Between 1843 and 1860, the art and society critic John Ruskin published several volumes of a series of writings entitled Modern Painters. This major bulk of writings is perhaps Ruskin’s most famous and  controversial production since, in those years in London, he dared to go against the grain by  cherishing and praising the works of art of a new generation of painters, such as John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and J.M.W. Turner. After more than 150 years, this spirit of breaking with the past, and even with the present sometimes, by creating dreamlike, imaginary unreal worlds, is still alive. There are many Modern Painters living and working around the world today, but sooner or later, they all appeared in London to let their pieces be known. Like a scattered Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, they brought their art to that same city which allowed the painters celebrated by Ruskin to become the great landmarks of European art.

Toby Brunsdon

Roaming through Camden Town, it is very easy to bump into many clothing stalls, but Tobias Illustrations’s shirts have a stunning, modern style which catch the eye immediately. Tobias Illustrations is a project founded by Toby Brunsdon, graphic artist and illustrator based in Bristol, whose main inspiration and focus is wildlife.

Now, Tobias Illustrations has started a new project: Illustrate is the new brand by Tobias Illustrations. It features the collaborations of many illustrators and artists who create beautiful graphics transferring their art into fashion and objects. But what strikes the imagination are the illustrations: mostly inspired by nature, these powerful artworks by different artists show the beauty, the colourfulness and complexity of wild animals, the merging of different elements, the mix of geometric forms and round, soft lines which create unique mind-blowing images.

Martin Leipziger

Natural elements are also the inspiration for Martin Leipziger. Born and raised in Germany, he travels the world to inspire and be inspired. In London he brought his “coffee and tea ink” collection: these drawings are all coloured with tea and coffee, thus providing his works with thousands of different brown nuances. With his dream-like visions of floating cities and broken trees displaying clouds behind, this German traveller artist aims to raise awareness about our environment and the social implications it brings. Through his artworks, Martin Leipziger wants to increase people consciousness about the importance of preserving nature and its beauty and lead us to be more aware of the problems and challenges through which our society put us everyday everywhere.

Dupont l’Artist du Monde

Finally, we meet Dupont l’Artist du Monde. Her name is eloquent and well expresses the purpose of her art: it works as a bridge which connects different parts of the world, far-away continents and cultures meet in her artistic products creating a vast, complex but clear landscape which brings together imagination and different realities. In fact, despite being very young, she travelled to Berlin, London, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, France, but South Africa, where she spent almost two years, is the land which most inspires her.

The African continent and in particular South Africa is the landscape of her soul and this can be grasped by looking at her drawings and illustrations. As she tells us, she draws everyday because her drawings are her life and her life is her drawings.

This drive she has was in fact born when she was in South Africa: “it is the germ of everything, the place where my creativity and imagination exploded, the place where I realised who I wanted to be, an illustrator and graphic designer who travels the world. Personally, the humanity of people in South Africa, its landscape and wildlife gave me the opportunity to nurture and become the person I am now.” Creativity is the energy which drives Dupont everyday as she does not care much about money or and fame, “I don’t care about being rich or famous, all I care and need is to have a marker in my hand and a piece of paper or a stone, or any surface in front of me to be constantly inspired and never lose this energy I feel inside. I just need to be surrounded by good people and nature to feel happy, if I weren’t my creativity would die and I couldn’t draw anymore.”

Creativity and passion is what drives these modern painters and London is the perfect place to find and know them. Let’s be inspired once more in this fantastic city, a cauldron of bursting creativity.

Edited by Sarah Huntington

The post Bursting Creativity of Modern Painters in London appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

But like it or not, this is not the early 1800s. London is vibrant and full of places promoting poetry as a means of connection between people. One such place is Apples and Snakes, which organises performed poetry events. Based in Albany, Apples and Snakes also coordinates national events. Their main focus is the spoken word and the various ways in which it can be spread. Through their live events, they bring to audiences a diverse range of high-quality poetry performances, from open mic nights to LGBT poets. For instance, on the 27th of September,  Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and Roger Robinson will be lighting up the night at Apples and Snakes. Two poets with national and international reputations, they will perform ‘dub poetry’ – merging powerful poetic texts with the rhythms of dub.

