Nº 50: One year of God Save the Scene
Elizabeth & Livvy celebrate GSTS's first birthday with some fresh recs.
We started GSTS a year ago – happy birthday to us! Watch this space for the next year’s worth of recs from London’s art scene, plus our first exhibition. For now, here’s an editor’s special.
ELIZABETH DIMITROFF: Artist and co-founder of God Save the Scene.
☞ THIS JUNGIAN LIFE: Headphones are clamped to my head for most of my waking life, and recently, this podcast has occupied a decent portion of that time. It’s hosted by three Jungian analysts who provide a psychological perspective on a variety of themes, followed by an analysis of a (typically unhinged) listener-submitted dream. The hosts have a uniquely tranquil manner of speaking – perfect for a sleepy morning commute or to get ready for bed with.
Personal favs:
☞ SMALL SCARF PART II: My small scarf recommendation has evolved into the world of interior design. I can’t stand overhead lighting, so I tend to stick with floor/table lamps and candles. If you, like me, have a surplus of little silk scarves and gauzy nightgowns etc, drape them over your lamps for *ambiance*. !ONLY TRY THIS WITH LED BULBS!
☞ LIFE DRAWING IN SOHO: Every Tuesday from 7-9pm London Life Drawing hosts a class in a high ceilinged, wood paneled library in Soho. I don’t make it there every week, but when I do, I leave feeling fairly smug and ready for a well-earned drink nearby.
☞ SIMPLE PASSION ANNIE ERNAUX: Ernaux articulates the ‘exquisite pain of passion’ in this 48 page masterpiece. She tells the story of her extraordinary, irrational, addictive love for a married man and the effects those feelings had on her understanding of the world. It is an unusual love story that pays little attention to the passion between the two characters, and very close attention to the core-shaking experience of passion itself.
☞ SABBATICAL HOMES: If you're looking for a short term/flexible living situation in any major city and still have access to your university email account, check Sabbatical Homes. Professors on sabbatical rent out their homes to students/alumni/other professors for pretty reasonable prices.
☞ CLASSICCAFES.CO.UK: The man behind these caff reviews is a national treasure in my eyes. He seems to have visited every cherishable, formica-cladded greasy spoon in London. Sadly, only a few of them are still standing but the descriptions and interior photos are 10/10.
♪ LISTENING TO: Heaven - The Rolling Stones
☠︎ HATES: Overhead lighting
LIVVY BRYANT: Artist, occasional writer and GSTS co-founder.
☞ SKYBOXEYE - CLASSIC GAME AMBIENCE: This twitter/youtube account collects high quality ambient foley sounds from video games. One of my favourites is the beautiful and chic ‘Dining car - 007: Quantum of Solace (2008). Martini glasses clink inside a swaying cabin’.
☞ IWASPOISONED.COM: if you know me IRL then you will have heard the story of how I was “cursed" by a “human” bone I found while mudlarking. In retrospect, the bout of extreme poisoning I experienced one Sunday in mid-September was probably caused by a Sainsbury’s wrap. Later, while feverishly googling ‘Death’ and ‘Sainsbury’s’ at 3am, I came across the (not officially medically recognised) website ‘iwaspoisoned.com’, and the quiz result/diagnosis was 100% certain: I had food poisoning, and probably could have taken the bone back to my studio instead of pushing through the Queue to drop it back in the Thames. Anyway, I seem to have signed up for the iwaspoisoned.com “community” newsletter along the way, and now receive daily emails (or, as the Iwaspoisoned team call them, “reports”) alerting me to new cases of contamination in my area. I’m not a hypochondriac but I do appreciate knowing when my local M&S has fucked up their sandwiches.
☞ ARUNDEL: On days I’m not at art school, I work as an extra, or ‘supporting artiste’. It’s a good job if you have a lot of free time and are interested in film, but don’t crave the limelight. It’s also an unusual way to see random parts of the UK – a recent fitting sent me to the medieval hilltop town of Arundel, reachable by train from London in 1.5hrs. Arundel is amazing because it actually resembles the version of England that Americans expect when they come here. I took the above pic after doing a post-fitting, pre-train speed-walk around the castle – go around the back and down the hill past the moat, it’s very beautiful in a chocolate-boxy sort of way.
☞ MR BERGMAN: Speaking of extras, Mr [redacted for privacy] Bergman is an infamous supporting artiste, notorious for his posts on the Facebook group Heavy Pencil. His rants and musings (see above) on the industry keep me on the platform and in the biz. I hope to one day “act” alongside him.
☞ SET SOCIAL PECKHAM: SET’s latest offering is a sexy bar and library. Become a member for the year for £8.
☞ EAST LONDON STRIPPER COLLECTIVE: Life drawing classes run by strippers and lapdancers in places like Toulouse Lautrec and the Groucho. Stunning models and the profits go directly to them.
☞ TRASHNOTHING: Everything on trashnothing is free. Much better than freecycle and an amazing resource for artists/upcyclers/homemakers/objectumsexuals. You can set alerts for areas as well as specific stuff you want – ‘lamp’ is a good place to start.
♪ LISTENING TO: I like choral music, and it’s nice to hear it in perfect acoustic conditions. Evensong is also a good way to see churches that usually have paid entry – Westminster Abbey does two a week.
☠︎ HATES: Sainsbury’s