Decay, Defiance and Free Rides

Quote of the Week - “Die on your feet. Don’t live on your knees.”- E. Zapata

Good Afternoon, London and Happy New Year. In this edition of The London Palette, you can view our city through the lens of disruption of the status quo through unconventional means. Take Nnena Kalu, the Londoner with learning disabilities who won the Turner Prize. The polished veneer of the fashion world is stripped bare to reveal the decaying realities, at the Barbican. If this leaves you with food for thought, why not dine out on the floating restaurant in East London. Take advantage of Transport for London’s free travel offer to get there! End your jaunt around town by bringing your holiday dreams to life at the global travel show in Kensington. As winter inches its way to spring, the Venezuelan word of the week teaches us how to express gratitude!

Snatched highlights from this edition:

1. Silvertown's Free Rides Still Available

2. Meet Hayward Gallery’s Scab Pickers

3. Dine on Barge East's Floating Triumph

4. Live Music - Reuben Richards, Noel McCalla & lots more!

Let’s dive in.

—Bybreen Samuels

COUNCIL CANVAS

Turner's Tornado | Wandsworth's Grants Unleash Art

Lin Manuel Miranda, the maestro behind Hamilton wrote and sung, ‘I’m not gonna throw away my shot!’ Well Nnena Kalu, the 59 year old autistic artist from Wandsworth, ensured she didn’t when she won the 2025 Turner Prize. Her victory shook the elite art world because she is the first person with learning disabilities, to win. Her hypnotic sculptures, swirling drawings, vortex of VHS tape, ribbons, and cardboard erupting like a disco tornado at Cartwright Hall, defied expectations.

This is a defining moment because councils like Wandsworth have quietly fueled the fire of artistic transformation. Take the Wandsworth Grant Fund for cultural projects and the Arts for Health and Wellbeing Fund, they've backed ActionSpace Studios since 1999. This is the organisation who were instrumental in nurturing Nnena's genius via 26 years of facilitated support. Nnena’s work isn’t shaped by any elitest manifestos. Instead, her raw, rhythmic abstractions, honed in community spaces, outshone rivals like Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa. These attributes prove that policy driven inclusion breeds world class artists.

Wandsworth's latest Arts and Culture Strategy prioritises neurodiverse talent by allocating micro grants. As the current Borough of Culture, Nnena's award is another jewel in its cultural crown. However, you'll have to head to Bradford for her Turner Exhibit, which runs until February 2026. Judges raved over her "bold finesse" in scale and colour. It's seen as a complementary metaphor for the policy whirlwind. Meaning, Nnena's art spins like a benevolent cyclone. One that’s an unstoppable force from nature's own drama, sweeping away barriers with irresistible, transformative power.

Looking ahead to the Access to Work reforms, there are looming threats to creative people with disabilities. Nnena’s win spotlights councils as being lifelines with a growing need for sustained funding amid £5 billion welfare cuts to avert an existential arts purge. Wandsworth's model of blending grants and social prescribing, could expand across the UK. By doing so, galleries could soon be flooded with overlooked visions. As cranes rise and budgets tighten, Nnena Kalu's tornado reminds us that one council's steady gust can reshape skylines, artistic and urban alike. Who's ready for the next spin?

CITY PALETTE

Olympia's Winter Escape Portal Without the Airfare

As London takes on the chilly bite of winter, Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show invites you to warmer climes and boundless horizons. Between January 29–February 1, Olympia's Grand Hall becomes a portal to Caribbean sands, misty Ugandan gorilla treks, and Canadian Rocky rails. This is a tropical respite from frosty pavements. With over 600 brands spanning independent operators to more than 90 tourist boards, you'll sample a mosaic of bucketlist dreams and adventurous explorations. Expect to be seduced into exclusive deals that tempt immediate bookings. Pinterest boards Instagram pale once you're face to face with live experts guiding you toward bespoke escapes tailored to your wanderlust.

World cuisines take centre stage with vibrant cooking demonstrations bursting with cultural flavours. They'll tempt you to book a food tour, whether charting the solo route less travelled or embracing a fully escorted group adventure. Itineraries blend independent jaunts and guided tours. Choose anywhere from revisiting Riviera haunts, plotting Patagonia plunges, or discovering Salvador de Bahia's Afro-Brazilian rhythms, there’s pure alchemy for restless feet grounded by reality's bite.

