Love Art After Dark 2023 – Review

Fitzwilliam Museum Society’s Poster for LAAD

On March 9, the Fitzwilliam Museum opened its doors for Love Art After Dark (LAAD) 2023. ‘Myths and Legends’ was the theme for this year, taking inspiration from the recent exhibition ‘Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean’. An array of events, from talks to poetry readings, took place among the famed artefacts and artworks on display at the so-called ‘Fitz’.

Entering through the bustling café and bar space, one was first greeted by the many established, as well as up-and-coming, zines and their stalls. Notes, Bait, Time Zine, The Cambridge Review of Books, Canvas, The Cambridge Cult, Lunulae, Dispatches, Eliot’s Face and Panoramic were all present. Issues were on sale, as well as posters and miscellanies. It was a real homage to the thriving zine scene here at Cambridge, successfully integrating this creative community within the museum space. Among the pottery were many lively discussion of poetry and art. It was truly a collaborative place for creators to meet editors and make things happen. The Fitzwilliam Museum Society had promised a “deep dive into Cambridge’s student Zine Scene”, and certainly delivered.

Following through to the various halls of the Fitzwilliam you could catch talks, listen in on poetry readings, or browse the student exhibition in Gallery 31. Many of the talks draw on the theme of Myths and Legends which sought to explore “the power of stories, passed down through generations, to strengthen connections between people and places”, such as on the ‘21st Century Female Receptions of Homer’ delivered by Jessica Lawrence in Gallery 21. Or for something more hands-on, guests could try life drawing. The galleries of the Fitz were therefore transformed into spaces for discussion and activity for this year’s LAAD, all set to the harmony of live music – from the operatic to an acoustic set.

Not to forget the many poetry readings too. The Cambridge University Poetry and Prose Society, as well as the Blackbirds, took over Gallery 26 to give voice to student verse, drawing in impressive crowds. And in Gallery 15 you could witness a dance-theatre piece “exploring female desire and agency in an Indian Epic”.

This year’s LAAD event successfully drew the wider student community into the Fitzwilliam Museum. From the zine stalls to poetry readings and craft events, the spaces of the Museum were transformed into spaces for discussion and fun. LAAD both strengthened “connections between people and places” on the mythic and legendary level, as well as that of the local student community. It was a great, free event, which must certainly continue for years to come