Fun in London this February 2013:
Beware! The Vaccine - A Brief History of Anti-Vaccinationism, Camden
• Anti-vaccinationism has been a destructive force on the world in the last 15 years, after a small, and later discredited, study came out in 1998 suggesting there was a link between MMR vaccines and autism. This led to a media panic and a drop in the number of vaccinations, causing some otherwise rare diseases to proliferate.
• Rob Brotherton, a doctoral candidate at Goldsmiths and a specialist in conspiracy theories, will lead a talk on the history of anti-vaccinationism from the 18th century to the present day entitled Beware! The Vaccine. It is being held as part of London Skeptics in the Pub in The Monach Bar in Camden on February 18th. The chat will begin at 19:30 GMT.
Per•see•ve Me, Shoreditch
Per•see•ve Me is a group exhibition being held by students at Kingston University that will delve into the world of senses. For one night only, the show will use mixed media to explore this theme, with each artist using experimental techniques to get their message across.
The event, which is free to attend, will take place at the Free Space Gallery in Shoreditch's Kentish Town Health Centre on February 19th, running from 18:00 to 21:00 GMT.
Lego Robots, King's Cross
Building Lego robots while getting sloshed on your favourite cocktails might not seem like the most obvious activity to get up to in London on a Wednesday, but that's probably because you just didn't think it was possible.
Thankfully, Drink, Shop & Do in King's Cross is hosting its very own free Lego Robots night on February 20th, giving patrons the opportunity to do just that. The only rules are that robot-making teams must be no bigger than five people, creations must have a minimum of two limbs, a name and a special ability, and there is absolutely no Lego brick eating permitted.
Living With Thalidomide, Euston
Thalidomide is an anti-nausea drug that was introduced in the 1950s as a sleeping pill and to help pregnant women deal with morning sickness. However, after five years it was withdrawn after it was found that it caused birth defects.
This talk show at the Wellcome Collection in Euston will show a number of clips from films that aimed to reveal how society and the medical world helped the affected children get by with their everyday lives. Assistant curator Dr Ruth Blue will lead the chat between 15:00 and 16:00 on February 21st in what will be a sad, yet fascinating, event.
Wild Life!, Hoxton
There's nothing like a party on a Friday night and the Queen of Hoxton will be providing the jams to dance the night away to in Shoreditch during its club night Wild Life! Expect hits from the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson, M.I.A., Salt N Pepa, Fleetwood Mac, SBTRKT, LCD Soundsystem and Jay Z in the upstairs room, while downstairs there will be all the house, disco, electro and techno you could ever want.
Kicking off at 20:00 GMT, it's free to enter for the first hour and after that it costs £5, unless you sign up to the £3 email guestlist. Partygoers can also expect a photobooth, disco balls, lasers, visuals and giveaways to make their night even better.
Meet John Deman, Greenwich
Looking for a way to alleviate your east London hangover? Then why not head down to the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich to hear a theatrical talk from John Deman, a black pensioner who lived in Greenwich in the early 19th century. He moved from the West Indies in his youth and ended up taking to the high seas on Admiral Lord Nelson's fleet.
You can learn all about his life in this talk entitled Meet John Deman, which is held at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 GMT in the Painted Hall on February 23rd.
Reel Islington Film Festival 2013, Islington
The Reel Islington Film Festival 2013 is to showcase some of the best established and up-and-coming filmmaking talent in the country, with the three-day event running with the theme A Place Called England.
•February 24th is the final day of the event and will feature the 1959 murder mystery Sapphire, and The Black Safari, a parody that follows four black men as they venture along the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Alongside the films, there will be a one-and-a-half hour walk entitled In Search of Holloway's Lost Cinemas, which will delve into Islington's cinematic history, and performance by the MOJO Orchestra paying tribute to composer John Dankworth. All the events are free to attend.
