London’s leading arts figures reveal the books, films, TV and more they're loving in lockdown.
Vice President and Vice Principal (London) of King’s College London and former ballerina Deborah Bull gave us her recommendations, from playing the piano to black and white films.
Books
On Chapel Sands: My mother and other missing persons is a beautifully written and delicately textured memoir from Laura Cumming, telling the extraordinary (and true) story of her mother’s life. It centres on Chapel St Leonards, just up the coast from Skegness and Ingoldmells where I lived (from age seven) for about a decade. It is profoundly evocative of a part of the country that has largely been underrepresented in cultural manifestations.
Music
I’ve been making my own. I learnt the piano from about age 13 – 15 and then didn’t touch a keyboard again until a couple of years ago. I’m currently tackling a Delibes waltz from the ballet Coppélia – a totally random choice from a 1947 Standard Series Book from Keith Prowse publishing, found in the piano stool when my partner’s father moved house. It’s a strangely physical experience to be playing a waltz that I’ve danced.
Film and TV
Talking Pictures Television has become my go-to channel for movies – a treasure trove of cinematic (and television) gems from British film history. Many are in black and white and they often provide a wonderfully smog-infused, rose-tinted view of London’s past. Recently I enjoyed seeing a long-gone London in Turn the Key Softly (with the brilliant Kathleen Harrison, a very young Joan Collins and the impeccable Yvonne Mitchell) and in The Long Arm with Jack Hawkins. This film builds to a sensational climax in and around the Festival Hall, circa 1956. Talking Pictures Television is available for free on Freeview and on other platforms too.
Radio and podcasts
I'm tempted to mention The Archers, as Ambridge is the only place in the world completely unaffected by self-isolation and social distancing. But I’m going for the always wonderful Sam West (@exitthelemming), who tweeted on March 18, ‘I heard it was an emergency, so I emerged’. He committed to posting a poem a day on Soundcloud. Try number 21, the most requested poem, The Peace of Wild Things, by Wendell Berry or number 11, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, by William Wordsworth.
Blog
Inspire the Mind: a blog from colleagues at King’s College London in the Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Lab. It provides expert and evidence-based perspectives on issues relating to mental health in a highly accessible and easy-to-digest format. Two of the most useful recent posts are Staying sane at home in the time of the coronavirus (a six minute read) and The ten most dangerous coronavirus myths debunked (12 minutes).
King’s College’s Alfred Cohen exhibition is now available to view online
