Culture Diary w/c 22-05-2023
Our pick of this week’s arts, design, film and music events – and loads of it’s free!
Monday – Shadow Game + Q&A 6pm @ FACT Liverpool – £6/Concessions
In a post-Brexit world, the narrative around migration seems to skew ever more to the right’s thinking – essentially that we can no longer afford to be compassionate, humane, or even human. It’s vital then, painful as it surely will be, that we keep our eyes – and hearts – open to the stories that should be at the centre of the conversation; those of migrants themselves. Shadow Game does exactly that, addressing Europe’s asylum policy from the perspective of Balkan teenagers in search of better, safer lives.
Tuesday – Cola 7.15pm @ Future Yard, Birkenhead – £12
Emerging from the ashes of Ought – one of TDN’s favourite bands of recent years – Cola are Ben Stidworthy and Tim Darcy, with Evan Cartwright (US Girls/The Weather Station) joining on drums. Named for the sugary addictive soft drink synonymous with rotten teeth and the so-called American Dream, their moniker also stands for Cost of Living Adjustment – an indication that this is a band in touch with the world. But what of the music, you cry! In short, the post-punk of previous endeavours remains, with added hooks and a warmly melodious bent for company.
Exhibition on Screen: Tokyo Stories 6pm @ FACT Liverpool – £17.50/concessions
Tokyo through the lens of its art and artists; what exhibitions on screen lack (the ‘being there’) is made up for here by key contributions from exhibition makers and, best of all, its artists. Hear from the likes of photographer Daidō Moriyama – “Tokyo is a stadium of desire for me” – as the film talks through and takes us beyond the many long-held clichés about Japan’s capital city and its people, to bring us a vibrant tapestry of the great megalopolis.
Read our take: “Tokyo is a Stadium of Desire”
Wednesday – WOWFest: Not So Black and White 7pm @ Bluecoat
The excellent and always thought-provoking WOWFest continues this week as authors Kenan Malik and Tomiwa Owolade explore the complexities and gradations in the relationship between class and race in modern British society. A perfect second round for those who caught Tuesday’s A Matter of Class.
Thursday – Osees 7.30pm @ the Invisible Wind Factory – £25
For more than a quarter of a century Osees, along with some subtle name changes (derived, at least we think, from the original title of Orinoka Crash Suite), have blazed a blistering aural trail. Matched by a rare propulsive energy, appreciation for the audience and bags of showmanship, it’s reassuring to still have them around. The gig marks both the release of new synthy track Intercepted Message (with an album to follow later this year), as well as twenty years of Liverpool promoter, EVOL. Not to be sniffed at.
Friday – Inland Empire 7.30pm @ FACT Liverpool – £8
Another in a long line of delicious nightmares from director David Lynch, 2006′s Inland Empire is back in cinemas having been treated to a 4K restoration. Don’t be fooled by premature reassurance offered by the appearance of Lynch mainstays Laura Dern and Harry Dean Stanton, for ambiguity and confusion reign, as an actress gradually loses grip on reality. Want more? Catch Mullholland Drive (top), what many think of as Lynch’s masterpiece, on Saturday.
Saturday – LAST CHANCE TO SEE: HOME. Resistance @ Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead – FREE
These last few weeks have seen Merseyside play host to the UK’s largest showcase of Ukrainian photography, taking in venues across the region. Fittingly titled Home, curators Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi, said: “We believe that the visibility of Ukrainian culture is vital for its decolonisation, which, in turn, is a prerequisite for securing our identity and the right to own our history and future.” In Mykhaylo Palinchak, Andrii Rachinskiy and Elena Subach, HOME. Resistance at Birkenhead’s Williamson brings together a trio of photographers, to pose questions around the concept of resistance.
Sunday – The Story So Far @ The Atkinson, Southport – FREE
Wide-ranging exhibition addressing the theme of storytelling. Including works drawn from the collections of both the Atkinson and the Harris Art Gallery, Preston, alongside traditional interpretations of literature, coastal, rural and classical scenes, expect more questioning responses from contemporary artists such as Lubaina Himid (work above) and Alberta Whittle.
Mike Pinnington
Images/media, from top: Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, Mullholland Drive; Tokyo Stories trailer; Osees, Intercepted Message videa; Hannibal’s Sister, Lubaina Himid © the artist. Photo credit: Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library