Live performances are just the tip of a huge iceberg at Apples and Snakes. The development of poets is a fundamental part of its offering, with a wide programme of masterclasses and workshops available. Indeed, both Robinson and Breeze have mentored at recent workshops. There are also spaces for poets and creatives to join together, rehearse, learn and share feedback in order to grow as performers and writers. Perhaps the best part is that most of these activities are either free, or ticketed at very low prices. All you need is a willingness to express yourself.

The activity at Apples and Snakes also includes a series of projects. An archive of materials produced over 30 years  was set up last year and is ever-expanding. This fantastic resource includes videos, recordings, and interviews, and is available to anyone. Inspiration and challenge are the focus in The Writing Room, a space provided by the organisation specifically for young people aged 18-25 to the improve their writing skills. And with an eye on the social power of creative writing, Sally Pomme Clayton’s  book, THE NO PANIC BOOK OF NOT PANICKING, collects a series of writings based on experiences of anxiety, panic attacks and depression. The aim is to help people who suffer from these issues to express themselves and find some solace. You can read it online for free or buy a copy for just £3.

Education, improvement, beauty and self-expression are the main words that come to my mind when I think about Apples and Snakes. Through their work the team relentlessly inspire, giving people across the country the opportunity to connect with some of the best writers, storytellers and poets from around the world. To find your nearest event, where you too can enjoy the power of the spoken word, visit the Apples and Snakes website.

Edited by Sarah Huntington

The post Apples & Snakes: A Place To Feed Your Love For Poetry appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

In the late 70s, during the so-called Punk Invasion of London, Camden Town became a point of attraction for punks, mods and rude boys. It was in this period, in 1979, that Madness first performed live at The Dublin Castle, a show which catapulted the band to fame and helped the pub build its reputation. Later, in the 1990s, it attracted bands such as Blur, performers such as Billy Bragg and many other acts that later gained commercial success, including the likes of Coldplay, The Killers, Supergrass and The Arctic Monkeys. The Dublin Castle was also one of Amy Winehouse’s favourite places, having played there innumerable times and sometimes even helping the staff serve drinks behind the bar.

Today, The Dublin Castle is a relaxed, friendly, artistic pub. When you enter, you can immediately perceive the relaxed atmosphere. The extreme friendliness of its staff is unparalleled: if you order a Guinness, be it a pint or a half pint, you’re likely to get a shamrock drawn on your beer head! To enjoy your drink, you can share the long tables with the other customers, lounge around at the bar or peruse the many posters on the walls to get an idea of the past live shows and the history of the place. On the other hand, if you’re in the mood to go wild, you’re in the right place. Just behind a door at the bottom of the pub is a gig hall where, every night, at least four bands will be playing, with DJs following the performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The only thing you need to do now is to go to Camden and discover for yourself the place whose declared mission is to help people have a good time!

Edited by Sophie Walker

The post The Dublin Castle: A Legendary Pub in Camden Town appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Gran Teatro La Fenice perhaps is one of the most famous examples of theatres destroyed by fire, along with The Globe Theatre in London which has a similar history of fire and rebirth. But there is another theatre in London which follows in the lineage of La Fenice and the Globe; the Victorian Theatre in Alexandra Palace, also known as “The People’s Palace”. Considered as one of the landmarks of the Victorian cultural landscape, the Palace is described by My Theatre Mates as the “witness to the vitality and exploration of the overlapping specialities of architecture, civil engineering, building and decorative arts in Victorian London.”

The Victorian Theatre opened in 1873, but after a fortnight it was destroyed by a fire and reopened in 1875. Here almost 3000 people could enjoy opera, drama, ballet, pantomime and concerts framed by an innovative stage machinery. After 80 years of deep sleep, like a modern Sleeping Beauty who wakes up thanks to a kiss from the Prince, the Victorian Theatre will be reopened in 2018, but it needs our contribution because three princes are better than one. The Heritage Lottery Fund is providing £18.8m for the restoration and Haringey Council will be contributing £6.8m, but another £1m is still needed to reach the goal. The project needs our support to bring entertainment and fun to the community, Londoners, and tourists.

