Spaces & Places - Meatless District

Where Meatless District, Bilderdijkstraat 65-67, 1053 KM Amsterdam, Netherlands 

What A delicious vegan restaurant in Amsterdam’s Oud-West, a quirky up-and-coming neighbourhood.

Why you should go The food is delicious and would appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike. The minimalist décor is beautifully done, with exposesd wood, wildflowers in cider bottles, and hanging lamps.

What to bring Your appetite.  

What not to bring A fur coat.

Look out for Artsy locals, wearing sleek Dutch fashion. They’ll probably be walking in with their dogs who are welcome too.

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Spaces & Places- The National Art Library

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Dear January...

And how do you make us feel better about all our hangovers, overdrafts, and failed resolutions? You slap us round the face with the January exam period.

Hi, January, I know you're quite busy right now guilting people into joining the gym and starting a new diet, and you're probably still cleaning up after all the NYE parties, so thanks for taking a moment to read my letter.

(Lots of people are calling you Dryanuary or Veganuary these days, but I'll stick with Jan if that's ok.)

You're the first chapter of the new year, the month that gets people into new activities, and new starts. Supposedly. It doesn't always go that way, does it? January 12th is apparently the day most people give up on their resolutions. So that means for the majority of January people sit around feeling a bit hard done by.

At least you help businesses. Gyms bloody love you. So do firework shops and Champage distributers. And what's with January sales? We *know* they just raise prices in November and then lower them again so we think we're getting a bargain. We know all that. But do we still fight tooth and nail to get into every shop with a red Sale sign? Of course we do. 

By the end of all the festive nights out, "investing" in new habits, "catch up" meals with friends, and sale surfing, we're broke. 

And how do you make us feel better about all our hangovers, overdrafts, and failed resolutions? You slap us round the face with the January exam period. 

Now that's just unfair, Jan. You need to give us either festivities OR life-influencing deadlines. You can't have it both ways. December has the right idea. December eases us in with end of term shaningans and gives us time off from responsibilities. Then in you swoop to drop us into reality.

So how about a deal this year, January? Maybe this year you'll help us get through a few more of our resolutions. Maybe this year you'll let us off from the hangover train. And please, please Jan, help us out with the exams a bit this time?

Whilst you're at it, have a word with your mate March about this whole Brexit thing. See if you guys can sort that out, yeah?

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Spaces & Places - The National Art Library

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Where The Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge, London, England

What The go-to library for all books and resources concerning the decorative and fine arts. Based in the V&A museum, it is in a perfect location, surrounded by the world’s largest collection of decorative arts and design.

Why you should go It is free to enter and to take a look at the Grade II listed interior, stroll up to the old crumbling books, and peep at the marble busts.

What to bring If you want to actually sit at a desk and get work done, then bring all your studying essentials. Beforehand, you can also join the library, get an ID card and get access to their collections.

What not to bring Don’t bring a bag with you, make sure you leave it in the cloakroom downstairs or you won’t be able to walk in. They can give you a plastic see-through bag to take anything in that you want to have with you in the library.

Look out for Lots of other art students all trying to meet their deadlines.

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Enchanting: Edward Burne-Jones at Tate

This may be one of the most successful attempts at showcasing one artist

In a moment of silence, you stand in one of the most famous scenes from any fairy-tale. The moment in Sleeping Beauty when the sleeping enchantment is cast on everyone in the castle. You are the prince, discovering the sleeping castle folk. To one side you see the sleeping soldiers in the briar wood. To the other you see the princess herself surrounded by her sleeping attendants. It is a moment of beauty. A moment of serenity. A moment of magic.

One fellow visitor came in full Pre-Raphaelite attire, wearing a skirt from the William Morris x H&M collection 

No artwork better encapsulates the popularity of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, the Pre-Raphaelite artist. With his artworks, he captured familiar stories but imbued them with the beauty and poise for which the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood became renowned.  Tate Britain’s colossal retrospective of the artist follows the rise of the artist, the son of a frame-maker in Birmingham.

All of the most famous artworks are here.

An exhibition of just one artist’s work is always ambitious. Yet this may be one of the most successful attempts at showcasing one artist. The scope of works included is phenomenal, and accomplishes what any retrospective aims to do, showcasing just how talented the artist really was.

All of Burne-Jones’ most famous works are here. The Sleeping Beauty panels (named The Legend of Briar Rose) can be admired in all their entirety. The central panels tell the narrative, but it is perhaps the side panels which are most interesting. Despite the decoration and full composition Burne-Jones clearly loves, he has shown restraint in the side panels. The single empty stool accompanied by the words ‘restless shuttle lieth still’ is perhaps the most compelling area of the series. Similarly, a room is devoted to his Perseus series. Normally in Southampton, the exhibition allows Londoners a rare opportunity to engage with these masterpieces. Although the majority of the scenes were painted in gouache, Burne-Jones initially attempted to make the entire series in silver and gold leaf relief. Two of those panels still survive and can be seen in the exhibition. They are just a hint of how easily Burne-Jones could flit between materials and techniques.

The Fairy Family. A series of Ballads and Metrical Tales Illustrating Fairy Mythology of Europe, 1857, Frotispiece and title pay by Edward Burne-Jones

It is this that is most successfully shown in the exhibition, how varied Burne-Jones’ artworks were. He is perhaps most commonly thought of as a painter, and his The Golden Stairs are even sometimes seen as a precursor to surrealism. However, it is made clear in Tate’s retrospective that he was far more than this. The exhibition is astounding in the range of objects compiled together.

The Good Shepherd, 1857-1861

A book of ballads he illustrated in 1857 is shown alongside his stain-glass windows. A ceramic tile dedicated to Geoffrey Chaucer- Burne-Jones’ most prominent muse- is seen along with a range of life drawings. A design for embroidery is hung next to some comical caricatures. It is as if no technique was left untouched or untried.

The idea is brought to a climax with the final room, full of Burne-Jones tapestries. The floral and decorative designs seen in his paintings seem to be brought to life with the more 3D  method, brought to their true completion. In the centre of the room sits a grand piano decorated with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, just one more object to which Burne-Jones added his magic touch.

Orpheus and Eurydice Piano, 1870

Recent reviews in the Guardian have unfairly labelled Burne-Jones ‘boring’ and ‘stupid.’ These harsh labels should not put anyone off from seeing the exhibition. The reviews seem to slander the artworks for being ‘kitsch’ when really they are just accessible. It is unusual to have an exhibition so truly enjoyable for anyone walking in. There is nothing overly conceptual. The artworks are purely what Burne-Jones always intended them to be, “a beautiful, romantic dream of something that never was, never will be.” This fantasy is something anyone can appreciate. Being popular and easily enjoyable does not make the artworks kitsch.

The spell of the Pre-Raphaelite master is felt here in its entirety and does not let up until you leave the gift shop.

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