Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors at IWM

Posted on by
Reply

The other day we visited our very own world class institution the Imperial War Museum to check out the thought provoking and quite moving show ‘Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors’. We discovered this show by seeing an interview with Kate Middleton , and as an amateur photographer she was involved in photographing two of the families. 

In partnership with the Royal Photographic society, what the IWM has created is an exhibit of people who experienced unbelievable trauma at various stages of their life. Some people in the exhibit came to the UK as infants to escape the Nazis, some as child refugees via Kindertransport and a few have direct experience of surviving life in a concentration or slave labour camps. What the exhibit focusses on is not so much their lives in occupied Europe, but instead about how they built families and careers in the UK. The most riveting takeaway from the show is how these larger families have incorporated what happened to their older family member into their daily lives. 

This show is not as depressing as it might appears, as what it leaves you with is a sense of how resilient we are as humans and our ability to put our lives back together in times of horrific adversity. It is also a celebration of the lives they have lived and the legacy that their younger family members will carry into the future. Generations runs at the Imperial War Museum until 9 January. It’s totally free and you don’t need to sign up online before you go. 

400 Rabbits

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve done a lot of soul searching and have decided to embrace our inner hipster and allow the top knotted dinizens of the Elephant Park development into the Kennington Runoff catchment area. One reason is the good places to eat which can be found there. A recent discovery is the delightful ‘400 Rabbits’, a south London based pizza, craft beer and gelato micro chain that has recently emerged next to the spiffy Elephant Park park itself. Like it’s neighbour, Theo’s Pizzeria, it is all about the sourdough at 400 Rabbits and theirs is a slow fermented sourdough affair that is thinner and crispier than Theo’s but without the burnt blistering which we happen to love. 

The first thing you should know about 400 Rabbits is that it’s seriously cool. We’re not talking mismatched cutlery here, more like vintage toilets. We went on a weeknight and it was very quiet, and we attribute this to lingering hesitancy of eating out and also the inexorable rise in home deliveries. My work associate had a £4 negroni cocktail and ‘The Chorizo’ pizza. The nice base was offset by a good tomato sauce and decent mozzerella and chili and basil, with the chorizo supplied by Brindisa. 

  • Chorizo
  • Anchovy. Photograpphing food is hard.

Your scribe had a craft beer and ‘The Anchovy’ which featured a parsimonious amount of the little fishies and the salt kick was supplemented by a load of capers. Also featuring was red onion and a very dominant presence of earthy rosemary, which is not often encountered in a pizza. To top it all off our chirpy server then said ‘would you like some dips with your pizza’. We have no idea what this means but, feigning a kind of hipster confidence, we replied ‘ta, we’re good thanks’. 

400 Rabbits also prides itself on the gelatos and they did look splendid but after the pizzas, gelato wasn’t on the top of our list. The interior is fresh and bright with green highlights, a stone fired oven and open kitchen. 

Cleanup on Aisle 5!

Posted on by
4

Today, and perhaps only for today, Greater Kennington has well and truly cleaned up as it is the proud recipient of the newest Tesco on earth! At the Runoff we champion the underdog and Tesco is exactly the opposite of that, but it is nevertheless a crucial part of our community. So much so that we reached out to Tesco to ask if we could cut the ribbon this morning. When they didn’t get back to us we sent them a handwritten letter and asked again, including the term ‘influencers’,  and we even CIRCLED THE WORD! 

They must be very busy….

As much as we adored the diminutive ‘Tesco in the carpark’ it is now the stuff of history. The footprint of our new Tesco is much bigger than the carpark version but a little bit smaller than our previous shop. The aisles are wider than the previous Tesco, minimising the risk of buggy collision and allowing for our expanded lockdown backsides. It is well lit and well signposted and amenities include a very user friendly pharmacy, loads of self checkouts, a bakery that is better than before, and larger than before selection of booze. They seem to be showcasing a disturbingly large array of meringue nests and sauces at the minute so if that’s your fetish you’re  in luck. 

If you are a regular Runoff reader (and if not then you should be) you’ll be aware that this opening  is the first phase of the new and very drawn out development at Oval Village, the final stage being completed in 2028. The largest gasholder will be filled with flats (we call this ‘life behind bars’) and the rest a mixed use affair of flats and businesses.  Something we cheerily refer to as ‘UptownKenVo’. 

    Swimming at White Bear

    Posted on by
    1

    Last night we hopped  over to the White Bear Theatre Pub to catch a play called ‘Swimming’ which is part of a season of new writing at our little local and oft overlooked local playhouse. White Bear Theatre is a very intimate and almost immersive experience. In fact, on our last outing the naked people onstage getting gouged with shards of glass seemed almost personal. 

