The TMH Edit: six things to do this September
September is full of back-to-school energy after months of hazy sun-filled fun. The holidays might be drawing to a close for most of us, but this month’s edition of The TMH Edit has six brilliant things for you to see and do to elevate your mood – and calendar. Here’s a list of the very best events, book releases and exhibitions scrawled in our diaries, which we recommend you add to yours too.
The Sustainable City by Harriet Thorpe and Taran Wilkhu
Photographer Taran Wilkhu has been a part of The Modern House community for more than seven years. Not only did he buy his Walter Segal-designed family home from us, but he has also captured a plethora of our favourite living spaces for our site. More recently, however, he’s been busy shooting some of the most progressive, environmentally minded buildings in London for his latest book, The Sustainable City.
From architect Hugh Strange’s timber house in Deptford (you may recognise it from our visit) to Great Arthur House, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s 1950s housing block, which was reclad in thermally insulated prefabricated panels in 2018, the title (which score green points itself for being carbon neutral) features more than 30 remarkable structures across the capital. Alongside Taran’s original imagery, author and journalist Harriet Thorpe examines how the city’s architects, designers and residents are responding to the need for green-leaning spaces. Available 1 September.
‘Max Clendinning: Interior Eulogies’ at Sadie Coles HQ
This month is jam-packed with design-led events and exhibitions, thanks to London Design Festival, which runs from 17 to 24 September. One we’re particularly looking forward to ‘Max Clendinning: Interior Eulogies’ at Sadie Coles HQ in St. James’, south-west London. A homage to the post-war modernist interior and furniture designer, sculptor and architect, the show offers a chance to pore over some of Clendinning’s most prolific work of the 1960s, such as the Satellite chair. It also stars previously unseen furniture and sculptures, sourced from the personal collection of Clendinning’s former partner, the set designer and painter Ralph Adron.
To celebrate its opening, the RIBA is hosting a panel discussion on 15 September, which will see the exhibition’s curator, Simon Andrews, author Libby Sellers and designers Ben Kelly and Bethan Laura Wood dive deep into Clendinning’s archive of work. Booking is essential and can be done via email: RSVP@sadiecoles.com. ‘Max Clendinning: Interior Eulogies’ is on from 13 September to 1 October.
Max Clendinning, ‘Satellite’ chairs, 1966; ‘Saturn’ table and ‘Satellite’ chairs, 1966-67; experimental chairs for Liberty & Co., 1965 © Max Clendinning & Ralph Adron, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London. Photography: Katie Morrison
‘Maria Bartuszová’ at Tate Modern
Feast your eyes on rarely seen sculptures by Maria Bartuszová at Tate Modern from 20 September. The Prague-born Slovak artist made more than 500 sculptures over three decades from her home in Košice, where she immigrated to following political turmoil in her motherland. Although classically trained in ceramics and porcelain studios at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Bartuszová’s methods were somewhat more experimental: when playing with her daughter in their garden, she realised that by pouring white plaster – the medium she was best known for – into balloons and submerging them into water, she could create smooth rounded shapes.
Biomorphic sculptures resembling delicate egg shells and dainty raindrops became Bartuszová’s signature. Later in her career, however, she experimented further by casting the outside of balloons and then bursting them to create fragile-looking nests and clusters of seeds. She often took to the outdoors, her greatest inspiration, to photograph her evocative work, the extraordinary images of which will also be on display. Until 16 April 2023.
Untitled, 1985. The Estate of Maria Bartuszová, Košice and Alison Jacques, London © The Archive of Maria Bartuszová, Košice.
The Orchard Series: Fine Cider x Paradise
Forget what you think you know about cider: Felix Nash is doing things differently. The founder of Fine Cider is producing minimal-intervention bottles that rival the very best natural wine. And there might not be a better place to try it for yourself than at Paradise in Soho, London, on 20 and 21 September as part of The Orchard Series: a roving supper club that has already seen Fine Cider partner with some of the UK’s most loved restaurants including Eleanore in Edinburgh and Rochelle Canteen and Townsend in east London. This time around, Felix is collaborating with Paradise founder Dom Fernando on a bespoke menu that teams spicy Sri Lankan dishes – made using fruits from Felix’s orchards – with thirst-quenching cider. A pairing we never knew we wanted. Book now via Resy.
If you’re unable to attend on this occasion, consider joining the final edition of The Orchard Series, hosted by Harriet Mansell at Lilac in Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 30 October.
‘All Lit Up – Lighting for Exciting Interiors’ by Pulp Sculptuur at Deptford X
Annie Strachan, professionally known as Pulp Sculptuur, makes punchy pastel-hued lamps and trays from – yes, you guessed it – pulp. Although she’s only been honing her craft since 2021, the sustainably minded south-east London artist has developed quite the knack for turning trash (namely recycled paper and cardboard) into household treasures. So much so that her work is being displayed at Villages Brewery and Taproom as part of the fringe art festival Deptford X from 15 to 25 September. The beautiful sculptural lamps on display will be available to purchase at a silent auction online, which will run for the duration of the exhibition. The proceeds, meanwhile, will be donated to Kath’s Place, a charity named after the civil-rights activist Kath Duncan, which runs one of the largest food banks in south London. Bright ideas all round.
‘Andrea Walsh’ at The Cold Press
Now for sculptures of an altogether different sort: the small-scale work of Andrea Walsh. The material-led artist, who lives and works in East Lothian, Scotland, has spent the past two decades meticulously crafting exquisite glass and ceramic objects that can fit in one’s hand. For a closer look at Andrea’s art, head to The Cold Press in Spitalfields, east London. Here, a series of originally commissioned gold and silver sculptures, which have been created in response to the beautiful 300-year-old townhouse that holds the gallery, can be seen on display; it’s little wonder the curious, precious-looking pieces appear right at home. The exhibition runs until 10 September and is by appointment only.
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