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Digital fine art prize puts Cardiff on world stage

Art, Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Oct 192012

The winners of the first competition for digitally-created fine art by artists from around the world were announced in Cardiff today.

Tommy Inberg from Upplands Väsby Sweden, won US$3000 for his evocative photomontage, Torn. Runner-up prize of US$1000 went to Patrick Van Roy, a Belgian artist, with his social commentary photomontage, the church, and third place went to Stephen Hilyard, artist and Associate Professor of Digital Arts at the University of Wisconsin, USA for a time-based work called One Life.

The Lumen Prize is based in the city of Cardiff as part of a three-year partnership with Cardiff Council. Ken Poole, the city’s head of economic development, said: “This partnership is another step forward as Cardiff generates a growing reputation for innovation and as a hub for creative industries. We are looking forward to working with the Lumen Prize during their world tour when the name of the capital of Wales will be associated with this far-sighted initiative. It will certainly help to showcase the city’s business credentials and encourage more digital investment into the city, which was recently boosted by a £11 million investment in superfast broadband.”

The winners were selected by an international jury panel from over 500 works submitted from over 30 countries globally, all of which were created with a wide range of cutting-edge tools, including tablets, smartphones, digital photography software and moving-image technology.

“The extraordinary high quality of the Lumen Prize winners show that this genre of fine art is coming of age,” says Professor Gaynor Kavanagh, Dean of the Cardiff School of Art and Design, who awarded the prizes at a ceremony at City Hall.

Today’s three winners will also feature as part of The Lumen Prize Exhibition that will travel to venues worldwide starting in January 2013.

Find out more www.lumenprize.com
@Lumenprize

Creative Cardiff ready to forge ahead

Art, Cardiff Ambassador, Design, Digital, Film, Music, New Media, Performance, Welsh No Responses »

Oct 102012

Cardiff struck a chord with members of the audience for the city’s Creative Exchange at the home of Bafta in London. The event was set up to show off the creative credentials of the capital of Wales with just one year to go until WOMEX, the leading world music showcase comes to the city.

Roger Pride, managing director of Cardiff & Co, who set up the event, said speakers had praised Cardiff as a forward-looking and innovative city.

He said: “I was struck by how enthusiastic both the speakers and the audience were at this event. The movement within Cardiff is now very much in the vanguard for the development of smaller cities.

“It is clear that there is more to attracting new business to a city than bricks and mortar, labour pool and the grants regime.

“Increasingly, people look beyond those hygiene factors and seek out the inner quality of a place.

“I was struck by how closely what we are doing in Cardiff matches the way academic writers are describing successful cities. It is basically that people make places – and the quality of life a city can offer is critical in attracting investment.

“Any number of cities have the basics but it will be the creative, innovative places that attract the people to build success. Cardiff looks to be well placed to take advantage of its quality of life and the Creative Exchange was a great opportunity to let a London audience share the city’s vision.”

View the Cardiff Creates video below or click here to see the Flickr Gallery from the evening.

Guest Post: Neil Cocker on the creativity of Cardiff

Design, Digital, New Media No Responses »

Oct 082012

As I hit my late thirties, I feel like Cardiff and I are very similar. We’re still changing and evolving, but old enough to be comfortable in our own skin. We’ve both been through our years of youthful exuberance, over-confidence, and self-doubt. But now we’re settling down and are approaching our most creative and productive years.

Of course, it’s a terrible analogy, and those who know me may not agree with my self-assessment. But it’s clear that Cardiff is a city of increasing confidence, and its population is doing some incredible things.

Since the turn of the millennium, we’ve seen huge numbers of groups and events spring up all over the city, especially with the help of social media, which makes it so much easier for like-minded individuals to come together. Just this weekend saw people from all over the city attend Doodle Noodle, part of Cardiff Design Festival, where they were invited to colour in the work of some of our most talented illustrators.

Here are just a few of the many events that add fuel to our city’s brilliant creative and entrepreneurial fire, and where everyone is always welcome:

ThinkARK
A group of design-minded individuals who use their skills to improve Cardiff in many ways, from better cycling plans, to inspiring women and improving access to trains. They meet every Wednesday evening.

TEDxCardiff
A local version of the world-famous TED talks, bringing people together once a year to listen to a day of short but inspiring lectures from some of Wales’ and the world’s brightest minds.

Cardiff Start
A new group aimed at making Cardiff an even better place to locate your creative, web or tech startup. They aim to make it easy and welcoming to access anyone’s experience and knowledge.