    Swimming is an altogether more accomplished play and involves a group of four friends as they explore issues of relationships, intimacy, timing, and honesty. Breaking up with friends and making friends is a key theme here, but the base is about gay and straight relationships forming, falling apart and then forming again. And believe it or not the play is rather funny. And if you’re not accustomed to theatre on this scale what makes it interesting is that the action happens only a few feet away from you. 

    White Bear Theatre is totally independent and not associated with the White Bear Pub downstairs. Having said that, the pub is offering 10% off your total food bill if you book a ticket. Having said that, unless you like your dinner cooked by sous chef ‘Mike ro Wave’ we’d give dinner at Young’s pub owned White Bear a wide berth. Having said that, the ‘check us out we know our community so well’ Kennington paraphernalia festooning the walls are fun to peruse and are worth a gander and a drink before the show. 

    Swimming is on until 21 August and is  75 minutes without an interval. So you can just swim home in the August daylight afterwards. Or walk if you prefer. The venue is well ventilated and your temperature is taken on entry. If this play doesn’t float your lilo then have a look at their website for other offerings. 

    City & Guilds Degree Show

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Earlier this week we made the unholy decision to leave Greater Kennington in order to attend the City and Guilds Fine Art Graduates Show at the Oxo Tower. It had to move from the school in Kennington Park Rd. due to the sheer size of the show, but by the time you are reading this it will all be over. But fear not, we’re here to tell you about the upcoming Degree show at City and Guilds from 18 – 22 August. As with everything you need to book, and it is totally free. 

    These graduate shows are the high point of the Kennington art world calendar, and a great way to poke around some lovely Georgian buildings that are usually closed to us non arty folk. The shows are slightly bonkers, often beautiful, and never boring. In 2019 we deduced the main themes to be – 1. Saving the planet   2. Nudity   3. Saving the planet through nudity  4. Rocks.  Top tip- if you’re ever questioned about the meaning of that swing set covered in fur, just  look the person square in the face and say ‘its about IDENTITY’. Or be bang on trend with ‘It’s about COVID, obviously’. In addition to swings with fur, they also have exhibits of wood carving, masonry, and conservation. On most days the students studying these crafts are on hand and happy to show you what they are working on and how they do it. And it’s pretty wonderful. 

    City and Guilds London Art School has a very long and fascinating connection to Greater Kennington. Before being in its present location it was in Vauxhall, with one its early patrons being the Doulton Pottery factory who used their students to embellish their works. With a strong contingent of female students, it also has links to the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century. You can even but some of these works on Ebay!


    Mama Thai in the House

    Posted on by
    1

    When your brain thinks ‘I really want a quiet meal out tonight’ the first thing that pops into your head hopefully isn’t ‘Walworth Road’. And it wasn’t ours until we got wind of a delightfully and totally old school Thai joint called ‘Mama Thai’ that reminded us of a Thai place that you might see off a night market in Bangkok. 

    We got there early

    My associate had the Pad Prik Khing. Now this might sound like a name you’d call a psycho ex-boyfriend, but it was in fact a stir fry with chicken and aubergine which had a big red curry kick and fairly heavy on the fish sauce saltiness. Nice big flavours that paired quite well with a generously proportioned coconut fried rice for some sweet and salt balance. 

    Your scribe had the Baikapraow with chicken. It was a very pleasingly stir fry affair with loads of chili and loads of holy basil. Also mixed in was fish sauce, onion, ginger and a ‘don’t kiss me now’ amount of garlic. For a starter we shared spring rolls which we are pretty sure were home made and delicious. 

    On of the best things about Mama Thai is that it is BYOB and there is a handy Tesco Metro across the street. Apparently its Pinot with Thai. So with two starters, one main and two rice dishes the total came to well under £30. 

    Whilst eating our old school Thai we were entertained by some very pleasing mid naughties Ibiza chill out music. When paying the bill we told the endearingly grandfatherly proprietor that we enjoyed the music and it was unique to hear in a Thai restaurant. Without missing a beat he replied ‘I love techno and dance music and it really makes people happy. I’ve been to Buddha Bar in Paris a few times’. Wow 

    If that comment doesn’t make you love living in Greater Kennington then we don’t know what does! 

    I AM ERROR at Gasworks

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Today we attended the first day of the thought provoking exhibit I AM ERROR at Gasworks Gallery in Oval/Vauxhall by young artist Bassam Al-Sabah. Al-Sabah’s family were exiled from Baghdad to Dublin during the Persian Gulf War and this work, largely CGI and video based, explores themes of metamorphosis, change, adaptation, perseverance and reinvention.

    The main gallery (there are only two) explores constructions of masculinity in what appear to be action adventure video games from the 90’s mixed in with a few papier mache heads and flies on the floor. The centrepiece is a 28 minute looped immersive film depicting a man being contorted by various forces out of his control, and this continues in the next room. The effect is strangely calming and introspective. The press release describes it as combining ‘fantasy erotica and body horror’. 

