With body positivity events and joyful life drawing classes once again popping up all over the calendar, Britain Uncovered provides a round-up of some of the events and exhibitions that are well worth keeping tabs on – and we’re even managing to sneak in another body confidence photoshoot of our own too!
With body positivity-related events and exhibitions coming thick and fast, it’s been an incredibly busy start to the year for us here at Britain Uncovered – and we’ve already had some particularly enjoyable days out at Holly Inks’ Censor Me, I Dare You exhibition in Shoreditch and Lisa Thomson’s Intimacy exhibition in the very swanky surrounds of The Royal Exchange in London; and we also managed to sneak in two very lovely visits to the latest Body Love Sketch Club sessions along the way too. With more celebratory body positive events on the horizon, we’ll be doing our very best to provide coverage wherever and whenever we can!
I’m also pleased to announced that, in the midst of all this, we’ve also found time to plan out an event of our very own, and on April 23, Britain Uncovered – along with published photographer, Aurelija Photography, and our group of models who are all as enthusiastic about body confidence and the self-love cause as we are – will be heading to the Factory Studio venue in East London for what will be our website’s twelfth photoshoot!
Having Aurelija behind the camera is such a treat for us, and I’m genuinely excited to see what we’re able to come up on the big day. The venue we’re shooting at, in the shadows on Canary Wharf, looks to be an amazing location, and this definitely promises to be one of the best projects and collaborations we’ve been involved in to date. We had an overwhelming response to our call for models (to the point that we now have a waiting list ahead of our next photoshoot), but if you’d like to be involved in an upcoming project we’re working on, please feel free to drop us a line on Instagram or by emailing us directly via britainuncovered@outlook.com.
Despite all the events we’ve managed to cover over the past few months, I’m pleased to report that, in true Britain Uncovered tradition, we’ve also got our next batch of interviews in the pipeline; and it’s really nice that we can now sprinkle these in and around our event coverage, as this is certainly helping us achieve the eclectic mix of features we’d originally envisioned when launching the site back in the summer of 2020.
I’m also pleased to announce that, for the very first time, we were actually invited to take part in an interview about all things body confidence, self-love and sexuality, and it was a refreshing change of pace to be answering the questions instead of asking them for once! It was a great way of explaining a little bit about our website’s philosophy along with our views on all things body confidence and beyond, and I can’t wait to share the full story with you once it’s officially in print.
As we take a little breather before what appears to be a manic Spring, here’s a round-up of some of the events around the country that – if you’re anything like us – you’ll probably be interested in. We’ll likely be making this a regular feature on the site in the coming months, so if you would like us to include an event of your own, do get in touch as I’m sure we can squeeze them in! But for now, here are some dates for your diary that are well worth keeping an eye out for…
April 5, 12 and 19 – Brixton life drawing returns!
For the first time in 18 months, these life drawing sessions – held at the iconic Hope & Anchor pub in south London – are finally set to return, with organisers promising that they will be bigger and better than ever before. Suitable for the next Picasso but also those who have never even picked up a pencil, the classes are ideal for all levels, and everyone is welcome. Tickets are £15 plus booking fees, and can be purchased from Eventbrite.
April 6 – Hacknakey: Life drawing and live music
The very next night, you can find a winning combination of life drawing and live music in Hacknakey’s cosy warehouse facility in Clapton, East London. A safe space that promotes body positivity and celebrates all creative abilities, the first half of the evening will feature some tutored life drawing; and then, after a short break, the evening will resume with live music from a guest musician. Tickets are £16.75 and available to purchase here.
April 6 and 27 – Anti Diet Riot Club: Virtual life drawing
Intimate online sessions that explore the naked form with body positive models from its anti-diet community, these drawing workshops are also suitable for all levels and abilities – and the hosts are keen to stress that this is not a serious art class! The focus is playful, and attendees will be creating body positive art from a diverse range of bodies. Tickets are priced from £5-£8.
April 6, 13, 20 and 27 – Life drawing at Jazzbourne
Described as London’s “loveliest life drawing night”, these classes feature a mixture of art, drawing and jazz, with the event designed to be fun and relaxing for all levels. Featuring a different model every week, the hosts find a way of bringing together the magic of the life room with the ambience of a jazz club. Nice! Tickets are £15 and include a free drink. Check out Jazzbourne’s Eventbrite page for full dates and booking details.
April 14 – Body Love Sketch Club at The New Cross House in London
With their four-year anniversary rapidly approaching, we’re incredibly pleased that Ruby and Rosy’s joyful workshops in creative empowerment and body positivity remain a firm fixture in the calendar, and their latest session is now only a few weeks away. As part of the evening’s festivities, you’ll have the opportunity to both draw and be drawn (should you wish to be), and you can read our full review of a previous session we attended by clicking here. Tickets are priced at £15 plus a booking fee, and all drawing materials are included. You can book and find out more by clicking here.
April 23 – Britain Uncovered’s body positivity photoshoot!
As mentioned above, we’ll be holding our very own body positivity shoot at the prestigious Factory Studio warehouse and photography location in London, and we’re very excited to have not only a great photographer involved, but also a fantastic group of models who are all just as passionate about the body confidence and self-love causes as we are! A promising day awaits, so stay tuned for full event coverage in the aftermath of what is sure to be a memorable and celebratory occasion.
April 24 – Body Love Sketch Club (online session via Zoom)
If you can’t make it to the physical in-person class mentioned above – or, if you simply can’t get enough and want some more – you can also check out Rosy and Ruby’s online classes, which were first launched when lockdown hit back in 2020. These sessions follow a very similar format to the IRL events, and the aim is to share the empowering, healing potential of life drawing spaces to liberate our bodies, and our inner artists. Tickets for this one are available via donation and can be booked here.
April 30 – Paint Party with Grace Huckstep
We were very pleased to discover that body positivity artist, Grace Huckstep – aka It’s Artwork by G, and an individual we interviewed here on the site last summer – is set to host her first ever in-person body positive paint party! The follow-up to a series of successful online classes, Grace will be tutoring attendees exactly how to paint their very own empowering nude woman. The class is aimed at beginners, all equipment is provided, and there’s even a free glass of fizz on offer! The event takes place at Harwell Village Hall in Oxfordshire, and tickets cost £25 per person. To reserve your place, contact @its.artwork.by.g on Instagram.
May 25 – The Vagina Festival 2022
Following a sell-out virtual show, the organisers of The Vagina Festival are now hosting an in-person festival that is dedicated to the spoken word, storytelling and the arts. The event, which is being held at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London, will be celebrating vulva diversity, vagina honesty and body empowerment through storytelling, spoken word and visual arts. Tickets are priced from £10-£20, with 10% of proceeds going to charities (including Women for Women International). Click here for more.
June 11 and 12 – World Naked Bike Ride (London and Brighton)
The WNBR is a series of international, clothing-optional bike rides in which participants ride as ‘bare as they dare’ in order to help deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world. Taking place in cities across the UK, the rides will undoubtedly get tongues wagging for all the right reasons, and this year’s tentpole London and Brighton rides are taking place on June 11 and 12, respectively. No booking is required, so just turn up on the day! Keep tabs on the event’s social media pages for specific locations and timing info in the coming weeks.
June 19 – The South-West Skinny Dip
And lastly, but by no means least, is the South-West Skinny Dip, a charity initiative that’s seeking to raise funds for mental health with an event that’s returning for the first time since 2019. The fundraiser, which has already raised over £6,500 for Mind since its inception, will see in the region of 150 participants baring all at sunrise in the picturesque settings of Bude, Cornwall. A fun concept for a really important cause, and you can find further details in our recently-posted event preview.