Drawing on stories from Liverpool’s
past, present and future, Liverpool Biennial 2016 takes us on a
transcendent voyage through time and space, as we visit a handful of the
scattered, citywide locations that are to house its multitude of free art installations
until 16th October.
A small door stands ajar on Lime
Street,having appeared, as if
from nowhere, in the otherwise solid and impenetrable facade of the disused ABC
Cinema.
Abandoning the daylight, you pass through a
shadowy corridor, floorboards creaking beneath you. As you emerge into the
half-light, a magnificent Art Deco proscenium comes into view, in all its gilt
and faded glory, looming over curious sculptures that have been placed amid the
dust.
Suddenly plunged into darkness, a
film begins to play, part of a series by artists Fabien Giraud and Raphaël
Siboni that presents a history of technology through the unfeeling eyes of
a machine. In this episode, named The
Uncomputable, we’re shown a chilling, retro-futuristic vision of a
monstrous weather prediction machine made up of every human being on earth.
You feel almost drawn into the
film, the dark, empty, and windswept theatrical space in which it is set
mirroring the chilly and decayed surroundings in which you find yourself. The whole
experience provokes a sense of reflection, wonder, and dread merged deliciously
together.
Meanwhile, at the heart of
Liverpool One, an infinite wooden staircase leads into and upon itself, supposedly
built for someone who can span time to visit the same date in different years. Mariana
Castillo Deball’s To-day 9th of July
2016 is a piece that encourages altered perspectives around a familiar
point, so it’s only fitting that the images carved into the object should seem
to fragment and become whole again as you too shift position around it. Its
layout naturally invites pedestrian shoppers to take a few moments respite on
one of its giant steps, and this impromptu cast accidentally serves accentuate
the notion of co-existent plains of time as they sit at varying levels above
and below each other, but are all nevertheless present at the same spot.
Over at Tate Liverpool, it’s as
though Ancient Greek and contemporary artists have collaborated across the
centuries in this exhibition that aims to create a fictionalised other world.
Merging both eras into one, it subtly mirrors the goals of the 19th century
designers behind the city’s iconic Neoclassical architecture.
Featured are all manner of artistic
detritus from antiquity, a mismatch of marble body parts originally collected
by 19th century Lancashire industrialist, Henry Blundell.
Many of these artefacts
were “restored” by the collector turned sculptural Frankenstein, in that
distinctly devil-may-care attitude so often associated with the Victorians. As
a result, genders ended up merged, eras became melded together.
Our modern-day sense of preservational
sacrilege at the sight of these Classical chimeras is grudgingly softened by
the fact they nevertheless remain oddly beautiful in their transfigured states,
configured and presented here to us by Belgian artist, Koenraad Dedobbeleer.
Alongside these works from
antiquity stand an array of curious modern sculptural works, including one that
splices a toga-wearing torso with an elephant’s head - perhaps in order to
create the idea of news myths taking shape, new perspectives?
Strewn about the floor of the
exhibition space are pieces of litter: wrappers, cigarette butts, you name it.
At first, you question whether Tate needs to invest in some new cleaners, but a
plaque on the wall soon discloses that this is in fact an art installation, entitled
What the Living Do, by American artist,
Jon Dodge. Whilst obviously highlighting the mire of debris humanity existence
leaves in its wake, it all seems somewhat tiresomely overdone. In truth, as each
footstep accidentally sends yet another surge of rubbish rocketing towards your
neighbour, that old missive about art being “anything you can get away with” can’t
help but scream to mind.
Also featured in the Tate episode
is a fascinating short film about Ancient Greek vases by Andreas Angelidakis,
discussing how they were not only vessels for carrying goods, but also a way of
bearing news and myths in their exterior decoration. This method of story sharing
is cleverly compared with how we use the internet to disseminate modern-day
information.
Another short shows us footage of
members of Isis committing iconoclastic destruction at an ancient site. Artists
Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh, and Hesam Rahmanian have added
cartoonish doodles – giving the men beaks and binikis - onto the shots, disempowering
the vandals and making their actions seem laughable and clown-like.
