Culture Diary w/c 25-01-2016
What’s hot this week? Our pick of the arts listings from around Liverpool and the rest of the UK…
PICK OF THE WEEK: Tuesday — Anne and Eva 7.30pm @ St George’s Hall, Liverpool — £11
Scheduled for Holocaust Memorial Day, this performance will depict tales based on the real-life accounts of life under the rule of Nazi Germany: Anne Frank’s Diary and Eva Schloss’ After Auschwitz. Split into two halves, the first delving into the life of Anne and her family trying to avoid persecution by hiding in the Secret Annexe in Amsterdam, and the second depicting the chronicle of Eva’s horrific years in a concentration camp, and her becoming the step-sister of Anne after she survived the war. Produced by John Gorman and directed by Ellie Hurt, Eva Schloss (now 86) has agreed for her story to be performed on stage for the first time at St George’s Hall — not to be missed. Also showing Wednesday 27 Jan.
Wednesday — Philosophy Talk: Dr Joel Smith — An Introduction to Phenomenology 6-7pm @ The Bluecoat, Liverpool — £3
In response to the current exhibition, Left Hand to Back of Head, Object Held Against Right Thigh, join University of Manchester’s philosophy lecturer Dr Joel Smith for an introduction to the study of consciousness experience. Dr Smith will talk about different philosophers whose work revealed similarities to the exhibition — such as the 20th century French thinker Maurice Merleau-Ponty — expect a head-bending conversation about art and reality.
Douglas Murphy On Last Futures 6pm @ John Lennon Arts and Design Building, LJMU, Liverpool — FREE (Just Turn Up)
Whatever happened to the last utopian dreams of the city? Writer and architect Douglas Murphy follows up his 2012 book on cultural history The Architecture of Failure with Last Futures: Nature, Technology, and the End of Architecture. Looking to the generation scarred by the Cold War, who hoped to build a better future after the late 1960s, Murphy looks to thinkers and designers, such as the ecological pioneer Stewart Brand, for answers to our current problems and alternative futures.
Live: Sam Belinfante 7-8pm @ Camden Arts Centre, London — SOLD OUT
Camden Art Centre’s current artist-in-residence, Sam Belinfante is a superb sound artist, curator and researcher experimenting with audio-visual technologies and their corresponding modes of thought. Last seen with his Hayward Touring exhibition Listening, see him tonight present his current research around ‘the choreography of the sensory experience.’
Thursday — Schmooze (#2 Winter 2016) 5-8pm @ Camp And Furnace, Liverpool — FREE
Over food and drink, join our editor Laura Robertson as she introduces you to five culture festivals based in the Baltic Triangle — Liverpool Biennial, Light Night, Threshold, Sound City and Binary — encompassing a massive range of themes and artistic practice — live music, contemporary art, performance, and technology. Expect to find out more about their organisations, their plans and highlights of 2016, and how to get involved.
Cheap Thrills Presents Creepshow (1982) 7:30-10pm @ A Small Cinema, Liverpool — SOLD OUT
As outlined in our recent feature on the novelist, Stephen King’s screenwriting debut, directed by George A. Romero, is a black comedy cult classic. The horror anthology, consisting of five short stories, features monsters, zombies, and all things that go bump in the night. An homage to the horror comic books of the 1950s and adapted from some of his short stories, King’s Creepshow is sure to both tickle your funny bone and send a shiver down your spine.
Friday — Exhibition Opening: Electronic Superhighway (2016-1966) @ Whitechapel Gallery, London — £11.95
Coined by South Korean video art trailblazer Nam June Paik, the Electronic Superhighway is an exhibition of over 100 works which portray the huge impact of technology on modern art. Ranging from the mid-1960s to the present, and arranged in reverse chronological order, the Superhighway takes you on a journey back in time to explore many artistic technologies from the collection of pieces from over 70 artists; from Jeremy Bailey’s YouTube films to the 1966 artistic movement Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). Until 15 May; read about our other recommended upcoming exhibitions here.
Ovvls Launch Show 7.30pm @ Nordic Church, Liverpool — £6 Or £9 With Vinyl (BYOB)
See experimental duo Ovvls perform their first single Pain is Beauty, in a special night of dark lullabies, alt-folk, mixed arts and record launch. Expect a digital art display from Gray Torino, supported by acoustic guitar from punk lyricist Zachariah Jones and soulful singer-songwriter Alx Green.
Saturday — Myths of the Modern Woman 4-6pm @ The Bluecoat, Liverpool — £3
Curated by Sandeep Parmar, author of The Reading Mina Loy’s Autobiographies: Myth of the Modern Woman, this afternoon of discussion and readings focuses on the works of Mina Loy (1882-1966, main image), the acclaimed modernist poet. Featuring contributions from contemporary poets Robert Sheppard, Sara Crangle, Joanne Ashcroft, Zoe Skoulding, and artist Melissa Gordon whose exhibition Fallible Space was inspired by Loy’s play Collision (1916), expect a focus on Loy’s influence in the world of literature, round table discussion and booze in the Bluecoat bar.
Absolute Bowie: A Celebration Of David Bowie 7pm @ O2 Academy Liverpool — £16.87
Let’s dance! Be sure to take your protein pills and put your helmet on for a tribute to Starman and ultra-legend David Bowie this Saturday. In support of the excellent Teenage Cancer Trust charity, expect a club night of his greatest hits.
Sunday — The Creative Process (2015) 6-7.30pm @ A Small Cinema, Liverpool — £2
Directed by Liverpool-based filmmaker Ryan Garry, this 30 minute short documentary explores the inspiration behind the works of several artists from Merseyside. Trying to answer the question: What drives someone to create?, the film will be followed by a Q&A with Garry himself and the screening of a series of shorts on the theme of process, including films from Sam Meech, Anthony Killick and the cinema’s own Tim Brunsden. If the context behind art fascinates you as much as the final product, support your local artists and be sure not to miss this.
Vanessa Wheeler and Laura Robertson