Tag: royal

Initiated by theLouis Vuitton Young Arts Project,Culture Shop: January Saleis a south London art group's calledArt Assassins’ most recent venture - an off-site live exhibition by bunch of 14-20-year-olds offering responses to the idea that ‘culture makes you who you are.’Installed – aptly – in a disused Poundland unit inElephant and Castle Shopping Centrethis space s far from your stereotypical white cube. Exchange is rife in the middle of the place once voted London's ugliest structure, but not of the materialist kind, as a plethora of audio and video works confront conventional cultural perceptions of profession, class, nationality and race.

True to their name, the Art Assassins are not taking the war on youth lying down. Back in Autumn 2011 they created a stimulating youth led publication in collaboration withHato Pressin response to the London riots -Voice of the Voicelessproving engagement and openness vital to the Art Assassins’ philosophy. Working with high profile collaborators no doubt enhances their message’s impact, the Young Art’s Project’s Summer Academy engaging in a public sculpture workshop with the well known Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset last August. As a three year partnership between five of London’s leading art institutions – Hayward Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, South London Gallery, Tate Britain and the Whitechapel – the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project exposes the Art Assassins to an snazzy series of cultural programmes – keeping them busy alongside their regular SLG Thursday evening meetings, college and school commitments.

Ryan Valentine’s videoGamerand George Flanagan’sWe Don’t Get Lawyers ‘Round Here, are two of many works that illustrate the assassination of the commercialist dictum ‘nothing in this world is free’ through their poignantly open creative exchange. Voicing his cultural curiosities, 13-year old South London Gallery forum member George talks to Rose Commander -a paralegal at Goldman and Bailey Solicitors- about how ‘people from where I live aren’t lawyers’. Gemma Andrews’s live experimentElephant Toothpastedemonstrates how her cultural diversity is bubbling over (literally) in a confluence of art and science. Turkish Art Assassin Mehmet Ccel performs his passionate intro to professional wrestling inFront Bump/Back Bump,where in-between body crunching moves he demonstrates the importance of ‘bumping’ -the safety measure used in professional wrestling that determines learning how to fall without causing injury to yourself or others.

"Let's begin at the beginning: I love Miuccia Prada.

I'd bend backwards/sideways/every way for her. I feel her. I love her observation, sensitivity, modernism; she's progressive with respect, taking it all in, playing with it. With humour, intelligence. She's my goal.

When I was invited to DJ as part of the-miumiu-london I was beyond myself. The event took over the Cafe Royal's beautiful and baroque surroundings for three days – I'd previously hung in a 40s club run there.

Across three floors there was The Club Lounge and Terrace, Conversation Room, Oyster Bar, The Restaurant, Cocktail Bar and Miu Miu shop/gallery.Nourishing the senses (and the mind) across architecture, food, aesthetics, conversation and sound, I like the fact that #themiumiu was a women's club, where men had to accompany as a guest – a clever reversal of archetype.But I wouldn't consciously call myself a feminist, I'm for equal rights, which was one of the themes in the Conversation Room I visited.

There were women from all walks of life with the odd male here and there. Discussion was of women role models, with Penny Martin and Shala Monroque leading. I'd have liked some more time to get real dirty with it, into the nitty gritty of deeper issues and diversity butI got my word in expressing my respect for Pina Bausch, inspired by her expression through various media as a pioneer for the invisible. The movement drawing on feelings and observation; the beauty and grace of the old age or a child, man or woman and all in-between. The joy, pain and delicacy of life all wrapped in a very beautiful uniform.

Afterwards, a friend and I took fancy to some simple pleasures, eating seafood in the surroundings of golden wall swirls and candlelight, and diving into champagne. The Miu Miu collection in the shop I knew off by heart, and I knew it'd speak to me.

Cleansed by the freshness of the sea fruit and taste of fine wine, I was ready to play. No rules, just musical passion for 3 hours. Stephen Jones came up to me saying 'I Only Have Eyes For You' was his favourite song ever. I think if Miuccia was there, she'd have had a dance.

I had a great evening and connected with my girlfriend. The eyes said it all: I want to go there again. But... all things must pass."

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