Arts Features Archive

Freelance, but not on furlough payment – the Croydon musician caught in criteria trap

Over a million people do not qualify for furlough and self-employment payments, including those who have no self-employed income during …

by Felice Southwell/ June 24, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Coronavirus, Features/

Lewisham artist’s tapestry tales of lockdown life

Embroidery artist Tina Crawford has made the most out of lockdown, using isolation to engage with new audiences and start …

by Edward John/ June 23, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Coronavirus, Features, Society/

Artists donate works to enhance NHS staff spaces

Health service workers at the Royal London Hospital and the Mile End Hospital are to be treated to artworks in …

by Jiaxuan LI/ June 17, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Community, Health, Tower Hamlets/

East London student sessions make music to lighten the lockdown

Musicians around the globe have continued creating and releasing music online with a view to entertain audiences during the lockdown. …

by Shruti Nanda/ June 11, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Events, Features, Lockdown lifestyle, Music/

Artist Kehinde Wiley portrays the hidden female figures of Dalston

Women from Dalston are at the centre of Nigerian-America artist Kehinde Wiley’s exhibition in Hackney. The LA-based artist usually portrays …

by Malaurie Accrombessi/ March 9, 2020/ Arts Features, Features, Hackney/

Lewisham art company on a mission to raise enough funds to teach locals the art of muralism

For Patricio Forrester, painting murals is all about providing “colour in places of adversity ”. This is how the local …

by Claudia Rivas/ March 2, 2020/ Arts Features, Lewisham, Local News/

My Home is Not My Home

Reema’s story is heart-rending but by no means unique.  She describes how she was brought to Yorkshire from Qatar in …

by Melina Havoutis/ February 3, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Employment, Lead Stories, Uncategorized, Videos/

Canary Wharf Winter Lights

Canary Wharf is welcoming back the popular Winter Lights festival, where people can enjoy the beauty of the light artworkscreated …

by Jason Tzu-Kuan Lu/ January 24, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Events, Lead Stories, Tower Hamlets/

History of East London print industry on show

East London had a thriving printing trade in the last century providing jobs for thousands of people. But technological changes transformed …

by Ibrahim Banat/ January 23, 2020/ Arts, Arts Features, Events, Lead Stories, Tower Hamlets/

Iconic grass roots music venue re-vamped by young volunteers

The 100-year-old facade of The Macbeth public house could have been carved from a Dickens tale- a sore thumb among …

by Lois Borny/ December 9, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Music/

It’s all in the feels: artist explores women and ageing in Tower Hamlets show

“It’s all in the feels,” said Àsìkò, a visual artist whose photographic work explores women and ageing. His work – …

by Kunyu Wang/ November 4, 2019/ Arts Features, Features, Tower Hamlets/

History of Printing in East London exhibition to open in Tower Hamlets

Printing has played an important role in history and has been shaping the country and its politics since the 1900s. …

by Bella White/ October 25, 2019/ Arts Features/

From Afro hair to Soul II Soul, exhibition celebrate’s Hackney’s black cultural history

For Rebecca Odell, seeing visitors connect with Hackney Museum’s latest exhibition on a personal level is one of the most …

by Yasmin Saffet-Marshall/ October 21, 2019/ Arts Features, Features, Hackney/

Poetry festival has Croydon rhyming

A poetry festival took place at Fairfield Halls in Croydon last weekend, showcasing and celebrating the power of the spoken …

by Joshua Statter/ October 16, 2019/ Arts Features, Croydon, Features, People/

Goldsmiths’ finest- Fine Art Lecturer named 2020 Artist in Residence for the National Gallery.

A senior lecturer in the department of Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London has been named 2020 Artist in Residence …

by Astra McKenzie/ September 5, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Lead Stories, Lewisham/

Bethnal Green Library, a Hackney housing estate and Whitechapel’s neuron pod shortlisted for architectural awards

The renovation of Bethnal Green Library and other east London building projects have been shortlisted for the New London Architecture …

by Lucia Fernanda Mesa Velez/ June 17, 2019/ Arts Features, Features, General Features/

Women’s equality, CLR James and the Russian revolution – documentary film festival comes to Lower Clapton

Hackney based education charity WORLDwrite will host a Mini Film Festival at its centre in Lower Clapton this Saturday to …

by Claudia Teng/ June 13, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Features/

BRIT School students to perform for Street Live in Croydon this summer

Students from Croydon’s renowned BRIT School will be  performing on the streets of the borough this summer as part of …

by Sarah Benhamou/ June 12, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Features, Music, Summer/

Independent publishers in East London

  More independent publishers are appearing across London. East London’s independent publishing scene is buzzing. Graphic novels, poetry, memoirs, and …

by Bobbi-Lee Wright/ June 3, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Croydon, Features, Hackney, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets/

