Art App

Zebra One Gallery

If, like us, you’ve missed gallery-going, there’s a tech solution that promises to be the next best thing. Hampstead’s Zebra One has launched a free augmented reality app, designed to allow the Capital’s contemporary art lovers to try out its shop range at home. Gallery director Gabrielle Du Plooy says that “during these difficult times we have had to take steps to reach a stay at home audience. We’re delighted with the way things have turned out. The app allows you to view our artists’ work on your own walls and try before you buy, it’s a fantastic tool for both the gallery and clients.” Ever wondered how Terry O’Neill’s portrait of a body-stockinged Kate Moss would sit above your dining room mantelpiece? Or how Banksy’s Choose Your Weapon, with its bright magenta background, might liven up the living room? Now you can find out.

Available on iOS and Android via the App Store and Google Play (zebraonegallery.com/shop)

Online Festival

WOW Festival UK 1-21 March

Marking International Women’s Day, the Women of the World Festival returns, this time with a comprehensive digital offering that boasts over 30 online events. Hear from inspirational speakers including Ruby Wax, Arundhati Roy and Kimberlé Crenshaw; take part in workshops and discussions on pertinent themes with a female focus – from mental health to grief to intersectionality; and lose yourself in an online exhibition that features 100 trailblazing women from 10 cities around the world. Join in!

thewowfoundation.com

Film

Against the Tides From 1 March

Like all the best stories of human triumph over adversity, Stefan Stuckert’s latest feature-length documentary tugs at the heartstrings – and it dares us to dream big. The award-winning film follows British ultra-marathon swimmer Beth French as she attempts the Oceans Seven, an extreme challenge to swim seven of the world’s most perilous sea channels. It’s the definitive test for long distance swimmers and none have completed it within a year. But this former ME sufferer and single mum of an autistic boy is determined to do just that. As her journey unfolds, Beth is met with hypothermia, sharks, jellyfish, wild weather and of course, paralysing fatigue. A visceral, uplifting and emotional tale of love, hope and dogged determination.

Available on demand from iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play and others (againstthetidesfilm.com)   

Online Theatre

Good Grief Until 15 April

Starring Sian Clifford, best known as Fleabag’s hilariously neurotic sister Claire, and Nikesh Patel, who audiences will recognise as Foaly in Kenneth Branagh’s Artemis Fowl, this is an innovative production for our strange times, billed as a hybrid of theatre and film. A romantic comedy about grief, the play, written by Lorien Haynes and directed by Natalie Abrahami, is a funny, brutal, irreverent, and quintessentially British affair. Rehearsed over Zoom and produced under strict Covid guidelines, Good Grief is born out of serious limitations – but that’s also its triumph. Indeed, an entirely new theatrical format has emerged. Not to be missed. 

To book, visit originaltheatreonline.com 

Book

500 Walks with Writers, Artists & Musicians By Kath Stathers

In a timely publication that marries global travel with the arts – both of which are sadly in short supply – Kath Stathers invites us to follow the footsteps of some of our greatest creatives. From epic pilgrimages to small village meanders, there’s a whole world to delve into. Visit Leonard Cohen’s beloved hometown of Montreal, discover Jules Verne’s centre of the earth (AKA Iceland’s Snæfellsjökull volcano), or take in Gustav Klimt’s breath-taking summer retreat, Lake Attersee in Salzkammergut. Of course, there are equally fascinating London jaunts to enjoy, too – and now. But this is a book to keep close at hand for when the world really does open up again.

£20, published 16 March by Frances Lincoln (quartoknows.com)

">
March 2021 / Diary

Culture Fix: March 2021

Art App Zebra One Gallery If, like us, you’ve missed gallery-going, there’s a tech solution that promises to be the next best thing. Hampstead’s Zebra…