Kim Dong Yoo's 'Elizabeth vs. Diana'

With Britain teetering on the brink of the Diamond Jubilee, the National Portrait Gallery’s latest show The Queen: Art and Image is aptly timed. The exhibition has arrived in London after a highly successful tour of Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, and offers an intimate view of the life of Elizabeth Windsor. Alongside posed portraits and formal photographs, you can expect to see images of the Queen in a relaxed state without guarded body languages or forced smiles.

Tracing the Queen’s life from her ascension to the throne to the present day, the variety of images is impressive, highlighting societal shifts, and evolution in the art world, as well as key moments during Elizabeth’s reign. There are controversial occasions, as highlighted in Kim Dong Yoo’s striking ‘Elizabeth vs. Diana’. Although it’s more than a decade since Diana’s death, the Chinese whispers surrounding the Queen and her relationship with the former Princess of Wales add to the ambiguous theme of the collage piece; an enormous scarlet portrait of Elizabeth composed of tiny images of Diana.

Chris Levine combines old and new in ‘Lightness of Being’; taking a rather unsettling image of the Queen mid-blink in full majestic regalia and diluting the photograph using a hologram effect. The result is breathtaking, with the over-exposed colours creating an almost otherworldly radiance. Created in 2007, the work is displayed in a special black-out section of the gallery, further adding to its impact and allowing it to really stand alone.

No special effects are employed in Dorothy Wilding’s portrait of the monarch when she first took up office. Dating from 1952, the hand-coloured image allows the Queen’s young beauty to shine forth, exuding a charming shyness quite different from the self-assured woman we see in later years. A recent photograph by celebrity snapper Annie Leibovitz adopts a similar aesthetic; with deep, majestic tones capturing a very regal presence. The Queen is resplendent in fur, diamonds and a full length gown, seated in one of the imposing rooms of Buckingham Palace, gazing out of opened windows. It’s easy to se the distinction between the young Elizabeth and the one that has survived the highs and lows of adoration, criticism and condemnation.

There’s a sense of fun in the exhibition too – ‘The Queen’ by Justin Mortimer has cheeky undertones, appearing to show the monarch beheaded thanks to its abstract style. A clash of cultures and generations is evident in a photograph of the Queen meeting with the Spice Girls – an excellent informal addition to the exhibition. One single frame seems to demonstrate that neither really understands the other, but appreciates their mutual existence. Other exhibition highlights include portraits from contemporary artists including Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter and a specially-commissioned image of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh by Thomas Struth.

To see the Queen’s life spread out as visual timeline, it’s easy to become fond of a woman that is usually revered and seen as a formidable character. Paul Moorhouse, Curator of The Queen: Art and Image, and Twentieth-Century Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, says: ‘The Queen is the most represented individual in history – but she remains an enigma. All we really have are images. This exhibition explores the creation of The Queen’s public persona and the way such images reveals a world of changing ideas and values.’

The Queen is a ubiquitous presence in our lives, and yet many of us may feel that we don’t really know that much about a woman who has spent so much of her existence in the public eye. In the year of the Diamond Jubilee, the exhibition presents an opportunity to get to know Elizabeth II a little better, to step back and consider her role over the past 60 years with a critical eye – whether you’re a fervent anti-royalist or support the role of the monarchy in British society.

The Queen: Art and Image is showing at the National Portrait Gallery in London until October 21st 2012. For more information and to book tickets, see the NPG website.

The Queen is a ubiquitous presence in our lives, and yet many of us may feel that we don't really know that much about her...

So are all books really created equal?

According to new statistics, literary classics are being left on the shelf in favour of ‘chick lit’ and crime novels at our local libraries. So does this mean we’re no longer interested in the arguably more highbrow works of Dickens and Tolstoy? And what constitutes a ‘good read’ anyway?

I like to think I’m an equal opportunities reader, open to romance, drama, thrillers and the occasional autobiography, just so long as it’s packaged up in an eye-catching cover and ideally in the ‘3 for 2’ section of my local bookshop. Even so, I can’t help but be a little judgemental when I see an unashamedly girly, pastel pink book cover on a friend’s bedside table, or of the women hovering around Katie Price’s latest ‘autobiography’ at the supermarket.

In March 2007, a MLA survey of 4,000 readers found that almost half of those questioned said that reading classics makes you look more intelligent. It’s perhaps no surprise then that 40% of participants said that they had lied about having read certain books ‘just so they could join in with the conversation’. I’d be lying if I said that I’m not swayed by the press hype, five-star reviews, or compilations of the 1000 books to read before you die type lists – War and Peace remains proud but unopened on my bookshelf ­– but I believe that any book that makes you eager to turn the page is a good read, even if it is frothier than a Starbucks cappuccino, or with more plot holes than a slice of Swiss cheese.