Trade School
Got a skill you want to teach the world, or want to learn from someone else? Trade school has lessons in everything from knitting to speaking Polish and is always looking for new volunteer teachers.

Cardiff Blogs
Are you a blogger? Or just have an interest in social media and the way it helps us communicate with the world? Then Cardiff Blogs is for you. Regular meetups discuss all aspects of blogging, from content to advertising.

Unified Diff
For the more dedicated technical types among you, Unified Diff is a regular meetup for coders and developers to trade tips, techniques and new developments.

Ignite Cardiff
“Enlighten us, but make it quick” is the motto of Ignite Cardiff, an event where anyone can give a 5 minute talk on any subject they like. From zombies through Bollywood to chemistry, Ignite Cardiff is always entertaining and informal.

Disclaimer – I’m one of the co-founders of a few of these groups!

Neil Cocker is the founder of Dizzyjam.com, and occasional consultant and creative. You can find out more at NeilCocker.com or follow him on Twitter at @NeilCocker

Photo courtesy of Matt Joyce

Further Artes Mundi Exhibition details announced

Art, Digital, Film, New Media, Performance No Responses »

Sep 142012

Artes Mundi 5 is delighted to announce further details about the 2012 exhibition, including new works created especially for this year’s edition by shortlisted artists Miriam Bäckström, Tania Bruguera, Darius Mikšys and Apolonija Šušteršič, as well as a range of additional works by shortlisted artists, Phil Collins, Sheela Gowda and Teresa Margolles. Artes Mundi 5 will also feature a strong programme of artist performances and participatory events which represents a major new focus for this year’s exhibition and prize.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION AND PRIZE

Taking place from 6 October 2012, Artes Mundi 5 will feature the work of seven ground-breaking contemporary artists of growing international importance whose practices engage with social reality, lived experience and the human condition. The exhibition will take place at the National Museum of Art under the roof of National Museum Cardiff. For the first time Artes Mundi will also be in partnership with organisations such as Cardiff-based multidisciplinary arts centre Chapter, who will provide an additional venue for some of the works. The winner of the prize will be announced at a special award ceremony taking place on 29 November 2012 at National Museum Cardiff. With a first prize of £40,0000, Artes Mundi is the largest cash prize awarded for the arts in theUKand one of the most significant in the world. For Artes Mundi 5, each shortlisted artist will receive £4,000 and one of the artists will be selected for a solo exhibition, to be presented in 2014 in the lead up to Artes Mundi 6, at the recently refurbished Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno,Wales. This year will also welcome the inclusion of an audience choice poll for the prize, allowing the public to vote for their favourite artist and work in the exhibition. The results of the poll will be revealed at the close of the exhibition in January 2013.

NEW WORKS

Swedish artist Miriam Bäckström will present a new large scale tapestry Smile as if we have already won. Reflecting her practice which explores the processes of creating and recreating memory using photography, text, theatre and video, Smile as if we have already won mixes cotton, wool, silk and lurex, woven into a massive 3 meter high and 12 meter wide scene. Hung in an arc across the gallery space, the tapestry will depict figures in a room composed of mirror fragments, creating the sense that the work is simultaneously claustrophobic and infinitely expanding.

Cuban artist Tania Bruguera will be presenting Immigrant Respect Campaign, as part of her long-term art project, Immigrant Movement International (2010-2015). The work is an artist-initiated socio-political movement exploring what defines an ‘immigrant’. The campaign will feature the symbol of the Immigrant Respect ribbon and include a projection of the artist’s work on the front of National Museum Cardiff on Thursday 4 October, alongside a poster campaign throughout centralCardiff. Visitors to the exhibition at the National Museum of Art will also be invited to sign a Moral Commitment Contract promoting immigrants’ rights.

Lithuanian artist Darius Mikšys will present a new work The Code. Taking Eglė Obcarskaitė’s essay about Mikšys for the Artes Mundi 5 exhibition catalogue, the text has been deconstructed into ‘search terms’. These have then been fed into the National Museum Wales’ seven collection databases and the results of which will create a unique installation that forms a portrait of the artist and his practice through objects in the Museum’s collection. Mikšys’ practice is known to explore installation as a means to experiment, conceptualise and re-imagine the processes of making, displaying and engaging with art.

