Culture Diary w/c 19-06-2023

Our pick of this week’s arts, design, film and music events from across Liverpool

Monday – Liverpool Biennial & Independents Biennial Ongoing – FREE

This iteration of the Biennial brings world class contemporary art to venues across the city, including Tate Liverpool, FACT, Open Eye and the Bluecoat, as well as so-called ‘found spaces’, such as the Tobacco Warehouse, Cotton Exchange and more. In parallel, the Independents Biennial draws attention to and celebrates the creativity that already exists in and around the region.

Le Mépris 1pm @ FACT Liverpool – £8

Included in the Cannes Classic selection at this year’s festival, Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (Contempt to English-speaking audiences) celebrates its 60th anniversary with this 4K restoration. Starring Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Giorgia Moll and Fritz Lang the new wave classic, which centres on a tale of a doomed marriage, is back in cinemas this week, and available to own/stream from 26 June.

Further Reading: French New Wave: A Revolution in Design

Tuesday – Transforming Tate Liverpool: Meet The Architects 6.30pm @ Tate Liverpool – £12/£7 

Earlier this year it was announced that Tate Liverpool – so crucial to the city’s art offer – will close its doors in October for renovation. Tonight, hear more about the shape this work will take from director Helen Legg as well as architects 6a, the company entrusted with what is being called “a major reimagining”.

Further Reading: Reimagining Tate Liverpool

Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ CONTENT, Liverpool – £25

Skilfully walking a fine line of lo-fi/psychedelia since forming in 2010,  Portland-based, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, led by New Zealander Ruban Nielson, play a smattering of UK dates ahead of their appearance later in the week at Glastonbury, as they tour fifth record, V.

Wednesday – The Wicker Man: The Final Cut + Recorded Content 7pm @ FACT Liverpool – £12.20/£11.20

50th anniversary of the folk-horror cult classic starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward – whose mainland cop gets more, much more than he bargained for when investigating the report of a missing child amid the island community of Summerisle. Back in cinemas for one night only, the screening includes recorded discussions with surviving cast and crew (including members of director Robin Hardy’s family), as well as a Wicker Man-inspired set by band, Broadside Hacks.

Thursday – STARS by Mojisola Adebayo 7.30pm @ Everyman, Liverpool – £12-£19

Actor, playwright, director, producer and teacher, Mojisola Adebayo began performing in the 1980s as a street rapper before embarking on training in theatre. Tonight she lands at the Everyman with “Afrofuturist Space Odyssey” STARS, along with an abundance of rave reviews for the show in her wake.

Friday – How to Wear High Heels: Elisa Sallis and Xanthe Tilzley @ The Royal Standard, Liverpool – FREE

Artists Elisa Sallis and Xanthe Tilzley join forces for this multidisciplinary exhibition to question what it means to be “a feminine artist in our contemporary white cute context”.

Women of the Windrush: An Opera by Shirley J. Thompson 7.30pm @ Tung Auditorium, Liverpool – £10/£8

This week marks 75 years since the Empire Windrush carried more than 800 passengers to Britain from the Caribbean. Blending song and archive footage, Thompson’s opera foregrounds the narratives – and challenges perceptions – of the lives of women of the Windrush generation.

Saturday – Louise Waller – 20 Years of Clay @ Victoria Gallery & Museum – FREE

Part of the Independents Biennial, this exhibition celebrates two decades of artistic practice from ceramicist Louise Waller. Showcasing the developments and evolutions in skill and experience that have taken place over that period, the display promises more than 20 new pieces which, says Waller, were inspired by looking back at her old sketch books.

Sunday – Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind 3pm @ FACT Liverpool – £12.20/£11.20

Award-winning journalist Nadine White’s documentary, Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind, scrutinises the impacts of a policy that saw scores of Caribbean youngsters growing up away from their parents, who had been asked to help rebuild a nation. Their stories are further explored and discussed in an accompanying recorded Q&A.

Mike Pinnington

Images/media, from top: Windrush Arrival seeks room (Women of the Windrush); Tate Liverpool EXT – North © 6a architects; The Wicker Man official poster; STARS by Mojisola Adebayo promo; Louise Waller/VGM