Places
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London People & Places
1.
Shoreditch
Once a hotbed for the many subsequent waves of immigration to London’s East End that brought new life to the local community, today Shoreditch is one of the leading art locations in the city and a favorite among its young population. This trendy neighborhood is a prime example of how quickly time can alter the nature of a metropolitan area, in a large city like London. While some of the changes happening in Shoreditch can certainly be ascribed to gentrification, they are also a credit to the receptiveness of an area ready to welcome new impulses from the incoming communities, and willing to open up to the most innovative trends. With its Banksy murals, street markets and nightlife, Shoreditch is the ideal destination for vintage lovers and savvy shopaholics alike. You won’t fail to discover your own special place, in the tight web of streets between Old Street and Brick Lane.
2.
Hans-Ulrich Obrist
Born in 1968, the ‘year that rocked the world’, Hans-Ulrich Obrist is an art curator, critic and historian, as well as the co-director of the exhibitions and the international program of the Serpentine Gallery in London. On top of his curatorial work, Obrist is the author of The Interview Project, a series of conversations with the great personalities of the art world, aimed at preserving their work for future generations, by building an archive of the artistic heritage of the last 50 years. Obrist also co-edits the Paris based magazine, Cahiers d’art.
3.
Barbican Centre
Situated in the very heart of the city the Barbican Center is one of the most important performing arts centers in Europe. Just north of the River Thames, hidden away inside the Barbican Estate, the Barbican Center is a vibrating, multifunctional cultural hub, hosting classical and contemporary music concerts, theater performances, art exhibitions and film screenings, as well as a public library and three restaurants. The Center first opened to the public in 1982, and is owned by the City of London Corporation – the third largest arts funder in the United Kingdom. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, for an all-round tribute to the City itself.
4.
Martino Gamper
Born in Bolzano in 1971, Martino Gamper studied sculpture in Vienna at the Academy of Fine Arts, his professor was Michelangelo Pistoletto. In 2000 he obtained his Masters from the Royal College of Arts, relocating to London permanently after a brief period in Milan. In 2005 he began his project 100 Chairs in 100 Days and its 100 Ways: specializing in the use of discarded materials, he dismantled 100 chairs, reassembling them in new combinations. Over the years he has worked in several fields, from interior design to limited editions, winning several prizes and earning international recognition as the one of the young heirs of the poetic, clever sensibilities of the great Italian designers Munari and Sottsass.
5.
Dover Street Market
The Dover Street Market is a multilevel concept store created by visionary Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons and mentor of Jun Takahashi (Undercover) and Junya Watanabe. DSM is a bona fide retail experience, chaotic and orderly at the same time; here, you’ll discover some of the most innovative new expressions in international contemporary fashion, by exploring the many installations developed in collaboration with artists and designers. Based since its inception in a historical building in Dover Street, a few steps away from the Institute of Contemporary Arts, this London-based concept store relocated its headquarters to Haymarket, after extending its reach internationally with outposts in Tokyo, New York and Beijing.
6.
Lyle’s
Slap-bang in the middle of trendy Shoreditch and set in an old tea warehouse, Lyle’s welcomes you into its elegant, light-filled white rooms. The head chef, James Lowe, is one of the most celebrated members of the Young Turks Collective, as well as one of the most talented chefs in London; he trained under Fergus Henderson, founder of the legendary St. John’s restaurant. The relaxed environment of Lyle’s offers a perfect setting to enjoy Lowe’s multi-colored and daringly put-together creations. Ox’s heart on a bed of lettuce leaves and cucumber, onion soup and large chunks of mutton sitting on top of dollops of anchovy cream, are only a few of Lyle’s signature dishes, for a unique seasonal British cuisine that reinvents the classics, course after course.