The Travel Stage amplifies the experience with over 100 speakers like Simon Calder who’s ready to spill bucketlist gems and solo travel mindset shifts. Plus, gain the wisdom of points hacking from The Points Guy. Looking for more nuance? Head to the Q&A sessions where the affordability of Galapagos is decoded. Also, more hidden travel hacks will be revealed. The turnout for last year’s show was around 25,000 attendees, which proves London's armchair explorers crave this type of intelligence.

The organisors have made a point to incorporate accessibility features throughout the exhibition. There are free tickets for carers, wheelchair loans, and seamless transport access to Kensington, ensuring the event feels inclusive for all. As climate scrutiny sharpens and holiday deals are digitised, Destinations democratises discovery so your next adventure feels curated and not just a list of generic things to do abroad. You can go for one day or all four, whichever you choose, it’s time to boldly plot your next getaway. Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show isn’t just an exhibition. It’s the spark you need to reignite your personal globe.

Book tickets here - https://www.olympia.co.uk/space/the-grand-hall

Rotting Runways | Couture's Collapse at the Barbican

Venture into the Barbican's cavernous Curve before January 26 and watch haute couture unravel before your eyes. Moth eaten gowns dripping with mould, fox fur collars shedding like autumn leaves, are all spotlighted in Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion. Matthew Worley curated 60 looks for this shadowy catwalk strut, including works from Yohji Yamamoto to Zoran. Through it he probes fashion's fragile underbelly, by blending fetish and filth in a scent of imagined mildew.

His provocative visions of ripped denim and decaying silks, mirror our cultural obsession with pristine perfection colliding against entropy's relentless grind. They echo 1980s AIDS-era defiance and today's slow-fashion reckoning. There are no sterile vitrines here. Rather, you’ll find projections of writhing models and grimy textures pulse with queer clubland grit. Turning garments into defiant relics that whisper something like "wear it till it weeps."

The collection was sourced from private archives, spanning across Viktor & Rolf's mouldy masterpieces to Craig Green's distressed armour. After the pandemic, the Barbican pivoted to visceral storytelling and this exhibition is told through the lens of fashion as a mortality play. Data shows that 92 billion garments produced each year are rotting in landfills, making decay not ruin, but a radical remix.

With the ever advancing use of AI designs of flawless feeds and fast fashion chokes, the pulse of this exhibition has the beat of rebellion. Couture’s corpse urges us to cherish the frayed, foreshadowing wardrobes where tarnish trumps polish. Make sure to see this if you want the Barbican to rewire your closet confessions.

Book tickets here - https://www.barbican.org.uk

2026's Real Issue? Not Ambition It's Timing

You don’t lack ideas.
You don’t lack discipline.
You lack clarity on when to move.

Most people charge into January because “new year, new you” says it’s time. But if you’ve ever launched something that stalled, don’t take it personally. You were probably acting in a prep season, not a peak one.

Zodiacal Releasing is an ancient astrological timing technique that divides your year into prep, peak and completion phases based on your birth chart. Suddenly, past years make sense. The heavy ones were mistimed, and the effortless ones were true peak periods.

In the 2026 Astrology Peak Period Power Hour, we use your chart to map launches, career pivots or reinventions onto your personal timing windows. So you stop guessing and start moving with precision.

No more launching on vibes. Just intentional timing for your smartest year yet.

Book your 2026 Astrology Peak Period Power Hour here:
stan.store/BybreenSamuels

UNDISCOVERED GEMS

Hayward’s Dirty Mirror | Truth Finally Exposed

Towering photo portraits are waiting to confront you at the Hayward Gallery. The East End artists Gilbert & George present their unflinching selves. Their montage reflect being caught amid riots, piss-taking pissheads, and kissing skinheads. And their boldness stare you down from their incendiary PICTURS series, spanning two turbulent decades. These aren’t discreet gallery whispers, instead they’re bellows. Each gridded frame hollers defiance at the sterile, the polished, the publicly palatable. Deeply rooted on East London’s margins since the 1960s, the British-Italian duo turn themselves into living artworks. They stand as rebuttals against our daily Instagram picture perfect diet. With faces splashed alongside excrement, urine, and ecstasy in blazing colours. Once you see them, you’ll decide whether the images command or demand your attention.

