Highlights of this weekend include a photo exhibition in Tokyo, a long-awaited re-release by The Smashing Pumpkins and a website to help you pick the best bottle of vino for your weekend festivities.
1 DESIGN: LONDON
—East London Design Show
Could there be a better place to host a design show than infamously image conscious East London? Find out if the area lives up to its reputation this weekend at the East London Design Show. One hundred designers are participating in the festival to launch new products from handmade one-offs to luxurious designer pieces. The perfect place to find a unique Christmas bargain.
Shoreditch Town Hall, London. Open Saturday and Sunday 10.00-18.00. Until 4 December
eastlondondesignshow.co.uk
2 MUSIC: GLOBAL
—The Smashing Pumpkins: Gish/Siamese Dream
Smashing Pumpkins’ lineup today resembles nothing close to the iconic four-piece that issued a series of dramatic, heavy, oddball rock masterpieces, led by frontman Billy Corgan during the early 1990s. But you can relive their heyday with the reissues of Gish and Siamese Dream, two lavish new CD and DVD box sets including 32 unreleased recordings, revised artwork and liner notes. In a strange twist of fate, current Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino is actually one of Siamese Dream’s infant cover stars, now all grown up.
Gish and Siamese Dream are now out
smashingpumpkins.com
3 RETAIL: LONDON
—Twentytwentyone
Check out one of London’s best-loved design stores’ new extended premises this weekend. The retailer has transformed its glass-fronted shop space into an open plan outlet decked out with a range of specially designed storage and display units from Michael Sodeau. The enlargement of Twentytwentyone should come as no surprise as it continues to cement its reputation with the design savvy offering a mixture of vintage, classic and contemporary pieces.
274 Upper Street, London. Open Monday-Saturday 10.00-18.00. Sunday 11.00-17.00
twentytwentyone.com
4 EXHIBITION: TOKYO
—Lisa Vogt: White Gift – A White Gift from the Arctic, Life and Its Tenderness
The world’s most deadly predators are humanized beyond Disney franchises by art exhibitions like this one by Lisa Vogt. During her numerous trips to the Arctic, Vogt photographed polar bears hugging, sniffing, playing and wandering. She has selected the best of these images and is showing us omnivores that warmth can be found in the coldest of places.
FujiFilm Square 7-3 Akasaka, 9-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Open daily 10.00- 19.00. Until 7 December
fujifilmsquare.jp
5 FOOD: GLOBAL
—DesignWine
If you thinking of throwing a dinner party this weekend but have trouble choosing the right wine for your soirée, the DesignWine website might just be the solution. The site offers a changing collection of over 100 premium Italian wines for the UK, including their wine selection boxes that come with three bottles from one region. Click through a variety of classics from Tuscany, Piedmont and even bump into new finds from the southern islands. Monocle’s selection: the Fèlsina – Fontalloro 2007. Currently available in the UK with an international roll-out planned for 2012, including Germany, China and the US.
