Roger Hiorns

Britain’s poshest squat

I’m all for squatting. The thought of hundreds of houses standing empty in London, because the owners can’t be bothered either to fix it up and sell it, or lease it, or because they’ve got too much wonga to limit themselves to one house, just sounds plain greedy. So it was with delight that I learned that a group calling themselves Da! Collective had made their home in a £6 million mansion in London’s uber-exclusive Mayfair area, and are (allegedly) in the process of turning it into a walk-in art installation. It’s been reported all over the UK news, but still no word from its owners who are holed up in the Virgin Islands. Poor them. Similarly, I was equally chuffed to hear of these guys who are turning squatting in London into a conscientious business.

Make Archtects reshape the London skyline

London-based Make Architects have designed this nine-storey building with its asymmetrical pattern, which, according to the Arch In Home website, ‘is determined by the constraints of the site, with the southern elevation curving gently to address the Monument and define an enlarged and newly activated public square at ground level. This elevation is clad in a faceted glazed facade which reflects the Monument to provide a spectacular backdrop to the new public square. The facade also lifts up at ground level to create entrances to the building and to the retail units on the ground floor’. Read more

Tas Firin, London

I’ll let you in on a secret. If you’re heading East towards Brick Lane and are hungry, forget about all those cheap and non flavorsome restaurants, which surround the area door to door, encouraging you to come in for a cheap bite. Go around the corner, instead, off Bethnal Green Rd and you’ll find a Turkish favorite, Tas Firin. It’s such a nice surprise: even the décor has a charm, with shoes on the makeshift roof, which in turn is the drinks station. The hummus and halloumi are a must. My favorites are the Adana and Iskender dishes, but don’t order them together as the portions are huge.

James Mackay’s Even Though I’m Free I Am Not

Award-winning photojournalist James Mackay’s latest project comes at a time when the world’s eyes are fixed on Burma and the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. By photographing former political prisoners displaying the names of their colleagues and friends who remain behind bars, Even Though I’m Free I Am Not exposes the enduring pain faced by Burma’s opposition movement. Over 2,100 activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians languish in prisons across the country, and on Friday Aung San Suu Kyi will likely join them. Read more

Secret Supper Clubs

The blind date of the food world has finally arrived, and it’s proving more palatable than the awkwardness of an evening spent in superficial conversation. Secret Supper clubs are springing up in the backstreets of London: what are attics and living rooms by day get converted into makeshift restaurants catering for an evening of surprise tastes and conversations. Read more

Adam Farlie

Young British designer Adam Farlie takes a leftfield approach to how people experience interaction with objects, often taking everyday items and toying with their potential to harbour deeper meaning and greater usage than first perceived. He transforms a bed into a ‘vessel that captures and contains the audio-memories of past occupiers through sound’, allowing those who lie on the bed to recall past intimcaties or conversations from years ago, while his take on a chest of drawers’ purpose of holding records of people is similarly intriguing.