Happennings 24-26 Aug 2007
Born and Bred
Argentina-UK-Italy, 2006, dir Pablo Trapero
BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
Fri 24 Aug (2.20pm, 6.30pm, 8.30pm)
Sat 25 Aug (3.50pm, 6.10pm, 8.30pm)
Sun 26 Aug (3.50pm, 6.10pm, 8.30pm)
£8.60 / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"Argentine cinema has attracted a great deal of attention over the last decade, and of the many talented directors who have emerged in that time Pablo Trapero is undoubtedly one of the most influential."
Vinyl (USA 1965, 66min) + Kitchen (USA 1965)
dir Andy Warhol
BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
Sun 26 Aug (8.20pm)
£8.60 / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"Loosely based (by Ronald Tavel) on Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, Vinyl is an avant-garde exploration of cultural incompatiblity."
Gallery guide
No matter where you are, find international art galleries and check what exhibitions are on display in your city at ARTINFO Gallery Guide.
Anthology of conceptual writing
We are used to encounter literary works and poems that are the spontaneous expression of inner emotions, where the idea retains the dominant position in the structure. But let is try to think of a different kind of writing, more logical, meticulous, and less egoistic, where the language becomes the physical presence in the sctructure of the poem. Ubuweb presents a collection of conceptual writing that goes beyond the simple literary works and extends to other forms of art.
Experimental dreams
The surreal and captivating reflection of a precarious inconstant world, oculart and its creator Geoff Lillemon interviewed by Allmaple.
Back to the basics
Back to the basics of visual arts and its characteristics. Introductory Art-study Guides, to be imbued with that fundamental sensibility again.
Happenings 17-19 Aug, 2007
Sam Sharp
The George Tavern, 373 Commercial Road, London E1
Fri 17 Aug (8pm)
free / more info / excerpt from flavorpill:
"Playing tonight at the unreconstructed Stepney boozer is jazz-scene stalwart and talented saxophonist Sam Sharp. As Pack of Six, Sharp serves up helpings of James Taylor Quartet-influenced jazz and soul and is also a dab hand at the classic big-band sound."
We like it a lot
Nettie Horn, 25b Vyner Street, London E2 9DG
Sat 18 Aug - Tue 21 Aug
Preview with performances Fri 17 Aug (6-9pm)
free / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"We like it a lot takes its title from a video by the Polish collective Azorro, in which the artists visit and comment on exhibitions in Warsaw. In each instance their experience of the art on show is indiscriminately summed up with this one inadequate but emphatic phrase."
The Death of Peter Fechter
Sat 18 Aug (10am)
ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH
£10 / £9 concessions / more info / excerpt from flavorpill:
"The Death of Peter Fechter re-enacts the day in 1962 when a young man died trying to escape over the Berlin Wall. Audience members assemble at the ICA and are then bussed to a secret London location where the performance takes place. Devised by artist S Mark Gubb, the straight re-enactment occurs in real time on the 45th anniversary of the event."
10th London Vegan Festival
Sun 19 Aug (10am-8pm)
Kensington Town Hall, Hornton St, London W8
£1 / more info / excerpt from flavorpill:
"The tenth annual London Vegan Festival adds to the city's ever eclectic plethora of events with an afternoon of animal-free entertainment."
Opportunities for artists
The purpose of the self-funded organizazion Wooloo is to create professional opportunities for emerging artists, by developing exhibitions and relationships with international art institutions and curators. It is based in Berlin and its website wooloo.org offers artists the possibility to sign up for free and be able to 'create exhibitions with images and videos', 'present your CV & publish a personal blog', 'sell and promote your work', 'observe viewer statistics', 'participate in curated projects'.
Hiraki Sawa
Working mainly in his apartment, the japanese artist Hiraki Sawa creates magical and surprising atmospheres by transforming his rooms in dreamscapes filled with unusual activities and populated by animated objects, as for example in 'Dwelling' where small airplanes float around his apartment, as if it was an airport, in an absorbing and contemplative way. Observing his videos is like being suspended in a surreal world and condensed in time and space.
Calls for entry
Relevant festivals deadlines upcoming in the next few months:
AFIA, Århus, Denmark - deadline: Sept 15, 2007 | no fee
Platforma, Athens, Greece - deadline: Sept 30, 2007 | no fee
JVC TVF2008, Yokohama City, Japan - deadline: Sept 30, 2007 | no fee
Festival International du Court-Métrage, Clermont-Ferrand, France - deadline: Oct 15, 2007 | no fee
Images Festival, Toronto, Canada - deadline: Oct 26, 2007 | no fee for students
SXSW 2008, Austin, USA - deadline: Nov 16, 2007 | $25
Shorts Shorts Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan - deadline: Dec 1, 2007 | no fee
On Kawara
Some of the most well-known works of the Japanese artist On Kawara are the over 2000 'date paintings' created since the 1960s, each one painted the same day of the exhibition and destroyed if not completed by midnight of that day. However all works of the artist deal with time and its complex implications and proclaim its essential perpetual nature.
