Amelia’s Magazine | Two Degrees 2011 at Toynbee Studios

Category: Earth

Arts Admin Two Degrees
Arts Admin returns once more this year with another Two Degrees festival: Arts, Activism, Climate and the Cuts. At a time when climate change has fallen off the agenda in favour of more immediate action against the cuts that are impacting many people's daily lives this combination of issues couldn't be tackled at a better time by the arts world. We first encountered the Two Degrees festival back in 2009.

Two Degrees starts on Sunday 12th June for a week long festival that includes a day of bike-themed art, an artist-run hair salon exchanging haircuts for conversations and a pop-up crayfish restaurant. There's loads of talent amongst this lot… read on for ideas of what you can get involved in.

Cycle Sunday
Sunday 12 June, 2-10pm, Toynbee Studios and Arcola Theatre, FREE
A host of artist-led bike events, including a mass bingo bike ride, a graffiti tour of East London and a bicycle treasure hunt.

The Haircut Before the Party
Sunday 12 – Saturday 18 June, 12-6pm, 26-28 Toynbee Street, E1, FREE
The Haircut Before the Party exchange free hair cuts for your thoughts and opinions in this artist-run salon, open throughout the Two Degrees festival for cuts and conversation.

Clare Patey
Crayfish Bob’s, Monday 13 – Friday 17 June, 6.30pm, Toynbee Studios, £5
Book a table, enjoy an extraordinary dining experience and help eradicate an invasive species which has already almost wiped out the UK’s native white-clawed crayfish, at this pop-up crayfish restaurant. Read my review of Crayfish Bob's here.

Two Degrees Futures
Monday 13 June, 8-9.30pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
Borrow a ‘book’ for a ten minute conversation about the future from the Future Editions human library, plus the premiere of our What on Earth? artists' films.

Ellie Harrison
Work-a-thon for the Self-Employed, Monday 13 June, 9am – 5pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
An attempt to set a record for the most self-employed people working in the same space (on their own individual projects) over the course of a single 9-5 day. To register and take part, visit selfemployed.me.uk.

This Is Not A Gateway Salon
'Reports Are Coming In The Police and Military Have Joined And Are Aligning The Protesters', Tuesday 14 June, 8pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
This Is Not A Gateway brings together a diverse collection of speakers to talk about recent reports of protests from the Middle East and North Africa and similar recent protests in the UK.

The Haircut Before the Party presents the Network Union of Hair Salons
Wednesday 15 June, 8pm, Toynbee Studios (meeting point), FREE
A guided tour to The Haircut Before the Party’s newly opened hair salon, exchanging free haircuts for conversations. Expect buzzcuts and banners.

Kieran Hurley
Hitch, Thursday 16 June, 8pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
Kieran Hurley’s acclaimed solo performance telling the story of his journey hitching to the G8 protests in Italy in 2009.

White Rabbit
Are you Sitting Comfortably? Revolution, Friday 17 June, 8pm, Toynbee Studios, £8
Original storytelling by White Rabbit where the theme is revolution, with stories by local rabble-rousers, rebels and hell-raisers, plus literary competitions and prizes and even the odd firework.

Our Current Climate?
Saturday 18 June, 10am – 6pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
Talks, workshops, performances, interventions, walks and discussions looking at the themes of Two Degrees 2011: 'Art & Activism, Climate & Cuts'. Featuring artists and organisations including Encounters, UK Uncut and Larry Bogad of the Yes Men.

Isabelle Fremeaux / John Jordan / Kyp Kyprianou
Paths through Utopias, Saturday 18 June, 8pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
Blurring the fluid boundaries between present and future, documentary and fiction, this “passionate anarchist road movie” (Le Monde) explores a postcapitalist Europe. John Jordan taught on Crash as part of Arts Admin in 2009 and he also instigated the design of the Machine of Resistance at the Arnolfini Gallery.

Rebecca Beinart
Potion, Saturday 18 June, 11am and 2pm, Toynbee Studios, FREE
A contemplative journey through the back streets and secret gardens of East London exploring herbal folklore and hidden histories. Gathering plants along the way, you will be guided towards a performance in the heart of the city to extract a potent potion. Rebecca helped teach me about plants on the EAT course at Landmatters in 2009.