Exhibition traces history of anti-racist movements in Whitechapel and Brick Lane

Photographs showing anti- racist movements in Whitechapel and Brick Lane, are on show in Tower Hamlets. The exhibition – Blood …

by Ayesha Rahman/ May 22, 2019/ Arts Features, Tower Hamlets/

Zero waste week: the best homemade products

We have searched the web for the best recipes to keep your lifestyle as zero waste as possible. Lesson learned …

by Nicolle Okoren/ April 17, 2019/ Arts Features, General Features/

Mad about Vintage: Celebrating vintage fashion in east London

 East London is the vintage fashion hub of the capital. Areas in the East End, such as Brick Lane …

by Millie Bull/ April 8, 2019/ Arts Features, Features, Lead Stories/

Operatic drama of the battle between two Queens opens in Stoke Newington

A new version of an Italian opera about the momentous relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots is …

by Alisha Pilkington/ March 29, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Features, Music/

Finding catharsis in conscious clubbing: no alcohol, no drugs and over 70’s are welcome

It’s 6.30pm, Wednesday night, and I just broke up with my boyfriend. It was like all of my organs were …

by Nicolle Okoren/ March 29, 2019/ Arts Features/

From Hackney’s music venues to a Croydon airfield, our cultural hotspots are mapped

Hackney is London’s musical borough according to a new cultural map of the capital. Published by City Hall, the map …

by Django Zimmatore/ March 28, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Data, Features, Uncategorized/

Artist who works in time and space builds sand mountains on British beaches

Scottish artist Katie Paterson speaks of her influences ranging from zen gardens to British architects, and gives a synopsis of …

by Zoe Ettinger/ March 27, 2019/ Arts Features, Features/

New light art installation transforms Hoxton bar into “Instagram heaven”

  A Hoxton bar has transformed itself into an art installation, creating what it claims is ‘an Instagram heaven’ for …

by Alisha Pilkington/ March 26, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Features, News, Videos/

Art by teenagers with anxiety disorders goes on display in Lewisham

Art work created by young people from Lewisham who are struggling with anxiety disorders is to go on show later …

by Amanda Wahlqvist/ March 14, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Features, Local News, Uncategorized/

Nostalgic artwork showcases East London streets three decades on 

Doreen Fletcher had been painting East London street scenes for over 2 decades until she gave up in 2004, discouraged …

by Regiane Brandao/ January 29, 2019/ Arts, Arts Features, Society/

Got plans for the weekend?

COLLECTIVE CINEMA   Collective Cinema gives you the opportunity to see films in a different environment. St Margaret’s Church, Blackheath …

by Cheolan Jeong/ January 24, 2019/ Arts Features, What's On This Week/

Canary Wharf Winter Lights festival returns

Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival is back for its fifth year, with 21 installations made by artists from all over …

by Yao Fiona Zhang/ January 17, 2019/ Arts Features, Tower Hamlets/

Croydon suffragette inspires art exhibition

An exhibition celebrating the legacy of a Croydon suffragette has opened at Croydon Museum, created by the second artist in …

by Jemima Childs/ January 15, 2019/ Arts Features, Croydon/

Forgotten photographs of East London suffragettes go on display

Photographs revealing the forgotten story of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes  are to go on display for the …

by Olivia Campbell/ December 17, 2018/ Arts, Arts Features, People/

Rainbow broccoli crops up along Brick Lane as 3D street art

Rainbow broccoli has adorned Brick Lane for weeks now, bringing a 3D variation of street art to the already colourful …

by Briony Pickford/ December 17, 2018/ Arts, Arts Features/

Arts and media school celebrates first year in new home with Ofsted award and visit from Stormzy

Words and Images by Sam Hancock, Video by Zoe Ettinger The free school sixth form co-founded by brothers Charlie and …

by Sam Hancock/ December 14, 2018/ Arts Features, Education, Features, General Features, Music/

Nightingale estate’s Christmas panto unites older and younger residents

Residents of a crime and anti-social behaviour affected Hackney estate have collaborated with a community theatre company to create a …

by Gregory Robinson/ December 9, 2018/ Arts, Arts Features, Christmas, Hackney/

Project for singers with dementia celebrates 10th anniversary

Singers with dementia from the Turtle Song project performed with their companions and caretakers for their final show as part of their 10th …

by Victoria Brush/ December 6, 2018/ Arts, Arts Features, Hackney/

“We measure out our lives in the lives of our dogs”: a dog lover’s autobiography

After assembling four books of dog photographs and amassing the largest collection of photographs of dogs in the world, the …

by Sydney Diack/ December 5, 2018/ Arts Features, Features/

Art Student wins £5,000 award and exhibition in Shoreditch 

  An art student from Hackney Wick has won £5,000 and exhibition space in Shoreditch Gallery to allow her to continue her work …

by Briony Pickford/ December 4, 2018/ Arts, Arts Features, Hackney/

New performance of play designed to challenge mental health stereotypes

A play about mental health by a former social worker will have a one-off performance in Croydon this weekend. The …

by Parisa Borghei/ December 1, 2018/ Arts Features, Croydon/