Welcome to the IanVisits alternative guide to London.
Lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random geeky miscellany.

 

 

This is quite an old listings page, did you want: Saturday, 17th February 2024?

 

 


Displayed in date order by how soon they close.

£14  
An exhibition exploring the non-stop nature of modern lives.  (Ending Soon Sun, 23rd Feb)

Somerset House
WC2R 1LA
2020-02-17
24/7
This small display considers the historical creation of single-use and repurposed objects and presents an artistic response to plastic waste washing up in Pacific islands.  (Ending Soon Sun, 23rd Feb)

The British Museum
WC1B 3DG
2020-02-17
Disposable? Rubbish and us
Discover how architects, artists and designers are responding today to some of the most urgent ecological issues of our times. (Ending Soon Sun, 23rd Feb)

Royal Academy of Arts
W1J 0BD
2020-02-17
Eco-Visionaries - Confronting a planet in a state of emergency
The exhibition features immersive environments, about 200 objects about a future live on Mars. (Ending Soon Sun, 23rd Feb)

The Design Museum
W8 6AG
2020-02-17
Moving to Mars
This exhibition showcases often unseen and recently acquired items to tell the history of the Child family of bankers and their rise to fame and fortune. (Ending Soon Sun, 23rd Feb)

Osterley Park and House
TW7 4RB
2020-02-17
Treasures of Osterley: Rise of Banking Family
£14  
Explore the origins, philosophy and contemporary relevance of Buddhism, from its beginnings in India in the 6th century BC to having 1 billion followers worldwide today (Ending Soon Tue, 25th Feb)

The British Library
NW1 2DB
2020-02-17
Buddhism
An Exhibition showcasing the works of Marc Almond, Sadie Lee, Jamie McLeod, Matthew Stradling and Caitlin Ricaud.  (Ending Soon Fri, 28th Feb)

The Horse Hospital
WC1N 1JD
2020-02-17
Show, Don't tell
An exhibition about the modern model of dating -- online and smartphones. (Ending Soon Sun, 1st Mar)

Watermans Art Centre
TW8 0DS
2020-02-17
A family-friendly exhibition bringing together young rebels from children’s literature (Ending Soon Sun, 1st Mar)

The British Library
NW1 2DB
2020-02-17
 Marvellous and Mischievous: Literature's Young Rebels
£20  
A lit up garden display in Chiswick. (Ending Soon Sun, 1st Mar)

Chiswick House and Gardens
W4 2RP
2020-02-17
Lightopia
The infographics created by sociologist and activist W.E.B. Du Bois in 1900 were a remarkable development in data visualisation and a direct challenge to institutional racism. (Ending Soon Sun, 1st Mar)

House of Illustration
N1C 4BH
2020-02-17
W.E.B. Du Bois: Charting Black Lives
From Botticelli to Michelangelo, the exhibition reveals how Bomberg’s rebellious, youthful works drew inspiration from the paintings he most admired in the Gallery. (Ending Soon Sun, 1st Mar)

The National Gallery
WC2N 5DN
2020-02-17
Young Bomberg and the Old Masters
From Helen of Troy’s abduction to the deception of the Trojan Horse and the fall of the city, tread the line between myth and reality in this exhibition. (Ending Soon Thu, 5th Mar)

The British Museum
WC1B 3DG
2020-02-17
Troy myth and reality
This free exhibition connects the specimens in the Grant Museum to a wider history of science and Empire, by asking one simple question: “How did all these things come to be here in the first place?”  (Ending Soon Sat, 7th Mar)

Grant Museum of Zoology
WC1E 6DE
2020-02-17
Displays of Power: A Natural History of Empire
£13.75  
The orchid festival is back, celebrating the magnificent biodiversity of Indonesia, the land of 17,000 islands.  (Ending Soon Sun, 8th Mar)

Kew Gardens
TW9 3AE
2020-02-17
Orchids
Presenting 8 new works, the artist continues his exploration of the sphere as a formal device for reframing everyday objects (Ending Soon Sat, 14th Mar)

Marlborough Gallery
W1S 4BY
2020-02-17
Lars Fisk - Wattle & Daub
Robin’s works are views on life, in which toys and object we take for granted appear as characters and props in scenes that are simultaneously natural and ludicrous – like life itself perhaps. (Ending Soon Sun, 15th Mar)

