House of Vans - Polyphonic Playground

The Polyphonic Playground installation is housed at the House of Vans in London from 30 January up until 21 February 2016. It is interactive sound installation by Studio PSK, commissioned by the Fashion Space Gallery and London College of Fashion. It was developed by musician Reeps One.

The installation is inspired by the joys of the playground as a child, which comes complete with a slide, a climbing frame and swings. The installation employs advanced music engineering made with conductive paint, tape and yarn to create MIDI triggers, visible on the steps and the slide. The swing is interwoven with electronic textile.

#HouseofVans #PolyphonicPlayground 
 
 

Summer Streets 2015 - Health Kicks

Regent Street changed to a street of sporting activities for the “Health Kick” as part of a series of themed Summer Streets in July. Health Kick was held on Sunday 12 July 2015 which also coincides with the British 10K London Run.

The day featured games and activities of Rugby and Hockey with other activities to test the physique and reaction time. Asides from the games, there were music and performances provided by City Academy with the chance to sign up for a taster session of performing arts which include dance, acting, music and photography. Heart FM makes another appearance with their huge deck chairs which were at the Garden Party the week before.

There are two more Summer Streets left for this year: Fashion Festival and Culture Club.

#RegentStreet #SummerStreets

West End Live 2015

West End Live brings the musical theatre into the open air with activities and performance taking place in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. The event ran on the weekend of 23 and 24 June 2015.

In Leicester Square, there were many of a variety to do with make-up demonstrations, photo booth, kid’s activity zone and a chance to view as well as wear some of the props and costumes from musicals and theatre on display. Props and costumes on display come from The 39 Steps, Wicked, Bugsy Malone, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and War Horse.

There are other activities to enjoy such as an interactive children’s area for the family to enjoy with different arts and crafts activities. What I particularly liked was the photo booth where can dress yourself up (I’m gonna dress you up in my love!) and take groovy snaps.

On main stage in Trafalgar Square, theatre shows and musical groups and troupes take centre stage providing performances throughout both Saturday and Sunday. Some of the acts include The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s The Lion King and Thriller Live.

Refreshments are available and provided by Fortnum and Mason. There are many actitivities for the family to enjoy such as puppet shows and science experiments to get to grips with. 11 canopies have been set up with many freebies to get and many things to do. The 11 canopies house different businesses and associations to the event:

• Everything's Rosie
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
• Heart
• Science Museum
• Oxford Street
• Little Angel Theatre
• Forbidden Planet
• Picturehouse Central
• London Film Museum
• The Theatres Trust
• Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

#WestEndLive

Burlington Gardens Festival 2015

The Burlington Gardens Festival is part of Brown’s London Art Weekend with a series of events held at the entrance on Burlington Gardens to the Royal Academy of Arts. The festival was held on Saturday 4 July 2015.

Outside on Burlington Gardens, the road had become a car-free zone with activities and food stalls with a picnic table. A drawing workshop is set up outside which encourages participants to draw the movements of acrobats make as they enact the movements of the Unexpected Hill art installation. There are colouring in activities for the children to get stuck in to.

 

 

 

 

There is also the Raze Bloom by Rachael Champion which explores landscapes and architecture, which is a look at how real estate developments bring down the natural landscapes in order to build properties.

On the inside, there are other art installations to set the eyes on such as Unexpected Hill by SO? Architecture and Ideas, which is a wall of ceramic tiles which are all in different shapes and sizes and are able to position them to form different structures.

 

An Interactive T-shit printing area has touch screens with preloaded print designs which can be adjourned to the materials creating a customisable T-shirt. It is brought together by Epson and YR-STORE with designs by the Royal Academy Schools students, tutors and associated artists.

There are performances with one which I absolutely loved was HERD by Richard Wilson RA + Breathing Space which were the use of voice, metal and cello playing on the acoustics of the architectural structure of the building.

#BLAW2015

Cally Festival 2015

The Cally Festival, first started in 2011, is a festival held on Caledonian Road in London which features art, activities, performances and workshops. This year it was held on Sunday 14 June 2015 from 12pm to 6pm.

The festival is funded by local businesses in and around Caledonian Road bringing live music, art and children activities, performances from local groups and bands, a procession as well as stalls for businesses, charities and sellers. Many artworks were on display created by different groups such as wooden structures created by a university in London.

#CallyFestival

The Feast of St George 2015

The Feast of St George celebrates the day with food inspired by the feast of the national day of St George which was on 23 April 2015. The event was held on Saturday 26 April 2015 and in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square from 12:00 to 18:00.

The event holds live cookery demos from celebrity chefs in Cook’s Corner as well as talks and demonstrations of making different teas. There are also banqueting area located between the tables, where you can join the views of the decorations of bunting and flags.

There are a range of activities for the family to enjoy with games, such as hoopla and hook a duck, as well as swings and a carousal. Marquees hold workshops for family where the children can create their very own knight helmet and sword as well as be adorned with a knight’s name on a knight’s medallion. There were opportunities for taking pictures with Knights Lance and his Queen.

In the tiltyard, there is a bandstand with a range of music and dance taking place, such as music from Let It Be, Hammersmith Morris Men and Crystal Palace Brass Band.

#StGeorgesDayLDN