This weekend, we braved apocalyptic rainstorms and adventured to Leeds, for the launch of Live Art Bistro (LAB), a brand new artist-run venture currently based in a 10,000 sq. ft. New York loft-style building in Leeds city centre.

And with the people behind in(X)clusion involved, we knew it would be good. But we weren’t expecting it to be as envy-inducingly amazing as we soon found it to be.

Built on the premise that the best ideas are forever unfinished, LAB provides artists with the space to create and the time to fail. The building features several multi-purpose spaces, and even a co-working area with wi-fi, tea and crumpets.

In between seeing exciting and intriguing performances from the likes of Carrieanne Vivianette (who you might remember from For Books’ Sake Presents: Books & Blues) and Kimberely Emeny, we set about setting the scene in a space on the third floor ready for a night of erotica readings, filthy fiction and interactive fun and frolics with hundreds of rude words.

Having provided a stack of smutty books for our audience to peruse, we soon found ourselves in storytelling sessions involving extracts from several of the Black Lace books, Shawna Kenney‘s I Was a Teenage Dominatrix, Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin and many more.

And we were happy to see that everyone was enthusiastic about getting involved in coming up with all sorts of creative anecdotes, imagery and euphemisms. Especially the ones that featured ponies, wizards and buttered breasts. For more photo evidence, have a look at our Facebook.

Jane Bradley