News
What's on in May?
What’s on in May
Avenues’ guide to this month’s best homes and gardens events
EVENT ONE
Whatever your heart desires
Objects of Desire is The Association of Arts and Antiques Dealers’ (LAPADA) London fair. This year, it offers visitors a wide variety of fine furniture, paintings, sculpture, silver, jewellery, porcelain, pottery, glass, clocks, watches, rugs, carpets and other works of art spanning 400 years from the 17th to 21st centuries.
The fair is being held on the 8 to 11 May at 6 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3EX, just behind the Royal Academy of Arts. It is the only London fair at which the exhibitors are all members of LAPADA, which means they are bound by a strict code of practice, and experts for authenticity, attribution and quality vet all items for sale.
Whether you are a serious collector, looking for a striking piece for your home, or want to indulge in the luxury of buying something special for yourself, this fair is the place to go.
You can find out more information about the fair at www.lapadalondon.com, or by calling 020 7823 3511.
EVENT TWO
The Garden Photographer of the Year
The exhibition of the 2008 Garden Photographer of the Year finalists opens on 24 May at Kew Gardens in Kew, London. The top 100 images entered into this year’s competition will be on display until September 2008. The winners will be announced later in May.
The 2009 competition is now accepting entries. Each entry costs £10 and the competition is open to everyone, amateurs and professionals alike, from any country in the world. There are no restrictions on the type of camera you use, or the techniques you use to produce your final image.
Categories include Plant Portraits, Garden Views, Wildlife in the Garden, People in the Garden, The Edible Garden, Trees and World Botanic Gardens.
One finalist will win the title ‘Garden Photographer of the Year’ and an under 16 finalist will win ‘Young Garden Photographer of the Year’.
Each category will have a winner and two runner-up prizes. An additional prize will be awarded for the best portfolio and there will be two portfolio runners-up prizes.
Another 50 highly commended photographers will receive a prize. All finalists and commended photographers will have their photographs shown on the Garden Photographer of the Year website during 2008/09. You can enter online, and view the finalists from this year’s competition at www.igpoty.com.
EVENT THREE
Mythical paintings hit Hampstead
A display of paintings and etchings; Mychael Barratt: Urban Myths, is opening in Hampstead from Sunday 4 May to 14 June. The exhibition, made up of 15 oil paintings on wood panels, will be opened by George Vass, artistic director of the Hampstead and Highgate Festival.
All of Mychael’s paintings and etchings are inspired by his affection for the area, and ‘Cloudspotting’ is a painting about a couple on Hampstead Heath, relaxing on a Sunday. Beside them are three circles, a basket of fruit, and a dog that symbolizes fidelity. The fruit alludes to their relationship, and the circles are explained in the cast shadows. A story is therefore told in a deceptively simple style.
Mychael captures unnoticed Hampstead skylines, wonky windows and hidden lanes, and fills them with people in love as they play out their lives on the Heath.
In his new series of six narrative etchings, called Marriage a la Mode, Mychael draws inspiration from history and contemporary life, such as Hogarth and Hockney.
Mychael is a Fellow of the Royal Society or Painter/Printmakers, and is also a commissioned artist for Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.
The exhibition will be held at Gallery K, 101-103 Heath Street, Hampstead, NW3 6SS. For more information, visit www.gallery-k.co.uk, or call 020 7794 4949.
EVENT FOUR
Making a house a home
At Home: Symposium at the Geffrye Museum, is a two-day seminar on 17th and 18th century urban middle-class home, exploring the domestic architecture, decoration, furnishings and daily life of the ‘middling sort’ in London.
The seminar is being held on the 9 to 10 May at 10.15am to 4.30pm at the Geffrye Museum, 136 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London E2 8EA.
Historians from a range of disciplines will deliver papers and case studies illuminating new ideas and research into histories of the home, which will combine art, design, social and cultural history.
Tickets are £35 for one day, or £60 for both days, and the price includes coffee and a light lunch. To book, call 020 7739 9893 or email bookings@geffrye-museum.org.uk.
EVENT FIVE
Calling all artists…
Sharpen Your Pencil and draw Bruce Castle. There is a family drawing afternoon with Haringey's own architectural artist Steve Amor on Sunday 25 May from 2 to 4pm. Open to everyone, and entry is free.
Bruce Castle is a Grade I listed 16th Century manor house in 20 acres of parkland. William Compton - a member of Henry VIII’s court, built the oldest surviving parts of the building.
Since then the building has been modified several times by new owners including the Coleraine family. One of the wives of the 2nd Lord Coleraine is said to haunt the building.
Sir Rowland Hill's family ran a progressive school for boys at Bruce Castle during the Victorian period. Sir Rowland reformed the British postal system and became famous for introducing the Penny Post.
Bruce Castle opened as a Museum in 1906 and now houses the Borough of Haringey's local history collections and archives.
Bruce Castle Museum is on Lordship Lane, London N17 8NU. You can visit www.haringey.gov.uk/leisure/brucecastlemuseum.htm or call 020 8808 8772 to find out more.
EVENT SIX
Grand Designs Live London
Grand Designs Live is the UK’s No.1 consumer show for anyone who has an interest in design, build, interiors, shopping, home wares, gardens, kitchens and bathrooms and innovation.
Running until 11 May at ExCel, in London’s Docklands, visitors can source ideas and inspiration from every house we have ever featured on the Channel 4 TV show, see live builds in the Grand Village and try your hand at self-build techniques.
This year’s show is packed full of new interactive features, more celebrity experts and free expert advice.
You can see a huge range of free seminars in our Grand Theatre and get a free consultation with an expert in our Information Hub.
There will be more than 450 exhibitors offering an unrivalled range of products – many of which you won’t find on the high street. You may even get your 15 minutes of fame-Channel 4 will be filming at the event. Open Daily 10am-6pm
Tickets start at £10 and you can book online at www.granddesignslive.com or call 0871 230 5577.
The online guide to…
Loft insulation
Eco website www.thinkinsulation.com is advising strapped-for-cash homeowners to climb into their lofts and unlock a potential treasure trove.
The move could prove lucrative in two ways as not only can attics be hiding forgotten gems that can be sold on eBay or at a flea market, it can also provide the perfect opportunity to insulate the loft. With 25 per cent of a home’s heat being lost through the roof, loft insulation can help save up to £110 per year on fuel bills.
In addition, with households striving to become ever greener, a loft clear-out can help in more ways than one as improved loft insulation will help reduce carbon footprints by cutting energy usage, and recycling unwanted items will also help the environment.
Lydia Sharples from www.thinkinsulation.com said: “This time of year many people are spring cleaning their homes, but often neglect clearing out the loft.
“But, as we know from popular property TV programmes, lofts can hide everything from expensive collectables to re-usable practicals.
“Once the loft is cleared, it is easy to save even more money by installing loft insulation, which is available from all major DIY retailers.
“It’s so easy and takes only 2-3 hours to lay, and it can pay for itself in as little as one year. Spring is the ideal time to do this, as loft insulation will not only keep the home warm in the chillier months, but will also help to keep it cooler in the summer months,” she added.
Pictured: Temperate House at Kew Gardens
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