The portraits revel in kaleidoscopic grids, shredding 21st century politeness, and force yoiu to confront immigration phobias, addiction’s, and unapologetic LGBTQ+ defiance. This is provocation in our world that is numb to outrage. Union Jack wrapped torsos leer from visions made between 1997 and 2015 that still sting on contact. The work doesn’t merely depict taboos, it becomes them. By doing so, they dare you to sit with discomfort rather than scroll past it. As public discourse grows more sanitised, Gilbert & George seize the symbols society weaponises against minorities. They take swastikas, imperial iconography, bodily fluids and turn them inside out. Reclaimed and repurposed, they become declarations of survival and stubborn presence. You don’t just see protest. you feel vulnerability reframed as victory.

Across more than 200 works, many being seen for the first time, their signature photo-montage pulsates with life. Civil servants caught in their gaze, erection anthems celebrating queer joy, and East End paeans that once drew crowds of over 50,000. Taboo doesn’t expire simply because shock has been vanilla-dipped into abstraction. The duo have been dubbed “masterful mischief-makers,” because their mischief carries moral weight. Every frame records lived experience, communal grit, and refusal to fade into polite history.

As algorithms smooth away extremes and flatten dissent, Gilbert & George’s unapologetic gaze feels prophetic by continually nudging you to ask, which norm do you quietly fracture? What beauty hides in what you’ve been taught to call ugly? Catch this by January 11. It’s the gut punch, the mirror, the permission slip your cultural year is craving. When transgression is rooted in truth, it doesn’t just shock, it transcends.

Book tickets here - https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues

LONDON BUZZ

Silvertown's Secret | Free Thames Crossings Till April

While much of London braces for the familiar spring fare increase, you're sitting on a rare transport advantage that feels almost too good to be true. In a city where paying more for less has become the norm, Transport for London - TfL has quietly shifted gears. Since April 2025, timed with the opening of the sleek new Silvertown Tunnel, three major bus routes in East London have been running completely free. While fares elsewhere are expected to rise again in March 2026, this East London perk stays in place until April 2026.

For the first time ever, double deckers are now crossing the Thames east of Tower Bridge and you don't pay a penny for the privilege. Route 108 still heads north via Blackwall before gliding south through Silvertown, shaving time off what used to be a precarious journey. Route 129, newly extended from Lewisham to Gallions Reach, finally stitches South London to the Royal Docks. And Superloop SL4, the express newcomer, runs clean and fast from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. You tap your Oyster or contactless as usual because TfL needs the data, but the reader flashes a gratifying £0.00. Those free bus trips still count toward your daily cap. So, if you hop onto the Tube or rail later, you're maximising value.

If you’re a cyclist, you're covered as well. Because riding through the tunnel isn't an option. You can roll your bike straight onto the Cycle Shuttle, running every 12 minutes anytime from 6:30am to 9:30pm, completely free until April 2026. If you’re a DLR user, you can claim refunds for cross river journeys between Greenwich or Cutty Sark and Island Gardens. And if you're NHS staff, a Blue Badge holder, or live in one of 12 eligible boroughs, you unlock 50% tunnel toll discounts. This is a meaningful nod to fairness in the £2 billion Silvertown Tunnel project.

This isn’t a random act of generosity. TfL has delivered a smart strategic move. With tolls now applied to both the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels, TfL is nudging you away from car dependency by making zero-emission public transport the easiest, most cost effective option. And it's working. Bus journeys are up, commutes are smoother, and East London suddenly feels more connected. So while much of the capital is bracing itself for rising fares, you've still got time on your side. Until April 2026, keep your card in your pocket and embrace London's most generous transport experiment. A rare moment where moving across the Thames costs nothing but your curiosity.

LONDON SOUNDSCAPE

Boisdale of Belgravia - January 16

Sometimes the past doesn't stay in the past, it takes the stage and demands your attention. Reuben Richards channels the golden era of soul with a voice Jools Holland calls "pure soul" and The Soul Review likens to Otis Redding's grit wrapped in Sam Cooke's charm. His BBC Radio 2 Album of the Week credentials aren't just accolades, they're proof this artist captures something timeless. With The Jezebel Sextet's Hammond organ grooves and powerhouse horns backing his Motown and R&B tributes, you'll experience the kind of magnetic performance that keeps Boisdale's dance floors packed.

