Please take our short survey for our Destination Marketing research

Help us develop our strategy for the Knowledge Quarter area as a cultural tourist attraction by completing our survey here.

The survey forms part of our Destination Marketing study, the aim of which is to understand and improve public attendance and engagement with cultural institutions, big and small, in the Knowledge Quarter.

The survey takes just five minutes to complete, and you can even win a Kindle!

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the survey – your insights are invaluable.

Guest Post: Forest Whitaker recieves Honorary Doctorate from SOAS

In a guest post, Jack Keenan from the School of Oriental and African Studies reports on the actor Forest Whitaker's appearance at the university to receive an Honorary Doctorate.

'...Not a celebrity name drop to be heard. Rather, the veteran actor used his platform and his privileged position to highlight the plight of youth in fragile and disadvantaged communities across the globe.'

Read and watch Forest Whitaker's acceptance speech here.

Community Champions kicks off al fresco

Last month Knowledge Quarter partner organisations and local community groups met for an al fresco Community Champions event on the theme of Environment. The event was the first in a series conceived to inspire greater collaboration between the two groups, and took place in Global Generation's Skip Garden, a pop-up garden growing on a King's Cross construction site.

Central Saint Martins and the Institute of Physics offered two case studies of their collaborative work, and, by the end of a hot and successful afternoon, our networking noticeboards were filled with ideas and connections.

The next event in the series focusses on Youth and will take place at Regent High School on 27 September. Be sure to register your interest with us.

The British Library Wants to hear from you

The Research Services Department of the British Library would like to hear from you as members of the Knowledge Quarter in helping them shape and influence future research services.

The BL is particularly interested to know what types of products and services you find useful and which existing services you want developed.

They welcome your thoughts and ideas about these areas. To get involved fill in the form here and send it to research-services-dept@bl.uk

Please note: this observational work will be anonymous, and your identity and contact details will not feature in any findings or reports, nor will they be passed on to anyone else.

Private View: Astérix in Britain

22 August 2018 at Jewish Museum London, 08:30–10:00

Get an exclusive look at 'Astérix in Britain: The Life and Work of René Goscinny', the Jewish Museum's summer blockbuster exhibition. 

René Goscinny’s story, from a childhood in Argentina to a glittering career that began in New York and flourished in Europe, is brought to life through rare original scripts, storyboards, photographs, films, sketches, dressing up stations, games and more than a little wild boar.

Tickets are going fast. Don't miss out. 

"“Asterix in Britain” is visually striking, like stepping into a comic...The exhibition is an inspiration to illustrators young and old who dream of a successful career. It is wonderful to see Goscinny’s talent as a 17/18 year old come to full fruition with Asterix" - Tincture of Museum

Sail Cargo Supper Club: KQ Discount

16 August 2018 at Skip Garden, 19:00–22:00

Global Generation have prepared a three-course menu from produce shipped across the world on restored sail-powered cargo ships.

Sailers from the Sail Cargo Alliance and New Dawn Traders will introduce diners to the initiative, set-up to establish zero-emissions shipping, and will no doubt treat us to tales of their emission-free seafaring.  

The project is ambitious and rich in collaborative potential. The crew are eager to meet Knowledge Quarter partners over a three-course meal, cooked-up by the chefs at the Skip Garden. 

Get £5 off your supper using Skip5 discount code when you sign up.  

Private Curator Tour: Windrush

19 Sep 2018 at the British Library, 09:00–10:00 

Lead curators Zoe Wilcox and Elizabeth Cooper will guide members through the exhibition which marks 70 years since the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex carrying over a thousand Caribbean migrants to Britain, as well as the anniversary of the British Nationality Act 1948, which established common citizenship and enabled all British subjects to settle permanently in Britain.

Using the Library’s unique collection of literature, sound recordings, personal correspondence and official reports, the exhibition explores the deeper reasons why the arrival of the Windrush became a symbol for the origins of British multiculturalism as well as asking where the Windrush generation came from – not simply geographically but also historically and culturally, and how they shaped British society before and after the Second World War.

Spaces are very limited.

Echoes of Holloway Prison Exhibition

Free entry to this fascinating exhibition at the Islington Museum, which traces the story of Holloway Prison from its beginnings in 1852 to its closure in summer 2016 through the voices of those who were held and worked there.

Highlights of the exhibition include a prison door from the original Holloway ‘Castle’, when it was a ‘terror to evil doers’, a suffragette hunger-strike medal, a prison bed from the modern prison and a banner made by Sisters Uncut who occupied part of the prison following its closure.

The exhibition also explores what may happen next on the site –and asks visitors to think what kind of legacy there should be to follow a place with such depth of history.

Echoes of Holloway Prison runs until 8th October at Islington Museum.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (closed Wednesdays).

(Credit: Poet in the City and Sarah Howe)

Deconstructing Patterns at the Francis Crick Institute runs until 1 December 2018