Tara Swart
“July and August are my favourite months, usually filled with summer holidays, my birthday and some creative activity - I started writing my book ‘The Source - open your mind, change your life’ in the July holidays previously. This year with so many things up in the air, I am looking for balance in July. We won’t be taking our driving holiday to Tuscany, but Annabel’s private members club in London is reopening after a long time and I am really looking forward to being back there. It’s just so beautiful with impeccable service and delicious food. My husband and step-son and friends love being treated to a meal there so it’s always a pleasure for me. That and going to see some ballet at the Royal Opera House whenever it reopens are the things I’m most looking forward to socially and culturally. On the other hand I have really felt the benefits of country living and am having a greenhouse built in our fields, so am very much looking forward to growing my own organic vegetables. As a neuroscientist, I am obsessed with neuroplasticity so the greenhouse will be my ‘growth' project for July!”
Tara Swart, Neuroscientist & Author
FOOD: Various
This Saturday 4th July sees the opening of many of London’s bars, pubs and restaurants after over three months. Super Saturday as it has been nicknamed, means once more we can all get together (whilst still adhering to government guidelines) and finally celebrate and revel in some of the best that London has to offer for our taste buds. We thought we would highlight some of our top Halpern Hotlist restaurants opening up again so rejoice in the fact you can get yourselves booked into: Padella, Temper, Hawksmoor, Kricket, Homeslice, Levan, Nopi, Som Saa and Santo Remedio to name just a few! If you aren’t quite ready to venture to a restaurant but want a new foodie experience then check out The Great Feast of London, happening this weekend. They are merging the digital and physical to bring food and drink direct to your front door, garden gates or local parks, with a programme of live streamed gigs, virtual wellbeing classes and talks. Most of the events are free and you can order in food or recipe kits at a range of prices. The food itself includes exclusive dining experiences from Michelin-starred chefs Ollie Dabbous and Nuno Mendes amongst others. It will be a whole weekend of food celebration, halo’ing the talent and tastes of the capital.
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CULTURE: BBC Proms
The BBC Proms is an 8 week long stalwart of the cultural calendar and they aren’t going to let the pandemic get in the way of us being able to enjoy their program. Instead of attending all the events in person, they will be broadcast across radio, tv and online, moving on to some planned live events for us to attend from the end of August and then culminating in the Last Night of the Proms, bringing the nation together on the 12th September! The 2020 season will open on Friday 17th July on BBC Radio 3 and Sunday 19th on BBC Four and commence with a unique First Night commission by Iain Farrington for a Grand Virtual Orchestra to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth and from there continue to provide a summer of music, 125 years after it first began. Creator Sir Henry Wood’s vision was always to ‘bring the greatest classical music to the widest possible audience’ and thanks to the multiple platforms we have available to us, this is still possible. The 2020 Proms will celebrate the past by delving into the archives, presenting Proms concerts every evening allowing us to reconnect with artists as well as reflecting on the present and building for the future with the introduction of new performances. From August 28th the plan is to have musicians performing live at the Royal Albert Hall across the final two weeks of the season so keep everything crossed this will be possible! The schedule of events will be released nearer the time allowing the organisers the chance to respond to the latest government advice available.
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ART: Isolation Mastered
For several weeks between May and June, the JD Malat Gallery in Mayfair asked budding artists to submit their works for an Isolation Mastered exhibition, showcasing their creative response to Covid-19 and the isolation period we all went into. Submissions have been carefully reviewed by the JD Malat committee which includes names such as Simon De Pury, Dylan Jones, Gavin Rossdale, Katrin Fredriks and Gavin Turk, and from today until the 8th July the top 20 selected artists will have their work on display. Members of the public are now invited to view and vote for their favourite and the winning artist will receive an exclusive solo show at the JD Malat Gallery in 2021. With all profits made from the exhibition directed at each artist and their practice, the goal of this initiative is to support artists during this difficult time. As a gallery that has inclusivity and diversity at the core of its programme, JD Malat Gallery recognises this unique artist-led initiative as an opportunity to foster connection and strengthen the art community despite this period of newfound distance caused by the global pandemic. So get yourselves over to the gallery this week to enjoy some art in real life for the first time in a long long time and place your votes and support the artists of the future.
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ART: GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!
London’s stellar boutique photography gallery, The Little Black Gallery, co-founded by Tamara Beckwith Veroni and Ghislain Pascal, has published an incredible new book with teNeues | MENDO called GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! . The fresh contemporary photography collection celebrates the female form and features photographic legends, contemporary names and rising female photographers including Alastair Taylor-Young, Sacha Goldberger, Bob Carlos Clarke, Ellen von Unwerth, Christy Lee Rogers and Duffy amongst many more. Priced at £29.95, all royalties from the sale of the book will go to The Lady Garden Foundation, the national women’s health charity raising funds and awareness in the fight against gynaecological cancers. The Little Black Gallery operates as a photography gallery, artist management and art consultancy – specialising in contemporary photography. Originally set up with a gallery space in Chelsea for ten years, today the business, co-owned by Ghislain and Tamara, exists without a permanent space, putting on exhibitions worldwide at galleries, museums, art-fairs, and pop-ups as well as managing artists and acting as art consultants. This book will make a fabulous addition to your coffee table and provide hours of visual delight.
