What do we mean by a person who ‘experiences London' ?
At a glance, it sounds obvious. It is all about finding the best way to engage with the capital. It can be a red bus sightseeing tour, or a visit to Buckingham Palace, or just a walk through the park. All very nice if you want to see London through the eyes of the average tourist, but if you are on a mission to seek out alternative gift experiences in London then the best way is with the Indytute.
These experiences aren’t confined to tourists or London visitors, these gift experiences can enhance the lives of everyone who doesn’t just want to live in one of the greatest capitals, they want to know that they have squeezed the last drop of joy from it. Indytute are on a mission. We search out gift experiences in London that show the city in an alternative way. Finding the workshops and entertainments that are just a bit harder to track down.
Indytute relish the unique, quirky side of London. The cool side of London. The London that’s a bit hidden, off the main drag, and all the better for it. We like to think our customers are also a bit crafty, keen on music and not afraid to totter off to a pop up or two. They want gift experiences in London that take them off the main drag, and reveal a London they might not find by themselves.
We know how much you love our experiences in London, because you tell us, and we take our reviews very seriously. They let us know how we can improve and what you like us to feature next. It’s not an arbitrary selection, like a delicious box of chocs we mix and match, leaving out any with a dubious centre. They are in the end chosen by you.
We concentrate on the areas that you search for. Here’s a pick from just one month of Indytute London. You can see how much we relish variety:
You can start your experiences in London just by hanging around. Static Trapeze. This is your intro class to start you on the road to performing your first circus skill. You think that just because it’s static, it’s going to be easy. Oh no! We hold a wildlife drawing class every month. It doesn’t matter if you are a talented artist or a beginner. This is your moment just to really study an animal or reptile at close quarters. Drawing materials are provided, or you can bring your own. Your subject can range from a donkey to a snake, an iguana to a coral reef. This is where experiences London really comes into its own.
Are you a bit of a paper folder on the quiet? There’s is a bit more to it than the old school fortune teller. In this Origami workshop the focus is on hand eye co-ordination. At the end of a session you will have made numerous designs and learnt to fold and sculpt with paper. Rather beautiful paper. You may feel a sense of relaxation and well being. This is experiences London working at rather a mindful level. What better way to experience London than to walk it, and the Indytute does unusual walking tours. And if there’s a glass of wine at various stopping points - well you have died and gone to heaven. The East London Wine Walk, is conducted at your own pace and time, using our directions, a wine tasting tour with a difference. It takes four hours included the stop offs. You will be sampling wine in four very unusual, unexpected wine bars. So you don’t fall over en route, tasty snacks are provided at the first and the last location. Expect expert advice and wines, that are frankly delicious.
Of course London is cool. It has been cool since the 1960’s. Remember the Sex Pistols? John Ellis does, he is rock legend, who has toured and played with the greats. Peter Gabriel, The Vibrators, The Stranglers, he’s been there, seen it and actually remembers it. Join John on his Rock ‘n Stroll, an exclusive Indytute walk. For two hours you will be alongside John as he shares the sites that coloured his life. Talk of Hendrix, Bowie and Adam Ant as you visit the sites and sounds of rock and roll London. Experience London with the man.
Who doesn’t love a neon sign? But did you ever think you could design and bend your own.
This is a one-day class. Starting with a talk on Neon, and some pretty mesmerising demonstrations of cutting, blowing and stretching. This class is run by Richard William Wheater who normally runs workshops from his studio in Yorkshire. If you want a unique gift experience in London then this is one for you. You will go home with your own design made (albeit with a bit of help) by you, ready to plug in. There are only 6 people per class, so this really is a hands on workshop.
Tune into the clay. Pottery is back on the map. Art created from a lump of moist clay, fashioned on a wheel to produce something unique. Truly no two pots can ever be the same. This is a craft where the hours pass blissfully by as you gain experience on the potter’s wheel. One of our most popular classes at Stepney City Farm. Clay chic.
Of course you can always go Paddle Boarding on the Thames, catch a News Review, check out the Peculiar Pubs and Pies on a walking tour, go on a Photography Safari, catch a Kintsugi Workshop, learn how to make Molecular Cocktails, brew Kombucha or carve your Own Chopsticks. You could indulge in a cheese fondue, take in lunch at Cinnamon Kitchen via Battersea Power Station, even eat a gourmet lunch on a bus, and learn about gin while in an iconic Mini or the History of London by Bicycle. You could make soap or fill a Terrarium and if that’s not quite enough you had better have a go at Swing Dance or if that’s not your bag, try Disco Yoga.
All this is what it means to really experience London. Here at the Indytute we want you come from a class or workshop with a buzz, and a sense of well being. Let’s shout it out loud.
Experiences in London mean only thing. THE INDYTUTE!