Architect and visual artist Apolonija Šušteršič will present her new work Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project, which looks at the development of the Cardiff Bay area following the completion of the barrage. This project will expand on her practice which responds to contemporary urban regeneration and the social, political, economic and environmental issues surrounding it. Presented in the form of a video installation, Šušteršič has engaged with a variety of individuals and organisations involved with and opposed to the development, to explore its past, present and future.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ART WORKS

Additional highlights to be displayed include British artist Phil Collins will be presenting his work free fotolab which offers the viewer a glimpse into the lives of strangers. Collins offered individuals, in several European cities, free processing and prints from their undeveloped rolls of films in return for the rights to use them. The result is a nine-minute slideshow including holiday snaps, weddings, pets and other private moments. Using performance-based and conceptual approaches to video and photography Collins’ work often explores the very essence of what it is to be human.

Indian artist Sheela Gowda’s large-scale abstract sculpture, Kagebangara, comprising tar drums, sourced from Indian road workers, alongside yellow and blue plastic tarpaulin. This is exemplary of Gowda’s sculptural and installation practice insofar as it explores how materials can make specific reference to the social and cultural context ofIndia. In this work Gowda subtly references the source materials original use, which in this case brings shelters like those built by the migrant construction workers along the roadside into the gallery space.

Having trained in forensic medicine, Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, examines the economics of death through sculptural interventions and performances. In this exhibition she will present one of her ‘multisensory’ sculptures. In Plancha, water which has been used to cleanse dead bodies in the morgue drips from the ceiling onto hotplates. Each drop evaporates on impact with a noticeable hiss. The work will seek to narrate the transition in death from present to absent, the processes of decomposition and ultimately honours anonymous lives that have been lost.

PERFORMANCE WORKS AND OFFSITE PROJECTS

Performances and offsite projects to be featured as part of Artes Mundi 5 include Phil Collins’ This Unfortunate Thing Between Us.Split in two broadcasts to be screened in retro caravans on the forecourt of Chapter Arts Centre, this work takes the format of a teleshopping channel, but instead of commodities for sale viewers have a choice of ‘fantasies at promotional prices’. Hosted by a cast of actors from a range of professions including stand up, teleshopping and pornography with a live soundtrack by Gruff Rhys and Y Niwl, viewers are invited to watch both the sale and the fulfilment of these experiences.

Miriam Bäckström will be presenting two performances of her play Motherfucker at Chapter Arts Centre. Exploring the complex roles, positions and perspectives within a relationship, a female director asks a male actor to forge a character whom she wants to meet in order to be able to leave. The use of performance mixed with live video feed will create a paradox between the real and mediated video that is simultaneously being projected.

Other artist projects include Live Talk Show, a public panel discussion as part of Apolonija Šušteršič’s Politics “In Space”/ Tiger Bay Project. It will discuss the redevelopment ofCardiffBay aiming to draw out and add to the debates raised in Šušteršič’s installation. During the five days of Experimentica 12, Chapter’s annual live art festival, 1x1x1 will feature one film, by one artist, for one day each. Screened in Chapter Gallery it will include films by Teresa Margolles, Phil Collins, Tania Bruguera, Miriam Bäckström and Apolonija Šušteršič.

Ben Borthwick, Artistic Director, Artes Mundi said:

“It is a really exciting development for Artes Mundi that so many of the international artists are creating new work for the exhibition. Through these commissions there is a direct engagement with the social and economic context ofCardiff, a reconsideration of National Museum Wales’ collections, and reflection on the complexities of individual and collective identity. And for the first time a number of projects will be presented outside the museum, accessing new audiences and activating the relationship between the artwork and public space.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is principal sponsor of the Artes Mundi 5 Exhibition and Prize this year. As a company serving clients in more than 90 countries, it is committed to a diverse programme of cultural support. The company’s art and culture platform is a key element of its broader corporate responsibility strategy which seeks to develop substantive solutions for social and environmental challenges.

Find out more www.artesmundi.org
@ArtesMundi

Line up for UK’s biggest contemporary art prize announced

Art, New Media No Responses »

Mar 122012

ven artists use a wide range of materials, actions, and strategies to engage with social issues and comment on society.  

The shortlist for the fifth Artes Mundi Prize was announced by Ben Borthwick, Artes Mundi’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director at the end of January 2012, following an extensive research process by the two selectors - Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Curator of Contemporary Art at Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, New York and curatorial agent for dOCUMENTA (13), and Anders Kreuger, Curator at M HKA in Antwerp, Belgium.  The selectors chose from over 750 nominations, including 576 individual artists from more than 90 countries, identifying artists whose work explores and comments on lived experience. 

