Wednesday 5th Dec: Lisbon

One of the best things about being a runner and entering races is choosing destinations that I've never been to and extend my travel experiences!  This year I finally visited Barcelona on the back of going to the city to take part in the Marathon.  Equally, I also took an overdue first venture to Lisbon recently to not only run the half marathon but also check out the culture and vibes.  We made sure to stay on for enough extra days to fully explore the galleries, sites and even the seaside!  Although it was an Autumnal trip we were blessed with sunny weather which perfectly extended the end of the Summer.

My top tip is travelling very slightly outside of the city to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum for its Modern Art wing which is not only a fantastic Brutalist building but also bursting with great discoveries.

See more on my fitness blog here.

Monday 3rd December: "Another England: Human Stories" at NOW Gallery

 

Human Stories: Another England was a photographic exhibition surveying historical (100 years) and contemporary narratives in Black and Asian Heritage in England.  Here you can see a selection of the images curated by Kaia Charles including Notting Hill Carnival and portraits of couples at a Lovers' Rock night both from the late 1970's.  The show amassed rare archival imagery, photography and ephemera as insight into origins of diasporic migration, religion, home and working life.

The show at NOW Gallery also presented a series of new photographic commissions that reflect multicultural heritage for contemporary diversity.  Here are two of the artists: Theo White and Nina Manandhar with her documentation of "Gurkhas Sons".  She also exhibited a separate study of street-style from her project "What We Wore" as a series of postcards including portraits of Gilles Peterson and Mr. Hare from their sartorial youth.  

Congrats to NOW Gallery for constantly compiling compelling shows............. and a special appreciation from me for the private view on this one which had SOCA provided by Just Vibez!