BUMPER SUMMER SPECIAL (recs for sun decks)
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Wondering what to eat, drink, read and wear this summer? Fear not !! This week we’ve collected recommendations from some special spittle contributors hailing from all corners of the London art world. Whether you’re summering in the Hamptons or in Hastings, spittle has got you covered…
Freddie Powell, founder of iconic former sandwich shop gallery, Ginny on Frederick:
🐟 To Snack - “Pyscis Sardines - the most delicious and chic tinned fish you could ever need founded by the equally chic Song-I Saba. I want a tin in my bag at all times for snacking and long lazy days in the park.”
🐶 To See - “101 Dalmatians (The Musical!) at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Very insane two hours with Cruella transformed into a sort of insane psychopathic influencer - with puppets!”
🌚 To Listen - “Fervent Moon (on NTS) - perfect listening every month, with a great archive of shows for all types of mood.”
Alfa Bransfield, artist and co-founder of Society for London Art Gays (SLAG):
👯♀️ RENAISSANCE Beyoncé’s new album is streaming now - “As a gay, a lifelong die-hard devotee to the healing power of the arts, a millennial, a professor of pop and a sentient human, I would be utterly insane not to mention the most important creative pop event of the summer. Beyoncé has slowly proven that she’s up there with Bowie, Björk, Grace Jones, Michael and Madonna in terms of water-cooler-moment cultural production and I genuinely couldn’t be any gladder to be alive at the same time as her.”
🎧 Somindboggolingjourneys - “My absolute favourite thinker at the moment is a woman called Kenya (Robinson). This is a podcast where she speaks about, amongst other things, the realities of being an artist in the post-studio landscape. It’s essential listening for any artists who feel lost, which is most of us right now.”
Anna Eaves, gallerist & fashion historian (@annaeaves):
💚 The Sims 4 - “I have no shame in admitting that I played this for two days straight when I was hiding away from the 40-degree London heatwave. I had so much fun. You can download it for £17.99. There is an article published by The Sun titled “Playing The Sims makes you ‘healthier and happier’, scientists reveal” – which I now have printed on a mug.”
👢The Artificial Silk Girl - “About a young protagonist, ‘the artificial silk girl’ who steals a fur coat, quits her job and runs away to Berlin to seek fame during the Weimar era. It was blacklisted by the Nazis and only resurfaced in the 1970s. I think it is so underrated – Doris is a true icon for the material girl.”
💎 Opulent Tips - “I have no idea how you get on the invite-only list for Rachel Tashjian’s substack, Opulent Tips, but the fact it’s so exclusive makes me think it must be really cool. If you are in, please forward me the emails.”
Rose Easton, podcast host and founder of hot new gallery Moarain House:
🪱Seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones - “Seven methods of killing kylie jenner is what we’re reading for worms book club this month and it’s brilliant. Half irl, half in the twittersphere”
🍼 Eat Kefir - “My friend’s company Kefir Magic makes the most brilliant vegan kefir that will save your gut. There is nothing quite like the ice cold tangy goodness of a slug of vegan coconut kefir first thing in the morning”
🍝 The Cockatoo at Bistrotheque - “Loooove dinner and a show. Oops it’s shut for August tho, soz”
🧊 And some beauty advice -
“Ice your face
Words to live by
Buy an ice globe and treat your puffy morning face to some cool cryo goodness”
“Wear spf!!! Everyday!! On your face!! Even when it’s grey!! Then we’ll all be young forever 💘”
Louis Blue Newby, artist and filmmaker (@louisnewby):
🏋️ ASICS core split shorts - “Bright, cheap and v short! The best summer activewear I’ve found 💓”
💦 Fascination by Kevin Killian - “A beautiful memoir of gay life in 1970s Long Island. This trilogy ends with Triangles in the Sand where Killian details his brief romance with musician Arthur Russell. Quick-witted and hot, Killian’s stories take the form of gossip, perfect for a summer read.”
Sofia Hallström, artist and writer at Emergent Magazine:
🍆 Recipe for Pickled Aubergine (Melanzane Sott’olio) - “A no-cooking required, easy summertime recipe. Add this to salads, veggie sandwiches or eat straight from the jar. Growing up this was my favourite recipe to make with my Italian grandmother. If you prefer, replace the aubergine with peppers, courgettes, carrots or mushrooms – just skip the salting part & parboil the vegetables instead.”
⛪️ Watts Cemetery Chapel, Compton - “Situated just outside of London, Watts Chapel is an extraordinary building and a must-visit for anyone interested in decorative art-nouveau interiors, the Arts & Crafts movement or Celtic revival architecture. The chapel was designed and built by Mary Watts, the wife of the Victorian symbolist artist G.F. Watts. Also, find Aldous Huxley’s tombstone in the cemetery.”
Jonny Tanna, founder of experimental North London gallery Harlesden High Street:
🍛 Safari Restaurant, Harlesden - “A mad little place open till God knows what time. When you go in there they don’t even give you a menu, he just reads everything out to you and you have to memorise it. Ignore the review on Google where someone’s brother was set up and shot there - it still got one star so the food must have been pretty good.”
Rosie Coleman, publisher & curator:
🏆 It’s coming home - “The Lionesses have been shining this summer and [ART OF FOOTBALL] have launched a new collection to celebrate their power on the pitch. Highlights a Sludge Magazine x [AOF] exclusive vintage football shirt, designed by Ayesha Brown from Offside Outlet. Classically infused and y2k inspired, there’s nothing hotter this summer than wearing three lionesses on your shirt.”
🕯Theo Hynan-Ratcliffe’s ‘A Granular Exchange’ on MAP Magazine - “This text is a response to Seven Steeples by Sara Baume & Nephin by Niamh O’Malley and is a beautiful introspection of the relationship between body and site; our bodily dusts, the touches we place, the marks we leave on space and how these allow us to revisit and return to memory. A meditative pause when the summer season feels all too chaotic.”
Elise Bell, writer:
🧝♀️ Elf Bar in Spearmint - The ultimate summer accessory. If you haven’t already bought one of these addictive, candy coloured disease-sticks, I hate you and admire your resolve. Appropriate for every occasion, few things are more chic than puffing one of these as you wait for the night bus home.
🔥 Fire of Love (PG) - Sara Dosa’s documentary follows the lives of scientists, Katia and Maurice Krafft as they travel together across the world, capturing on camera their greatest passion: Volcanoes. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking that captures the love the couple have for one another as well as beauty and violence of nature itself. I cried twice.
Part two of our bumper summer special will be in your inboxes 16th August xx