The theatre is not the only site which will be restored. The project includes the restoration of the whole east wing of the Palace. This part plays a great role in British history not only because it contains the theatre, but also because in the 1930s it hosted the BBC studios from where the first high definition programmes were broadcast in 1936, along with the first colour signals. Thanks to the restoration and with contributions from the BBC’s archives, the studios will become an interactive point of reference for all those who are interested in the history of British broadcast. So donate the amount you want and let’s bring the Palace back to the people.

Edited by Ivy Joseph

The post Reborn from the Ashes: Alexandra Palace Theatre appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

1. Banipal

Let’s begin with Banipal. Founded in 1998, the main focus of this magazine is contemporary Arab literature published in English or in English translation but it also promotes world literature in general from an Arab point of view. This particular name was chosen to celebrate the roots of Arabic culture. As a matter of fact, the magazine takes its name from Ashurbanipal, the last great king of Syria and patron of the arts, “whose outstanding achievement was to assemble in Nineveh, from all over his empire, the first systematically organised library in the ancient Middle East”. Having both an online and a printed edition, on the website it is possible to browse past reviews and contributors, read news and be updated with the Arab literary scene. Banipal works also as a publishing house with the aim of spreading the voices of contemporary authors and letting the world read their poignant voices.

2. Ambit

Founded 50 years ago by Martin Bax, through its pages Ambit promotes both art, and literature and it boosts new talents and artists by accepting only unsolicited submissions. It has both a printed and an online version which features reviews, podcasts and interviews. Every year you can enter the Ambit competition, submitting your best work and be published in the magazine.

3. FunHouse

FunHouse is a beautifully designed new magazine about writing, comics and illustrations. It has an extremely voguish and modern style. The website is graphically impressive, where you can read the “fresh cuts” by its contributors. Check out the open submission period and have your illustrations or pieces of writing published in this stunning mag, focused on artists and creatives who think completely outside of the box and feel at ease inside the FunHouse.

4. The Wrong Quarterly

The Wrong Quarterly is an elegant printed lit-mag whose main goal is to create an international community of writers and professionals of the literary world. Only available in print, The Wrong Quarterly website is a bit slender, but you can find all the useful information you need about where to buy the printed mag, how to submit and who the contributors are. As they suggest, “go all offline”, take a break and enjoy this smart lit-mag. If you really can’t go offline, follow them on Twitter.

5. Brittle Star

Brittle Star is a magazine for new writing. It’s based in Europe, so it can be found in London as well. Its main focus is new writers and it provides a series of opportunities for anyone who loves writing and experimenting with words. The website is very rich in contents and sections: it features an annual competition, articles and the “Nudges” section, where the editors leave a prompt and anyone can leave a comment about it. Brittle Star is a very interesting and compelling project and everyone who is into new writing should have a look at it.

6. The A3 Review

The A3 Review is the literary magazine of Writing Maps, the alternative maps for writers: each map gives any kind of useful suggestion to writers as they work as portable sources of inspiration and help. Accordingly, The A3 Review has the same format as a map, but it contains fiction, poetry, graphic stories, photography, paintings, drawings, and other visual and word-based creative productions. Each month, A3 holds a themed contest to find the best material to be published in the MapMag, so anyone can be a contributor. This is one of the best and smartest projects around, so start to follow the map and find new routes for your creativity and imagination.

This was just a little selection of the huge ocean of amazing lit-mags you can find in London. If you were inspired by this list, search the web for more great projects and let your creativity explode.

Edited by Chermaine Sowah

The post London Independent Literary Magazines: Unexplored Publications appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

1. London Rum Festival, Ocotber 22^th  – 23^rd

So let’s see what I can do to cheer you up a bit. Let’s begin our marvellous tour around the city events with the London Rum Festival. The end of October, the weekend of the 22^nd and 23^rd, is all dedicated and devoted to the culture of rum: founded by Ian Burrell, Global Rum Ambassador, in 2007, it is a festival which celebrates and gives you the chance to know the best qualities of rum, meet the experts of this drink and have the chance to be involved in workshops and seminars. By purchasing the tickets you’ll be part of this amazing event which will unveil the secrets of rum. The venue will be at the ILEC Conference Centre, where the seminars, tastings and show will be held in a fantastic and beautiful location.