Orleans House Gallery
TW1 3DJ
2020-02-17
Views from a Playroom by Robin MacFarlan
Drawing inspiration from photographs, artist Niki Gibbs worked with Holloway Fire Station on Hornsey Road, Islington, to capture its four crews going about their routine daily work. (Ending Soon Tue, 17th Mar)

Islington Museum
EC1V 4NB
2020-02-17
‘Mobilise! Mobilise!
Exploring the fascinating world of mushrooms, in an exhibition from curator and writer, Francesca Gavin. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Somerset House
WC2R 1LA
2020-02-17
 Mushrooms: The art, design and future of fungi
Tate Modern presents the first major exhibition of Steve McQueen’s artwork in the UK for 20 years (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Tate Modern
SE1 9TG
2020-02-17
 Steve McQueen
An exhibition telling the story of the Old Lady through items selected from the vast collections amassed since the Bank was founded in 1694. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Bank of England Museum
EC2R 8AH
2020-02-17
This is the first time that Tate has staged a show devoted to the later 17th century and the first to explore baroque art in Britain.  (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Tate Britain
SW1P 4RG
2020-02-17
British Baroque - Power and Illusion
As we approach another major turning point in automotive design, this exhibition looks at the role of the car in shaping the world we live in today.  (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
Cars: Accelerating The Modern World
This exhibition visits each stage of the production process; from design to construction, sourcing and alterations, to dressing, repairs and laundering. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The National Theatre
SE1 9PX
2020-02-17
Costume at the National Theatre
Intrinsically bound to German identity and the upheaval that followed the First World War, Notgeld is a fascinating microcosm of public feeling in post-war Germany. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The British Museum
WC1B 3DG
2020-02-17
Currency in crisis - German emergency money 1914-1924
This exhibition shines a spotlight on the subject we’d all rather avoid, from ancient societies to modern day medicine. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The Octagon Gallery
WC1E 6BT
2020-02-17
An immersive installation by contemporary American artist Darren Waterston, presenting a detailed reimagining of James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
Filthy Lucre: Whistler's Peacock Room re-imagined
This is the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Wallace Collection
W1U 3BN
2020-02-17
Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company
The first ever retrospective of the Polish-Jewish émigré who brought European modernist aesthetics to British graphic design. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

House of Illustration
N1C 4BH
2020-02-17
George Him: A Polish Designer for Mid-Century Britain
This exhibition presents George IV's life through the art that enriched his world. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The Queen's Gallery
SW1A 1AA
2020-02-17
George IV: Art & Spectacle
A small heritage gallery in the basement of the Guildhall currently has three documents on display. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
EC2V 5AE
2020-02-17
Hidden London - The Exhibition takes people on an immersive journey of some of London’s most secret spaces belonging to the oldest subterranean railway in the world (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

London Transport Museum
WC2E 7BB
2020-02-17
Hidden London - The Exhibition
The Tate Modern hall is filled with a 13-metre tall working fountain inspired by the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, London. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Tate Modern
SE1 9TG
2020-02-17
Kara Walker
Pictures of Gay Pride marches in the 1970s, controversial actor and singer Divine and London’s first gay superclub, Bang, are among rarely seen photographs that have just gone on show. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

City of Westminster Town Hall
SW1E 6QP
2020-02-17
A selection from a gift of nine ‘manner posters’ displayed across Tokyo’s Seibu Railway network between 2016 and 2019. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
Manners and Modernity: Ukiyo-e and etiquette on the Seibu Railway
This display brings together a wide range of palaeoart, from nearly 200 years ago to the present day. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Natural History Museum
SW7 5BD
2020-02-17
Alongside a select number of key paintings and sculptures, an exhibition reveals how paper allowed Picasso to push the boundaries of thought and practice.  (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Royal Academy of Arts
W1J 0BD
2020-02-17
Picasso and Paper
The complexity and delightful aesthetic fills space with cut out coloured paper to create a world where the essence of every carefully considered colour can be appreciated. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Now Gallery
SE10 0SQ
2020-02-17
Slices of Time
This exhibition marks 50 years since the beginnings of two significant social movements in the UK: the first women’s liberation conference in Oxford and the first UK meeting of the Gay Liberation Front at LSE. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

