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Semâ Bekirovic
I didn’t know about this artist before. I wasn’t even planning a visit to the Hayward. It was one of those days when you just stumble across something really worth finding. Semâ Bekirovic often plays with chance in her work so it feels rather apt that I found her this way. READ MORE
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Valentino
“I know what women want,” and what do they want? “they want to be beautiful”. Valentino. Storyville – 2010-2011 – 3. Valentino – The Last Emperor
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The Protagonist
The Darktown Cakewalk on Saturday at the Chisenhale was truly magical. 13 hours of poignant beauty where female archetypes toyed with our ideals and questioned glamour in all her foils. LInder offered a pentagonal vision of womanhood: The Muse, The Witch, Puella, The Cakewalk King and Queen and Animus/Anima/Anima and I fell head over heels for each of them… but Puella in all her juicy venerability stole my heart completely. There is so much there that a phd needs to be written on the piece. The outfits, care of Richard Nicoll, were incredible and the make-up edible. My highlights include Animus/Anima/Animal Tap dancing, the erotic shearing of Puella and The Star and the Witch shape shifting. If you missed it never fear media accommodates your loss (well partly) in the digital diary of The Protagonist where we filmed and took photos for much of the 13 hours and where Ilsa meditated and blogged live on the images presented to her. Enjoy! (You can also see some exciting little photos from a day of Linder shooting her Frieze film with Tim Walker at the Colchester Rose Gardens this day of the Eclipse.)
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Linder at The Chisenhale
Join The Protagonist tomorrow for this 13 hour performance, you can come and go as you wish but it’s not to be missed. I’ve told you all time and time again about Linder and her extraordinary art, but in case you need reminding, here’s what it’s all about: Chisenhale Gallery presents The Darktown Cakewalk: Celebrated from the House of FAME, a thirteeen-hour performance event by artist and musician Linder in collaboration with musician Stuart McCallum (also The Cinematic Orchestra), fashion designer Richard Nicoll (also Creative Director, Cerruti) and dancers and musicians from varied traditions and disciplines.
The Darktown Cakewalk is an epic invocation of glamour and fantastical pageantry. Witch trials and beauty queens, ragtime and Euro Pop merge to enfold the viewer in a secret history of prejudice and dissent. The thirteen-hour performance will begin at 10am and be divided into two six-hour sessions (‘masque’ and ‘anti-masque’) with a thirteenth hour. The audience will intermingle with the performers and will be able to come and go over the thirteen hours as they wish.
Entrance to the performance is £5 for a day-pass and tickets will be available on the door throughout the duration of the event. The venue has limited capacity; please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Over 16s only.
Follow her blog at The Protagonist and for regular updates on twitter.com/cteditions
Ilsa Colsell will be blogging live for The Protagonist from the event.
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Awesome Axe
Mr Lynch brought my attention to these gloriously made Axes from Best Made. How apt of him. I know where to go if I end up living in the country or turn psychotic and need a tool.