Culture Diary w/c 23-05-2016
What’s hot this week? Our pick of the arts listings from around Liverpool and the rest of the UK…
Monday — Masculinity: Public Discussion 6.45-8.45pm @ Metal Culture, Southend-on-Sea — FREE
Artist, outsider, and gender-reject, Scottee, will be exploring masculinity in his upcoming show Bravado (below) — but first he wants to hear your opinion. Like many other LGBT+ men, Scottee does not conform to the rigid criteria of ‘masculinity’, instead expressing himself through art, fashion and make-up. Bring to the table your ideas on what it truly means to be a man, but also be set to discuss male privilege and aggression, and how maleness can leave a damaging effect on those who do not conform.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Tuesday & Wednesday — Binary Festival @ Venues Across Liverpool — £20/40
This Tuesday and Wednesday don’t miss Binary Festival, a brand new celebration of all things arts, culture, digital and technology. Founded in the Baltic Triangle, the festival seeks to connect creatives and businesses alike; starting with a day filled with workshops and talks from 3D audio and crowdfunding to virtual reality and mker spaces; followed by keynotes given by poet Lemn Sissay, live coder Dr Sam Aaron and more at FACT on Wednesday. Read our interview with festival curator Herb Kim here.
Tuesday – Talk / Lesbian Reverie: Carol As History And Fantasy 6pm @ HOME, Manchester — FREE
You may have seen the film, you may even have read the book, but do you know the history behind it all? Part of HOME’s Sexuality Summer School: Love and its Others, Professor Patricia White of Swarthmore College, USA, invites us to talk about the deeper meaning behind Todd Haynes’s Oscar-nominated Carol (below), which was based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, The Price of Salt. Looking into the historical struggle of female sexuality as it overlaps with cinematographic fantasy, is Carol a win for lesbian representation or just another fetishisation?
Wednesday — Physical Fest: What’s There To Laugh About? 11am-5pm @ The Bluecoat, Liverpool — £10/20/40
Cirque u Soleil, Told by an Idiot, The Comedy Trust… join leaders in the field for this Physical Fest symposium, held in collaboration with current exhibition, Double Act: Art and Comedy. Sure to tickle your funny bone, and specially created for programmers, artists, and comics alike, the event is a day-long look at the use of humour in mediums such as programming, training, and theatre. How will your work be shaped by the power of laughter?
Stand By For Tape Back-Up 7.30-9pm @ Small Cinema Liverpool — £6/7
Enjoy a rare screening of innovative Edinburgh Fringe film, Stand By For Tape Back-Up (main pic, above), complete with special a live performance from creator and poet Ross Sutherland himself. Formed from scraps of found videotape footage from his childhood, uniquely remixed to harmonise with spoken word poetry, expect reminiscence on the life and death of his grandfather, the cycle of life, and the angst felt whilst coming-of-age.
Thursday — WoWFest: Morphologies Masterclass: The Art Of The Sci-Fi Short Story 7pm @ The Bluecoat, Liverpool — £8/10
Writing on the Wall’s WoWFest, Comma Press and the Bluecoat have come together to teach the difficult art of science-fiction writing. Liverpool’s own award-winning horror writer, Ramsey Campbell, and acclaimed British sci-fi author, Stephen Baxter, will be discussing the works and techniques of two pioneers of the genre; H.G. Wells and H.P. Lovecraft. Not to be missed if you fancy your hand at writing the next War of the Worlds!
Friday — Exhibition Opening: Found 10am-5pm @ The Foundling Museum, London — £7.50/10.25
“In order for something to be ‘found’, it has to at some point in its history been ‘lost’” says Cornelia Parker, who has commissioned over 60 artists to contribute a piece of work in response to the theme ‘found’ (above): maybe an item that they have found themselves, or perhaps an entirely new creation. Parker was inspired by the Foundling Museum’s history as an 18th century hospital for abandoned children, and its collection of tokens left by mothers in case they ever choose to reunite with their child in the future. The commission features artworks from several Turner Prize winners and other renowned artists including feminist novelist, Marina Warner, sculptor of Liverpool’s Another Place, Antony Gormley, and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.
Saturday & Sunday — Sound City @ Bramley Moore Dock, Liverpool — £47/83
Sound City celebrates its ninth (!) year with a line-up that rather channels the 1990s: expect The Dandy Warhols, Leftfield, Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Coral, Pete Doherty, Bill Ryder-Jones, and other recognisable names; plus what is sure to be a poignant tribute to Warrington’s late Viola Beach. Widely understood to be the first music festival of the year, start your summer early with fantastic live performances at Liverpool’s sunny (read windy) dockside.
Vanessa Wheeler