LSE Library
WC2A 2HD
2020-02-17
Social Revolution: women's liberation and gay liberation in the 1970s and 80s
Glowing arches fill Granary Square at Kings Cross during the winter months. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Granary Square
N1C 4AA
2020-02-17
Space Frames
Discover the creative process behind designing for performance, from costume to set design (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
Staging Places: UK Design for Performance
Tangerine Dream, the German band widely credited as laying the foundations for the Ambient and Trance music styles, will be celebrated by this exhibition. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Barbican Arts Centre
EC2Y 8DS
2020-02-17
Tangerine Dream: Zeitraffer
A display celebrating The Clash’s iconic London Calling – an album that rocked the music scene, serving as an anthem for London, Londoners and music lovers globally. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Museum of London
EC2Y 5HN
2020-02-17
The Clash: London Calling
Explore one of the most audacious crimes of the 20th Century and the subsequent investigation, alongside other stories of crime through the post.  (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The Postal Museum
WC1X 0DA
2020-02-17
The Great Train Robbery: Crime & The Post
A display exploring the unique and largely untold history, heritage and culture of the Krio people of Sierra Leone. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Museum of London Docklands
E14 4AL
2020-02-17
The Krios of Sierra Leone
This exhibition, in the Weston Room at the Maughan Library, marks the 75th anniversary of VE day and the liberation of the Nazi death and concentration camps. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Maughan Library
WC2A 1LR
2020-02-17
The long hard road: 75th anniversary of the liberation of occupied Europe.
This exhibition reveals the architectural setting of swimming and bathing from Roman springs and Victorian bathhouses to contemporary swimming spaces. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
The origin and revival of pools, swimming baths and lidos
This exhibition looks at the 100-year anniversary of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Urology Section. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

The Royal Society of Medicine
W1G 0AE
2020-02-17
The rise of the specialty
Explore the tattoos worn by members of the Armed Forces community and the powerful stories of identity, comradeship, bravery and sacrifice they represent. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

National Army Museum
SW3 4HT
2020-02-17
Tribute Ink
Peeling back the surface of existence to reveal what lies under the skin. An exhibition exploring the unsettling beauty of the human body from the medieval age to the contemporary world. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Royal College of Physicians Museum
NW1 4LE
2020-02-17
Under the skin: anatomy, art and identity
Explore the contrasting worlds of Japan’s urban future and rural traditions in WOW’s new digital art installation. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Japan House
W8 5SA
2020-02-17
WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade
Japan House presents two installations by WOW looking at both the urban future and timelessness of rural Japan. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Japan House London
W8 5SA
2020-02-17
WOW: City Lights and Woodland Shade Digital art encounters with Japan
The fifty-fifth Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will immerse you in the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Natural History Museum
SW7 5BD
2020-02-17
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
This exhibition commemorates 100 years of nursing registration in the UK by delving into the heated arguments that characterised the registration debate. (Ending Soon Wed, 18th Mar)

Royal College of Nursing Library & Heritage Centre
W1G 0RN
2020-02-17
“Wake Up Slackers!” The Great Registration Controversy
An exhibition of superb images reproduced from the British Library’s collection of Japanese pattern books. (Ending Soon Sun, 17th May)

The British Library
NW1 2DB
2020-02-17
Exquisite Patterns: Japanese Textile Design
To coincide with JMW Turner featuring on the new £20 note, find out about the variety of stock purchases made by Turner in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. (Ending Soon Fri, 22nd May)

Bank of England Museum
EC2R 8AH
2020-02-17
Painting a fortune: JMW Turner and the Bank of England
On display will be fossil skeletons as well as full-size models and animatronics that bring the Permian back to life. (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

Horniman Museum
SE23 3PQ
2020-02-17
 Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs
This immersive experience charts their music, lyrics, creative process and influence as one of the most iconic pop bands of the modern age. (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

O2 Arena / Millennium Dome
SE10 0DX
2020-02-17
ABBA: Super Troupers The Exhibition
From ‘honey dew’ drinking parties to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, discover Beatrix Potter’s response to the world of fairies and fairytales.  (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2020-02-17
Beatrix Potter's Fairyland
Free  
See a collection of pilgrim badges that illustrate the extraordinary life of Thomas Becket. (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

Museum of London
EC2Y 5HN
2020-02-17
Becket2020
The exhibition explores Victorian London from the 1830s until the turn of the twentieth century, focusing on Dickens’s child characters. (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

Senate House Library
WC1E 7HU
2020-02-17
Childhood in Dickensian London
See original drafts of Wordsworth’s verse, his notebooks, correspondence and more. (Ending Soon Sat, 23rd May)

The British Library
NW1 2DB
2020-02-17
William Wordsworth