If the ‘back to school’ sober sludge of dry January has you got feeling down, our cultural guide is mood-lifting antidote that your calendar undoubtedly craves. Scouting out the top must-see events in the Capital – spanning everything from sound therapy to light shows – we promise to banish your January blues in no time at all.

Sound Sebastien
If we’re on a similar wavelength (and, for argument’s sake, let’s say we are), one of your new year’s resolutions is surely to be more mindful… and, it couldn’t be more timely! Collaborating under the moniker of Sound Sebastien, wellness gurus Jasmine Hemsley and Toni Dicks are bringing their meditative sound baths to the London EDITION – and it promises to be a restorative experience unlike any other.

Created using crystal singing bowls, soothing sounds will lull you into a state of calm tranquility; in other words, a blissful retreat from the hubbub of London life. Even the most adamant naysayers of mindfulness will be sent away in wonder-struck awe.

Sound Sebastien runs from 15th January – 19th February at London EDITION, 10 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 3NP. Click here to buy tickets. Main image courtesy of Sound Sebastian.


Image courtesy of JR and LAZInc Gallery.

GIANTS – Body Of Work at LAZinc Gallery
This month, street art lovers will be strongly advised to make a beeline to Steve Lazarides’ (a.k.a. the man credited with launching Banksy’s career) new Mayfair gallery. His latest venture, LAZInc, is set to showcase artists such as Invader, Todd James, Mark Jenkins and Vhils over the coming months; before that though, is the turn of French artist JR’s exhibition, GIANTS – Body Of Work, showcasing studio plans, sketches and prototypes the photographer used to create his imposing sculpture series of the same name.

Whether a love of JR’s work draws you to this new gallery hotspot – or a general hunger for the expressive, disruptive street art that the space celebrates – it’s an addition to Mayfair that’s well worth exploring.

GIANTS – Body Of Work runs from 12th January – 28th February at LAZInc, 29 Sackville Street, Mayfair, W1S 3DX.


Image courtesy of Lumiere London.

Lumiere London
Can you think of a better way to lift the spirits than hunting down otherworldly light installations across London? Nope, neither can we! And you’re in luck, because – in just over a week – the Capital is set to be illuminated with a dazzling spectacular.

Produced by the Artichoke Trust each year, Lumiere London lights up the night with a rich and starry variety of bright-as-can-be occasions. Expect Matisse-inspired animations dancing across the Royal Academy of Arts, flocks of flamingos flying through Chinatown, and a curious underwater world imagined at King’s Cross.

This is back-to-work escapism, done right.

Lumiere London runs from 18-20th January at selected locations across London.


Image courtesy of Michèle Lamy and Selfridges.

Lamyland
We’ll be the first to admit that our ‘new year, new us’ resolution – brimming, as they do, with gym memberships and a bid to get fit once and for darn-well all – usually disintegrates a few months (see: days) into the new year.

Happily, that’s all the time we need to get the full Michèle Lamy boxing club experience. Taking the form of a pop-up activewear boutique and fully fledged boxing club right in the heart of Selfridges, Lamyland is the brainchild and passion project of the inimitable artist, producer and wife-cum-muse of designer Rick Owens. Alongside the occasional upper-cut, you’ll find an exclusive collaborative collection from the likes of Off-White, Nike and Owens himself – plus, you’ll also be able to visit workshops and talks by the bucket-load.

Lamyland runs from 4th January until March at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, Marylebone, W1A 1AB. Click here for the official feature.