Kings Place Music Programmes

If you are an aspiring young jazz player or a music teacher looking for some professional development – look no further than Kings Place this summer. It’s getting together with the National Youth Jazz Collective to produce a young musicians programme and a CPD programme for teachers. Expert facilitated workshops will be followed by Sunday concerts by NYJC and the summer course students.

If you'd like further information about either strand, then get onto Joanie Magill, Kings Place Outreach Manager:
Tel: 020 7520 1450

Email: joanie.magill@kingsplace.co.uk

Reveal is Coming!

Everyone in the CreateKX office is aware of a very quiet but insistent tick-tocking: The countdown to Reveal has begun.

Our 10 day cultural programme takes place all over King's Cross and launches on 22nd April.

The full website is still in development, but here's the teaser site to spark your imagination. You can sign up to the Reveal newsletter to hear exclusive programme news and events, or follow Reveal on the CreateKX twitter feed.

In the meantime I'll be twisting the arm of Susanna Roland, Reveal Producer, to share some insider info on the blog... if I can make her stay in one place for long enough.

New Year, More Fun

Happy new year, all!

2010 was heralded in to the CreateKX office with much sneezing and snuffling. Bad weather, colds, and the annual detox - January is a challenge to us all. To ease the winter blues I have spent the last 24 hours compiling the most exciting January newsletter ever.

My personal must-see this month is Resolution! Over the next 6 weeks the Place is hosting its annual platform for the newest contemporary choreography. Resolution! has been showcasing up and coming talent since 1990, and the UK’s best choreographers gave us a first taste of their talent here.
This year features 102 companies in 34 performances – catch these rising stars while you can.
Resolution! runs until Saturday 20th February. For full listings, and to book visit The Place online: http://www.theplace.org.uk/634/whats-on/listings.html

Some of the other highlights for January include:
The pioneers of photography at the British Library
An exclusive screening of Ria Pacquee's street level portait of King's Cross - commissioned by Camden Arts Centre.
The UK's first A Capella festival at Kings Place
Love, and other Magic Tricks arrives to Camden People's Theatre

...Or if you're in need of a post-Christmas health-kick, then why not pop down to the Lexington for a spot of Rock Aerobics?...

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at the CreateKX website, and never be at a loose end again!

Image courtesy of Hitchhike Dance Collective, for Resolution! 2010

Christmas Quiz!

Christmas is almost here!

And it wouldn't be Christmas without a festive quiz, to tease those little grey cells. We are too full of mince pies and merriment to make our own, but luckily those clever people over at the Wellcome Trust have been a bit more proactive!

New Scientist magazine asked staff from the Wellcome Library to chose items from the Wellcome Image Library and also to create false descriptions for them.

We've had a go at guessing the real explanations behind the 10 objects offered - and have done pretty badly. Go on, see if you can do any better! In the meantime Happy Christmas, and see you in 2010.

Taster question:

Take a look at the picture above. Which of the following is its real purpose?

a). an ether dispenser

b). an enema syringe

c). a room fragrancer

d). an air pollution measurer?

Find out the answer, and play the whole quiz at: http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/curiouswellcome

Lambs Conduit Street - Christmas Shopping

Don't miss the annual Lambs Conduit Street winter fair, taking place this Thursday, from 4-8pm. Art, retail, mulled wine and Christmas lights... what more do you need?

Art and Craft where you least expect it!

One of the most sited 'great things about London' is the access to and sheer number of cultural venues and activities available only a short bus/tube/bike ride away. Well at the moment, the opportunity to take part in and / or enjoy some art or craft have sprung up in a couple of suprising places.

In the case of Kristy and Coralie's Christmas Cooler, the term 'sprung up' applies literally. Best friends Kristie and Coralie have set up their pop up shop in an old victorian bath house near Kings Cross on the Caledonian Road. They have trasformed the building with vintage furniture to create a perfect environment for some crafty Christmas cheer.

Everything is for sale and wherever possible it is handmade or secondhand, making it a great place pick up some distinctive Christmas presents over homemade soup, mulled wine or tea and cake. Their tagline is 'Drink, Shop and Do' and from 'Smack my Stitch up' (Upcycling your old clothes)to 'Play with clay, 80's style' (Lional Ritchie's video for 'Hello' is the 80's reference), there certainly are some great craft orientated events on offer in this very different socialising experience.

It must be said that their events are probably more aimed at those of you who have emotional reactions to handbags, heels and cute little cupcakes crafted out of colourful wool, but it certainly is a plug for a gap in the market. The resurgance in interest in the crafts such as crochet and knitting is testament to that. I think some jaded londoners looking for a new hobby, a chat and a bit of entertainment over a cocktail could have a wonderful evening or 2 at the Christmas Cooler. Full details of their events are available on their website.

Another unexpected art experience can be had at the St Pancras Hospital in the form of the Celestial Bodies exhibition. Artist Amber Garnet is exhibiting her illustrations on a planetary theme, which as well as being unusual artworks in their own right, the godesses portrayed have their own characteristics and personality traits. The hospital is far from a large gallery space, but any artists from around the area may be interested in sending in their work for consideration.

-Drink Shop and Do will be open 12pm to 12am, Thursday to Sunday for the three weekends in December (from the 3rd to the 20th)

9 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX

www.kristieandcoralies.com

- Celestal Bodies is showing until 18th February.

The Gallery Space, South Wing, St Pancras Hospital

St. Pancras Way, NW1 0PE

www.celestialbodiesexhibition.co.uk

Art in Redundant Housing Estate

This December The Market Estate Project will take over a soon-to-be demolished 1960’s housing estate north of King's Cross, and begin to transform more than 100 vacant flats, communal spaces and building facades into a creative playground for artists, designers and residents.

