Author: Guest Author

Video screenings of works by artists can sometimes be joyless, or tedious affairs in which outsiders struggle to suspend their disbelief for the full duration. This might be because the films were under, or overcooked, or because the artist saw no need to moderate his narcissism in a way that will enlighten others. Most of us are accustomed to well-manicured movies that are the fruits of a budget big enough to rally an army of fully trained professionals. By curating a rich body of work from many European countries, Difference Screen re-splices some of these disciplinary differences and provides a high quality of content that stands for itself. Our visit …

ROOMARTSPACE October 4 London Read more »

Over one hour we were transported to corners of the old Soviet Union and then halfway across the globe to a California which Hollywood has never shown us. Most shocking, and memorable, was the mismatch between the images of black-and-white Las Vegas and the gentle West Coast voice of the narrator, and the story she told of the horrific and seldom told repercussion of the testing of atom bombs in the desert, close by. Individually the films showed personal (and unique) views of distant but part-familiar places in our times. Refreshing and stimulating – in Mid Wales. Iris Nunn

For me, one of the highlights of Artisterium VI in Tbilisi, Georgia was the 3 day programme of artists’ films entitled “Difference Screen”. About 30 different films, from Ireland to Iran, from Norway to New Zealand, it broadened my horizons and opened my eyes to all sorts of different stories from the far corners of the world. There was an interesting panel discussion at the end of each day with the curators Bruce Allan and Ben Eastop, mediated by Gareth Evans of the Whitechapel Gallery in London. One of those discussions led to the question of ‘Art and Politics’ – a thorny subject, or at least a thorny subject where …

Art, Real Life and Transcendence Read more »

I’m waiting at the gate to let people onto Lots Ait island. Every forty seconds a droning plane overhead comes in to land at Heathrow. Lights flashing, passenger portholes visible I think of Bladerunner. Soon I join the audience and I’m in a mellow mood this evening. Barge Ideaal is another remarkable context, this time converting a home to public theatre. The films presented are wide-ranging in style and intent and I have seen some of them before. This gives me a privileged opportunity to reflect and consider. I try to avoid the restrictions of comparison and value judgement. There are actions and re-actions, no fantasies or fictions. As performer …

Barge Ideaal Read more »

What a wonderful warm and generous evening we all enjoyed last Saturday 21st September on Ben Eastop’s boat. I’m still carrying around with me the vision of the phenomenal landscape in which Barge Ideaal is moored. We arrived at dusk to be met at the bridge and escorted across the river to the island and then onto the pontoon to the boat. The scale of the whole thing brought to mind thoughts of the Styx and other Chinese stories of boatmen and portals into another world. Exceptionally beautiful at dusk, this certainly didn’t feel like London as on arrival the reflections in the water revealed enormous cranes, other huge mysterious …

Barge Ideaal, Lots Ait Read more »