Thursday 23 September 2010

Saturday fun up Peckham way



An announcement of a local community festival, the Warwick Wingding, reaches the East of Dulwich offices via rather unusual means -- being shouted at as I cycled through Warkwick Gardens in Peckham on Sunday morning.

At first I thought I was about to be reprimanded for being on a bike in a public park but no, it was merely a "friend of the park" publicising this undoubtedly worthy event. We are told that Chas (or was it Dave?) from "Chas and Dave" (or was it "Dave and Chas"?) will be in attendance and I see that there will be a wealth of local talent inlcuding Alero, Peaches Cadogan, Beaty Heart and Lime Headed Dog.

I may have inadvertently given away the surprise guest! So forget I said anything about any member of a Spurs-supporting, comedy act duo. You didn't hear it here first.

Still waiting for my invitation to the "aftershow party extravaganza" though which will held at the famous and salubriuos Ivy House in Nunhead.

Warwick Wingding Music and Arts Festival is on Saturday 25th September 2010 from noon to 7:30pm at Warkwick Gardens, Lyndhurst Way, SE15. And it's absolutely free.

More details on something called "Faces Book"

Sunday 19 September 2010

Paper cuts


Heading East from East of Dulwich, one arrives in another of South East London's hidden gems, the hamlet of Brockley. It's always been one of those parts of London that you can't quite remember where it is but maybe with the advent of the London Overground Dalston Junction to Crystal Palace Line, now known as the Culture Line, all that looks set to change.

At the moment there's at leat one good reason to go there and that's an exhibition Tree Paper Tree at Brockley Mess, by artist Jane Jones. It's a small space and Jones has filled it with quite remarkable collages using what seems to be paper cut from magazines, creating intricate mosaics of trees, flowers, and people. Different shades and colours are used to skilfully produce the impression of aerial perspective. But in case this sounds 'clever but so what?', there is something sensitive and subtly sensual about Jones' response to the forms she depicts. And you really have to see them in the flesh, look up close and personal before moving slowly backwards to really appreciate how delightfully they work.

Tree Paper Tree is at CueB Gallery at the Brockley Mess, 325b Brockley Road, SE4 2QZ. Ends 14th October

Monday 6 September 2010

Bowled over

It's been a while since the departure of the Peckham Rye Bowling club has left the green bereft of stately figures in white, sighing to the soft clock of wood upon wood. For a while, it seemed that the manicured rectangle in the heart of the park would soon be reclaimed by weeds, or worse. But into the breach strode the brave young entrepreneurs of the Cafe on The Rye to revive the great tradition although in a more democratic and open incarnation, charging a bargain three pounds per hour to hire a set of balls or "woods" as we bowls aficionados call them. There's also a paperback book exchange so you can save trees and money by bringing along your read novels and self-help books that didn't help and swapping them for some serendipitous treasure.

So the other Sunday, being visited by family from the Basque Country, we thought we'd introduce them to the gentle art. My nephew and niece, aged 10 and 13 respectively are more into their own traditional sports of pelota, rock-lifting, wood-chopping and, well, football. When I said we were going bowling, they were expecting something like the kind that involves pins, but they took to the more subtle style of lawn bowling like ducks to water and beat the adult teams by a wide, in fact rather embarrassing, margin.