In the last two months I’ve chosen to read three novels that have been turned into big screen films, and I’m eager to make a start on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby before the latest Hollywood version, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, hits the screens later this year. Why? Because if all my friends are talking about a book-to-film adaptation, or an actress I admire has landed the leading role, I want to know more. I want to be informed and entertained, so who cares if a 30-second film trailer was the reason I picked up the book off the shelf?

What constitutes a good read is down to the individual holding the book, and for me it’s all about capturing my imagination and transporting me to another world. The best books are those that make you feel like you’re right there, watching each chapter unfold, whether that’s being buried alive in a remote Swedish forest, or wearing the wrong outfit to a fundraiser in the Deep South in the 1960′s. When you’re so enthralled by a piece of fiction that you can’t wait to get home to read it, that’s a good book.

I may not reach for a ‘whodunit’ or the latest Marian Keyes novel the next time I’m at the library, but in an age where one in six adults in Britain struggles with literacy, surely we should be encouraging those who want to read, regardless of the subject matter. Crime fiction and ‘chick lit’ are ‘easy’ options (you probably won’t need a dictionary by your side to appreciate them) but if they encourage you to come back to the library or bookshop then that’s fantastic. The one thing that all fiction authors have in common is a desire to entertain you, to create that sense of escapism for ten minutes a day which lets you live in someone else’s shoes. Any book that can take its reader on a journey, harness their imagination and flex their vocabulary is fine by me, regardless of whether it’s Herman Melville, Stephenie Meyer or anything in between.

The trailer for The Great Gatsby – you could also read the book…

1923: a Bauhaus puppet made for children

At the Barbican Centre in London, Bauhaus: Art as Life displays more than 400 works of art spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, furniture, graphics, theatre, architecture, photography, film and product design. Fittingly, the last time there was a Bauhaus retrospective in the UK was in 1968, a year comparable to our current times in terms of turmoil. And to those living through such an age, past or present, the Bauhaus art movement offers a compelling alternative vision of how best to live.

Established in Germany in 1919, as Europe adjusted to a new world after the horrors of World War One, the Bauhaus movement aspired to change society by fusing art, work and life. With its aim of creating art for the people and wide social inclusion, the movement’s founding roots were firmly entwined with socialism and was a driving forces behind modernism. As the exhibition unfolds, roughly along chronologically lines, you’re hit by the speed at which the collective found its style, confidence and belief. Its ambitious ideology is matched by its output over its brief 14 years of existence before the Nazi’s came to power in 1933.

The early years were marked by an inward-gazing arts and craft feel as its members began to build their aesthetics. A series of macabre puppets – made for the children of the Bauhaus collective and often in the image of its members – reveal a clash between the craft style materials of wood and wool and the movement to geometric shapes, as do a collection of pitchers in earthen colours and soft glazes from the same year.

Move forward to 1924 and the rate of development astonishes; homewares have been transformed into metal teapots and water jugs, some designed by the head of the Bauhaus metal workshop Marianne Brandt, and all a striking ensemble of geometric shapes and highly polished surfaces. By this point Bauhaus had started to open up to the world, establishing a printing press to disseminate its style and creating uniform designs that could be replicated on the production line. The collective was actively involved in working out how to earn a living and sustain itself independently.

Within two years the Bauhaus took ownership of its new home in Dessau and the movement’s aims were at its most realised. One of its early leaders, Johannes Itten, announced that he wished to lead “all creative activity back to its roots, play” and this concept flourished in the mid-twenties. The collective’s centre, itself epitomising the modernist architecture style of space and form developed by Bauhaus, included work/live studios and large central spaces that served as canteen, lecture hall, theatre and party venues.

Throughout this period the movement began to document its members in extensive black and white photography, as it pursued its experiment in joyful living. Theatre was prolific, with all aspects of the building used to stage productions. Costume parties and gift-giving were integral to the ideology of the group, and one feels an urgency in its demand for playfulness that counters the destruction and terrors of the previous decade, with performance becoming part of everyday life.

By 1926, Bauhaus furniture designs had evolved into the timeless pieces that are so familiar and intrinsic to what we consider contemporary, modern style. The tubular steel frame and stretched material seat of Marcel Breuer’s club chair, has been repeated endlessly since its creation. The same can be said for his practical but colourful series of nesting tables in hues one step removed from the primary colours that his fellow Bauhaus member, Kandinsky, was driven by just half a decade before.