Happenings 10-12 Aug, 2007
Andy Warhol retrospective
BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
Tue 7 Aug - Sun 30 Sept
£8.60 / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"In the most complete retrospective of Andy Warhol's cinema ever held, Callie Angell guides you through the Pop master's brilliant film career, from minimalist silent epics and underground narratives to double-screen extravaganzas, including many recently restored titles never before seen in London."
Platforms:live
The Luminaire, Kilburn, London NW6 7JR
Sat 11 Aug (7.30pm)
£5.50 or £7 door / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"Arts mag Platforms hosts an evening of exciting new sounds and poetry, featuring raw shooby doo harmonies from Peggy Sue & The Pirates, heartbreaking folk anthems from Noah and The Whale, Anna Log's ethereal piano balladry, delicate acoustic songs from Ed Hope and live poetry through the evening."
London Mela 2007
Gunnersbury Park, London W3
Sun 12 Aug (12-9pm)
free / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"Melas originate from the Indian sub continent. The word Mela comes from the sanskrit 'to meet' and is related to 'milana' the verb to tune. It is commonly used to describe a large gathering of people celebrating artistic, religious or political events - a fair or a festival."
BST Journal
Addressing interdisciplinary issues and published twice a year in association with the School of Arts at Brunel University, the BST Body, Space & Technology Journal aims to approach different disciplines related to the performance practice. In the editors' own words: "It is aimed at a wide-ranging readership that would include not only academics but also performers, practitioners, and artists from a whole range of disciplines."
Audio Arts archive
Audio Arts was an audio cassette magazine set up in 1973 by Bill Furlong as an advanced and experimental project. Its archive comprises artists' interviews, voices and sound art and it is now exhibited at the Tate Britain until the 27th August, where 4 hours of recordings can be accessed for free and listened by using headphones. The same material can be accessed and explored online here.
Expanded cinema
It is the title of a book written in 1970 by Gene Youngblood and it is considered to be one of the first books to describe video as an art form, as well as pointing out the importance of new technologies as essential extensions of the cinematic language. The book can be downloaded for free in pdf format at the Vasulka website.
Free electronic books
A very good selection of books in electronic format from eScholarship Editions, a project managed by the California Digital Library, is available for free to the public. The web site is worth a visit especially if you are a student and in a low budget, since the range of topics offered is quite wide and includes, between many others, art, science, and music.
Happenings 3-5 Aug, 2007
Pop Art and Sculptors' Films: Turnbull to Pye
BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
Fri 3 Aug (6:15pm)
£8.60 / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"This programme contains rare film-works by some of the most celebrated artists during the 50s and 60s and by others who deserve to be better known. Many have their origins in the idea of documentation, but ambitiously explore different forms of collage, multiple viewpoint and space-time relationships."
Portobello Film Festival
various venues, London W10/11
Wed 1 Aug - Tue 21 Aug
free / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"The Film Festival was created in 1996 as a reaction to the moribund state of the British film industry, to provide a forum for new film-makers and give exposure to movies on different formats."
Porco Rosso: Pigs in planes!
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
Sat 4 Aug (2:30pm)
free / more info / excerpt from event's official page:
"Dastardly air pirates are thwarted by an Italian bounty-hunter pilot, who has been cursed and now has the head of a pig. This enchanting aerial fantasy is based on Miyazaki Hayao's manga."
Lockstock 12: Clash Magazine special
The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm Road, London NW1
Sun 5 Aug (4pm-11pm)
free / more info
A seven-act gig featuring Turin Brakes, Stateless, Bobby Cook, The Concretes Djs and more.
Silence
You probably already know about the experience of John Cage in the anechoic chamber at Harvard University, a room especially designed to completely absorb every single sound. In that occasion, Cage entered the room persuaded to be able to hear silence, but he discovered the impossibility of it instead. In fact, even in that extreme condition, two sounds were present: the low frequency sound of the blood in circulation and the high frequency sound of the nervous system. That experience led to the composition of 4'33''.
It is fascinating to think of our body as the primordial, true instrument.
Happy Birthday!