The seven artists picked for this year’s Artes Mundi, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch as part of its Arts and Culture Programme, and publicly funded by the Arts Council of Wales and Cardiff Council are:

Miriam Bäckström (Sweden), Tania Bruguera (Cuba), Phil Collins (England), Sheela Gowda (India), Teresa Margolles (Mexico), Darius Mikšys (Lithuania) and Apolonija Šušteršič (Slovenia).

Some of the artists look at specific cultural or historical contexts while others engage with broader themes of human experience. The range of nationalities, themes and artistic media demonstrates the scope of the Artes Mundi Prize, which will be underlined in a major exhibition of works by the shortlisted artists at Wales’s new National Museum of Art from 6 October 2012. The 14-week exhibition will be installed in almost 800 square metres of new contemporary art galleries, reinforcing Artes Mundi’s longstanding partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. 

An international judging panel will award the £40,000 prize midway through the exhibition in November 2012.  All other shortlisted artists will receive a new award of £4,000 each.  A new partnership with Mostyn, the contemporary gallery in North Wales, will also see one of the shortlisted artists present a solo show there in the 2013.

Ben Borthwick, Artes Mundi’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director who joined the team from Tate Modern in 2010 said: 

“We are delighted with the exceptional quality of this shortlist which was drawn from a very strong field of nominations. I look forward to welcoming the artists to Wales and creating an exhibition in October that will give audiences the opportunity to engage with the most exciting international contemporary art.”

Anders Kreuger, one of the selectors, added: 

"Shortlisting for Artes Mundi has been an honour - and a responsibility to be taken seriously. Almost 600 artists were nominated this year, and it was a huge challenge to whittle these highly accomplished individuals down to just seven. We have chosen seven very different but equally talented artists, of different generations and from all across the globe, to exhibit at National Museum of Art this autumn."

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is the principal sponsor of the Artes Mundi 5 Exhibition and Prize this year. The company invests in nearly 5,000 arts organisations worldwide supporting all art forms with an emphasis on fostering greater cultural understanding.

Andrea Sullivan, head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Europe and the emerging markets (ex-Asia) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch commented:
“We wish to congratulate Artes Mundi for attracting a significant number of high calibre artists and for facilitating this exhibition against the backdrop of a tough economic year. Our involvement reflects the company’s commitment to supporting global arts and culture in the belief that the health of this sector boosts economies and helps societies to thrive.”

How The Gate saved itself

Business, Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 162011

Plastik met up with TJ Wheeler, 24 year old director of The Gate, three months after he took over the position from the previous director.

He talked to us about the repositioning that the arts centre has undergone since it almost closed down a few years ago.

For the tape, who are you, what do you do and how old are you?

I’m TJ Wheeler, centre director at The Gate and I’m 24.

You’ve just started right?

3 months in now! I’ve got my three month review soon. I’ve just started. I was centre manager for two months before this and then training manager before that and a person on the bar. So two and a half years since I started.

How’s it all going?

Good, actually. Genuinely good. Exciting I suppose because we’ve got lots of options, lots of new stuff on the table, lot of stuff to do. It has its stress points where we don’t have enough money for things or staff issues. All in all, I’m enjoying it. It feels like we’re getting somewhere.

The Gate has changed in, let’s say… five years. It used to be just an arts centre but in your opinion how has it changed?

I think it’s grown in what it has done. As you say, it used to be an arts centre on a smaller scale with a lot less presence and influence in Cardiff. Fewer people using it. It’s grown in both how many people come through the door and the types of things we do. We also hire the building out now. We’ve looked a lot more at the community and doing things to support it instead of just putting on arts events: training programmes on all sorts of different levels, professional internships with graduates. It’s a blend! It’s bizarrely come back to how we started: the heart and the ethos behind it has gone full circle now. We’re in a new era.

You say the ethos has gone back to how it was, what is the ethos?

That someone could come and feel secure, a part of something bigger than themselves, safe, able to relax, able to enjoy. ‘A cup of water for the soul’ was the catchphrase. It does that, I think. It’s grown into something which can generally engage with people and generally engage with our community – doing that through arts and getting alongside people and helping them in their journey. It’s working out where we go from here.

Aren’t there almost 20 different languages spoken on the streets around The Gate?

Yeh. We’re in an extremely multiethnic area and I think one of the things we’ll move into is trying to engage better. The majority of people that use The Gate aren’t in those minority groups so we’ve got to do a lot to improve that and make it more realistic for our local community but that takes time. We’ve got to build trust, relationships and connections. We’ve had some exciting starts and some good hires for events which support and focus on those links but we’d like to improve that and see it become much more realistic and representative.

