Posts by Sarah Birch
Precious You, Helen Monks Takhar, book review: ‘A great lockdown read to gobble up and ponder’
The Stoke Newington author’s first novel is a ‘gloriously dark parable of envy between generations’
Read MoreSnow White in the Seven Months of Lockdown, Charles Court Opera online, stage review: ‘Classic tale with added spice’
The company’s 14th annual panto goes online this year, but still ‘sets you on a path to feeling festive’
Read MoreErin O’Keefe: Certain Things, Seventeen Gallery, exhibition review: ‘Clean in form but subtle in composition’
The New York-based artist’s first solo show on these shores features ‘beguiling tableaux which repay close attention’
Read MoreEat Hackney Vegan Cookbook, Helena Smith: ‘A smorgasbord of food ideas suitable for everyone’
Try your hand at recipes donated by chefs across the borough in support of local causes
Read MoreYushi Li: Women Act, Men Appear, Union Gallery, exhibition review: ‘Nude men and naked female desire’
The photographer’s reversal of gendered power roles is ‘stimulating and thought-provoking’
Read MoreThe Little History of the East End, Dee Gordon, book review: ‘Ambitious and very readable’
The local writer packs six millennia into fewer than 200 pages filled with ‘fascinating detail and lively prose’
Read More100 Great Black Britons, Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne, book review: ‘Inspiring and highly entertaining’
This 400-page volume, based on a 16-year campaign to see eminent Black figures officially recognised, is a ‘valuable historical resource’
Read MoreIn Your Face, Paul Trevor, book review: ‘Up close and personal’
Naturalistic photographs alternating between Brick Lane and the City from the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s, this collection leaves the viewer ‘engrossed in detail’
Read MorePloutos, The Space, stage review: ‘Whimsical romp drawing on Greek folk traditions’
This ‘droll moral parable’ was the first in a series of live plays at the Covid-secure Isle of Dogs theatre
Read MorePublic notice, exhibition review: ‘Impressive collection in the warp and weft of our everyday lives’
Curators Kira Wainstein and Holly Pollard bring the work of 18 emerging artists to shop windows across East London
Read MoreToyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory, Barbican, exhibition review: ‘Powerful aesthetic and concept’
The Nigerian-American artist’s first UK show imagines a prehistoric world in which gender expectations are reversed
Read MoreUnstilled Life: Artist Animations 1980-2020, Tintype Gallery, exhibition review: ‘Oneiric and thought-provoking’
The local venue presents 13 animated shorts, available online right now, which are ‘well worth a watch’
Read MoreThe Address Book, Deirdre Mask, book review: ‘Timely and fascinating volume’
The local author’s exploration of the meanings behind our street addresses is a ‘must-read’ for anyone who cares about place
Read MoreNeurodiverse artists star in ‘compelling’ online photography exhibition
Leon Foggitt’s portraits for Submit to Love, a programme run by brain injury charity Headway East London, have been shared by Shoreditch gallery Autograph ABP
Read MorePhotography 2020, London Metropolitan University, exhibition review: ‘Dislocation, distortion and fragmented identities’
The university’s annual showcase of final-year photography projects has ‘glided gracefully online’
Read MoreLondonia, Kate A. Hardy, book review: ‘Boisterous humour and quirky invention’
If you think coronavirus feels like an alternate reality, sink into this ‘delicious’ post-apocalyptic thriller set in Hackney
Read MoreEast End Canal Tales, Carolyn Clark, book review: ‘Rare glimpse of a bygone world’
Dozens of photos and snippets from horse-drivers, lock keepers and others feature in this social history of East London’s major waterways
Read MoreDarling, it’s not only about sex, Alain Brémond-Torrent, book review: ‘An idiosyncratic insight into Hackney’s creative scene’
Are you hoping to read more widely during the coronavirus lockdown? Look no further than this self-published local novel
Read MoreCoronavirus: Read your way through the streets of Hackney
With Hackney under lockdown, now is a great time to explore the borough through a good book. Here’s a selection to get you started…
Read MoreSharif Persaud: Have You Ever Had, Autograph ABP: ‘Fake sneezing, gangrene – a fascination with the corporeal’
The autistic artist’s first solo show is the revealing culmination of a three-year project on neurodiversity
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