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Dirty Weekend: Pleasure Garden (18+)

Dirty Weekend Conservatory Takeover

,Conservatory
Creative Collaboration_2025_Dirty Weekend_Sophie Cundale

Image: Christa Holka

Step into our lush conservatory for an intimate sunday of talks, readings, workshops and pop-up performances on sex, desire and all things dirty. 

Six performances and readings will happen on the hour across the day.

A new collaboration between artist Sophie Cundale and author Izabella Scott inhabits overlapping realms of fiction, fashion and disguise. ‘Doubles’ is a staged tableau and live reading of two texts with interweaving themes of facelessness, forbidden desires and transgressive play. Scott reads from her forthcoming book The Bed Trick: Sex and Deception on Trial (Atlantic, Feb 2026), exploring legal and theatrical themes of anonymity, role play and deception. Cundale presents RED, a fiction about the aesthetics of fantasy: blurred eyes, airbrushing and self-invention. 

Hettie Judah, fresh from field research in the US including at the Kinsey Institute, will expound on her research project and forthcoming book that foregrounds female desire. 

Further programme TBA

Tagged with: Take part Talks & events Art & design

Age restriction: This event is 18+ (All attendees must bring accepted form of legal ID)

May include discussion that contains explicit elements and reference to sexualised imagery or events.

 

See our Dirty Looks exhibition for £10 across the weekend
Your Dirty Weekend ticket gives you access to Dirty Looks, our bold new fashion exhibition, on the same day for £10. Subject to availability.

Find out more

 

Presented by Creative Collaboration

Part of Dirty Weekend

Image credit: Crista Holka

Ticket prices

Standard
£8
* Excludes £1.50 booking fee

Booking fees

£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.

No fee when tickets are booked in person.

Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.

Programme

12pm Hettie Judah
1pm TBC 
2pm Ruby Rare 
3pm TBC
4pm Sophie Cundale & Izabella Scott 
5pm Vex Ashley & Feana Attwood

Conservatory

Location
The Barbican Conservatory is located on Level 3, if you’re coming from inside the main Barbican building.

From the Barbican highwalks, follow signs to the ‘Barbican Centre’. Walking from Barbican tube station, you’ll see a steps with ‘Art Gallery’ above them, these will lead you up to the Sculpture Court where you'll see a sign for the Conservatory. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.