Amy Manson
"If I am not lucky enough to be roaming the purple glazed Scottish mountainsides in all their glory in May, I’ll definitely be heading to the English countryside in search of a heather equivalent.
May always feels like a rebirth and recharge month for me after the festivities of Easter, and that means the freedom of exploring what this beautiful country has to offer. I’ll be heading to Dartmoor to camp, swim and hike in the wild.
It’s an extra special May for me this year as my HBO original show The Nevers airs in the U.K. on the 17th. I play the trickster and lunatic, Maladie, who is the antihero of this world. She is riddled with excitement, malice, frustration, love and pain. The Nevers is set in Victorian London and focuses on a group of ‘touched’ women who have been gifted with special abilities. Maladie has been tortured by doctor’s, intent on finding the source of these abilities through inhumane experimentation causing Maladie to become something more than human and less than pleasant. She is a violent, murderous and a politically dangerous vigilante who’s need to destroy the patriarchy will bring both comfort and discomfort entwined for viewers.
The Nevers premiered in the U.S on 11th April and is currently streaming on HBO Max. The complete series will be available to watch in the U.K on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
Although these women are ostracised from society the show is full of hope and justice, especially for Maladie. She is a woman who I admire immensely and a gift to understand - the most resilient woman I’ve ever come across. The show’s themes of inclusivity, justice and fighting for equality are more important now than ever. The show also explores loneliness and division, which are especially poignant in these testing times.”
Amy Manson
LOCATION: ANYA VILLAGE
Superstar designer Anya Hindmarch was our first ever guest Hotlister back in May 2010. We have long been a fan of her brand, her creative projects and her determination to make an environmental difference including with her “I am a plastic bag” range made entirely from recycled plastics. Well, Anya and her team are expanding their empire with the launch of the Anya Village on the 17th of the month. “On Pont Street in London a little village of stores will open to house all the ideas we have had over the years. It will be ever evolving and be a place where we pour all of our creative energy and collaborate on the subjects that interest us.” This little village includes the Anya Café, serving up breakfast, lunch and early evening drinks, all inspired by the British cafe of old but reimagined with the finest ingredients, and some trademark Anya humour. The Village Hall will provide a space for different creative concepts and collaborations throughout the year and launches with a Hair Salon in celebration of founder Anya Hindmarch’s book ‘If In Doubt Wash Your Hair'. The pop-up Salon will offer ‘Shampoo and Therapy’ with coffee and cocktails for three weeks starting May 17th where you can book in in groups of up to 4 friends. A plastic shop, a labelled shop and a bespoke shop make up the rest of the street and will all stock products from the Anya Hindmarch brand whilst honouring the title of their individual store. Head to the website to explore in full and make sure to head to Pont Street to check it all out from the 17th of the month!
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BEER GARDEN: ALEXANDRA PALACE
The Ally Pally Terrace, aka London’s largest beer garden, is back! Huzzah! With panoramic views of the city, it’s hard to find better scenery for your al fresco socialising. With a capacity of 400 people, you can book tables in groups of 6 or from the 17th of the month, that goes up to 8. Some of London’s hottest street food vendors will be on rotation throughout the summer and will feature new faces as well as some old favourites including Browski Burger and Last Night A Vegan Saved My Life. All food and drink is ordered via an app so you can sit back and relax at your table and don’t have to worry about scrambling in bar queues! The Terrace is the perfect spot for after work drinks, weekend meetups or to soak up the sun with a drink in hand. An exciting programme of entertainment is also being planned that includes music from major artists, alfresco comedy nights, the best buskers from the capital and beyond providing soothing tunes, a host of sports screenings, including all the massive games from Euro 2021, StrEATlife- Ally Pally’s annual street food event, alongside pop-up and guest food offerings. There has also just been an announcement about the 2021 iteration of Kaleidoscope festival. Taking place on Saturday July 24, it’s a pleasant, all-ages affair featuring live music from The Coral, Groove Armada and Norman Jay MBE. Spoken word and comedy come in the shape of Irvine Welsh, Phil Wang, Sophie Duker and loads more besides. Tickets for the event are available here.
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ART: JEAN DUBUFFET, BRUTAL BEAUTY
The Barbican is opening up on the 17th as with all indoor cultural locations and it’s the first day of their brand new exhibition celebrating French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), one of the most singular and provocative voices in post-war modern art. Brutal Beauty champions Dubuffet’s rebellious philosophy. Railing against conventional ideas of beauty, he tried to capture the poetry of everyday life in a gritty, more authentic way. This is the first major survey of his work in the UK for over 50 years, showcasing four decades of his career, from early portraits and fantastical statues, to butterfly assemblages and giant colourful canvases. Dubuffet endlessly experimented and was clear on his purpose: ‘Art should always make you laugh a little and fear a little. Anything but bore’. Alongside his own work, the exhibition features work from Dubuffet’s collection of Art Brut (a phrase he coined, which translates literally as ‘raw art’). Acquired throughout his life, these works, and the artists that created them, profoundly impacted his approach to the making and meaning of art.