This year’s Biennial is a collision
of artistic histories and fictions – some compelling, others questionable –
that also offers the incurably curious the chance at a rare glimpse inside some
of the city’s unique, hidden spaces, and is well worth discovering for
yourself.
For more information on Liverpool
Biennial 2016, visit biennial.com
As silence descends, soft and haunting sounds begin to drift
from the stage, echoes delicately produced by a glass slide on electric guitar strings,
which usher us into an almost trance-like state.
Ahead of the release of his sixth album, Home Part 2, later this month, the award-winning
singer-songwriter Scott Matthews has returned to Telford’s Warehouse in Chester to
give us a spellbinding solo performance like no other.
As ever, it is truly remarkable how Scott’s
voice seems to transform itself and resonate with the quality of a cello as he sings. The
effortless fluidity of his vocal range and his graceful vibrato never fail to send shivers running up and down the spine.
Playing around with the songs we know so well is a habit of
his, and, every time he begins, we never quite know which one will suddenly
emerge from each meandering intro. As well as favourites like ‘City Headache’, ‘Eyes Wider than Before’,
‘Sunlight’, and ‘Virginia’, we’re treated to a handful of songs from his
upcoming album and the first from his new label, Shedio Records – created by
Scott himself.
With greater creative freedom than ever before, he has been
able to put together a piece of work that meaningfully reflects on his
evolution as an artist.
“Sonically, I wanted to create a very broad canvas this time
around,” he reveals. “Home Part 2
bears similarities to my debut album, Passing Stranger, in the sense that there
has been a desire to return to the roots where my musical seeds were planted.
Almost like a need to rekindle a relationship with the artist I was ten years
ago, but joining forces with the artist I am today.”
Local folk trio, Mountainface (Sam Rowlands Photography)
Scott will be heading on the road with
his band, immediately after his solo tour, to play at venues across the UK before heading to tour in Europe. Also promised later
this year is a special edition LP of Passing
Stranger to mark the anniversary of its release ten years ago. 2016 has
proven to be an exciting and busy year for the artist, something which his
dedicated fan base is no doubt thankful for.
Supporting Scott before his Telford’s gig were the boys from
local folk trio, Mountainface, featuring the particularly skilled mandolin
playing from Matthew Youds, rhythm guitar and reedlike lead vocals from David Weir, and lead
guitar and backing vocals from Tom Winch. The group’s passion for their music
is clearly visible as they perform, and marries with their undeniable energy.
Scott Matthews’s single, ‘The Lantern Flower’, is available
now; His album, Home part 2, is released
19th September, 2016 and is available for pre-order here (including a free download of new single 'Drifter')
So,
the countdown to the eagerly-anticipated, new season of Game of Thrones has finally begun. With only 7 days left to wait, and
after a handful of tantalising teaser trailers, fans are in an utter frenzy. Of
course, the number one question on everyone lips is: after his shocking murder in the season 5 finale, will Jon Snow be back from the
dead? Read on to learn the answer, and the facts that will change everything.
Over
the last year, Kit Harington has staunchly denied that he is returning in season 6.
Jon Snow meets his fate, season 5. Photo: MTV
Hordes
of fans, however, have not been so easily convinced and are adamant Jon Snow
will be brought back to life to save Westeros from the menacing White Walkers
and their army of the undead.
It’s
common knowledge that Harington hates his long hair and has claimed in the past
that he’ll be cutting it as soon as he’s finished with GoT. Has he chopped his legendary locks yet? NOPE. That fact alone is enough
to satisfy some of his imminent return!
On
top of that, though, the actor was spotted in Belfast numerous times while season
6 was being filmed on location there. Naturally, as the airing date has drawn
nearer, Harington has changed his story, claiming he will be a part of the cast, but only for a few scenes where he'll play a corpse.
Kit Harington filming in full Stark attire - FameFlynet
Thenan absolute clanger of a grainy photo turns up,
snapped by a fan in Belfast, which shows Jon Snow out on a battlefield, dressed
not in the black outfit of the Night’s Watch, but in typical Stark clothing.
Hold on though…. How can that be the case, when he swore an oath to the Watch, right?
The
binding oath in question begins thus (and take especial note of the last part
here): “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.”
