London
What’s it really like to be a young, break-out artist?
We can’t all be Vermillionaires — The creative world is notoriously hard to break, and artists can go years without a slither of recognition. We speak to three debuting artists about the state of the industry and what it takes to make it.
Written by: Ella Guthrie
Do people really want to chat on the Tube?
Apparently not — Unofficial Tube Chat badges have been handed out on the Underground to get antisocial Londoners talking. Could it work? I went to try one out.
Written by: Alex King
Why the brutalist architecture of Britain's housing estates matters in 2016
They never were failed utopias — The debate around social housing and the Brutalist architecture that embodies it has been raging for half a century. In London, 2016, it feels like the war being waged against council estates is being won, even though social need is as great as ever before.
Written by: Marianna Manson
The beautiful faces of Afropunk London
A celebration of diversity — Brooklyn based Afropunk festival – a much needed celebration of black culture in the city and beyond – hits London for the first time. We sent photographer Jordan Stephens to Alexandra Palace to capture the festival's inauguration in the city.
Written by: Michael Segalov
Why domestic violence support services must not be handed to companies like G4S
#NoSisterIsIllegal — The private and public spheres are merging, an ideologically driven move to transfer power and profit into corporate hands. The UK is now the second largest outsourcing market in the world. But there's a human cost to allowing private companies like G4S to run services that are relied on by some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Written by: Sarah Silver
The Camp-er-Van: A travelling DIY queer venue taking on gentrification and prejudice
Queering the norm — LGBT venues, and nightlife more broadly, are under threat across the United Kingdom. It poses a threat to all of us, but for queer people the loss of spaces of sanctuary is even more alarming. Samuel Douek, a London based artist and performer, has created a travelling venue in a caravan that's exceeding his wildest dreams.
Written by: Samuel Douek
Why closing London’s iconic Fabric nightclub will not protect clubbers
Save Fabric — Cities such as Amsterdam have shown that harm-reduction strategies save lives without forcing venues to close. Why can’t London learn from them?
Written by: Ashley Manning
Our pick of the best surf short films of 2016
Celebrating surf cinema — Entries are now open for London Surf / Film Festival’s Shorties strand, so we picked out our favourites.
Written by: HUCK HQ
The two young artists taking on the pale, male and stale London scene
Challenging the mainstream — London-based art collective The White Pube are taking on the sexist, whitewashed London art world, one DIY project at a time.
Written by: Emily Casey
The housing activists trying to beat property developers at their own game
Taking on the housing crisis — A group of local residents in Haringey, North London, are defying private property developers by bidding for an old hospital site that's for sale. Does this signal a new direction for housing activism in the capital? One that looks at the needs of a community not simply the bottom line?
Written by: Emma Snaith