The Project offers artists and designers free spaces and an opportunity to freely intervene with what was considered to be one of North London's most notorious housing estates. With works starting from mid December 2009, they are looking for projects that engage and address the site's architecture, history, and community. Culminating in a one day live event in February 2010, they will invite the public to explore and experience the site and the art works, just before the bulldozers move in.

They're inviting YOU to submit proposals for artistic activity. Check out their website for more information about the project and how to apply http://marketestateproject.com/

REVEAL: Arts & Community Grants

As part of the Reveal programme CreateKX is offering grants for projects led by established and experienced arts and/or community organisations that will provide exciting opportunities for local people living around Kings’ Cross/St Pancras as participants and audiences, and add value to the artistic programme.

Reveal is a creative journey through King’s Cross, taking place 22 April- 2 May 2010. The programme’s themes of discovery, revelation and exploration will reveal the creative history and celebrate the future of King’s Cross. Reveal builds on the success of the 2007 Arrivals programme.

Reveal will offer artists, participants and audiences access to the hidden treasures of King’s Cross, discovering the past through local stories, site specific performance and installations in some of the iconic buildings in the area whilst glimpsing the future through a range of innovative partnerships, unique venues and multi art-form and digital media events.
Reveal will create an arts trail with King’s Cross and St Pancras International in the centre, a creative treasure map where X marks the spot. We’ll weave this web of activity through three strands of work:

• Create KX projects & commissions


• Partnership Projects


• Arts and Community Projects
  

We can offer funding for original and adventurous arts & community projects that will culminate in a performance, showcase or other public event as part of the Reveal programme. Please note that we will be looking to fund projects in the region of £2-3k. If your project will cost more then you must identify and access the match funds from another source.

Criteria:
Successful projects will be able to demonstrate all of the following:
Involvement of a professional artist or arts organisation

• A theme or idea linked to the Reveal concept


• A small amount of match funding


• A good track record of arts project delivery


• Real benefit to local people
  

Proposals must be submitted by Monday 4th January 2010. For more information about eligibility and the application process, please visit: http://www.createkx.org.uk/NewsDetail.aspa?PageId=1465&NodeId=215

The Hunterian Museum, Holborn

Our last VisitKX event - Culture and Enterprise: Made for each other? (Friday 20th November) - was held at the Hunterian Museum. The museum is tucked away inside the The Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn and proved to be a fascinating location to the delegates at the event and to the CreateKX staff!

In 1799 the government purchased the collection of the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter (1728-1793). It was placed in the care of the Company (later the Royal College) of Surgeons. Hunter's collection of around 15,000 specimens and preparations formed the nucleus of one of the greatest museums of comparative anatomy, pathology, osteology and natural history in the world. The Hunterian Collection today contains approximately 3,500 specimens and preparations from John Hunter's original collection.

The Huntarian Museum is a quirky little museum and isn't for everybody. If glistening jars of preserved innards make you queasy, or you feel a funny turn coming on at the sight of blood, it may not be for you. However, if you are at all interested in science, medicine or the history of medicine, it's a delight and gives a real appreciation for how far medicine has come.

It was also a pleasant suprise to find that the museum has an interactive and new media section in the upstairs gallery. Although, again, the videos of various operations in full colour may not be wise watching for the more sensetive visitor. The current exhibition is called 'Sci-Fi Surgery: Medical Robots'. Patrons are invited to enter the world of medical robots where surgeons can operate without even touching their patients. Mini-robots creep, crawl and swim around your body, diagnosing disease and performing vital surgery.

This is a small museum with a huge collection, and I think it is really worth the effort of seeking it out. Their website is also worth a look and provides an in depth history to the museum and it's founder, as well as a virtual tour tool and a lecture archive from past events.

Hunterian Museum @ The Royal College of Surgeons

35 - 43 Lincoln's Inn Fields

London WC2A 3PE

T - 020 7405 3474
W - www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/galleries

Open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am – 5.00pm

Free and open to all

Sci-Fi Surgery: Medical Robots

Qvist gallery

Until Wednesday 23 December 2009

G-Fest at the Drill Hall

London's premier LGBT cross-arts festival, GFest is a platform for LGBT and queer artists, organisations and venues to promote LGBT and queer arts. Organised by arts charity Wise Thoughts, GFest features queer artists and talent across the arts, including visual arts, theatre, dance and performance, LGBT short films, debates, workshops and parties. I went along to sample one of the workshops on offer, which were hosted by the Drill Hall arts centre in Chenies Place.


The first event of the festival was a practical theatre workshop run by award winning theatre practitioner Barcy Cogdale. Barcy is also the founder and director of the Ruby Tuesday Theatre Company. The 2 hour event was centered around the theme of 'Identity' and had a very inclusive and friendly atmosphere facilitated by the bubbly nature of our workshop leader. Many fun exercises took place, including the dreaded but inevitable name game and ice breakers which reinvigorated the sleepiest of minds after a long day's work. Particpants were encouraged to use their own stories to help with developing ideas and improvisations around the theme and I was suprised at how open everyone was willing to be after only an hour or so together. It was a good opportunity to be inspired and really got the creative juices flowing.

The event was a great success and I think a great start to what I hope was a great festival. It seems that every section of society has their own month, season or festival at the moment, and when creating such events provides opportunities to meet with like minded artists, explore new themes, share ideas and have some fun, I say, long may that continue.

The Drill Hall also runs various classes in the performing arts throughout the year.

http://www.gaywisefestival.org.uk/