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FOOD: THE BERKELEY BEACH HUTS
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...in central London. Are you looking for some outdoor drinking and dining but something a little bit...extra? Well look no further than The Berkeley Beach Huts in Knightsbridge. Inspired by Britain’s most iconic and foodie seafronts, there are five rainbow-coloured huts you can book to then indulge in made-to-share seafood platters, freshly shucked oysters, lobster and fries, ice cream sandwiches and even more indulgence than that. Add in some retro themed cocktails and anyone would think you were at the actual seaside in a retro gastronomical and Instagram worthy dream. The huts are bookable for up to 6 guests, of course, but terrace and countertop dining is also available if you miss out on the hut experience. Open daily from 7.30am to 10.30pm there is plenty of time to indulge so pack up your metaphorical bucket and spade and get yourself off to the seaside...kind of.
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ACTIVITY: GO BOAT
One of our Halpern fave summer pastimes is Go Boat. Following on from the last seaside themed entry, if you want to get off ‘dry land’ then why not hire a Boat from Go Boat and set sail on Regent’s Canal, London Docklands or the Thames at Teddington? Go Boat offer self-driving vessels for you and your friends to hire, meaning you don’t have to have any previous boating qualifications in order to hire. The boats themselves are all electric and made from 80% recycled bottles & sustainable wood too so not just clever but pretty as well. Hireable from 1 - 3 hours the rule of six applies but up to 8 from the 17th. On arrival you’ll get a safety briefing and a lesson on how to operate the not so heavy-duty machinery, then with some life vests and a map for your route, you are free to head off down the river/canal popping the prosecco and the clasps on your picnic hamper as you go. Each boat comes with a table to ensure you get a truly decadent dining experience on board of course…! Visit the website to book and line up the Wellerman Sea Shanty on your Spotify.
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MUSEUM: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND THE WONDER OF NATURE
Sadly this new exhibition from the Natural History Museum was only open for a week at the end of last year before Tier 3 kicked in. We’ve been patiently waiting for the world to open up again so we could make sure all small (and large) Harry Potter fans knew about it so you can secure your tickets! Fantastic Beasts and the Wonder of Nature is due to re-open to the public along with the entire museum, on the 17th of the month in line with the new roadmap out of lockdown. The exhibition draws on parallels between magizoologist Newt Scamander and the magical creatures of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, and real-life explorers, zoologists and animals of the muggle world. Working closely with Warner Bros and the BBC Natural History Unit, NHM will allow us to look at magical creatures of the Wizarding World and Newt Scamander’s role as an advocate of these creatures. Props used in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies bring it all to life including wands, magical creatures and interactive digital displays showing magical creatures such as the Niffler, Bowtruckles, Demiguise and Erumpent. The exhibition aims to inspire new audiences at the museum to become advocates for the natural world through the blending of fact and fiction. Anything the Natural History Museum does is extraordinary, and this will be no exception.
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EXHIBIT: NATURALLY BRILLIANT COLOUR
If you haven't heard of it before (we hadn’t) then Pure Structural Colour is a method developed by some very clever scientists that can synthetically produce any shade of colour in its most vivid form, using transparent materials. For example, some plants and animals have microscopic structures in their surface layers, which reflect sunlight in a specific way to generate bright colours. This is how the dazzling blue-greens on butterfly wings and hummingbirds are formed. Pure structural Colour artificially reproduces these vivid colours using cutting edge technology and this technology is at the heart of Kew Gardens latest display, opening up this month, called Naturally Brilliant Colour. Renowned artist Coral G Guest, botanical artist Robert John Thornton and contemporary artist Julia Trickey all have artwork on display immersing the viewer into large scale kaleidoscopes and more to allow us to experience these unique vivid colours for the first time. They apparently have to be seen to be believed and it will open up new ways of working with colour across all industries including fashion or art. Open from the 17th May unto September, get your tickets via the Kew Website.
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CHARITY OF THE MONTH: ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY
The 17th - 23rd May marks Dementia Action Week here in the UK. Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning but there are many different causes of dementia, and many different types. People often get confused about the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia- Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia and, together with vascular dementia, makes up the majority of cases. Dementia is not only about memory loss because it can also affect the way you speak, think, feel and behave. Research shows there are more than 850,000 people in the UK who have dementia with one in 14 people over the age of 65 affected and 1 in 6 people over 80. Led by Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia Action Week is a national event that sees the public coming together to take action to improve the lives of people affected by dementia. They are asking us to call on the Government to rebuild the social care system in 2021 after Coronavirus has exposed the fact that families facing dementia have been failed by a social care system that is inadequate, hard to access, costly and unfair. People with dementia have been worst hit by the pandemic, accounting for a quarter of all coronavirus deaths in the UK. You can sign up via the website to learn more and for updates or to order free posters and flyers to help spread the word.
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APP OF THE MONTH: WORD FARM ADVENTURE
Thought we’d take a step back from the ‘life changing’ or routine altering apps we suggest normally and instead offer up a simple word game app to keep you entertained and simultaneously expand your vocabulary without you even realising. Word Farm Adventure is a challenging word game for both adults and kids that requires solving word cross puzzles whilst swiping your way into becoming the ‘hero of the ranch’. Which, let’s be honest, we all wanna be. Solve crossword puzzles, word find challenges, word scramble missions, word swipe scrabble quests and more to challenge your brain while simply keeping yourself entertained at the same time.
Credits - Instagram, Lloyd Winters, Jemima Marriott, Trustees of the Natural History Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London, Courtesy Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam