Sir John Soane’s Museum

 

Sir John Soane’s Museum

13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields,  London WC2A 3BP
+44 (0)20 7405 2107

Step back in time with a visit to Sir John Soane's Museum – virtually unchanged since his death in1837. Behind an elegantly severe façade lie architecturally stunning interiors which contain world-class collections of art, sculpture, furniture, antiquities, casts, stained glass, books and models – all artfully arranged as Soane left them, 170 years ago.

Sir John Soane’s Museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10-5pm when admission is free. 

OCTOBER GALLERY

October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL

Tel: + 44 (0)20 7242 7367 Fax: + 44 (0)20 7405 1851

Artist Nnenna Okore returns to October Gallery, London for her second solo exhibition.

Okore continues to employ ordinary media like magazine and newspaper to highlight consumerism and excessive wastefulness in today’s society.

Along with the continued exploration of these themes in her work, Okore is also inspired by the concept of growth and metamorphosis.

Her sculptures explore rich earthly colours, textures and formations often resembling architectural structures and spaces. The application of various repetitive and labour-intensive techniques, like weaving, twisting, sewing, dyeing, waxing and rolling, only serve to further accentuate these elements and other visceral qualities embodied in these works.

BRITISH MUSEUM

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

Admission free and open every day from 10am till 5.30pm - loads of great artifacts, history and art from around the world plenty to be inspired by - 

What's On...12 May – 10 July 2011 "Objects in focus" in Room 3

Discover the secrets behind this shadow-and-light box installation by contemporary artist Xu Bing, inspired by a Chinese painting in the Museum’s collection.

Nearly 5 metres tall, Xu Bing’s artwork is made using materials such as hemp fibres, dry plants, corn husks, crumpled paper and debris sourced from sites across London, placed on a backlit screen. Seen from the front, the work looks like the brush strokes of a Chinese painting, but step behind and the illusion is shattered. The installation was created on site by Xu Bing and will only exist for the duration of the display.

The work is the latest in the series of installations by the internationally renowned Chinese artist. Background Story 7 is a direct response to a hanging scroll of a Chinese landscape by Wang Shimin dating to 1654 and is specially commissioned for the British Museum.

The Art Workers Guild

The Art Workers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3A

Is an independent charity and organisation that was founded in the 1880s and is closely associated with the Arts & Crafts movement. It now consists of roughly 100 architects and 250 designer makers, bound by good craftsmanship and design rather than style.

Visit their website to check out the wares of most of the designers in their fold - there are bookbinders, artists, sculptors, etchers, guilders and letterpress.