Well,
Jon has definitely died already, so, if he is brought back, he technically wouldn’t
be held to his oath any more, which means he’d be free to head south of the
Wall and reclaim Winterfell for the Starks. Plus, I’m pretty sure things would
be a smidge awkward between him and his former brothers of the Watch anyway - y’know,
with that whole stabbing thing.
Now
comes perhaps the strongest evidence of all that Jon Snow will be back. And it begins
with a fan theory that’s become hugely popular in recent years, a theory that goes
by the name of R+L=J…
But
hold your Dothraki horses just a minute! Before we go any further, we need to
rewind a little for those of you who haven’t read the novels yet, back to events
that take place in George RR. Martin’s books and are set before the TV series plot begins...
Bear with me – this is really important!
The crests of House Stark and House Targaryen . Photo: HBO
Lyanna
Stark – mentioned only occasionally in the HBO series – is Ned’s beautiful sister,
betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who is kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen,
son of the Mad King and eldest brother of everyone’s favourite Mother-of-Dragons-to-be,
Daenerys. This unspeakable act sparks a rebellion, leads to the murder of the
king and, ultimately, to Robert sitting on the throne.
After
the war has ended, Ned and a small group of allies travel far to the South to
locate his sister who is locked away in a place called the Tower of Joy.
At
this point in time, Rhaegar has already been killed during the many battles for
the throne. Yet, for some reason, Ned and his men find three knights of the
Kingsguard (in their distinctive white cloaks) guarding the tower in which
Lyanna is held. After fighting his way through them, he discovers his sister lying
in a “bed of blood” and, before she dies, she makes him promise her something,
though exactly what that promise is we are never told.
Still
with me? It was a bit longwinded I know, but it is so, so pivotal! Just consider
this for a moment: what if Rhaegar didn’t kidnap Lyanna at all? What if they eloped
together and she bore his child? Rhaegar + Lyanna, R+L…
Let’s
review what happened, again: in a tower protected by Targaryen knights – the
royal family’s own personal guard, no less – Ned finds his sister dying in a
bed drenched with blood; she asks him to make her a promise, then he returns
home with a baby that he raises as his own.
“Never ask me about Jon,” he tells his wife, Catelyn, “He is my blood,
and that is all you need to know.” It doesn’t take much to connect the dots and
guess who the J in the theorised equation
might be, does it?
So,
If Jon Snow really is the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar, then that would make him half
wintery Stark and half dragon-blooded Targaryen, not to mention an heir to
the Iron Throne - no wonder Ned would have to keep the baby’s true identity
safe! What’s more, if Jon has potentially inherited the magic from both
bloodlines too, he could have the power to warg and withstand fire. He might even be the fabled Song of Ice and
Fire to which the title of the book series is referring. So, R+L
= J. Mind = blown.
A young Ned Stark prepares to rescue his sister, Lyanna. Photo: HBO
Imagine
then how eagled-eyed fans in favour of the theory must’ve hyperventilated when
they watched the latest trailers for season 6 and actually spotted what looks
very much like a young Ned Stark and a group of men, all dressed in Northern
clothing, fighting a soldier in armour that bears the Targaryen three-headed
dragon crest.
A Targaryen knight fights Ned Stark and his men . Photo: HBO
And
don’t forget that the scene in question
has to be a flashback, since no Targaryen knights have existed in Westeros since
the rebellion. Also add to this the footage taken secretly by an eager fan that
hiked to a GoT filming location in Spain and saw the same actors shooting a
scene outside a solitary tower perched on a rocky outcrop…
Of course, what this almost certainly means is
that the Tower of Joy storyline is being told; and, if that’s the case, it seems practically impossible to deny that R+L=Jis correct. All of this is near irrefutable
evidence that Jon Snow will be brought back from the dead. After all, what on
earth would be the point of revealing the grand, game-changing revelation about
Jon Snow’s parentage, if he’s going to remain dead as a doornail? Enough said!
Earlier this week, a select
few ware invited to attend the LA premiere of episode one, where guests were
sworn to absolute secrecy about what unfolded.
Kit Harington was a total
no-show at the event, which is not surprising given how much he’s
been harassed about whether he’s staying dead or not!
