Pearls are put in the spotlight in the V&A's new exhibition, reports LondonTown.com
(TRAVPR.COM) UK - September 26th, 2013 - The Victoria and Albert Museum's new exhibition, Pearls is now open and showcases some of the most beautiful examples of pearls from around the world. The display includes a pair of pearl drop earrings owned by Elizabeth Taylor, a 16-century salamander pendant and a group of tiaras worn by European royalty. Plus, it will delve into the history of pearls, beginning with the early Roman Empire when an entire military campaign could be financed by selling just one pearl earring. Visitors travelling from outside of the city can find a number of London hotels near the V&A on LondonTown.com.
Another major exhibition open in London this week is Only in England: Photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr. The first major exhibition to take place at the Science Museum's new £4 million media space, it features Tony Ray-Jones's striking 1960s images of Britons at play and 50 rarely seen early black and white photographs by Martin Parr. Put together by Greg Hobson, curator at the National Media Museum, the exhibition explores the relationship between these two important photographers. The Wellcome Collection's new exhibition, Thinking with the Body has also just opened, developed to coincide with the first performances of choreographer Wayne McGregor's new production, Atomas. Through multimedia installations, photos and videos, the show explores a series of long-standing interdisciplinary projects organised by McGregor's company, Random Dance to investigate creativity in dance.
Taking place at Tobacco Dock, the London Tattoo Convention returns for its ninth year this weekend. With more than 300 tattoo artists from around the globe attending, it is the most prestigious body art convention in the world. As well as tattoo artists such as Ami James of Miami Ink and Oliver Peck and Juan Salgado from Ink Masters USA, the event also welcomes a number of burlesque and alt-cabaret acts, the Amsterdam Tattoo Museum, and the By All Means Necessary Exhibition.
The Raindance Film Festival, described by The Guardian as "the indie-est film festival this side of the Atlantic", is back for another year and will screen a number of small budget films and cutting-edge documentaries across the weekend. Screenings include DirtyMoney, Leo Roberts is seduced and corrupted by the criminal rewards of London's high-class underground sex industry; This Time Next Year, a year in the life of a pregnant teenager; and One For Ten, a series of documentaries which focus on individuals who were innocent and on death row. A further festival running this weekend is the Soho Literary Festival, which always boasts an exciting array of great writers and performers. This year welcomes the likes of The Oldie editor Richard Ingrams, comedian and Private Eye head honcho Ian Hislop, Ruby Wax and Dan Snow, Sir David Hare and Rupert Everett.
Shoreditch Town Hall plays host to FutureFest on Saturday and Sunday. The two-day festival will use tasks, cutting-edge shows, technology displays and mass experiments to predict what the future could have in store. Radical thinkers, makers and performers will attend to discuss topics such as how technology and creativity will transform our experience of the world, the political economy of the future, and our impact on the world.
Also in Shoreditch, the Urban Food Festival takes a Bavarian theme in honour of Oktoberfest. Taking place at the Euro Car Parks on Saturday, the event treats Londoners to a multitude of Bavarian dishes including schnitzels, schweinebraten (roast pulled pork), chicken knodel (dumplings) and red cabbage, bratwurst and sauerkraut, reiberdatschi (potato) and Bavarian apple strudel. With dirndls and lederhosen encouraged, there's a free bottle of champagne up for grabs for the best costume. Sunday welcomes the second food festival taking place in London this weekend, the Festival of Heat. London's first chilli festival, it's a celebration of all things spicy with a number of fiery foods, chilli sauces, oils and preserves to try.
London's Pearly Kings and Queens come together on Sunday for the Harvest Festival. Starting at 1pm at Guildhall Hall, they then parade to St Mary-le-Bow church in their sparkly suits for a harvest festival service.
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