This Week in London – The Krio people of Sierra Leone; photographer Tim Walker; blue plaques for Angela Carter and Martha Gellhorn; and, last chance to get NYE tickets…

The history and culture of the Krio people of Sierra Leone are the subject of a new display opening at the Museum of London Docklands tomorrow. The Krios of Sierra Leone explores the dress, architecture, language, lifestyle, traditions and history of the Krio community with contemporary objects from Krio Londoners on show as well as items related to the history of British colonial rule of Sierra Leone from the museum’s collections. Highlights include a large carved wooden printing block dating from around 1800, known as a ’tillet block’, that bears the crest of the Sierra Leone Company, a silver entrée dish which was presented to Thomas Cole, acting colonial secretary of Sierra Leone and assistant superintendent of Liberated Africans, who was responsible for assisting people freed from slave ships when they arrived in the colony, and, a typical Krio dress ensemble wore by Krio women. The free exhibition can be seen until 27th September next year. For more, see www.museumoflondon.org.uk/krios.

Portraits of everyone from Sir David Attenborough to actor Tilda Swinton are on show as part of the largest ever exhibition of the work of photographer Tim Walker at the V&A. The display, Tim Walker: Wonderful Things (pictured above), features more than 150 new works inspired by the V&A’s collections and boasts more than 300 objects, encompassing photographs and the objects that inspired them as well as images of some of the biggest names in fashion – Lily Cole, Lindsey Wixson, Stella Tennant and Alexander McQueen among them – and portraits of such luminaries as Margaret Atwood, David Hockney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Claire Foy, Saoirse Ronan, Kate Moss, and artist Grayson Perry. Runs until 8th March. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.vam.ac.uk.

Writers Angela Carter and Martha Gellhorn were both commemorated with English Heritage Blue Plaques earlier this month. Carter, an award-winning novelist, spent the last 16 years of her life at the property at 107, The Chase, in Clapham, and it was there she often tutored her then-student Kazuo Ishiguro and received fellow writers like JG Ballard, Ian McEwan and Salman Rushdie. Meanwhile, Gellhorn, a war correspondent who reported on conflicts ranging from the Spanish Civil War to the Vietnam War, was commemorated with a blue plaque on her former top floor flat in Cadogan Square where she spent the last 28 years of her life. For more, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/.

The final release of tickets for this year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks go on sale from midday on Friday. Those who wish to attend the fireworks in central London must purchase a ticket priced at £10. To sign up for ticket updates and more information go to www.london.gov.uk/nye

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This Week in London – Fashion and raw materials; music and museum; and, lates at Tate…

• The relationship between the glitzy world of fashion and the raw materials used to make it is the subject of a new exhibition opening at the V&A on Saturday. Fashioned from Nature features more than 300 “beautiful, intriguing and unsettling objects” spanning the period since 1600 and including everything from a a pineapple fibre clutch bag, a Calvin Klein dress made from recycled bottles worn by actor Emma Watson (pictured) and a cape of cockerel feathers. One focus of the exhibition is the damage done to the environment due to the demands of fashion and the display highlights some of the campaigners and groups which have been vocal in protesting about the issue. The display also looks at the role design has played in creating a more sustainable fashion industry. Runs until 27th January, 2019. Admission charge applies. For more, see vam.ac.uk/fashionedfromnature. PICTURE: Emma Watson wearing Calvin Klein at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit Celebrating the Opening of Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, Arrivals, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, New York, America, 2nd May 2016 (Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock).

The British Museum has kicked off a first-of-its-kind two week festival of musical performances exploring the idea of museums as “diplomats of the 21st century”. Running until 29th April, Europe and the world: a symphony of cultures explores Europe’s interactions with the world and looks to create a dialogue between works of classical and contemporary music and objects in the museum which have come from around the world. There’s 17 performances taking place over the two weeks which started last Monday as well as some panel discussions. The works include those of Ligeti, Berio, Stockhausen, Liszt, Messiaen, Strauss, Bartók, and Nono and are being performed along with pieces from historical musical traditions such as medieval temple music from China, classical music from India, Spanish colonial and flamenco music, Spiritual Japanese music from the 7th century and Byzantine choral music. Among those performing are London Sinfonietta, Ensemble für Intuitive Musik Weimar, Accademia del Piacere, Zhang Jun and his Kunqu Ensemble, Kaushikiji Charkraborty and Ensemble, and Reigakusha Ensemble Tokyo. Supported by the German Foreign Office, more details on the festival can be found at www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/europe_and_the_world.aspx.

Tate Britain has launched a series of new night events curated by young people aged 15 to 25. The gallery, which already held the first event in early April, will open late on the first Friday evenings of June, August, October and December for a series of special events featuring music, live performances and workshops and inspired by displays, exhibitions and artworks in Tate’s collections including the current Art Now installation by Marguerite Humeau, John Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, the upcoming Duveens Commission by Anthea Hamilton​ and the Turner Prize. Lates at Tate Britain are free, drop-in events with spaces available on a first come, first served basis. For more, head to www.tate.org.uk.

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