Beat the January Blues

January 25, 2016Eve Cranston St John Street Live0

Don’t despair, Dry January is (finally!) coming to an end. We’ve put together the best alternative events in the region to get you through those final days of struggle

San Francisco, CA August 2011 I saw this empty glass on my way home last night. I wonder where it's been and what happened to it... might be a good story. — Photo class M planet

Celebrate Burns Night in a unique and memorable style and try your hand at taxidermy at a workshop in Shoreditch’s BoxPark. For £60 you can learn how to skin, prep, mount and position the dead animals into the shape you so wish. You can even dress them in traditional Scottish tweed to pay your own tribute to Rabbie Burns.

Ode To a Mouse – Burns Night mouse taxidermy workshop at Boxpark Shoreditch, 26^th January

If taxidermy makes your stomach turn, maybe a cultural evening celebrating the London Mime Festival is more your scene. Stereoptik at the Barbican Centre sees the fantastical story of ‘Dark Circus’ come to life on the main stage through the strikingly effective use of paper, sand and ink silhouettes. Tickets are £18.50 plus booking fee.

Stereoptik at the Barbican Centre, 26^th – 30^th January

Do you watch Strictly Come Dancing and curse your own two left feet? Why not spice up your exercise regime and give your healthy January a kick-start with beginner’s flamenco classes at the Flamenco Academy in Europa House. For only £50 you can attend a five week short course, where you can learn the basic moves and practice in time to live musicians. Give it a whirl!

Beginners Flamenco Classes at the Flamenco Academy, Europa House, 13-17 Ironmonger Road, 4^th January – 1^st February

Keeping with the art theme, be sure to check out the exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’ which launches at the Royal Academy of Arts at the end of the month. It will trace the history of the painting of the modern garden and its importance between the early 1860s through to the 1920s. Tickets are £17.60.

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse at the Royal Academy of Arts, 30^th January-20^th April Monet to Matisse

The Museum of London will play host to a rich and vibrant exhibition on the history of tattooing, with a special focus on four tattoo parlours in the capital. It’s a free day out and the museum will show newly commissioned artworks from a number of tattooists from selected studios: Lal Hardy at New Wave, Alex Binnie at Into You, Claudia de Sabe at Seven Doors and Mo Coppoletta at The Family Business.

Tattoo London at the Museum of London, 29^th January – 8^th May 2016