Many of the London’s arts organisations have currently migrated online and thrown open their virtual doors. Here are some ways you can get a cultural fix from home. Stay calm and keep creative!
British Museum
The British Museum has teamed up with Google Arts & Culture to throw open its virtual doors to visitors. Take a virtual tour of one of the Museum’s 60 galleries and explore different objects from painting and sculptures, to ancient artefacts from Egypt to the Mayans. You can also search their online collection of almost 4.5m objects including some of the earliest objects created by humankind to works by contemporary artists.
National Theatre
Every Thursday at 7pm, the National Theatre is streaming plays from its archive on YouTube. They are free to watch for one week – along with bonus content including cast and creatives Q&As and post-stream talks. Showing this week is Danny Boyle’s take on Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. On the final Monday of each month, you can also take part in their brand-new virtual quizzes. Visit the National Theatre website for more details on how to join in the fun.
Tate
Explore the Tate’s galleries online, including British art from 1545 to the present and works by abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler. You can also go ‘in the studio’ and investigate the processes artists use to make artworks, and how our responses are integral to the piece.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Stream their theatre productions for free from the comfort of your home via YouTube Premieres. Up next: The Two Noble Kinsmen (2018) and Macbeth (2020). You can also follow the Globe’s Love in Isolation project which celebrates Shakespeare’s 456th birthday by inviting artists to perform his words (quotes, sonnets, soliloquies or even stage directions) from their place of social distancing.
London’s buskers perform a virtual gig
It’s a tough time for London’s buskers and street performers at the moment, put there’s a way to support them. The Busking Virtual Festival is being streamed on YouTube and Instagram between 6-8pm this Sunday 10 May, featuring performances from the likes of Covent Garden busker Rob Falsini and The Voice’s Jordan Phillips.
Museum of London: Collecting COVID
The Museum of London is seeking to collect both objects and first-hand experiences to reflect Londoners’ lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will allow us to keep a record and ensure future generations of Londoners will be able to learn about and understand this extraordinary period. Click here to find out how you can take part.