As part of London College of Communication’s ongoing support to our cultural neighbours, we’re featuring a weekly round-up of some of the activities and content provided by the fantastic museums, galleries and cultural venues in our local area.
From online events like Instagram drawing clubs and virtual exhibitions to physical activities like performances and screenings, here’s our guide to what you can get involved in with our Southwark and Lambeth friends and partners both online and in person.
At around 6pm on the 28 October 1940, the air raid siren sounded. London had been under attack since the 7 September and the people of Walworth had got into the routine of taking shelter in the crypt of St Peters Church. Yet while the evening started normally, the night was to prove catastrophic for many when two German bombs fell through the church roof and penetrated the crypt below.
Join us to commemorate the 80th anniversary of this tragic event and hear the story of the bombing and the people impacted by this largely forgotten chapter in Walworth's history.
Neil Crossfield, a local resident of the area is leading this free history talk on St Peter's church that will be hosted on Zoom.
Wednesday 28 October, 7-8pm
Get involved with People's Company Online
The Chateau presents a very special virtual screening of Under Your Nose; a documentary film by Veronica McKenzie, charting the journey of the groundbreaking Black Lesbian and Gay Centre (BLGC) in Peckham.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the director Veronica Mckenzie, BLGC member Dennis Carney and more. We are extremely honoured that journalist Paula Akpan will host the discussion live on Zoom, which will cover topics around the making of the film, work of the BLGC, as well as exploring contemporary Black queer activism in London.
Screening Wednesday 28 October, 7pm. Post-film discussion at 8.30pm.
Watch the screening.
Experienced creative practitioners Ghislaine Boddington, Shobana Jeyasingh, Richard Layzell, Rosemary Lee, Graeme Miller and Errollyn Wallen share their thoughts on how they, as creators, define a community. Together they pioneered 'practice as research' collaborative dialogues through ResCen at Middlesex University where they were research associate artists for twenty years.
This online event will include short presentations from each of the practitioners followed by questions from those attending and open discussion.
Wednesday 28 October, 7-8.15pm
Watch the presentations
The Elephant and Castle Community Hub is hosting a free fun-filled Halloween extravaganza on zoom. That evening will include scary entertainment for the whole family, this includes ghost stories, poems (The Raven), virtual apple dunking, spooky singalong and even prizes for the best costumes during the Creepy Catwalk. It is a safe fun way people can have fun for Halloween at this difficult time.
Sunday 1 November 8-9pm
Join the Spooky Sunday Zoom
Find out more on Facebook
The Unforgotten is a free interactive art installation which participates in and contributes to the ongoing conversation within the Black Lives Matter movement regarding whose image we uphold and elevate.
This interactive art piece adorning the Young Vic building, features statues commemorating three trailblazers of the Black community: Mary Seacole, Marsha P. Johnson, and Ulric Cross.
Created by artists Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and Anna Fleischle, the Young Vic community are invited to contribute to the installation by submitting their own nominations in writing on the side of the building and online in response to provocations written by Jennifer Akre, asking us all to (re)consider who we celebrate as our heroes.
Friday 11 September - Friday 30 October
Find out more about The Unforgotten
Aonyx and Drepan and The Minders of the Warm is Fani Parali’s largest solo show to date. The exhibition spans both our galleries and sees the artist reach bold new heights in her extraordinary production methods, testing the limits of scale and liveness.
Populating Lake Gallery, The Minders of the Warm presents for the very first time the full breadth of Parali’s artistic practice. Threads of mythology and the underworld underpin the selected works previously unseen, including paintings, video and sculpture.
Aonyx and Drepan is a 20 minute performance taking place every Saturday throughout the exhibition at our Dilston Gallery on an hourly basis between 12-5pm.
Exhibition: The Minders of the Warm, 10 October – 15 November, Lake Gallery, Thursday – Sunday 11am- 5pm (changing to 4pm on 25 October).
Performances: AONYX and DREPAN, 10 October – 15 November, Dilston Gallery, Saturdays 12 noon-5pm (changing to 4pm on 31 October) with performances also available on the final day of the exhibition.
Find out more about what's going on at Southwark Park Galleries
The Dulwich Picture Gallery teamed up with The Net Gallery to bring you a virtual experience of their acclaimed British Surrealism exhibition.
Marking 100 years since the birth of surrealism, British Surrealism champions the British artists that contributed to the iconic movement with over 70 eclectic works from the likes of Leonora Carrington, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Ithell Colquhoun, Conroy Maddox, and many more.
Available online throughout 2020.
View the exhibition online
Varaidzo is a writer, editor and artist. In her personal work, she has a particular interest in documenting stories of the African diaspora in the digital age, through film, art, audio and fiction. Black British Figures is no exception to that – combining her own research and illustrations to highlight the stories of the unspoken figures of Black Britons throughout the ages, with a particular focus on pre-Windrush era stories.
This is the first time highlights from Black British Figures is being showcased outside of the digital realm in Varaidzo’s current base in Peckham.
Wednesday 30 September – Wednesday 4 November
Find out more about the exhibition
To suggest an online activity organised by a venue local to LCC for inclusion in this weekly Canvas feature, please email: Gill Henderson, Cultural and Communities Partnerships Manager: g.m.henderson@lcc.arts.ac.uk.
Graphic Design graduate Annie Nicholson has given a new look to the College plinth, marking 125 years of LCC’s contributions to the London art scene.
Healthy food map launched to show best local restaurants as part of Where Walworth Eats campaign.
To celebrate Elmer the Elephant’s 30th birthday, International students from the ‘Certificate in Higher Education: Preparation for Design Media and Screen’, course at London College of Communication, UAL, created an Elmer elephant in collaboration with the artist, Donna Newman.
London College of Communication is taking part in Creative Elephant – a collaboration between Elephant and Castle institutions aiming to demonstrate the amount of talent and number of hidden gems based in the area.