Book tickets here - https://www.boisdale.co.uk/restaurant/belgravia

Jamboree - January 10 and 11

Saturday night dissolves into Rio's warm embrace as João Menezes Band transforms Jamboree's intimate basement into a Brazilian sanctuary. On January 10, bossa nova's heartwarming sophistication collides with samba's irresistible dance pulse. You'll witness the Portuguese guitarist and vocalist navigate Jorge Ben, Seu Jorge, Djavan, and Tom Jobim arrangements spanning bossa nova, samba rock, and baião styles. Each syncopated rhythm coaxing you to sway your hips and open up your heart. João specialises in Brazilian authenticity, blending contemplative melodies with kinetic energy that refuses to let you sit still. Escape to sun drenched terraces without catching a flight.

African roots collide with modern jazz invention as Kasai Masai electrifies Jamboree on January 11. Kasai transforms Shoreditch's intimate basement into a sonic crossroads where Congolese rhythms meet London's improvisational edge. Enjoy the Kinshasa born guitarist and his ensemble as they weave hypnotic soukous grooves with Afrobeat propulsion and jazz sophistication. Each track pulsing with polyrhythmic storytelling that bridges continents. His virtuosic fretwork, honed across European stages and African heritage, commands attention while inviting you to move, think, and feel simultaneously.

Book tickets here - https://www.jamboreevenue.co.uk

Pizza Express Live Holborn - January 15 and 16

When Manfred Mann's Earth Band met decades of soul mastery, you got Noel McCalla. On January 15 he channels that powerhouse voice through the holy trinity of Al Jarreau, Bill Withers, and Al Green. Having spent 18 years fronting one of rock's most iconic acts with Blinded By The Light, Noel pivots to pure soul testimony with his In Good Hands band, tackling legends who defined warmth, grit, and Sunday morning redemption. Enjoy this intimate, midweek, soul medicine session.

Behind every legendary voice you've heard from Luther Vandross to Gregory Porter, there's often a maestro pulling strings, unseen. Daniel Thomas steps into the spotlight on January 16 to reveal the labyrinth behind three decades of musical alchemy. Take in his multifaceted brilliance as choir director, vocal coach, keyboardist, and songwriter collide with scathing wit, self-deprecating humour, and soul-baring storytelling. All of this is told through funk, gospel, and soul. His intimate reflections blended with toe-tapping moments prove that creativity heals, being human is a spectrum and music's the ultimate antidote to life's heaviness.

Book tickets here - https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com

Queens Theatre Hornchurch - January 9

Soho's smoky underworld, Kray Twin threats, and police raids collide with world class jazz as The Ronnie Scott's All Stars transport Queen's Theatre into the legendary club's gritty origins. Bask in rare archive footage, live narration, and classic performances from jazz greats who graced that hallowed Soho basement. It was the place where dive bars met genius, gangsters rubbed shoulders with royalty, and hand to mouth finances fueled musical rebellion. This theatrical concert weaves tales of pop stars, politicians, and miscreant musicians into an immersive celebration of one venue that defined jazz's British heart. Book your ticket to savour the moment when intimate storytelling meets sonic brilliance.

Book tickets here - https://queens-theatre.co.uk

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club - January 13

When a voice holds the power to move Mick Jagger, Steve Winwood, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee crowd, you know you're in for something transcendent. Ruby Turner brings her MBE-crowned soul mastery to Ronnie Scott's legendary Soho stage. Witness one of the UK's leading soul singers channel decades of R&B, gospel, and reggae prowess, honed through chart topping hits like It's Gonna Be Alright. All alongside her enduring partnership with Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Ruby’s commanding delivery turns classics like I'd Rather Go Blind into visceral storytelling, proving why she's remained essential across four decades.

Book tickets here - https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk

The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch - January 17

Saturday afternoons just got a symphony sized upgrade as Re:Imagined Orchestra's eight-piece ensemble transforms hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats anthems into a live orchestral spectacle. String sections join forces with brass-backed beats, reimagining Drake, Kendrick, and Burna Boy through classical arrangements that elevate rather than imitate. The bottomless brunch option for an additional £19.95, fuels four hours of daylight dancing, whether you're nursing Friday's hangover or jumpstarting weekend revelry with feel-good energy. It's brunch as cultural remix, proving orchestras belong beyond concert halls. Especially when paired with mimosas and groove-worthy nostalgia.

Book tickets here - https://theblueskitchen.com/shoreditch

The Jazz Cafe - January 10

Half a century ago, Roy Ayers created sunshine in a bottle. Now vibraphonist Orphy Robinson and his Red Black & Green Ubiquity Ensemble resurrect that 1976 magic at The Jazz Cafe. This is your moment to experience one of the most sampled albums in hip-hop history live, from Mary J. Blige to Dr. Dre to A Tribe Called Quest. Every groove rooted in Roy's kaleidoscopic blend of vibes, synth, and soul. This Camden celebration isn't just nostalgia. It's rediscovering why block parties, bedrooms, and radio waves still pulse with that iconic ARP Odyssey riff. Feel the joy, the warmth, the vintage cool of an album that defined generations.

