News, views and events for Primrose Hill.
Cave Interiors in House & Garden Top 100 Interior Designers
Cave Interiors has been included in House & Garden’s Top 100 Interior Designers for the second year running.
Georgina Cave said, “It’s wonderful to be considered as ‘Britain’s hot talent’ alongside so many great names I admire from the thriving British interior design industry. It’s been a fantastic year for our studio, with some really exciting projects either nearing completion, or on site or in the initial stages of design.
“Thank you to my amazing team, our lovely clients, many suppliers and supporters who help bring our designs to life. And of course a big thank you to the brilliant team at House & Garden.”
‘Limp Wrist – Iron Fist’
Dusty O, otherwise known as David Hodge, who is a familiar face from Gary Ingham’s hair salon Primrose Hill, held an exhibition of his artwork in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons. MP Khalid Mahmood hosted the exhibition of twenty new pieces of work entitled ‘Limp Wrist – Iron Fist’ at the home of democracy. The provocative works aim to challenge the status quo, raise important gender issues and inspire reinvention and reappraisal within the corridors of power.
Dusty O was one of the most visible and popular faces on the London Club scene for 30 years. As a drag performer, DJ, writer and fashion muse for London College of Fashion, he earned the sobriquet ‘Queen of Soho’. Dusty ran his own legendary club night, Trannyshack, at Madame JoJo’s for over a decade and starred in London Live’s drag reality TV show, Drag Queens of London.
Three years ago Dusty gave up performing and started painting. His works reveal a glimpse of his former life and a world of no gender or judgement, where the human being can be anything it wants.
Sam’s Café to Take Over L’Absinthe
Good news for fans of Sam’s Café – it will be relocating from its old spot on Regent’s Park Road and opening again soon in the space vacated by L’Absinthe. We’re looking forward to that corner buzzing once again.
Climate Change and Consciousness
Stephen Taylor, a member of Camden Air Action, spoke at the Primrose Hill Community Centre in early June about the conference at Findhorn Foundation which he had attended. His talk deepened our understanding of the crisis we are facing – we are living at the end of the Sixth Extinction and it is accelerating. The lowest estimate of refugees fleeing coastal cities (eg London?), famine and wars is 200 million; there has been a 20% drop in grain and vegetable crops in Europe; and the last four years have been the hottest on record. He recommended the talk by academic Rupert Read, ‘This civilisation is finished, so what is to be done?’, viewable on YouTube.
Indigenous leaders at the conference had a longer view of life on earth as being more than humans – they say the earth always changed, that what’s gone is past, and our job as custodians is to embrace what the earth is becoming and find ways to be happy, which means inner work.
For outer work, there is an active Camden Extinction Rebellion group which meets on a Thursday evening at St Michael’s Church by Sainsbury’s in Camden Town and has working groups you can join for positive action.
Fashion for All
Melanie Press, Primrose Hill fashion designer and owner of the boutique Press, recently ran a fashion day for local children at a workshop club run by Debbi Clark. The Hubert von Herkomer Foundation (named after the German painter) in Kentish Town teaches art, photography and fashion design to local children in the evenings and weekends.
After a spate of knife crime, a local campaign was launched to improve youth facilities and Camden Council gave the small room in Ashdown Crescent rent-free to the Foundation.
Melanie taught them how to dress their designs onto a croquis (template), how to present their designs and how to work to deadlines.
Melanie believes in the importance of giving children of all backgrounds a chance and that nurturing confidence and optimism is the way to create opportunities. We all hope that the Council will continue to back this inspiring venture.
Earth Calling
Caroline Chan, a children’s musician who runs local music groups, has just completed a short album of children’s songs, Earth Calling, which encourages children to look after the planet. The album was recorded with the help of violinist and producer Sophie Ryan, who has a small studio in Primrose Hill.
It is very much a community project, with children from local schools and nurseries singing on some of the tracks. It also features professional session musicians, so that children get to hear some great live instrumental playing, and not just the electronic sounds that are often found on children’s music.
Each track features elements of different musical genres and styles, and the arrangements include unusual instrumentation, particularly homemade instruments made out of recycling and everyday household items.
The album will soon be available to download on Spotify.
carolinechanearthcalling.bandcamp.com/album/earth-calling
Welcome, Lume!
There’s a new restaurant in town! The site of Differenza has been taken over by Lume, which is also Italian (mainly Sardinian). They’re open every evening (except Tuesday) for dinner, and also for brunch at weekends. They held a launch party for residents in early June, and it looks as if they’re going to be a good addition to the neighbourhood; in fact so good that Batman and Spiderman dropped round for a spot of supper washed down with a glass of Sardinian wine.