2. London Literary Festival, October 5^th – 16^th

Now that your days have been shaken up, let’s slow down the pace a bit and get involved in the London Literary Festival. Taking place at the Southbank Centre from the 5^th to the 16^th, the main focus this year is the present and the future; a topic which involves our everyday life since the beginning of the technological revolution. The festival features a great number of guests including authors, poets, and speakers, such as Margaret Atwood and Michel Faber. You don’t need to be a bookworm, scholar or a man of letters to enjoy the festival. There will be a full range of events and activities from readings, talks, and discussions available to anyone who wants to open their mind.

3. The Hackney Wonderland, October 15^th – 16^th

After drinking and reading, let’s listen to some music! The Hackney Wonderland is waiting for you on Saturday 15^th and Sunday 16^th of October. Held at five amazing locations; Oval Space, The Laundry, London Fields Brewery, Sebright Arms, and The Pickle Factory, this music festival offers the best of rock and indie music, featuring the likes of Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists. If you’re ready to dance, let yourself go and get lost in the sounds of Hackney Wonderland.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HACKNEY WONDERLAND (@hackney_wonderland)

4. Africa on the Square, October 15^th

If London still looks too grey, take a walk through Trafalgar Square on the 15^th because here colours await! Africa on the Square is a free, day-long event, from 12 to 6pm, which celebrates the cultures, art, food, and fashion of Africa, as part of Black History Month 2016. In its third year, with DJ sets, live performances, and dancing, Africa on the Square is the right place if you want to cherish this incredible continent with all its diversity, beauty, and traditions.

5. Bloomsbury Festival, October 19^th – 23^rd

Even as the month nears closing the fun is far from over. From the 19^th to the 23^rd, the Bloomsbury Festival is held on the streets and in buildings of this beautiful quarter. Over five days, it offers a great mix of events and activities which brings together people involved in the progress of art and science, from academics to musicians, and school children, who have had the opportunity to create new amazing projects. Be inspired by this itinerant festival which invades every corner of Bloomsbury.

Edited by Ivy Joseph

The post London: Five Events You Can’t Miss in October appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Reportedly starring Dakota Fanning as the troubled Esther, Dunst’s The Bell Jar will not be the first time cinematographic attention has been paid to Plath and her work.  In 2003, Christine Jeffs released the biopic Sylvia, in which Plath was portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow alongside Daniel Craig as her husband, the English poet Ted Hughes. The novel itself was previously adapted in 1979 by Larry Peerce, though it failed to tap in to Esther’s inner dimension, her traumas and her eventual journey to recovery. As Janet Maslin wrote in her New York Times review, “the movie barely even goes skin-deep. The audience isn’t given the slightest clue about Esther’s quirks, her fears, her peculiarly distorted notion of herself. She seems to be afraid of sex, and she also seems to be the object of amorous attention from most of the women she knows but, beyond that, the movie doesn’t explain a thing.” Here, Maslin underlines perfectly the great challenge Dunst will have to face if she does embark upon such a project. She will have to make Esther’s mental disorders and subsequent collapse apparent to the audience in both a sympathetic and subtle way, just as Plath portrayed them on the page.

The Bell Jar will undoubtedly strike a chord with many contemporary twenty-something women who, like Esther, may have moved to a big city after finishing their degree, full of hopes and dreams, only to find that success is not always so easy to achieve. Esther struggles— though perhaps in a more extreme way— with the same problems many young women face today, whether living in New York City or elsewhere, such as London. Esther finds it hard to choose which kind of woman she must be: whether a wife and mother, a poet, an academic and, in her precarious state of mind, these three potential paths clash together, creating a confusion that leaves Esther feeling paralysed. Plath uses a marvellous metaphor to describe this feeling, imaging Esther’s life— and by extension, her own— as a beautiful fig tree of which every branch is a different path, every fruit a different achievement. Esther sits in front of this tree longing for each and every fig and, whilst unable to choose which to pick, all of the figs rot and the tree is left as bare as she feels her life will be.

As an actress, Dunst has played a number of troubled and rebellious characters, such as Lux Lisbon in The Virgin Suicides and, of course, the ill-fated queen in Marie Antoinette. Perhaps, as a director, she will be able to use these experiences in creating the story of Esther, another strongly rebellious female figure. With this premise— and with Dakota Fanning playing the protagonist—Dunst adapting Plath could be a match made in heaven.

Edited by Sophie Walker

The post The Bell Jar: The New Project By Kirsten Dunst appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.