The Enchanted Palace, Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace has over gone a majestic transformation. Opening its doors and transporting you into an enchanted world to explore the tales of the palaces princesses in a truly magical experience. The exhibition intertwines contemporary fashion, performance and dream like installations which exceeds your expectations. This fun, interactive expedition tells the story and secrets of the princesses which have broken free in the palace, as the viewer you are encouraged to embark on a quest to discover these enchanted tales.







Fashion collides with ceremonial dress collections from the palace, with a little help from designers such as Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest and Echo Morgan. Who regularly use the palaces collection of royal dresses for their research. The multi-sensory experience was created in association with Cornish theatre company WildWorks.







There were seven princesses to find and the different rooms were named and dressed appropriately. Installations such as an oversized bed and high chair really played on the theme of an enchanted palace, with actor’s constant story telling keeping the fairy tale alive. From the invitation to the trimmings the attention to detail was fantastic. Animating history in such a wonderful way by adding a new dimension has defiantly been a success.

Valerie Jolly, Infra-Thin at Alexia Goethe Gallery.

The exhibition displays Jolly’s ethereal sculptures; these fragile casts of everyday objects hold a translucent quality found only with precious artefacts or fading memories. These delicate casts are created with sticky wet tissue paper, once dried they carry the form and markings of the original object. These colourless and weightless replicas produce a vaporous trace. The sculptures hold a ghostly still, capturing timeless motion in an exquisite way. This remarkable exhibition is a must see, go and witness these incredible pieces of everyday life in an incredible light leaving a lasting impression.

Alice Anderson's Time Reversal

The Riflemaker has been cocooned by thousands of metres of dolls hair as part of Alice Anderson's Time Reversal exhibition. Anderson considers time, or more particularly the way that time shapes itself. Wax dolls, puppets and a short film The Night I Became A Doll all feature within the space which reinvents her childhood memories. The constant flow of woven hair cleverly spirals between floors by entering and exiting via the fireplaces, eventually cascading out the window. The tangled mess is what greets you, setting the mood for the rest of your journey through the exhibition space.

Shoebox Art

Dan MacMillan

Tim Branden

Rob Ryan

Damien Hirst

Boo Saville

Alastair Mackie



We like the 'Shoebox Art' exhibition at the Haunch of Venison this week.

The exhibtions concept came from workshops orangized by the Kids Company where children were asked to recreate their own bedrooms in shoeboxes. The results sadly spoke of the abuse and neglect of one in six children.

40 contemporary artists were asked to honor these findings by recreating their own childhood bedrooms.

MEXICAN DREAMS

We like dreaming of Mexico.....

Billy Childish at the ICA

We like the Billy Childish exhibition on at the ICA. Unkknowable But Certain catalogues his musical work to date, with a wall of old record sleeves (some of the design just amazing), his entire back catalogue playable on a computer in the gallery space, zines and other publications, and my favourite, a short film which shows Childish (born Steven John Hamper) exploring his home of many years just prior to leaving it in 1997 - crammed full of paintings and objects - Childish revealing a sentimentality you would never guess was there - though he is quick to point out that he doesn't believe in reviving anything that is past... thoughtful and nice. On the lower floor an exhibition of paintings by Childish gives some idea of where his interests lie now - great colours and surprisingly gripping.

All images from Roland magazine, available at the ICA for a £1 donation.

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

We like sculptor Jessica Joslin who creates figurative pieces from materials as weird and wonderful as toad skin and bird skulls. The intricacy of her practice is akin to that of a jeweller. She uses remnants of the natural world, collected in magpie fashion to weave new, characters and creatures who might inhabit a darker, fairy tale world. When not creating these fine art fantasies she works as a commercial model maker. Check out her husband Jared's paintings when you're on the site too. A masterful couple.

Arts Mailout 19.03.10

Carsten Nicolai at Siobhan Davies space 17-19 March exhibition until 11 April events prices vary exhibition free
Multimedia artist Carsten curates performances and talks over next couple days, but also has a light piece on the outside of the building until April

Flatpack Festival Birmingham 23-28 March prices vary
Looks interesting, including an installation of customised mannequins and a nice looking music documentary series

Fashion Easter at Bistrotheque starts 1 April Free on the Thursday, prices vary after
Get a free poster on the Thursday. Former Selfridgette and 'Jeanette's' proprieter Jeanette amongst the DJs. Spins out into a whole weekend of events including a screening of 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' on the Sunday

Crash at Gagosian gallery Kings Cross until April 1 Free
I haven't mentioned this before, but looks good, a group show based on the writing of JG Ballard who wrote Crash amongst many other things - prepare to be alienated and appalled.


Florian Hecker at Chisenhale Gallery Bethnal Green until 28 March Free
Came to this one late too but still on for a couple weeks - sound installation art.


Nathaniel Rackowe at Delfina Foundation SW1 private view 25 March then exhibition until 23 April Free
Work arising out of a residency he has just completed in Beirut.

Liberty for Target on sale online now, in store from 29 March
Hilariously 9% of New Yorkers are 'furious' about this launch on the nbc blog website...2% are 'sad'


A Concise History of Dress Blythe House 28 April - 27 June £12.50/£10
This looks amazing - a trip through the archives - organised by Judith Clarke - inspiring fashion lecturer/curator type

Mat Collishaw Talk at the BFI South Bank 13 April £5
Talking about current work Retrospectre on display at the BFI until May

Record Store Day 17 April
events on at Rough Trade and probably at any large-ish independent record store you can think of...

Sit Down - Seating for Kids at the Museum of Childhood Bethnal Green until 5 September Free
Awesome - over 70 examples of seating for kids!

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year at the Design Museum until 31 October £6 reduced price until 31 March
Great show of all the best design from the past year from lots of different disciplines.

Anthony Gormley's Flare II St Paul's Cathedral until late 2010 £12.50
Look at that staircase!

May the 4th be with you!

OK, so Harvey Nichols have just relaunched their new Fourth floor right? Now, imagine you don't have time to get there, too much work, too far away - well, this weekend HN are bringing the 4th floor to you! If you're around Hanover Sq (today), the South Bank (tomorrow), Westbourne Grove (Saturday) and Spitalfields (Sunday) you might see their fancifully decorated shipping containers, housing the best their 4th floor has to offer, including spray on tattoos, a display only example of their new vending machine concept, a free photobooth (with a wind machine in it! Nice.) one of those 'lowering the claw' games (all proceeds go to Gt Ormond St Hospital) and champagne, coffees and teas in conjunction with Bistrotheque. PS no we don't work there.

So In Style Barbie at Selfridges

There's a brand new Barbie doll on show at Selfridges - designed by Barbie designer Stacey McBride-Irby in part to reflect her and her daughters lives - "I want African-American girls to know that dolls can represent their career aspirations, hobbies and ethnic backgrounds.” They look pretty cool in their room sets for sure! The ultimate Barbie house!



Also on display, a brilliant selection of black Barbies through history, beginning with the earliest 50s 'Black Swimsuit Barbie', through to Diana Ross Barbie, Presidential candidate 2004 Barbie, and finally back almost full circle to Barbie Basics 010 - 'fashionable but smart, glamorous but with class', and dressed to the hilt in a Moschino power suit.




This part of the exhibition was curated by Sharmadean Reid of Wah! Nails on the Kingsland Road.




Finally, Chrome Hearts 'dolled up' (ahem) a phalanx of giant Barbies in their signature look - including lots of leather and crosses with some quite cool punk hair - and have put them to work, touring the world, spreading the Barbie message, and looking pretty all the while. Jealous!