Acting video producer

Where I’m going

“While I love exploring far-flung places, the real fun happens when you’re with a local. So far this year, I’ve stayed with friends in Berlin and Barcelona, cities where there is always more to discover. Next stop will be Amsterdam, which has been heartlessly pillaging from my friendship group for years. Many of them love it so much they have bought their first flat, dog or had their first child there. My visit overlaps with Lente Kabinet Festival, from the organisers of Dekmantel. The festival takes place on Het Twiske, a nature reserve just outside of the city. Festival-goers are encouraged to cycle to and from the festival across parks and woodlands, the idea of which sounds equal parts picturesque and hilarious.

Athens is the city when you want a taste of Berlin or London – but with better weather. This will be my second visit so I’m looking forward to branching out and visiting some of the nearby islands. Tinos is top of our list, known for having some great beach parties in the summer months, closely followed by Hydra, which sounds beautifully remote with no cars on the island. Read more about the best islands to visit in Greece.”

What I’m buying

“In a recent fit of domesticity, I decided to rearrange the living room into my personal home jungle. One or two plants were not going to cut it, so I had to get creative with my budget. Columbia Road is a great place to buy plants on a Sunday if you manage to hit that sweet spot before closing time when they start with the two-for-one deals and discounted prices. My taste is not the most practical – the more exotic the better. A Zebrina Alocasia, Bird of Paradise, Venus Flytrap and Bromeliad Aechmea ‘Blue Rain’ plants have all found themselves a home. I repurposed every glass bottle or jar I could find to propagate leaves from my Monstera plant too. While any vessel can be used for propagation it does help if it’s clear so you can see what’s going on inside. Arket has a lovely selection of glass vases in all sizes, but a great hack is to use glass food storage jars, such as these from Habitat, which can often be found in your local supermarket.

While relaxing amongst all this foliage, I now needed to sort out my music system. Having been given a beautiful sleek white Planar 2 record player years ago, I’m ashamed to say I still hadn’t worked out how to get the sound right. I finally gave up reading on forums about amps and tech and went to our local electronics shop. They recommended a pair of white Yamaha HS8 Speakers, with a mixer and Bluetooth adaptor. I can now switch from playing music from my phone to my record player seamlessly. I finally understand the joy that good tech can bring, and music has never sounded better. A few vinyls I’ve got on repeat are: Fela Soul by De la Soul x Fela Kuti, Plastic Beach by Gorillaz, Diamon Cut/ Bby by Overmono and new release Light it Again by Allysha Joy, who I discovered through my favourite source for new music, Brainchild.”

What I’m seeing

“It’s easy to get out of the habit of booking tickets for shows; the classic Londoner dichotomy of being so overwhelmed by choice that we opt out entirely. For me, there’s nothing worse than hearing about an incredible, life-changing, awe-inspiring exhibition or performance a few days after it’s ended. So I decided, I won’t be doing that anymore. This year I will be organised, I will know about things before they are over, and I will attend. Forsythe by English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells was a contemporary ballet performance with an amazing soundtrack, the majority scored by James Blake. Traplord at 180 the Strand showed off the amazing cavernous concrete basement of the building with a group of Black masc performers exploring what it means to be a Black male in western society. Powerful, hypnotic and innovative, Ivan Michael Blackstock’s vision completely captured the crowd. Another beautiful and lucid exploration of Black identity presents itself in Lubaina Himid at Tate Modern, until 2 October. This week, I will also be seeing Rambert Dance at Sadler’s Wells and Virile at The House of St Barnabas. This group show explores masculinity through various lenses and mediums, with proceeds going towards the House’s Employment Academy for the homeless, until 10 June.”

15 April 2022

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