Hinting at what’s in store,
though, HBO have released this episode one premise for us: “Jon Snow is dead.
Daenerys meets a strong man. Cersei sees her daughter again.”
Carice Van Houten as Melisandre. Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
We also know that the episode kicks off where we left off last season: namely with Jon Snow’s
corpse. We also know that the episode is called ‘The Red Woman’, which has many
fans convinced that Melisandre will be resurrecting our murdered hero.
In an interview to Empire
Magazine earlier this year, however, Carice Van Houten, the actress who plays the
red-haired priestess, hinted otherwise. "I’m afraid I’m gonna disappoint a
lot of people,” she declared. "Why so much pressure on my character? I
mean, I understand that he’s the good we want in this crazy world. And me and
my mother and my sister want him to come back very desperately. But Melisandre
has never brought anyone back to life. Why does it have to be me?"
Following the premiere
screening, The Telegraph has revealed
a tantalising morsel about how “Melisandre – who was left at Castle Black along
with Jon Snow’s corpse as season five closed – in no way dominates the action,
but by the hour’s end, with a luridly surprising twist, sets the scene for some
powerful sorcery to come.” Perhaps Melisandre won’t directly be the one to
bring Jon back after all? But, if not her, who then?
We know that actor Ian
Mcshane is cameoing as a Red Priest this season, who, he has already teased, is
“responsible for bring somebody back that you think you’re never going to see
again.” Could it be Jon? Is that too obvious?
Others speculate that the
person McShane will be resurrecting is in fact Lady Calteyn Stark. This storyline
has been absent from the television series so far, but it is true that, in the
books, Catelyn is brought back from the dead and becomes the formidable Lady
Stoneheart, hellbent on avenging the bloody betrayal that took place at the
infamous Red Wedding. Could this finally be brought to the screen?
All resurrections aside, for
a moment, what else do we actually know about this season?
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark. Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
Well,
elsewhere in Westeros, after enduring season five locked away in Winterfell
with her newly wedded husband and psychopath, Ramsay Bolton, actress Sophie
Turner describes how her character, Sansa Stark, becomes a totally ‘bad ass
bitch’. After examining a promotional image of the Stark heroine from HBO (right),
some fans are even conjecturing that she is pregnant with Ramsay’s baby. Now
that would be some serious leverage for a freshly escaped and sassy Sansa!
Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys,
as we’ve seen in the trailers, will be a prisoner of the Dothraki, with Sir
Jorah leading the mission to track her down. Excitingly, VFX supervisor Joe Bauer has confirmed that, although they’re already enormous, all three of
Daenerys’s dragons are set to be double in size. Expect some serious fire
power!
In Meereen, meanwhile, a
Red Priestess will visit Tyrion and Varys to proclaim Daenerys as the Lord of
Light’s saviour that will fight against the coming Long Night.
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. Photo: MTV
Arya, we're told, will remain blind throughout the coming season, and will encounter a troupe of actors, amongst whom will be real-life actor Richard E. Grant, during her mysterious training at the House of Black and White.
Back in Kings Landing,Cersei
and the stubborn matriarch of house Tyrell, Olenna, are due to clash on a titanic
scale, according to actress Dame Diana Rigg. Natalie Dormer has let slip that
Cersei will be ‘the least of her problems’ in her role as Margaery Tyrell this season, as she and her brother remain imprisoned by the armed sect, The Sparrows. Cersei's attention will also be turned to the religious cult, as she uses her newly reanimated and terrifyingly Frankensteinian body guard, The Mountain, to get her own back for the infamous walk of shame they inflicted on her last season.
Intriguingly, it’s whispered amongst a few
that The Hound, who Arya left for dead back in season 4, will be back, after
fans allegedly caught sight of actor Rory McCann in Belfast during filming.
Bran encounters the terrifying Night's King. Photo: HBO
Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who
plays the paralyzed, young Bran Stark, revealed in an interview earlier this
year that his character is set to have “some interesting visions,” returning after his notable absence from season 5. From HBO behind the scenes interviews, it's obvious that the actor filmed at the presumed Tower of Joy location in Spain, so it's likely Bran will be the one getting a supernatural glimpse of Jon's true parents. With trailer
footage clearly also showing the young star standing once again – standing, I should say, face to face
with the White Walker Night’s King – Hempstead-Wright isn’t lying when he says “it’s
going to get particularly interesting with Bran.”