But if this interplay between the aesthetic concerns of its members was so intrinsic to its output and its socialist principles, it also was a rising source of tension. Long before the Bauhaus community was disbanded in 1933 after growing hostility from the Nazis, the community struggled with the pragmatic concerns of how to make money and generate sales. Its members didn’t fail to notice the irony that its desire to create ‘art for the people’ often resulted in products that were priced out of the reach of ordinary citizens. This conflict between art and economic sustainability finds resonance in today’s society just as much as the Bauhaus’s loftier desire to build a better society through the principles of creativity.

As Kate Bush, Head of Art Galleries at the Barbican, explains: ”The Bauhaus was inspiring not just because of the extraordinary group of brilliant, visionary people who worked and made art there, but because it was fuelled by an idealism and a commitment to creativity and experiment that remains ever more relevant today.”

Yet ultimately the sheer audacity and ambition of the Bauhaus makes this exhibition exhilarating viewing as one leaves feeling that this experiment in social and artistic experiment can only encourage a new vanguard.

Bauhaus: Art as Life is showing at the Barbican Centre until August 12th. For more information and to book tickets, see the Barbican website.

The Barbican displays Bauhaus design: Josef Albers' set of four stacking tables from 1927 and Marianne Brandt's 1924 'Tea Service'

Fox&Squirrel's Penelope Sacorafou

Penelope Sacorafou is one half of the talented young team behind Fox&Squirrel; a London based company which creates curated walks around the city. Rather than focusing on traditional tourist attractions and historic sites, Fox&Squirrel’s unique tours offer participants an authentic view of London, curated by creative professionals who love their city and are excited to share it with others. Guides include art experts, stylists, photographers and foodies, all brimming with local knowledge and fascinating tidbits that show a different side of the city and how diverse creative currents contribute to London’s evolution – on a daily basis.

Aside from heading up Fox&Squirrel, Penelope has many other strings to her bow, working on fashion communication campaigns, contributing to various art and fashion publications, and undertaking academic research on the effects of the Rich Mix arts venue on East London and its ethnic minorities. Plus she’s currently running in heels preparing for the Fox&Squirrel pop-up shop, a project in collaboration with Guts for Garters! We spoke to the entrepreneurial wunderkind to find out a little more about Fox&Squirrel’s fashion, vintage, art, architecture and food walks, and why she’s still every bit as in love with London.

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

To be honest it came into place rather organically. I graduated from King’s College with an MA in the arts at the peak of a recession. Every other young lady wanted to be involved in the arts, so in the midst of this rat race I had to distinguish myself from a very talented and highly-educated crowd. I set up a blog, Fox&Squirrel, which gave me a platform to write  about the arts while my great friend JoJo wrote about fashion. This immediately became a platform for us to showcase our knowledge and expertise. As our audience was mainly foreigners wanting to find out creative happenings in London, we eventually started to receive requests from our readers to not only inform them but to also offer them the experience. And, that is how Fox&Squirrel Walks came about, and I suppose how I ended up as an entrepreneur.

Why did you set up Fox&Squirrel?

Initially, Fox&Squirrel was a blog – a platform for creative exchange – through which I spoke to my compatriots in the Balkans about London. I wanted to tell them there was much more to the British capital than Oxford Circus and Piccadilly. At the same time, it offered me the opportunity to meet people in the creative industries. The blog eventually grew and became so popular our readers started to request that we guide them through London. I realised that a number of talented and highly educated people were in the same position, and so I set up the walks element. The mission was, and remains to showcase London’s creative make-up whether that’s the guides who are art curators, art historians or stylists, or the talent we feature on our itineraries.

What do the lifestyle walks involve?

We came up with lifestyle walks as an umbrella term for our walks and services that conveyed the message that our walks were centred around our client’s lifestyle and our walks were an experience that showcased the way London caters to every individual lifestyle. We also came to the realisation that our individual lifestyles dictate where and what we do in our city. Coming to terms with this we realised that our mobility is restricted by our lifestles.  So, our walks were also about getting out of those self- imposed territorial boundaries.

Why London?

Well, for one I live here so it naturally made sense. But, I also think that London is the perfect city to start our luxury walking company. Geographically, London is very flat, therefore walking is easy, it is large and diverse so many nooks and crannies to explore. It is constantly changing and evolving, which makes many people feel a bit lost and unable to keep up. It is the world’s cultural and creative hub but it is not accessible to all. Londoners and visitors are both fascinated by this – but need a service such as Fox&Squirrel to assist in experiencing these scenes.

