Poppy Reed

London already boasts a formidable art and gallery scene – and soon it's getting three more arty institutions. Even more intriguingly, they’ll be inside one of the most aesthetically controversial buildings in the city (and City): No 1 Poultry.  The new galleries have been launched by art charity Hypha Studios, and they’ll open next week (on September 24). The venues will then be open to the public for 12 months and totally free to access. We’re sure they’ll provide very serious, very white collar Bank some much-needed avant-garde flair.  The artists set to go on display were selected from an open call. Here are the details on the first three exhibitions in the programme: The Turn Named after the moment that an object vanishes during a magic trick, ‘The Turn’ will bring together 10 artists each exploring complex states such as the feelings that arise from disappearance, and how this can lead to emotions of feeling suspended and withdrawn. The exhibition will feature intriguing media such as ritual-inflected painting and taxidermy. Photograph: Carlo Zambon Blackhorse Lane Makers  In collaboration with art blog recessed.space, Blackhorse Lane Makers will be presenting sculptural and immersive works by a community of artists led by north London based maker and artist Nina Oltarzewska. The exhibition space will be transformed into an immersive installation featuring structures such as stairwells and fences, and artists will explore how these types of objects function as physica

If you’re planning a picnic at one of London’s best-loved green spaces this weekend, watch out for unexpected farmyard creatures. Sheep are roaming Hampstead Heath, thanks to a conservation grazing scheme. Adding a tad more biodiversity to London’s wonderful city farms and ecosystem of pesky pigeons and foxes, Hampstead Heath is currently borrowing five rare-bred Norfolk Horn and Oxford Down ewes. The sheep come courtesy of east London’s Mudchute City Farm, one of Europe’s biggest city farms, and you’ll be able to see them grazing from 8am to 7pm until Monday September 15. Experts remind us that having these wooly mammals on the Heath is not just a wholesome gimmick, but an effective method of maintaining one of London’s most beloved green spaces. They will maintain habitats without the need for heavy, clunky machinery that is often both an eyesore and harmful to sensitive ecosystems.  Photograph: City of London Corporation Alderman and Sheriff Gregory Jones, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee, has commented saying the project will provide a ‘nod to Hampstead Heath’s rich heritage while providing real benefits for biodiversity.’ Members of the committee warn London’s dog owners (especially of sheepdogs) to keep their furry-friends leashed around the grazing area (on anthill site on the Heath’s Extension) to ‘ensure the safety and welfare of these animals’. We wouldn’t want to end up with a dog-on-sheep pursuit