Book tickets here - https://thejazzcafelondon.com

The Lower Third - January 14

Looking for emerging talent tonight? The Latino Life Incubator lands at The Lower Third with a free showcase that's all about uncovering the next wave of British Latino stars. This is a talent-spotting mission featuring eight rising artists who blend London grit with Latin flair. From Miss Blanche's neo-soul vocals inspired by Stevie Wonder to Honduran producer Ana Bulnes breaking barriers with reggaeton storytelling, They’re joined by Colombian singer-songwriter Enla Arboleda's alternative indie sounds alongside Capitán, Keyko, Jhuanzzo, JMora, and Justin Yo. The setting makes every performance feel personal, and Latino Life's track record including launching the UK’s first reggaeton festival and now mentors emerging Latinx talent, means you’re catching artists before they hit the mainstream radar.

Book tickets here - https://thelowerthird.co.uk

BUSINESS SCENE

Scrapyard to Dining on Barge East's Floating Triumph

Three childhood friends once dreamed of folly. So they sailed a 125 year old Dutch barge, De Hoop (The Hope), across the North Sea. Moored on Hackney Wick’s River Lee, it became Barge East. This floating restaurant has just claimed TripAdvisor’s 2025 “One of a Kind” crown. And, now ranking number one globally and ninth worldwide across 25 new award categories. From scrapyard salvage in 2018 to AA 2-Rosette culinary excellence, it proves that the concept of ‘venue as narrative’ trumps traditional restaurant economics, every time.

The business model floats on sustainability’s currents. Executive Chef Kayla Dimmick sources from the Barge’s own organic towpath garden, rotating seasonal produce such as rhubarb spiked cocktails and Yorkshire bred pork. The split level architecture features an intimate 90 seat restaurant below deck, with an open canopy above that flexes between private dining and corporate events. Revenue streams span £39 Sunday roasts, bottomless brunches, weddings, launches, and riverside terrace events. There’s a sister site, Barge East Gardens which serves street food. Together, they complete an ecosystem where location becomes intellectual property, moat, and Instagram alchemy wrapped in maritime nostalgia.

After the pandemic, restaurants face 13% margin squeezes and high street closures. Yet Barge East’s 34,000 annual diners queue for £70 tasting menus and craft cocktails, defying the industry’s slump. Barge East’s success reframes replicability. Meaning that bespoke venues built on craft, story, and entertaining theatre can command premium pricing. Genuine differentiation, not cheap social media flattery will sustain hospitality in 2026 and beyond.

As corporates seek experiences beyond sterile conference rooms and diners crave memories over meals, Barge East signals an industry reset. Experience design, sustainability credentials, and accessible luxury are now competitive moats. Co-founder Tommo Stuart Thomson’s ethos of “distinctive, sustainable food, grown in our gardens, served aboard a historic barge” isn’t niche. It’s the blueprint diners demand.

Find out more here - https://www.bargeeast.com

LINGUISTIC TAPESTRY - WORDS OF THE WEEK 

English Word:
Bivouac
Pronunciation: /BIV-wak/
Definition:  A temporary camp, often without tents or formalised shelter, used by soldiers, mountaineers, or travelers for brief rest during expeditions or military campaigns. Cultural Note: Bivouac symbolises survival stripped to essentials, where shelter becomes less about comfort and more about endurance. In literature and film, it conjures both vulnerability and stoic determination. Reminding us that some of life's most profound moments occur not in permanent dwellings, but in the liminal spaces where we pause, reflect, and gather strength for the journey ahead.

Wayuunaiki (Wayuu) Word:
Anayaawatsü saa'u
Pronunciation: /ah-na-yah-wah-TSU SAH-oo/
Definition:  Literally “I give you thanks from my heart.” This is a warm, formal way of saying thank you, in Wayuunaiki. Going beyond a casual gracias to signal deep appreciation and respect.
Cultural Note: Among Wayuu communities of La Guajira in Venezuela and Colombia, gratitude is relational, not transactional. When you say Anayaawatsü saa'u, you’re honouring shared care, reciprocity, and the invisible threads of kinship that hold the desert community together.

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