Speaking of the ominous beings
from the frozen North, rumblings have also been heard that claim the harrowing
Hardholme massacre we saw in season five will have nothing on the massive White
Walker offensive set to hit screens this time around.
With the promise from
producers that this season will hit the ground running, it is clear that we
are in for an incredible and unforgettable season. Episode one of Game of Thrones season 6 will be aired
24th April, 2016.
The wilderness of colonial New-England, 1630. Upon the threat of banishment for his extremist religious views, a Puritan farmer leaves a plantation town with his wife and five children and founds a farmhouse at the edge of a forbidding wood. There they begin a devout life in solitude until, one day, the baby is stolen by a malevolent figure that lurks in the trees, and superstition and mistrust set in. As the family begins to unravel, a sinister force slowly takes hold...
The Witch does not conform to the tired, ten-a-penny examples of modern horror that dole out cheap thrills with tiredly predictable jumps and scares. To watch this film is to be immersed human darkness, to be filled with a dread that slowly creeps beneath your skin and haunts you long after the credits have rolled. It is an exquisitely unflinching study of trauma, visceral angst, and paranoia that is framed, and not dominated, by the supernatural.
The film’s young director, Robert Eggers, grew up in New England, where the ruins of colonial houses still remain and stories of witches are still a part of the landscape. “I had witch nightmares all through my life”, he explains. “I wanted to make an archetypal New England horror story, something that felt like an inherited nightmare from the past.”
And for Eggers, the devil was in the detail. The film was almost entirely shot by the light of a candle or sunlight, the sparing soundtrack uses instruments from the era, and the language is directly influenced by contemporary reported accounts of witchcraft. “I think there’s a kind of magic in the authenticity,” he reveals. The director also fought a long battle to persuade the film's investors to provide a budget that would allow for total historical accuracy, from constructing sets using actual period tools down to sourcing antique, hand-woven cloth for costumes. “My obsession was to recreate the 17th century in order for the witch to be real again for people,” says Eggers, “and for her to be powerful again.”
And quite rightly so, since, to the superstitious, male-dominated zeitgeist of those times, a witch was very real – and very threatening. She was a monstrous embodiment of unbridled femininity, wicked, deadly, and horribly beguiling; she was an inversion of the domesticated housewife, what Eggers refers to as “the anti-mother”, who dances naked in the woods for the devil and steals unbaptised infants away into the night.
Eggers’s witch is the catalyst in a grim and inescapable alchemical reaction that occurs as the family unit collapses under the pressure of a self-imposed exile and consumes itself.
Compelling performances are given by the whole cast, most especially so by its younger members.
Actor, Anya Taylor-Joy, absorbingly portrays the film’s central character, Thomasin, who struggles amid the constraints of her puritanical surroundings as she enters into womanhood.
A truly remarkable acting talent is demonstrated by teenager Harvey Scrimshaw, who plays Thomasin's younger brother, Caleb, during an incredibly disturbing scene of possession and euphoric torment.
The Witch is a work of beautiful cinematography that masterfully handles the use of light and shadow. What’s more, each carefully constructed shot is a lesson in the creation of anxiety: never before have trees been rendered so utterly menacing.
It is easy to draw a host of themes from the film – feminism, coming of age, the plight of the outcast, the fragility of the social infrastructure – yet Eggers is wisely unwilling to restrict the piece by preaching his own personal meaning too heavily. In the same way, Eggers’s elusive witch figure herself acts only a kind of profane mirror in which the characters descry the awful truth of their own fears, flaws and longings, and perhaps help us acknowledge our own. “The weight and intensity of the past has a kind of power”, he says. “I find it’s a better place to ask big questions. […] The dead speak more loudly to me than the living.” The Witch was released in cinemas 11th March. Watch the trailer below.
Drawing on stories from Liverpool’s
past, present and future, Liverpool Biennial 2016 takes us on a
transcendent voyage through time and space, as we visit a handful of the
scattered, citywide locations that are to house its multitude of free art installations
until 16th October.
