London Social & Cultural Meetups

Location: Chancery Lane underground station, by Cafe Nero
- I will hold up a meetup sign.
Time: 17:30
Cost: £2.00 which goes towards paying meetup fees.

A lecture by Professor Judith Hawley

This lecture examines satire’s evolving role, recent attacks on satirists, and debates over free vs hate speech in historical and current context
It used to be taken for granted that satire uses nasty means to good ends: it ridicules its targets in order to bring about reform. However, in recent years, the role of satire has been challenged and satirists themselves have quite literally come under attack. Some shocking incidents have prompted serious debate about the relations between free speech and hate speech. This lecture will consider the rights and wrongs of satire in a historical context and in the light of our present situation.

We will head to a nearby pub afterwards for a drink and chat.

Love this modern Italian Art gallery and their exhibitions! Tickets are £9.50, or £4.75 with an Art Pass (lots of other concs).

The £3 attendance fee goes towards Meetup site costs so we can continue running the group. Please bring coins or a small note. Thanks!

More info, plus book your ticket:
https://www.estorickcollection.com/exhibitions/alessandro-mendini

We'll go to a lovely, cosy pub nearby where you can have food or just a drink (The Canonbury Tavern). I love a good pub.

"Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019) was one of post-war Italy’s most creative and influential designers and architects. Bringing together around 50 key works – from furniture and drawings to paintings, rugs and design objects – the show celebrates Mendini’s playful and poetic approach to design across his extraordinary career and through his iconic collaborations with companies such as Alessi and Swatch. [...]

The exhibition explores other aspects of the close relationship between Mendini’s work and that of the historical avant-gardes. Highlights of the show include a Kandissi sofa, inspired by Kandinsky’s abstract compositions, whilst a later group of sculptures and vases reference the mannequin-like figures that appear in Malevich’s works of the 1930s. [...]

The exhibition also includes a number of Mendini’s whimsical, anthropomorphic creations, like the now-ubiquitous Anna G. and Alessandro M. bottle openers and corkscrews (first marketed by Alessi in 1994), which capture his philosophy of “treating objects as if they were human beings; I make them smile.”"

Location: Warren Street underground station.
Time: 18:00
Cost: £2 meetup fee + your own food & drink.

We will take a walk down Drummond Street which is full of Indian food restaurants and decide which one to eat in - I have the final say if we can't decide!!!

After eating we'll head to a nearby Pub for a drink and chat.