Three years ago, The Gate almost closed. Now it’s obviously not in the same way, what’s the key?

I’d say it’s a bit of a blend really. A key component would be Mark Stavers, the previous centre Director who I took over from. He came on maybe four years ago and has turned it round from being however many thousands of pounds in debt to doing very well. I think he both worked hard and did the work of three full time jobs at the same time but also he came back to what he really wanted The Gate to be about. He focussed his energy on that and brought in Adam, the hires manager, to try and bring in more income from using the space better. Having a bit of clarity and organisation in that way has really helped our bottom line.

As well as the clever business, I assume that the accounts have been helped by your intern programme?

Yes and no I suppose. We started the training programme last September, when I started full time. We wanted to run a training programme for unemployed people aged 18-24 who had been unemployed for six months or more. We wanted to develop their character and attitude, enable them to work and give them a bit of coaching – moral guidance, I guess. That was only part funded by the programme itself so we still ended up putting 10-20K a year into that because it’s what we thought we should do as a community centre. We actually ended up running that at a loss. Now it’s progressing into something a bit more supported. We’ve got access to grant funding and this should be the first year where we can both improve what we do and not run at a loss. It’s a positive step.

By Marc Thomas
@plastikmag
Marc Thomas is the founding editor of Plastik Magazine, a magazine of culture and things relating to creative culture. It represents the creative atmosphere of one of the world’s most vibrant cities – Cardiff. Plastik Magazine exists to document the flux of the city. http://plastik.me

5 reasons to start up in Cardiff

Business No Responses »

Nov 162011

In a world where we do everything online, location doesn’t matter for starting your startup does it?

Although I personally can’t stand his writing style, Richard Florida is a smart guy and his books are good. Recently, I’ve been working my way through his Who’s Your City?

In this book, Florida completely slates the idea that you can do whatever you want from wherever you want because our world is ‘flat’ – technology has made it easy to ‘innovate without having to emigrate’ (or so says Thomas Friedmann a New York Times columnist).

He then goes to great length to explain why this idea is really quite mislead.

His conclusion? The world is anything but flat and certain places are better for certain people.

Here’s five reasons that Cardiff is good for startups.

1) Low Rent

Let’s not compare ourselves to London too often – that’s not constructive. We’re two different cities with two vastly different populations.

However, this seems as good a time as any to make a favourable comparison between two of Britain’s capitals: rent in London is immeasurably higher than Cardiff.

Regardless of whether you’re looking at taking up a shop unit in the centre of the city, an office space in a co-working facility or just looking for a place to live and work at the same time, you’re much more likely to find a bargain in Cardiff than you are in the big smoke.

That’s got to be a great financial move for a startup. The more money you save on business costs, the more you can spend on business growth.

2) Low Competition

Sure, there are some amazing benefits when you start your business in a saturated market: notably, you get to work with other companies who are already successful.

That said, where there are similar businesses, there’s also competition.

Take, for example, Rob Lo Bue. He’s the founder of Applingua, an app translation company. If he was going to business in a media city like Paris or Berlin, he might have trouble winning contracts or finding new clients.

That’s not so difficult in a city which is just realising its potential for a startup culture.

3) Upcoming City

That brings us to our next point: we’re an upcoming city.

Cardiff is no longer the home to Cool Cymru or the new Welsh Assembly. No – now we’ve got Welsh Government at 20 and we’re exporting a whole new breed of culture.

Our little city by the sea is becoming a region of its own and that’s a really positive thing. You can be delivering a completed website to a design client in the morning, having lunch in an amazing restaurant in the afternoon and a spot of surfing at Porthcawl to finish the day.

Sure – most people don’t do that every day… but with the way some people are starting to see their life as a startup, it’s a future that doesn’t seem that unrealistic.

4) Massive Investment

So even if you don’t manage to get a slice of the multi million pounds worth of investment that have been pouring into the city from various sources for years now, you’re sure to benefit from them indirectly.

Whether it’s by picking up a client from one of the major media developments (like the forthcoming Porth Teigr) or just taking all of the perks of a nice city centre in, the investment that has come to Cardiff has only added to the appeal of this young city.

5) Great Networks

Because it’s such a small city, it doesn’t take a long time to become hyper connected and if there’s one lesson for startups, it should be: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. With everything from one person companies up to multinationals in the city, you’re likely to be able to make some pretty solid connections within your first year of business.

