WHAT’S ON
EXHIBITION Allora and Calzadilla Vieques Videos running throughout November
Lisson Gallery present an exhibition of video works by Allora and Calzadilla which includes work previously unseen in the UK. The works form the Vieques Trilogy are all filmed on the decommissioned military island of Vieques in the artists’ home of Puerto Rico, a U.S Commonwealth. Vieques was occupied by the U.S Navy until 2003, used for military manoeuvres, bombing exercises and weapons testing. This trilogy of films examines in various ways a number of aspects of the island’s history, environmental issues and political struggles of the inhabitants and the controlling authorities. Through sculpture, photography, performance, sound and video, Allora and Calzadilla’s works have been informed by questions of mark making, traces, and survival in a way that is simultaneously conceptual, metaphorical and spatial. lissongallery.com, 52 - 54 Bell Street, NW1 5DA, 020 7724 2739
Editor’s pick Three definites for your diary in the month ahead
THEATRE The Last of The Duchess running until 26 November
Dispatched by the Sunday Times to the Windsors’ house in the Bois de Boulogne to conduct an interview, Lady Caroline Blackwood, the celebrated writer and artists’ muse, stumbles into a mysterious household fraught with suppressed tensions. How is it that items of the Duchess’ famous jewellery are appearing on the market at international auction? How trustworthy is the Duchess’ indomitable French lawyer, who wields power of attorney like a rod of iron and is determined to repel any interest in her client? Most alarming, what real evidence exists, if any, that the Duchess is even still alive? Based on Caroline Blackwood’s book of the same name, Nicholas Wright’s new play about the last days of the life of Wallis Simpson recalls what it was to have been an icon in a world with very few icons; it is also an elegy for a lost age, and for lives rendered barren by the emptiness of exile. Catch it before Madonna’s forthcoming film about the Duchess ‘W.E’ is released in December. Hampsteadtheatre.com, Theatre Eton Avenue Swiss Cottage NW3 3EU, 020 7722 9301
EXHIBITION Arabic Calligraphy - The Art of the Written Word Running until 14 December
Lahd Gallery is announcing its first calligraphic art exhibition featuring several artists from around the world. Launched in October, the exhibition runs throughout this month and will trace the art of calligraphy to its historical origins, exploring how it has developed into an exacting craft of high aesthetic sensibility. The participating artists come from varied and diverse backgrounds: Tunisia born Abdallah Akar and Julien Breton both from France, Madny Al Bakry from Oman, Shukor Yahya from Malaysia, Hamid Nasir from Pakistan and India born Said Adrus residing in the UK . From an early time, calligraphy became the most important art form in the Middle East, connected to all aspects of its rich and immense cultural heritage. Across several centuries, the Arabic character has been the sphere of continuous innovation and this subtle art form has further transformed into some of the contemporary forms that are seen today. Lahdgallery.com, 92 Heath Street, NW3 1DP, 020 7435 7323 7
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