What are the virtual walks?

Virtual walks are the main feature of our bi-weekly newsletter. We ask a London personality to suggest a walking route in an area in London, pinpointing their favourite bars, cafes, shops, and in general local independent businesses. Our mission is to support indies but to also get people out walking and discovering their city.

What kind of people come on the tours generally?

That is an interesting question. We attract quite a diverse demographic. Our public art walks that take place once a month on a Saturday afternoon attract anyone from young professionals to pensioners, both female and male. Our private fashion walks tend to attract more women, and we cater to clientele from teenagers to recently retired ladies. We also have had several walks for men, and though these are mainly booked by their female partners, our gentleman fashion walks have been great successes.

Participants on a London fashion walk...

How did you get to where you are today and would you do anything differently?

I have a good team of creative, dedicated and innovative individuals. Natasha Hoare- who heads the art walks- is a great team player. She loves the brand and the art walks so we are constantly talking about ways we can improve and other projects we can get involved in. Cassie Beadle and Rachel Chudley who head the vintage walks are an encyclopedia of vintage destinations and are constantly researching and sharing their knowledge.

And, finally Fox&Squirrel’s business developer Alexia Latham is so energetic and in love with Fox&Squirrel, I cannot think of a better person to spend my working days with steering Fox&Squirrel into new avenues. I think communication and a good team are essential for any start -up and I would advise anyone at the beginning of their project to seriously consider creating a team of people that share the enthusiasm before starting. I think that is what I would have done differently, I would not have started solo. It is too much to do and you need others to make sure you give yourself reality checks.

Who helped you along the way?

Everyone I mentioned above, but also my family. My father gave me the confidence to start off. He is an entrepreneur so he knows the highs and lows that come with starting your own business. He also gave me vital advice on company structures. While my mother has always been a source of comfort whenever I have had a tough day.

Who inspires you?

My grandfather. From a young age he told me to make sure I love my job as that is where I will spend most of my life. From my Greek side I stem from a long line of entrepreneurs who are self-made. All of them at some point in their lives have become refugees, losing their homes and left with nothing.  But, they all managed to make it for themselves with sheer determination, and great work ethics.

What do you think is the biggest problem in British society today and what is the most positive thing?

Implementing sterile regeneration programmes that as a result break-up  communities and drive the less fortunate out… London has thrived and developed because of its diversity and we need to make sure that it remains so. Generating regeneration programs that are based on shopping malls is destructive. Communities and areas need to be able to develop organically, in a bottom up way rather than a top down manner. The most positive thing is the diversity and the sensitivity towards achieving equality.

Do you feel British or European?

This is a difficult question. My father is Greek and my mother is English, while I grew up in Cyprus. European would be ideal as it could include all of those nationalities and cultural influences, however, with the current European crisis and particularly the financial turmoil in Greece I am feeling more and more upset with the European nationality. In London, this question is rather mundane. London is such a melting pot of nationalities it does not matter what one feels. I would like nationalities to devolve to the cities. I feel like a Londoner, (and that is not playing into  Ken Livingstone re-election campaign!)

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Radio 4…

What couldn’t you live without?

I am not sure actually. I could not function without my laptop but then sometimes I long for time away from it- so I suppose holidays!

Fox&Squirrel's monthly public art walks attract anyone and everyone; from young professionals to pensioners, both female and male

Dream purchase?

A house with a garden and wooden floor boards.

Favourite movie?

Labyrinth with David Bowie. I used to watch it all the time when I was a child, and to this day it still has the same effects on me as it had when I was 10.

Favourite European city and why?

London, is home so naturally I favour London. But, saying that my origins are in Athens, and with the current dire straits it is in I am morally obligated to promote Athenian beauty, life, and culture. It is the crossroads between the Middle East and Europe and as a result of that the culture is unique , diverse and lively. I would suggest everyone visits it. Plus a myriad of islands are a short boat ride away from Athens, and they are all unique.

How do you stay motivated?

When people like Alice Revel, editor of Running in Heels, shares my enthusiasm for Fox&Squirrel. When managing a start up its absolutely mandatory to feel encouragement by other entrepreneurs. (Ed: Thanks Penelope, back at you!)

Desert island book?

I have recently challenged myself to read every single classic. At the moment I am reading 1984, so if I was stranded on an island tomorrow that would be my book.

Favourite bar?

I have many- but I recently discovered a speakeasy in Old Street that is still a bit of a secret and I like that so won’t be revealing it  but instead prompting you to go walkies and try to find it.

Favourite London places?

