Pin Drop

Pin Drop Studio was thrilled to welcome the incredible, Daniel Lismore to Soho House for this very special evening.

This event marked a rare opportunity to hear Daniel discuss his views on style and creativity, as well as some of his key influences following the publication in 2017 of Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken, published by Skira Rizzoli. The lavish edition is Daniel’s first major publication, and shares the 32 ensembles that comprised his first U.S. museum exhibition of the same name at SCAD FASH: Museum of Fashion and Film before moving on to Art Basel, Miami. The exhibition immersed audiences in Lismore’s unique sartorial point of view. These life-size sculptural ensembles, each worn by the artist at one time, are reflections of his own multidimensional identity and are a tapestry of his journey to his true self.

As a prominent fixture of the London fashion and nightlife circuits, Daniel shared stories from his life as an artist and tastemaker.

In this episode of the Pin Drop podcast, critically acclaimed actress, Lisa Dwan reads from Samuel Beckett’s groundbreaking works, Foirades/Fizzles followed by an interview with Pin Drop founder, Simon Oldfield.

This episode was recorded live at the Royal Academy of Arts in London as part of Pin Drop’s highly respected programme at the RA against the backdrop of Jasper Johns landmark exhibition.

Foirades/Fizzles was published in collaboration with Jasper Johns in 1972 in a publication that juxtaposed the artist’s vibrant, energetic etchings with a series of Beckett’s short prose pieces, originally written in French and translated into English. They have been the subject of notable scholarly works and the collection is now considered to be one of the greatest artist’s books of the twentieth century, having been exhibited internationally and lauded for it’s significant impact across the visual arts, literature, music and theatre.

Lisa Dwan is this generations leading Beckett actor. She is internationally acclaimed for her stunning performances of Beckett’s Not I and, most recently, the one-woman show No’s Knife, adapted by Dwan from the prose pieces Texts for Nothing, which wowed critics and audiences when it premiered at the Old Vic in October 2016.

Cherise Saywell has been awarded the RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award, for her exceptional short story Morelia Spilota. The winning story was announced and narrated at a special live event by award-winning actress Dame Penelope Wilton.

The judging panel for the award includes the Royal Academy of Arts’ Artistic Director, Tim Marlow, and Pin Drop Studio’s founders Elizabeth Day and Simon Oldfield, who commented;

‘It was a privilege to judge this year’s RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award and select the winning story from such a strong short list. Cherise Saywell is a worthy winner for her superb story, ‘Morelia Spilota’, which is written with great confidence and verve. It is a brilliant short story.’

‘Cherise’s story is a superb example of the short form: elegant, lyrical and with a quiet, restrained power. It is written with such surety of tone and pace that reading it, you feel at once you are in the hands of a master storyteller.’ – Elizabeth Day

‘The quality of writing and the ambition of the writers seems to get stronger each year. It was a pleasure and a privilege to judge the prize and to encounter this year’s short-list’ – Tim Marlow

In this episode of the Pin Drop podcast Simon Oldfield meets multi award-winning chef, Jason Atherton.

Jason is the creative force behind The Social Company, a globally-renowned restaurant group that originated in London with his flagship Michelin-starred restaurant, Pollen Street Social. His empire now counts seventeen restaurants in major cities from New York to Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Jason is the author of numerous books that provide a glimpse into his unique and innovative approach, he regularly makes television appearances and he was recently named Best Restaurateur at the GQ Food and Drink Awards.

He is also a passionate art collector and was joined for this very special event in conversation by Pindrop’s founder Simon Oldfield, who curated Jason Atherton’s art collection across numerous restaurants including City Social and Pollen Street Social.

In this episode of the Pin Drop podcast we enter the wonderful world of Sue Tilley in a riotous interview with Simon Oldfield. Taking us on a journey through her life – Tilley discusses everything from being Lucian Freud’s muse, to Leigh Bowery’s biographer and her latest collaboration with Italian fashion house, Fendi.

Sue, also known as ‘Big Sue’, was the muse for a number of iconic paintings by Freud including Benefit Supervisor Sleeping and Benefit Supervisor Resting, which both sold for record-breaking prices.

Sue was introduced to Freud by her close friend, the avant-garde artist, performer and club icon, Leigh Bowery. After Bowery’s premature death in 1993, Sue wrote the definitive biography of this groundbreaking figure of the 1980s.

Sue Tilley was joined in conversation by Pin Drop Founder, Simon Oldfield.

Sponsored by Audible UK.

Dame Penelope Wilton, star of Downton Abbey, reads Morelia Spilota by Cherise Saywell, winner of the RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award. Introduced by Tim Marlow, Chief Curator of the RA, and Pin Drop founders, Simon Oldfield and Elizabeth Day.

The reading is followed by an insightful interview and Q&A with Cherise Saywell.

‘It was a privilege to judge this year’s RA & Pindrop Short Story Award and select the winning story from such a strong short list. Cherise Saywell is a worthy winner for her superb story, ‘Morelia Spilota’, which is written with great confidence and verve. It is a brilliant short story.’

‘Cherise’s story is a superb example of the short form: elegant, lyrical and with a quiet, restrained power. It is written with such surety of tone and pace that reading it, you feel at once you are in the hands of a master storyteller.’ – Elizabeth Day

‘The quality of writing and the ambition of the writers seems to get stronger each year. It was a pleasure and a privilege to judge the prize and to encounter this year’s short-list’ – Tim Marlow

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Pin Drop hosted an evening with Elizabeth Day and Viv Groskop – two powerful female voices.

Elizabeth is an award-winning author and journalist. Her fourth novel, The Party, from which she reads in this recording, is published by 4th Estate in July 2017. Day is also a feature writer for UK and US publications including New York Magazine and Vogue, and a contributing editor for Harper’s Bazaar and recent interviews include Claire Danes, Matt Damon and Kiera Knightly.

Viv is a writer, broadcaster and stand-up comedian who regularly appears at the Edinburgh Festival, features on BBC Radio 4 and writes for various publications including The Times, The Pool and the Guardian.

In the episode of the Pin Drop podcast two of Britain’s most cherished actors, Dame Eileen Atkins and Dame Sian Philips give a live reading at the Royal Academy of Arts of a short story from 1919 called The Dictator: The Story of Ak and Humanity by Yefim Zozulya.

Eileen Atkins is an award-winning actress, known for her critically-acclaimed roles in film and television productions including Gosford Park, Cranford and The Crown. Siân Phillips has starred in era-defining film and TV including Beckett and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – and the BBC adaptation of I, Claudius, for which she won a BAFTA for Best Actress. The performance was followed by a Q&A with Pin Drop founder, Simon Oldfield

In this episode of the Pin Drop podcast, bestselling author William Boyd and award-winning actor Ed Stoppard, read stories live at the Royal Academy of Arts

Pin Drop Podcast: Juliet Stevenson reads A Quiet Tidy Man by Claire Fuller from A Short Affair by Pin Drop Studio