After its inaugural year in Liverpool in 2009, Abandon Normal Devices returns to the North West of England in October to re-pose the question – what are normal devices? And how might we abandon them.
Crossing platforms and breaking boundaries is par for the course for AND, which has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most progressive young art and film festivals. If this year’s programme is anything to go by so far, AND looks well placed to lead the way for years to come.
Opening on October 1 at the Cornerhouse in Manchester – the hub of 2010’s second AND helping – early programme highlights promise an energetic exploration of identity, behaviour and systems, examining who we are and how we function within society.
First up is a unique film project by British artist Phil Collins, curiously titled Marxism Today. Revisiting the Marxist syllabus that was abandoned in German schools following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the film exhibition looks at what became of the teachers that were tasked with passing this dying ideology on to future generations.
With the aid of some of these ex-teachers, Collins will reintroduce Marxism into Secondary schools across Manchester, inviting audiences to reassess how our political geography has shifted over time.
If that sounds a little dry for your taste, you might be more readily seduced by Peaches Christ and Midnight Mass. Peaches (aka filmmaker Joshua Grannell, who’ll also be bringing his latest film, All About Evil, along for its international premiere) is a San Francisco drag queen phenomenon who’ll be taking over Manchester’s Dancehouse on October 2 for a night of sex, gore and debauchery.
Championing ‘bad’ moviemaking, Midnight Mass is a trashy underground sensation that’s earned a reputation for live participation and onstage audience makeovers. An open mind and liberal disposition are a requirement. Stilettos optional.
Elsewhere, avant-garde provocateur Lawrence Malstaf will be presenting his serene installation, Shrink, in which members of the public will be vacuum packed and displayed as part of a gallery exhibition. Billed as an evocative metaphor for protection and the threat to survival, Malstaf’s award-winning project is certainly one of the more intriguing programme highlights.
AND is also proud to welcome Turner Prize winning artist Gillian Wearing, who will be presenting her debut feature, Self Made, to the Cornerhouse on Saturday, October 2. The film leads on from a newspaper ad placed by Wearing which asked members of the public: ‘If you were to play a part in a film, would you be yourself or a fictional character?’ Considering the roles we play in our daily lives, Self Made is an intimate assessment of how reality and fiction are fast becoming interchangeable commodities.
LWLies will be joining Collins, Christ, Malstaf and Wearing in Manchester at AND 2010, so look out for our online coverage and exclusive interviews come October.
For more information about AND 2010, including special event announcements from September 1, venue details and to book tickets, visit andfestival.org.uk
