Topolski Studio, London, 20 November 2024

22 Nov 2024

I knew this would be a tough one: two hours posing nude in a venue that’s one of the hardest to make warm, on the chilliest night of autumn so far, an outside temperature hovering around -1°C. I was not wrong.

The three main challenges at Topolski Studio are: (i) it’s cavernous, under a railway bridge arch near Waterloo station; (ii) its door is kept ajar during the first pose so late arrivals (and freezing draughts) can get in; (iii) its power circuit is easily tripped.

I was posing centrally in the main space near the door, surrounded by artists wearing winter coats, scarves or woolly hats. Five minutes into the opening pose, all three fan heaters around me cut-out simultaneously, along with all the plugged-in lamps.

It took five further minutes for tutor Mark Lovelace to unplug the non-essential items, find the fusebox and reset its switches. The little heaters whirred back into life. All the while I’d been thinking: if they stay dead, at what point do I quit before I’m dead?

I’m a ‘show must go on‘ kind of guy, but guidance on workplace temperatures says: “the temperature in all indoor workplaces must be reasonable“, with a minimum 16°C suggested… presumably for fully-dressed staff. I suspect we were below 16 here.

But the show went on and, whilst not comfortable, was tolerable. After the interval, an extra portable radiator was plugged-in but soon the power cut out again. Nice try. The fan heaters’ electricity was restored more quickly this time and stayed on till the end.

So the main narrative is the struggle to stay warm. Apart from that, however, this was another really nice session at one of Adrian Dutton’s groups. The vibe, friendliness, informal tuition, refreshments, pastries, great art, good pay, and tips encouraged too.

At various times in pose, I imagined this blog being nothing but paragraphs of…

cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold 🙂

No complaints, though. I knew the likely situation before I arrived; there was little that Mark could have done to improve it. I own my choices, it’s still a privilege; afterwards, unlike London’s many rough sleepers, I can warm-up at home.

I gave my tip money to Shelter.