***

Need you ask anymore? These five reasons should be enough to have you packing up your MacBook, picking up your suitcase and moving to Plasnewydd or Canton to start building your new business.

If you already live there, well, there’s never been a better time to give a new life a go.

By Marc Thomas

@plastikmag
Marc Thomas is the founding editor of Plastik Magazine, a magazine of culture and things relating to creative culture. It represents the creative atmosphere of one of the world’s most vibrant cities – Cardiff. Plastik Magazine exists to document the flux of the city. http://plastik.me

Cinovate Panel @ Soundtrack: Exhibitors Pay Attention!

Film No Responses »

Nov 142011

Friday 18th November: 14.00: Chapter Arts Centre

Cinovate is a new training scheme for those working in, or interested in the intricacies of the film exhibition sector. Taking place over three weekends in three cities, the programme will offer a series of panel discussions, networking events and mentoring and Soundtrack is pleased to be hosting the first weekend.

As part of the Cinovate programme the coordinators, Media Academy Wales, will be flying in speakers from cutting edge venues and festivals in Holland (Katia Rossini from Nova), Belgium (Peter Taylor from Worm), and Copenhagen (Thure Munkholm, CPH Pix), and Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival James Mullighan, and will be offering the chance for a small number of people to buy individual session tickets. If you are interested in the innovative ways films are being screened, promoted and consumed you should be there.

A limited number of tickets for the Cinovate panel (full details available at www.cinovate.org) are available at £5 each and are available online here.

Oscar winning producer Iain Canning joins Opening Night Q&A

Film, Music No Responses »

Nov 112011

20.30: Wednesday 16th November: Cineworld, Mary Ann St, Cardiff

Soundtrack is proud to welcome Oscar/BAFTA/BIFA Award winning producer Iain Canning to Opening Night, where he will join composer Harry Escott in a Q&A following the screening of Steve McQueen’s ‘Shame’.

Iain Canning founded See-Saw Films with Australian producer Emile Sherman in 2008. Since 2008 See-Saw has produced Tom Hooper’s Academy Award winning ‘The King’s Speech’ and Jim Loach’s ‘Oranges and Sunshine’. Having been Executive Producer on Steve McQueen’s debut feature ‘Hunger’, Canning has reunited with the Turner Prize winning artist-cum-director on ‘Shame’, starring Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender.

Hosted by BAFTA Cymru Award winning composer John Hardy, the post screening Q&A will also feature the composer of Shame’s score Harry Escott. Best known for his scores to films such as Hard Candy, A Mighty Heart, Deep Water and Shifty, Escott has collaborated with directors such as Nick Broomfield, David Slade and Eran Creevy.

He has composed the scores for several award-winning films such as the BAFTA winning ‘Poppy Shakespeare’ and Michael Winterbottom’s ‘The Road to Guantanamo’ (Berlin Silver Bear). Last year, he scored the feature documentary, ‘The Arbor’, which has picked up a number of prestigious awards on the film festival circuit.

Tickets for ‘Shame’ can be bought here.

Guillemots Re-Score ‘Faust’ at Soundtrack

Film No Responses »

Nov 112011

With just 9 days to go until the start of Soundtrack, we’re pleased to finally announce that Guillemots will re-score F.W Murnau’s classic of silent cinema ‘Faust’, at the historic Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay on Friday 18th of November, as the festival’s gala performance.

The Mercury Prize nominees have chosen to tackle Murnau’s last German film, which features astonishing photography, magnificent art direction, and special effects which retain the power to amaze 85 years on. Freed from the constraints of psychological narrative, Murnau’s mastery of cinematic technique places ‘Faust’ at the pinnacle of the silent era; its barrage of visceral and apocryphal imagery contrasting with the simplicity and directness of its spiritual theme.

‘Faust’s tale is a classic one of a man who sells his soul to the devil. In an attempt to gain control of the Earth, Mephisto (Emil Jannings) wagers an angel (Werner Fuetterer) that he can corrupt the soul of the elderly professor Faust (Gosta Ekman). As the Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride demonically through the sky, Mephisto towers over Faust’s hometown unleashing a plague that spreads amongst its inhabitants. Faust, unable to find a cure for the citizens who are dropping dead around him, renounces both God and science invoking the aid of Satan through a mysterious book that he chances across.

Tickets for this special live event cost £12 in advance (+SBF) and can be bought online here.