I love food so it must be St John’s Spitalfields, and I love going to the movies so my favourite cinema is Screen on the Hill.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In London, working for Fox&Squirrel.

What’s next for Fox & Squirrel?

You will have to follow us to find out. It is all go go go at the moment so many things are happening – most I cannot reveal.

Can you run in heels?

I can run in heels, I can even  play football in heels!

An Architecture & Food Walk with Fox & Squirrel and creative duo Art For Eating

Hemingway's Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises

If you fancy a holiday but can’t quite face the thought of having to pack your suitcase (or raid your bank balance), then we suggest you pick up Ernest Hemingway’s Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises. You won’t even need to bother with suncream.

Through the acclaimed writer’s words, we are introduced to 1920′s Europe: the dusty, scorched exoticism of Pamplona contrasting with the sophistication and mystique of Paris. Expat Americans – many of them writers such as Hemingway himself – often travelled around Europe; they’d sit on the pavements outside shabby cafes, squinting in the sunshine, smoking cigarettes and drinking gin, sunbathing in the balmy temperatures before returning to their hotel to write their next article. They were, theoretically at least, living the dream.

Written in Hemingway’s sparse style, you won’t find gushing descriptions in this novel. Rather, every word hammers home the uncomfortable, heartbreaking truths that his book represents. He presents a world on the brink of massive change and by the end of the novel his hero and heroine are still suitably uncertain, fragile – and perpetually hopeful.

Hemingway’s book is a perfect slice of social history, capturing the spirit and attitudes of the Western world in the aftermath of the First World War (you can read more about Hemingway’s own war experiences in this article). The characters are struggling with what they have become in light of the global destruction and horror; they are now nomads, travelling around Europe, absorbing the culture and doing their utmost to escape the realities of their lives. However, they are all painfully aware of the fact that, try as they may, this simply won’t work;  “going to another country doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried all that. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”

The 30-somethings who met the war full on were described as the ‘lost generation’ by the American writer and critic Gertrude Stein. Their lives were changed irreparably by the impact of the First World War, and as a result they sunk into damagingly decadent lifestyles as a means of coping. Hemingway himself was part of this generation, and spent much of his life travelling in this way (predominantly to Spain and France), soaking up the culture and ideas of the people, and enjoying copious amounts of alcohol to wash it all down with.

Featuring multiple themes, one of the book’s main concerns is the idea of male authority, and it aims to subtly undermine the stereotypes and preconceptions surrounding gender in the early 20^th century. Alpha male protagonist Jake has been left ‘unmanned’ following a grizzly injury, sustained while fighting in the war. His lack of masculinity stands in direct contrast to the raw testosterone of the Spanish bull-fighters he idolises; he envies them for their craft, their bravery and, most of all, their fearlessness.

Meanwhile, heroine Brett – the object of Jake’s affections – has been given masculine qualities, while still managing to maintain her feminine delicacy. She wears her hair short, dresses in jumpers and jerseys, and drinks and smokes. Even her name has a masculine quality. However, despite these traits, she holds the group of men in the palm of her hand, with many of them falling in love with her at one point or another.  Just like any good heroine, Brett is, naturally, a tortured soul herself; under the bravado, flirtations and her cropped hair, she is deeply unhappy.

Aside from the devastating prose and the unhappily-ever-after characters, what we love the most about the book is its title. Yes. That simple. There is something so deliriously uplifting about it; it epitomises the optimism, no matter how faint, of the era. Despite the destruction of the war, the depression of the economy and the destitution of the people, the sun will still rise and tomorrow will still be another day. We may have nothing else but we will always  have that.

Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is available to buy online here.

An Ernest Hemingway recording from the late 1950s

Graham Coxon – A&E

No need to call out the emergency services at all, actually; Coxon returns to the present with album number eight. Unlike 2009′s more traditionally accented acoustic-rock offering, The Spinning Top, the ante has been upped with a bit of scree-y grub and machinic nuance on A&E. The result is ten consistently visceral tracks of glottal electronica, punk and more than a splash of Germanic industrialism all to the tune of Coxon’s signature Blurish ‘who’d care’ vocal. So if you’re expecting the vocal clarity and Drake-y-ness we heard from Coxon three years ago, you’ll be disappointed. Well, you won’t be disappointed at all because it’s really good and stuff, but don’t hold out for spades of that classical-ish guitar gubbins: A&E sounds a bit like what a general anaesthetic feels like.