SPORT: Wimbledon Recreated
Normally at this time of year we would be licking our lips in anticipation of some strawberries and cream whilst glued to the television, catching each serve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Alas, we can’t bid for tickets or queue up from the early hours to catch the live action but the All England Lawn Tennis Club has launched “Wimbledon Recreated” to celebrate the fortnight of tennis action we are missing by re-telling of some of Wimbledon’s greatest matches, made available across TV, digital and social media. The recreations, narrated by commentator Andrew Cotter, include Simona Halep’s walk onto Centre Court, Novak Djokovic’s taste for grass, and Serena Williams’ serve, weaved together with footage from tennis fans around the world. With more scenes to come, the film sets a challenge to all those who love Wimbledon: Recreate Wimbledon in your own way, whichever tradition, moment or memory means the most to you, and play your part in filling this year’s Championships Fortnight by using #WimbledonRecreated across all social media platforms. With interactive games, activities for children and live streamed matches, we aren’t going to let the pandemic get in the way of one of the best London summer activities. Check out the website for full listings of tennis related fun happening between now and the 11th July.
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FILM: Drive In Cinema
For obvious reasons cinemas have been closed since March but that hasn’t stopped London and the rest of the UK from pivoting to find ways of bringing us cinematic treats. Not one, not two, not three but at the time of writing, FOUR different drive-in cinemas are opening up across the country. First up is The Drive In, opening on the 4th July at Troubadour Meridian Water in North London. Classic films for all ages are available to book at £35 per car and fully contact free. Sound will be broadcast straight to your car's FM radio, and with the top-of-the-range LED screen, you’ll have a great view wherever you park up, no matter the time of day. Snacks and drinks are available to order through their mobile app, and will be safely delivered to your car by their team of 1950s drive in attendants. Secondly there is @thedrivein, in partnership with Suzuki. These guys have sites across the UK offering films, stand up comedy, ‘caraoke’, games and more. Films include Grease (obvs), Toy Story, The Lion King, Back to the Future and Jaws. Third up is Sunset Cinema, an all American inspired vintage Drive-In movie experience in West London- feel good flicks, classics and cult films, accompanied by incredible food, cocktails and more. And finally, Drive and Dine, going on tour across the country with movies and comedy and food by Tom Kerridge. All tickets are now on sale via each of the websites linked above but they are already proving very popular. Additional dates will no doubt be added as we go, by each of these new experiences, as we think they are going to be the norm for quite some time to come!
SHOPPING
The importance of sustainable shopping has been on the increase in recent years and may have in fact become more apparent thanks to lockdown. The realisation we live amongst piles of fast fashion and Amazon purchases that we don’t need is making us reassess the way we shop for the better. With that in mind, if you want to get your retail fix and update your wardrobe or interior design sustainably then why not head to the Flea Vintage & Makers Market at Vinegar Yard in London Bridge. Every Saturday and Sunday this market will now reopen its doors bringing us a heady mix of fashion, antiques and art. Throughout lockdown the market has operated virtually but with a strict one-way system, rules on capacity and careful spacing, we can once more peruse the stalls IRL. Grab an artisanal coffee to sip on as you shop and take pride in the fact you are making a good and sustainable difference to your shopping habits. All the stalls are carefully curated meaning you don’t need to worry about rifling through piles of items to find the gems! There is a gallery of images on the website for inspo and the market is opening on weekends from 12pm-5pm. For those who have realised the secret to happiness can lie in plants then you’ll love the plants and ceramics market, Grown and Thrown, opening up on Shacklewell Lane this weekend in Dalston. Shop from a range of cacti, succulents and other house plants, and then find the perfect pot or planter, produced by a range of artists, for them to live in.
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CHARITY OF THE MONTH: Great Ormond Street Hospital
Adults and children alike, we’re all getting to grips with how to live in this new ‘normal’. But children have a simple, yet powerful tool at their fingertips to help them cope with the anxiety caused by a pandemic. Play. Whether they’re battling boredom, pining for the playground or generally unsure about the current situation, play helps children be more resilient and feel better. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) knows this because, with the largest hospital Play team in Europe, they’ve helped hundreds of thousands of seriously ill children deal with their treatment and recovery through play. The new ‘normal’ for families across the UK is GOSH's ‘normal’ every day, as the Play team supports children in isolation on wards who are undergoing treatment for long periods. Funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the team has a wealth of expertise to share across the UK and beyond – to help all children with the uncertainties of today. Visit gosh.org/powerofplay and you’ll find a treasure trove of games, tips and resources from the Play team to help your family through this challenging time. Plus, it’s all free to download. Donate to GOSH here.
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APP OF THE MONTH: Chirp-o-Matic
Have you all been appreciating nature a little more these last few months with daily walks and seizing every opportunity to be outside with the run of lush weather we’ve had? Because we certainly have and without the rushing around of commuting and taking Zoom calls in the garden, our avian friends have become the most wonderful soundtrack to our days. Chirp-o-Matic is an app you can use to identify the distinct calls of our flying amigos. Think of it as Shazam for birds! When you hear a bird singing, quickly open the app and tap the record button. The app will record for 12 seconds, then will analyse the sound and show you the top matches, along with photos of the birds, and hints and tips about the sound. The app is self-contained and works without a network connection, so it can be used wherever you are. As the days pass you will soon learn and recognise the frequent visitors and impress your friends with your new found expertise!