Cultural London

What are the ways in which we encounter and understand Culture in London? We are never going to have a complete, comprehensive view – both the idea of ‘culture’ and London as a space in which to encounter it are far too large. However, we can cultivate an ‘explorer mindset’ and discover aspects of Cultural London wherever we look:

National and International: these are large-scale companies and organisations which are well represented and easy to find, both on the street and on line, such as the National Theatre, and the Royal Opera House.

 

National Theatre on Southbank ** Royal Opera House in Covent Garden

Arts and Multi-Arts Centres: both for mainstream and alternative forms of art, music, and culture. These include venues such as the Southbank Centre, Barbican, and RichMix in Bethnal Green.

Cultural Quarters: distinct areas that are known for distinct cultural activities. For example, the West End is known for large scale musicals and plays, and is considered to be a specific district in London around Covent Garden, the Strand and Shaftesbury Avenue, but is also used to reference a space around Victoria Station contains the Apollo Victoria, Victoria Palace, and The Other Palace.  Charing Cross Road has a reputation for being the home of independent booksellers, and Kensington is known as the Museum Quarter.

Film: multiplexes showing international blockbusters are represented, but London also houses dozens of independent, art, and alternative cinemas. The British Film Institute conducts research, and supports independent and alternative film, and, for film as ‘experience’, companies such as Secret Cinema and Rooftop Cinema provide unique film experiences.

 

Image Source: bfi.org.uk ** Image Source: secretcinema.org

Fringe Theatre: small, specialist theatres, such as the Almeida or Gate Theatre, but there are dozens of well-known theatres in unusual spaces such as pubs, including the Rosemary Branch in Islington, and the Finborough Theatre in Earls Court.

Museums: museum culture reflects the hierarchy above, with international, and national interest represented, alongside specialist centres and private, or ‘house’ museums. Large Museums include the Victoria & Albert, the British Museum, or the Natural History Museum; specific interest museums include the Fan Museum in Greenwich, or the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury. There are also ‘house’ museums, which are conserved house spaces, usually dedicated to an individual, such as the Freud Museum in Camden Borough, or to a research area, like 19 Princelet Street which explores the impact of local immigration.

Place and Space: London is very good at repurposing site for cultural activity, including creating a park in a bombed-out church on Fleet Street; churches become concert spaces; and events take place on rooftops or in cellars across the city.

 

Image Source: churches-uk-ireland.org ** Image Source: londontown.com

Pub Culture: not just for drinking, London’s pubs are put to multiple uses, and often incorporate comedy clubs, band stages, open mic nights, cabaret events, slam poetry readings, and much more.

Parks as Culture: garden design is as part of British architectural history, and landscaped parks and green spaces are dotted around the city.

Stately Homes and Palaces: organisations such as the National Trust, and Historic Royal Palaces conserve and curate these beautiful, historic spaces, which include diverse sites such as the Tower Of London, and 2 Willow Road.

 

2 Willow Road, Image Source: nationaltrust.org.uk ** Tower of London

Cultural areas: different districts of London have distinct cultural identities; Brixton, Earls Court, Shoreditch, Camden, Chelsea – all have very different ‘vibes’. Areas of high cultural cache shift and change with cultural taste and capital, but retain individual identities in the face of homogenising influences.

Festivals and Parades: these are often spontaneous, and include formal and informal events. Pride, and Notting Hill Festivals are examples of informal celebrations which have grown and attracted cultural status; and specific events such as the Mime Festival, or Southbank Festival, are curated and highly organised specific interest experiences.

Statues and Buildings: read the architecture of London as street art, alongside the specific artistic installations, memorials, sculptures, and graffiti. History and historiography inform the culture of London.

____________________

Just a taste of some of my Cultural London

 

V&A Museum ** Horniman Museum

 

Rocky Horror Picture Show at Royal Albert Hall ** Ballet at Coliseum

 

Southbank ** Greenwich 

 

Covent Garden, morning and evening

 

Trafalgar Square ** Jazz Club below a restaurant

___________________

This is the first blog I've done as part of the King's College London Cultural Experience Award - the forthcoming sessions look really interesting, exciting, and a little bit scary... or, let's go with 'challenging'. I'm looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone a little bit, and engaging deeper with aspects of Culture in this amazing city.

What aspects of Cultural London are your favourites?