Arts and Culture

Altered State: A Psychedelic Playground at 99 Projects

There aren’t that many galleries in London that owe their existence to a dog: the seed that flowered into Kensal Rise’s 99 Projects first took root whilst gallery director Frances Casey was walking her canine companion during lockdown. Whilst the dog in question is apparently more of a silent partner, 99 Projects has grown exponentially since its 2021 inception; with February 2nd seeing the opening of their first satellite pop-up on Golborne Road in Notting Hill. In a part of London that’s no stranger to the gallery scene, a first exhibition can be something of a trial by fire. As a result, Casey has come out guns blazing, with a seriously striking first effort. If Dan Pearce and Cody Burridge’s collaboration is representative of future exhibitions in the space, it wouldn't be too surprising to see this pop-up turn into something more permanent.

Featuring How the V&A explores Africa's global impact on the...

Iconic African designers, such as Kofi Ansah and Alpahdi, have given the public the opportunity to explore never seen before designs amongst the array of garments and objects on display for the exhibition. I was absolutely blown away by the artistry that was on display, solidifying how much I will be supporting African designers moving forward. You have to visit to understand the magnitude of greatness when it comes to design. When asked what pieces evoked raw emotion, it was difficult to choose. Numerous parts of the exhibition evoked multitudes of sentiments which, to me, is the true aim of fashion. From extreme joy and pride to see such dimension, craft and skill, and at other times, sadness and disappointment to know that African designers aren't given the recognition and platform they deserve to be able to thrive as significantly as the designers we love today.

Featuring 2023’s Most Exciting Art Exhibitions

His Royal Wordiness: A Spare Thought for Prince Harry

The central plank of Spare is simply: what makes the man born Henry Windsor tick? A question answered in frankly exhaustive detail. Over the decades since the death of Princess Diana, the numberless legion of royal biographies which have sprung up can be more accurately described in terms of forests than paper. Whilst the majority are penned by authors whose closest glimpse of royalty was a matinee of the Lion King, a few of them actually have the royal in question working closely with the author. For the blue-bloods, this is the way of getting your story told in as close to your own words as possible, without doing anything as gauche as writing an autobiography. The royals who actually do the unthinkable and publish under their own name tend to be divorced spouses, like Sarah Fergusson with My Story (she also penned 2011’s Finding Sarah: A Duchess’s Journey To Finding Herself, which I refuse to believe anyone has read) rather than thoroughbred Windsors.

A Brief History of Burns Night

Robert Burns was a British and Scottish national poet who composed songs in English and the Scottish dialect (yep - he was the guy who wrote Auld Lang Syne!). Born and bred on Scottish soil, Burns Night is (appropriately) celebrated on the 25th of January each year - the same day that Burns' was born. The Scottish national poet was also seen as a jolly Scottish figure within Scotland, and a personality that represents a separate identity from England. Historically, England has dominated the union between England, the principality of Wales, Northern Ireland and the kingdom of Scotland to form the United Kingdom, and this has been the case since the Act of Union was passed in 1707 CE between Scotland and England, the Act of Union 1801 CE between the main British islands on the island of Ireland, and the Act of Union 1536 CE United the government of the principality of Wales with the Parliament based in Westminster. Therefore, Burns Night celebrations have become synonymous with celebrating Scotland's cultural contribution to the world.

Bringing Back Boujis: Get Ready for B London

They’ve hosted rockstars and royalty during their wildest nights out. Now, the team behind Mahiki, Raffles Chelsea, and the once happening Boujis, brings B London to the fold, with a view to capturing the best of old and new. For those unfamiliar with Boujis, the significance of B London’s upcoming launch - geared for March of this year - is rooted heavily in the once popular club which closed in 2016. During its epic run, made memorable by the drove of celebrities passing in and out of its doors, Boujis made headlines for high class drama perpetrated by none other than its clientele. This included Princes William and Harry, commonly caught by paparazzi stumbling from the club in the early hours of the morning. Speaking to veteran nightclub owner and B London partner, Carlo Carello, it’d be remiss of The Sybarite not to enquire about his knowledge of the royals, who are, as expected at this time, a little on the contentious side of public opinion. “To be honest, I’ll be brutal,” he said. “I’d love to stay away from Harry and William right now. There’s too much out there.”