    Recently we’ve all been exposed to change and transformation that has been out of our control, from the bulldozing and recreation of Elephant and Vauxhall to a virus that has altered our reality and lifestyles beyond recognition. And after eating takeaways for the past 18 months most of us have experienced a bit of ‘body horror’ ourselves, so we can all relate.

    Gasworks is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 6 and is totally free and air conditioned. And if you look on their website there are other free events to make you feel cultural and superior to your neighbours. 

    Always Be Comedy

    Posted on by
    Reply

    At Runoff Towers we are haltingly reentering the galaxy of semi normality and now attending Greater Kennington’s own top flight comedy night Always Be Comedy in person. Over the past 16 months MC James Gill and his ever optimistic team made a noble attempt to make ABC a virtual experience but it was a bit like watching stand up in a toilet cubicle, so it was refreshing to see a return to face to face laughing. 

    On Monday night we saw the irrepressible Joe Lycett and the hilarious Sarah Pascoe, and on previous trips we’ve seen the likes of Harry Hill, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdecombe (whoops – better pick up those names we just dropped!), all for a tenner. The only trick is you need to be quick off the mark, and also some are billed as ‘secret’ so it is probably a good idea to be on their mailing list. And if you’ve never heard of the comedian, you might discover somebody new and only exerted a walk over and hobble back from The Tommyfield pub in Kennington Cross in the process. 

    MC James Gill

    The demographic at ABC does makes you feel a bit like you’ve stumbled across reunion of contestants from ‘The Apprentice’, but if you can move beyond that and a the pricey pints then it’s a fun night. At the moment the seating is limited and socially distanced and people wear masks when they are milling around, and as expected you’re expected to tap in when you arrive and this will continue to be the case next week. 

    Gandhi’s and a Vegan Surprise

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Gandhi’s in Kennington Cross is like a dear old aunt to us; always available for sustenance and forever reliable. But, much like that dear old aunt, if we don’t look after it well, it might just kick the bucket and be consigned to history. Or worse, become a Foxtons. So last night we swept away our football related cobwebs of gloom and gave auntie a face to face visit. 

    On our visit we were surprised to see that Ghandi’s has really upped it’s game since our last visit in the flesh.  There are now a whole range of vegan dishes,  and from that menu we treated ourselves to a very rich spinach and potato starter. There were also vegan versions of other staples such as Biryani, Balti, Bhuna, and Jalfrezi. We’re used to pure veg South Indian, but vegan Indian is a whole new kettle of tofu. 

    My associate had the Lamb Tikka Biryani, and it packed quite a flavour punch. The lamb was spicy and slow cooked in the tandoor and there were generous amounts of it. Mixed into it was rice that was infused with the flavours of the cooking, with additional spices. This came with an accompanying vegetable curry which was adequate, but not a spot on the lamb itself. 

    Your intrepid scribe had Chicken Shaslick, which were succulent and dry cooked in the clay oven. There were an array of spices in evidence but the most dominant was cumin. There were also grilled tomatoes and onions thrown in for good measure. It was far from a curry and more like a kebab. 

    As you can see by celebrity strewn pictures in the window, if its good enough for Richard and Judy, Neil and Christine Hamilton, and some lady who’s a dead ringer for Hyacinth Bucket then it has to be good enough for us mere mortals.*

    *If you’re lucky enough to be under 30 ask your parents who these people actually are. 

    Jadon Sancho, From Kennington with Love

    Posted on by
    Reply

    We have to admit that the Runoff does not possess a great deal of knowledge about sport, as it usually begins and ends with ‘what’s all that shouting from over Oval way….has there been some kind of accident’? However, we’re aware that there is a specific buzz in the Greater Kennington air at the moment and our crack team of investigators have established a link between the England team and our hallowed pocket, and his name is Jadon Sancho. 

    England midfielder Sancho was born in Camberwell but spent his early and formative years in Kennington, stating ‘growing up in Kennington has made me the man I am today’. His pitch was what he refers to as the ‘Blue Park’ which we’ve deduced is Kennington Park Extension, where he played with older boys and his talent was discovered and nurtured. Follow the links to discover much more about young Jadon. 

    In addition to being an excellent footballer and an all around well grounded and seemingly nice young man, we at the Runoff were inordinately excited to discover that Jadon has HIS VERY OWN LINE OF SE11 KENNINGTON THEMED FOOTWEAR! And not only that, he even has his own line of Kennington inspired clothing! Most of the staff here aren’t not exactly the ranges’ ‘target demographic’, but if you see someone strutting their stuff around Kennington Cross in Jadon’s clobber over the next few weeks it could just be one of us. Or somebody else as you don’t know what we look like. 

    Best of luck to Jadon Sancho and all the other players on Sunday evening! Pass the Sancho sauce!