Cognac and Peanut Butter

"Cognac and Peanut Butter" by Elliott Mickleburgh (@bytebop) is our first submission for LAS Writes, offering a vivid, diary-style reflection on a Saturday spent in London - a day filled with art-house cinema bookings, conversations with friends, eclectic music, quirky culinary experiences, and late-night indulgences. The narrator revels in a life lived through curious tastes and layered cultural references, championing a philosophy of high-low hybridity and aesthetic experimentation.

But the piece is also a sharp critique of the current state of the art world. Disillusioned with institutional museums and commercial galleries for their repetitive programming and homogenous artist rosters, the narrator confesses to going on an "aesthetic diet." This changes with the discovery of London Art Services (LAS),  a new, artist-run gallery in Deptford that reignites their belief in visual art. LAS is celebrated not just for its programming, but for its genuine community engagement, dynamic formats, and its willingness to listen.

The essay ends as a passionate endorsement of LAS as a rare and necessary alternative to the stagnant mainstream — a place that offers hope, play, and authenticity in a cultural landscape that desperately needs all three.