

This is a free event, but if you'd be up for donating a fiver to the shop, that'd be lovely.