Richard James – Pictures In The Morning

Yeah, that’s Richard James of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, comin’ atcha with his second solo LP. Although not a drastic sidestep away from what Gorky’s got up to, you can forget any out-and-out experimentalism: Pictures In The Morning is 93% straight up acoustic singer-songwriting, with the odd flurry of strings adding a nod of colour now and then. The remaining 7% features plugged up guitar effects on ‘Magical Day’, but that’s as rude as this very intimate record gets. In fact, admitting to a Joe Meek moment, James says of the record’s deliberate simplicity; “I record everything now in houses, using every area of the building… It makes it hard to do drum tracks live but you can do acoustic ones. The album is meant to be quite low-key and intimate as it’s quite personal.” Who knew?

Cate Le Bon – CYRK

Sticking with the Welsh theme for the moment, how about some Cate Le Bon? Swanning onto the scene in 2008 courtesy of Gruff Rhys when she featured on Neon Neon’s Stainless Style, Le Bon’s second solo album is a surprise affair where romantic bucolic variously fuses with psych, prog and old school garage in a hail of instrumentation and effects. Le Bon’s feminine yet almost deadpan vocal is an easy match for that of old gruffly Gruff who, by the way, has his own cameo appearance on CYRK. Once upon a time, traditional Welsh music involved odd bagpipes and those sincere choral line ups; these days, the valleys are steeped in weirdness. We love it.

Way Yes – Walkability

You know all this a.m.a.z.i.n.g sun the Brits had been enjoying until recently? And you know how when the sun starts hinting at springtime that we get all over our Facebooks and Twitters requesting apposite musical recommendations to accompany the blue skies and sunbeams? Well, it’s a shame Way Yes are making us hang on until June for this record; if the EP’s anything to go by, the album would have been perfect last week. It’s tropical but voicey; worldy too, but not self-indulgent or inaccessible. If you liked the sort of thing El Guincho did on Alegranza!, you’ll like these guys from Columbus, Ohio. Yes, everyone’s surprised they’re from Ohio… Out on Lefse on June 18th.

Weird Dreams – Choreography

Whenever anyone cites ’50s doo wop or ’60s girl groups as a point of reference, I’m all over it. Ergo, East London’s psych-pop four-piece, Weird Dreams, can sit on my lap and have me pet them while I bob them along on my knee any time. Their self-produced debut album is a wry creamy dream of an updated take on a retrospective soundscape. It’s refreshingly upbeat for the most part, nostalgically swing-soaked in other places but delightfully un-pretentious, despite frontman Doran Edwards’s statement about what the band were aiming for with their sound; “The way David Lynch pushes reality to a point where it feels uncomfortable, his obsession with 1950s culture, his stream of consciousness approach to working. Weird Dreams is a bittersweet pop band with twists.” He might not have been referring to the dance expounded by the likes of The Beatles, but I challenge you not to jig your body about in some manner to Choreography.

F. Scott Fitzgerald with his wife Zelda

Most people have a favourite type of book, whether it be a preferred genre, an author whose work they enjoy or even an era they’re interested in. Personally, I like to read about the social outsider, or choose books set in the decadent America of the Jazz Age. I love the romance and the glamour of the 1920′s, and how the adventures and love affairs seem a world away from the society we live in today. The social outsider is always the character I feel myself drawn to, they are often the ones to have the witty and most insightful observations about life and the world around them. Here is my selection of good books, the majority of which fall into these categories.

Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Documenting the letters between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda is as engaging as any of the novelist’s works of fiction. It’s clear to see how his own life inspired his writing and the couple’s tragic, passionate relationship would not seem out of place in one of his novels.

Despite time spent apart, financial and professional problems and mental instability, the inspiring, fierce love between Scott and Zelda never wavered. Although the book is predominantly made up of letters from Zelda, the documentation of her mental downfall gives a real sense of their relationship and how Fitzgerald’s work provided a means to support the wife he loved so dearly. Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda is a romantic read with a difference.

1Q84 – Haruki Murakami

It’s not often that I enjoy modern literature but Haruki Murakami, in my opinion, is one of the greatest novelists of our time. 1Q84 was a long-awaited novel, first published in Japanese before being translated into English. Making what might seem obscure truly readable, Murakami often puts the reader’s imagination to the test. And 1Q84 does just that, by creating a parallel world where seeing two moons means everything is not as it seems. Through a ghost-written book and a cult, Murakami maps out the lives of two protagonists during 1984.

