The AnOther team compile their top 10 things to see and do this April
1. Looking For Light – April 25 - May 8
New documentary Looking For Light, presents a candid portrait of legendary portrait photographer Jane Bown. The film sees the famously elusive Bown discussing her unique ability to connect with the stranger through her lense, which has resulted in iconic photographs of the likes of The Beatles, Mick Jagger and The Queen.
2. The Big Fabergé Egg Hunt – until April 17 & A Fabergé Easter at Harrods – April 1-21
Following on from London's 2012 Egg Hunt, this year 260 large egg sculptures descend on New York City; each one individually designed by celebrated artists, architects, designers and photographers including Zaha Hadid, Jeff Koons, Tracey Emin and Peter Beard. The public are invited to take part in the hunt through an app, and the dispay culminates in an auction of selected eggs, whose proceeds go to charity. For those in London, Harrods is hosting A Fabergé Easter, a takeover featuring a number of exclusive collections and activities in store, including the Egg Bar which will offer complimentary engravings on weekends. The Brompton Road windows have been wonderfully dressed by set designer Simon Costin to tell the story of Fabergé.
3. Penhaglion x Meadham Kirchhoff Tralala – April 21
English fragrance house Penhaglion have scented Meadham Kirchhoff’s shows for the past nine seasons; now celebrated perfumier Betrand Duchaufour has created a unique fragrance inspired by the brand. Evoking opulence and glamour the scent contains notes of saffron, whiskey, carnation, leather, incense, cedarwood and vanilla, amongst others. Tralala is available exclusively at Harvey Nichols from April 21.
4. Spring time in London Fields
Recently cited as one of Britain's 30 most glamorous locations and the "new Notting Hill" by The Telegraph, the London Fields area of Hackney will see two exciting new openings this month. Iconic pub the Cat & Mutton has undergone an extensive refurbishment and will feature a carefully crafted cocktail menu and food, courtesy of Licky Chops' Ben Denner. A few doors down is the Hill & Szrok Master Butcher and Cookshop – butcher by day and ‘cookshop’ by night headed up by young entrepreneur Luca Mathiszig-Lee. And don't miss the beautiful Wildflower Meadow over the road, currently in full bloom.
5. Stereochron Island by Cathy Haynes
This month marks the start of artist Cathy Haynes' research project, Stereochron Island, for the Chisenhale Gallery Victoria Park Residency. The project will explore the devices we use to make sense of the world, such as clocks and time maps, through a series of events to be held between now and June in Victoria Park, including a dawn walk to learn how to tell the time by birds and a midsummer solar clock-making workshop.
6. Deutsche Börse Photography Prize – April 11 - June 22
The four artists shortlisted for this years prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Prize exhibit selected works at The Photographers Gallery this month. This years nominees include Lorna Simpson, Richard Mosse, Jochen Lempert and Alberto García-Alix.
7. Decline and Fall – until April 16
AnOther contributor Francesca Gavin has recently curated her first online exhibition Decline and Fall, on Artsy. The collection of works explores ‘how the bones, ruins and remnants of history are being rethought’, through multiple mediums and both modernist and classical inspirations.
8. Charlotte Perriand: Photographer and Designer – April 5 - May 4
Milan’s Galleria Carla Sozzani launches their retrospective concerning the life and work of acclaimed designer and photographer Charlotte Perriand. Best known for her architectural collaborations with Le Corbusier, the show focuses on her formerly unseen photographic works, that documented her research, travels and art, and served as a huge source of inspiration for the majority of her projects.
9. Serpentine x Comme Des Garçons
Comme Des Garçons and London’s Serpentine Galleries have joined forces to create an fragrance inspired by the galleries’ ‘unique setting in a historic park, within a large city’. The fresh combination of scents –which includes grass, asphalt, smoked cedar and juniper wood – are housed in specially designed bottle illustrated by Tracey Emin.
10. The Glamour of Italian Fashion at the V&A – until July 27
This month sees the opening of the V&A's next major exhibition, The Glamour of Italian Fashion, an uniquely extensive consideration of Italy's influential contribution to fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present. The show will explore the key individuals and brands that punctuate the country's sartorial history, and define its reputation for quality – of techniques, materials and expertise – and style. The display will comprise around 100 stunning ensembles and accessories by leading Italian fashion houses from Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Armani, Pucci and Versace, through to the next generation of skilled designers, including couture by Giambattista Valli and Valentino's Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.
Compiled by Rhiannon Wastell
