Aimee Lou Wood's return and suburban brutalism
Woo's cultural tonic for the endless cycle of doomscrolling
Woo's cultural tonic for the endless cycle of doomscrolling
Doomscrolling can take you into a grim place, being linked to both physical and mental health - a recent study said that of those with “severely problematic” news consumption, 74% reported experiencing mental health problems and 61% reported physical problems.
Our antidote for this sorrow, the endless blast of short-form nonversation and headlines about the end of the world, is to help you escape the news cycle and embrace what the great big world has to offer you. We know you're busy and there’s a lot to digest, so each week we’ll bring you a roundup of carefully curated reads, exhibitions, big-screen events and album drops to check out.
Watch Aimee Lou Wood's first leading screen role in Living
Inspired by the script of iconic Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru, this production is, in essence, a love letter to life itself. When a stiff-upper-lipped accountant (played by Bill Nighy) gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decides he's better get some living in while he still can. Filled with a renewed faith in human connection, Mr Williams (Nighy) befriends Ms Harris, played by Sex Education's Aimee-Lou Wood, and we're invited to follow his carpe diem adventures. Existential.
Living is in cinemas now
It's Britney, bitch!
Showing at micro Hackney art space The Residence Gallery, this exhibition takes inspo from Britney Spears’ biography. Immediately, we're sold. One for the arty types, ‘Born to make you happy’ explores concepts of autonomy, freedom and selfhood through mixed media. Reflecting on the pop star's experiences under an oppressive conservatorship, it confronts the nature of personal freedom and the construction of identity - it's also pretty camp, in the best way. Look out for work from hotly tipped Gray Wielebinski, fresh from showing a raucous, rodeo-themed, interactive sculpture at Bold Tendencies.
Experience a photographic journey through Outer London
On the lookout for some architecture porn? You're officially sorted thanks to Simon Phipp' Brutal Outer London a photographic odyssey through the post-war modernist buildings of Greater London. Inviting us to see the beauty in the outermost reaches of the city, it's a guide to all the overlooked architectural gems that lie just within the M25.
Brutal Outer London is available to purchase now via September Publishing.
Listen to Eden Samara's coming of age album
Eden Samara first popped up on our radar when her bright vocals featured on "Skater's World", 2021's much-acclaimed dancefloor ode to friendship (and skating) but now she's getting her teeth into something more substantial: debut album Rough Night.
Staying true to her rave-head credentials, she's signed on an all-star cast of London musicians including Call Super, Peach, TSVI and Shanti Celeste for production duties and released via cult record label Local Action. But really she's a pop girly at heart, with the LP shining thanks to her infectious melodies and major main character energy. Taking us on a journey through love, loss, sexuality and self-acceptance, lyrics are delivered by her lighter-than-air voice. Exploring the beauty of self-discovery, it's one to turn up loud during solo drives with the windows down...
Rough Night is out now.
y2k homeware to buy for a noughties nostalgia hit
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