Though following the simple story concept of boy meets girl, Murakami’s aim was to make the story complicated as he could. Alternating between the two characters chapter by chapter is a clever way of keeping the reader interested and entertained, often making this book hard to put down, despite its three volumes.  It’s rare to find books that really make you stop and think, but 1Q84 does just that.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers’ first novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, takes place in small mill town in Georgia where most of residents have lost their way. In a strange turn of events, the town’s ultimate outsider, deaf mute John Singer becomes the confidante to most of the town’s inhabitants. The eclectic cast of characters includes young musically-minded tomboy Mick Kelly, bar owner Biff Brannon, African doctor Dr Benedict Copeland and drunk Jake Blount, all of whom find their lives held together by the silent support they receive from Singer.

Each character is fighting against their loneliness and despite being surrounded by people; Singer is in fact the loneliest of them all. Separated from his best friend, a fellow deaf mute, Singer goes through the motions of living each day so that he can visit him. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a fascinating, thought-provoking insight into devotion, dependence and otherness, and every bit as readable now as when it made the bestseller lists in 1940.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

If you’ve forgotten how tough fitting into school can be, Charlie’s honest letters in The Perks of Being a Wallflowermay act as a stark reminder to its cruelties. From first dates to best friends, family dramas and doing things to fit in, Chbosky sums it all up in this coming of age novel. An intimate diary, Charlie’s letters dig deeper into his thought processes without giving too much away. We don’t know his real name or anyone else’s, we don’t know where he lives and we don’t know who receives the letters. All we know is that Charlie has feelings whirling around his mind he needs to let out.

James Frey's shocking account of abuse

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” Teenage feelings like this make this novel pull on the reader’s heart strings, showing that teenage feelings can often be the ones that follow you throughout life and how, sometimes, we’ll never truly ‘come of age’.

A Million Little Pieces – James Frey

A shocking account of a drug addict’s journey to overcome addiction, James Frey’s semi-autobiographical novel captures the harsh reality of overcoming drug abuse and piecing back together the broken life it leaves behind. Despite the fact that rehab saves Frey’s life, this does not make his journey any easier and the book presents a painful insider’s view on the struggle to tackle addition.

No details are spared and the transformation effected by drug abuse is often disturbing and hard to believe as being a non-addict leaves you with no point of comparision.  A Million Little Pieces is a well-written read that puts into context the value of life and shows how addiction can take this away, tackling destruction and reconstruction without pulling any punches.

Laura Marling: an artist in her element

Already a firm favourite among critics, Laura Marling is an artist truly in her element. With graceful poise and flawless vocals, her music offers lyrics with a maturity and wisdom which seem far beyond her tender 21 years. Her signature lulling guitar tones have an organic quality – refreshing in an age dominated by electronic music and studio-produced artists.

Born in 1990 in Hampshire, England, Laura was introduced to the guitar by her music teacher father. And so began her love affair with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, all of whom have shaped Laura’s unique style. At 16 Laura made the leap into the music industry by moving to London to pursue her dreams. She soon became part of a niche movement of artists who combined traditional folk melodies and instruments with some contemporary stylised twists to produce a new genre – nu-folk.

Laura is not one to shy away from painful or intense emotions as her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim, powerfully proves. The haunting sounds of  Night Terror and the passionate lyrics of My Manic and I combine to create an emotionally charged atmosphere which earned her a Mercury prize nomination. However, far from sinking into the sounds of deep despair, Laura’s honeyed vocals and the more uplifting tracks make her debut a compelling and sublime listen.

In 2010, Laura released I Speak Because I Can. The album marked a coming of age in Laura’s career, with a more mature sound of one not afraid to use her voice. Drawing from a range of inspirations from rural landscapes in Goodbye England (Covered in Snow) to classical mythology, which provided the unlikely influence for the album’s title track. I Speak Because I Can is a powerful collection, capturing a depth and range of emotions while remaining true to Laura’s distinctive and unique style. This was a fact recognised by critics as once again, she scored herself another Mercury nomination and scooped a Brit award for Best British Female.

With her third release, A Creature I Don’t Know, Laura sticks with her idiosyncratic storytelling  to create music loaded with poetic lyrics and a chilling, atmospheric touch. Once again, Laura found her unlikely inspiration in the novels of Robertson Davies; she admits that Sophia derives from Davies’ descriptions of the mythological figure thought to represent the female counterpart of God. Perhaps it is her interest in such unusual and original themes that help to make Laura’s music so powerfully charged. Her success with this album has once more been recognised by her Brit award nomination, alongside the likes of Kate Bush and Adele, to fight for the coveted crown of Best British Female 2012.

Laura’s career has been marked by a growth in confidence and a sense of self that continues to flourish. She has fashioned her own distinctive musical style with probing lyrics and ethereal melodies leaving us eagerly awaiting where her guitar and dulcit tones will take us next.

