Happy Halloween folks. Have fun with the pumpkins and the fireworks. Time for another look at London’s cultural highlights and what The New Wolf will be up to in the coming month.
The first of the noteworthy happenings across London is the photography festival, Photomonth. They’re selling themselves short in that the festival goes on far longer than the title suggests – some exhibitions last into 2012. The festival boasts affiliations to many photographic exhibitions across the capital, despite the East London emphasis. I particularly recommend seeing the galleries set up at Amnesty International, Dougie Wallace’s When I Grow Rich at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club, Michael Wolf’s work at the Flowers Gallery and Rob McDonald’s collection at the new Hackney Picturehouse. Elsewhere, the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern is full again, this time with the films of Tacita Dean. The Royal Academy has an exhibition dedicated to Soviet art at the beginning of the Soviet state. Finally, at the Atlas Gallery is a unique chance to see unseen photographs by Captain Scott and his team during his last expedition to the South Pole.
This month’s films start with one of the best received films premiered at last month’s London Film Festival, Weekend – it is a gay love story in the same vein of Hettie McDonald’s Beautiful Thing [1996]. Miranda July, director of the charming Me and You and Everyone We Know [2005] returns with another quirky offering, The Future, she also stars in the film as Sophie, a 35-year-old fearing that life is over before she had a chance to do something special. Johnny Depp stars in another Hunter S. Thompson adaptation, this time the less widely read The Rum Diary that sees an American journalist relocate to Puerto Rico. However, the film of the month goes to Take Shelter, an understated American psychological thriller about a man with apocalyptic visions and a family history of schizophrenia. If you are going to make just one cinema visit this month let it be for this one.
The notable event in The New Wolf’s calendar this month is the coverage of the latest protests in London. On November 9th, students will be amassing themselves in England’s capital to demonstrate against the planned amendments to higher education, including the privatisation of universities and the cuts in funding to the poorest students. We will also have a presence on November 30th, which sees the Trades Union Congress’ organisation of a Day of Action; their encouragement to protest against changes to the Pension scheme. See the Coalition of Resistance’s website for more details. If you have photos or memoirs from these protests do send them to inkhorn@thenewwolf.co.uk
As ever, cultural showcase, political discussion, art and illustration will be coming your way. The highlights include: a next instalment in J.R Hammer’s look at Capitalism and False Consciousness. African correspondent, Jonny Keyworth explores Western responses to Islamist political organisation in Africa. A new Ideas Showcase speaks to the people behind Blue Period; art agency and promoter helping emerging artists develop. We welcome Sarah Coey, a new editor to the Observatory who will be showcasing new and exciting artistic talents. Plus, we hope to give a number of new authors and illustrators their New Wolf debut this month.
Expansion is where all the effort is going into right now, so if you feel you can help or know someone who can, Jim can’t fix it anymore so send us an email inkhorn@thenewwolf.co.uk – and here’s the full list of opportunities.
Your editors,
Christo and Theo.
