do: easter parade

it's nothing new (been going since the mid-1800's 'when high-society ladies would promenade in their Easter finery after church') but it's such a creative classic that we had to feature the fact that easter parade is coming up this weekend in new york. with the most creative milinary on show everyone wants to have a good time and no-one wants to be taken seriously. even irving berlin dedicated a fred astaire and judy garland techni-colour musical film to it (worth a watch we promise you!).

image courtesy of time out new york

Fifth Ave from 49th to 57th Sts.

timeout.com

do: old vic tunnels holiday camp

if anyone is at a loose end on thursday evening in london there will be a crowd from pf heading to the old vic tunnels easter holiday camp.

aiming to re-create a holiday camp underground the event will feature 'a rolling easter meadow with deck chairs and a pimms bar, picnic benches and a bouncy castle. you can get competitive at the volleyball and badminton courts and sail into the sunset at the boating lake. we’ll have a campfire for reliving those long hot summer nights, plus a games room and ping pong tables. join the easter egg hunt, eat candy floss and show us your best bunny hop on the dance floor.'

image courtesy of bellyflopmag

on thursday & friday

oldvictunnels.com

space: jerwood, hastings

we adore the idea that high culture is no longer reserved for cloistered capitals and clustered cities. national galleries are beginning to lift their heads above the parapet of the constant tourist trade offered in london and are now beginning to open branches nation wide. so when we read that the jerwood was openng a branch in hastings we got rather excited.

'the place smells of just-landed fish sold in little shops, or the fried and battered sort in some fine fish-and-chip restaurants. Ice cream and rock vendors are inserted into odd slivers of space...the building doesn't try to dominate, overwhelm or out-dazzle its surroundings, but nor does it patronise them.' - rowan moore for the observer newspaper.

the building was designed by hana loftus and tom grieve of hat projects and the permanent collection includes people like nicholson, brangwyn, sickert and others. it's funding is quite incredible too as the jerwood foundation - as a privately funded charity - stumped up £4m and the land it's built on was donated by the local council (an old coach park). definitely another reason why we do love to be by the seaside.

imagery courtesy of guardian.co.uk

jerwoodgallery.org/

see: cherry blossom

cherry blossoms are the most widely cultivated cherry in japan, particularly around tokyo. when they bloom, there are viewing parties, celebration and a reason given to relax and enjoy.

the transience of their life, a quick bloom and death, is representative of mortality, giving a rich symbolic meaning to mortality.

in 1912, the mayor of tokyo presented the united states with 800 yoshino cherries. you can now view them all over the country. if in nyc, be sure to check out the brooklyn botanical garden. the festival took place the last weekend in march but you can check their site for an interactive map and bloom status of all their varietals of bloom.

bbg.org/discover/cherries/

central saint martins//kings cross

we had an exclusive tour of the new central saint martins site at kings cross by head of college, prof. jane rapley obe last week. build on to and part of the old granary building the architects have managed to maintain the old and compliment it with the new.

it is an astonishingly different style of building compared to the previous buildings that were steeped in history but unfortunately rather tatty round the edges due to the massive maintenance required (to those of us who studied there the drafty and broken windows while doing life drawing in january only added to the charm!).

however, the new building marks a new beginning and a clean slate for the new students to use as an incredible spring board. we particularly like the drama centre london vintage audition sign next to the hall of fame. it proved a most enlightening trip and made us all wish we were back at art school.

unfortunately if your a 'civilian' you can only go into the central atrium below the granary building but it's still worth a look.

photography by bella towse

csm.arts.ac.uk

do: 21st century explorer

'why do some travel experiences thrill us and others leave us cold? Is it the destination or the length of journey that shape our reactions? '

ever question whether your doing enough with your evenings? Why not spend an evening being stretched by the school of life's evening talk with tristan gooley. as an explorer and navigator and author of the forthcoming book the natural explorer he's got the credentials to guide this course.

'combining the work of the some of the most insightful travellers of the past two thousand years with his own experience, tristan gooley demonstrates how it is possible to connect profoundly with the lands we travel through....exploration is no longer about hauling sleds to the pole or dropping dead for want of a drop of water, it is about celebrating the sense of connection and discovery that is possible in all our travels.'

£20.50 - 15th march

see: manhattan master plan

it's really no surprise that over 200 years ago a master plan of manhattan's famous intersections and grids was strategically created. if you've ever wondered how these landmark spaces such as central park, gramercy park, 14th street, and the rocky terrains of amsterdam started out this exhibit at the museum of the city of new york will interest you. check out photos, rare maps, original manuscripts, and near complete evolution of this public city workspace.

on until 15th july

mcny.org

nytimes.com

see: yayoi kusama

this 82 year old artist has been playing with dots for her entire lifetime. so long in fact that she now has a retrospective opened at the tate modern. Sponsored in part by Louis Vuitton there will be a small exhibit of her work in the louis vuitton maison on bond street.

having lived in a psychiatric hospital in japan since 1977 she has become a figure head of survival and has drawn attention to the battle between creativity and sanity. the show comprises film, paintings and re-creations of various installations. be prepare to come out a little dizzy.

on until 5th june

tate.org.uk

images courtesy of:

livincool.com