Laura Marling performing Sophia on Live With Jools Holland

Inspiring: Simone Weil's An Anthology

Simone Weil was born in France, 1909 to agnostic French-Jewish middle class parents and died in a sanatorium in England in 1943. She was a teacher, philosopher, mathematician, physicist, activist and mystic. Weil’s politics informed her actions, which in turn helped shape her writing.

Throughout the 34 years of her life, Weil produced a remarkable quantity of work and this anthology, featuring essays, excerpts and collections of notes, a full introduction and a detailed bibliography, serves as a very good introduction to her writing. Subjects treated in Weil’s works include the differences between the human and the inhuman, needs, the soul, dignity, god, love, poetry and oppression.

In his introduction to her 1949 work and seminal text The Need for Roots, T.S. Eliot wrote that Weil was “more truly a lover of order and hierarchy than most of those who call themselves Conservative and more truly a lover of the people than most of those who call themselves Socialist.”

Weil’s writing blazes off the page with such an astounding beauty there were several moments where I had to stop myself from reading passages aloud on the train. An example of this is from my favourite essay in the collection, The Iliad, or The Poem of Force. It is force, she believed, and not class that is the key to human history. Through applying this to Homer’s Iliad, which she considers to be “the purest and the loveliest of mirrors,” Weil expresses one way in which force can be enacted on a human soul. Debasing, transforming the human into an object:

“He is alive; he has a soul; and yet – he is a thing. An extraordinary entity this – a thing that has a soul. And as for the soul, what an extraordinary house it finds itself in! Who can say what it costs it, moment by moment, to accommodate itself to this residence, how much writhing and bending, folding and pleating are required of it? It was not made to live inside a thing; if it does so, under pressure of necessity, there is not a single element of its nature to which violence is not done.”

Weil handles humanity and the soul with a careful and attentive love. Everyone, she writes, needs poetry as they need bread. This poetry is only authentic if it includes fatigue and the hunger and thirst that come with fatigue. Simone Weil’s work, in and of itself, achieves this all simultaneously. It is poetic and it is necessary.

Please don’t take our word on any of this. Read her, read her, read her.

Simone Weil: An Anthology is available to buy online here.

The trailer for the film An Encounter With Simone Weil

Lauren Cutherbertson playing Juliet...

The most famous story of star-crossed lovers was simultaneously shown in 600 locations worldwide on 22nd March, as the Royal Opera House hosted a high definition live streaming of the classic ballet, Romeo and Juliet. The live screenings brought a modern touch to choregrapher Kenneth MacMillan’s heart-breaking production, featuring Lauren Cuthbertson  and Federico Bonelli as two of the company’s most established dancers in one of the Royal Ballet’s signature works. Romeo and Juliet’s love story has stood the test of time, and by showing choreography that was first premiered over 40 years ago in 1965 in  live screenings across the world, ROH fused the old and the new to perfection

With a cinema screening, you can enjoy a front row seat without the prohibitive price tag; group choreography and the finer details of the opulent set can be appreciated without binoculars. Plus, by watching the ballet from your local cinema, you don’t have to travel to the West End to appreciate Prokofiev’s masterful score and MacMillan’s fluid choreography. The clever, quick-paced dancing is both intimate when the two lovers are alone, and grand during complex fencing scenes. With behind-the-scenes access in addition exclusive interviews, everyone gets the VIP experience.

What you don’t get, however, is that palpable buzz of excitement as the curtain goes up, which is so energising in a real theatre environment. Some of the faster dancing movements also do not appear as fluid as they might in real life, which can be disappointing. Likewise, the editing of close-up shots cuts out the surrounding action on stage, forcing you to follow the camera’s gaze rather than your own.

Nonetheless, the playful innocence of Romeo and Juliet’s love affair really comes across in the pas de deux when they first meet in the ballroom and once again in the famous balcony scene. The most tender moment of all, however, is when Romeo dances with Juliet’s lifeless body in the tomb scene as their tragic story draws to a close. It seems fitting, somehow, that a love which surpasses time, family feuds and society should be communicated through dance; perhaps the most transcendental art form of all. With such naturalistic acting and gestures, Cuthbertson and Bonelli communicate as much emotion as Shakespeare’s famous prose in a single piece of pointe work.

So, to paraphrase Juliet’s famous question: what’s in a live performance? That which we call a ballet, by any other medium would be as sweet. It is, it seems, true: Romeo and Juliet’s love story is as enchanting and sad in a live streaming as it is in a live performance.

For more information on future live screenings visit the ROH cinema website. Upcoming productions include Rigoletto and La Fille Mal Gardée.

Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House