Bren O'Callaghan » festival

A distant rumble

bren — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:15:14 +0000

If the experience of playing a game is intended, for the most part, to be joyful, then consider that the experience of attempting to create a game – from scratch – involves much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Planning and brain-bashing for the Larkin' About and Library Theatre Company commission continues. How to estimate a duration and end point, to avoid fatigue or boredom? If I don’t want one winner and many losers, how do I gently console those who don’t complete the requirements, whilst still celebrating those who do? Are themes of memory, loss, mourning and the silent cry of purgatorial souls suitable material for a playful treatment involving balloons? What of unknown latex allergies? Ai-ai-ai. Still, the initial shape is done. The play test awaits. My craft box has a few more items I am unlikely ever to use again, but on the plus side I have some lovely Ladybird books purchased as ‘research’. Here is an image from a bison hunt, which may have something to do with the work in progress. Oh, and I have a name for it at last.

Prairieland.

Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention

bren — Sun, 15 May 2011 12:53:07 +0000

Miss Suzy P at the NUDE stall

It was a well-attended affair in Victoria Baths, Manchester at the weekend, held within a handsome Victorian swimming palace, now ongoing restoration project and community hub. Both the Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention and FutureEverything Handmade maker fair set up shop to provide a double-whammy, with associated art installations, live performance, screenings and workshops. It’s been a while since I was last in the building and the continuing repairs are looking spectacular.

Zine and print booty

I made the classic mistake of failing to do a full perambulation of the zine stalls, the primary purpose of my trip, before deciding upon what to buy. This meant that I ran out of money by the half-way point, but I still bagged a rich haul of booty in the process. I’m especially pleased with a series of geometric hand-pulled prints from artist Catherine Chialton, the work of local collectives OWT Creative and Ultimate Holding Company, plus the discovery of the waspish and well-written queer zine Pink Mince.

Antony Hall: Physical Oscillators

I sat and chatted with my oldest pal Suzy P (we went to University in Newcastle together, back when Jesus was a lad), who was there to represent her print baby NUDE; an independent magazine she edits with her partner Ian Lowey, covering alt-culture, indie, retro, design, music, comics and a whole lot more besides. I wrote a feature on Lomography for their very first issue. I’m pleased to say she had a great day – check out their exclusive Rachel Ortas Ai Ai creature prints, only a few remaining!

Antony Hall: Physical Oscillators

Over in the Gala Pool, VB Arts hosted an installation by local resident and artist Antony Hall, Physical Oscillators, continuing his research into oscillators to generate sound and visible patterns in a new kinetic artwork. Using the gyroscopic action of motors and fans to create a sensory walkthrough environment reflecting the behavior of small swimming or flying insects, visitors could descend the steps into the dry pool and walk amongst fan assisted blue-blurred pendulums.

Antony Hall: Wave Pendulum

In the antechamber to the café, Wave Pendulum consisted of a series of simple kitchen jars filled with water, lids firmly attached and strung from the ceiling at equal spacing. An invigilator used a plank of wood to push them off in a generous sideswing, following which a morphing waveform emerged that at first appeared ordered, snakelike even, but then increasingly abstracted. It put me in mind of the forthcoming group show Constellations at my new employment, Cornerhouse, which responds to movement, ephemerality and chance, but more on that in another post…

The Final Curtain

bren — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:56:53 +0000

Elsa Manchester / image: WeAreTape

Anyone still reading this blog will be sick of my Midnight Mass updates by now, but this really is it - until some new video clips come though at least! My review of the evening, detailing the horror that ensued and a picture of the now-infamous pool of upchuck that appeared once the film began is now live. Read it and weep.

Midnight Mass: TAPE

bren — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:15:04 +0000

All images in this post by TAPE / www.WeAreTAPE.com

It ain't over until the TAPE ladies sing (Jan & Emily Dixon to be precise), or rather submit their final round-up photo documentation from Midnight Mass - we're talking prime grade sirloin snaps! That's me sandwiched between Adrian (Zsa Zsa Noir) and Peaches Christ with a selection from the night below... I'll start work on a Flickr gallery soon and if you are in any of the pics, do give me a nudge (although I'm one step ahead of you and will be providing CDs for all the participants). How much do I love these pictures? A LOT. One or two can never be released for fear of moral corruption charges. Joe, I'm talking about you. A legend in your own lifetime.

Midnight Mass: Kris Krug 2

bren — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:24:31 +0000

Some more great shots from Kris Krüg of our Gore Couture costume competition entrants. Above is our ultimate winner tapping into a Tim Burton wet dream (congratulations Pascale!), with Sebastian and Tony close runners-up. Everyone looked incredible so thank you to all for taking part, including those not brave enough to step up to the stage - there were plenty more in the audience who feared some form of public humilation! As if. Instead, prizes were distributed, courtesy of Penguin Books, including copies of Hammer Glamour from Titan Books and exclusive merchandise from Peaches Christ Productions. Evil can give, as well as take away. And those miniature coffin hampers, that held the aforementioned goodies? I made those. My early art teachers would be so proud to know I was putting my imagination to good use.

Midnight Mass: Kris Krug 1

bren — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:09:21 +0000

Monsieur, with these photographs you are really spoilink us (a comment wasted on anyone outside of the UK of a certain age who didn't grow up with the Ferrero Rocher advert, apologies). We were fortunate enough to count fashion, music and portraits photographer Kris Krüg in the audience for Midnight Mass who captured us in all our glory, including my dramatic Wagnerian posing (above right, clutching at our mistress in terror). More snaps from Kris are available on his Flickr stream, with further posts of our wondrous cast and crew to come. It's like Christmas come early!

Midnight Mass: Neil Shearer

bren — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:42:15 +0000

All images in this post courtesy of Neil Shearer Photography, who was in attendance at Midnight Mass in Manchester for Peaches Christ presents All About Evil and took some fantastic shots of our librarian protestors outside the cinema. The delectable Isla Blige of the Blige sisters, joined on the night by her sibling Sheela, proves herself to be a photogenic little miss. Whoo-eee, form an orderly queue fellas!

Isla Blige, Zsa Zsa Noir as Adrian and myself as a deranged usher. Tell it to the hand, honey!

Despite falling under the wheels of a bus on her way to the cinema, this member of the audience still managed to look absolutely gore-geous.

I especially love that that this random woman-with-guitar turned up and joined in the demonstration. Every little bit of weirdness is welcomed.

Sex on Wheels

bren — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:46:05 +0000

image source: AND Festival

A few pictures and video clips to toast the arrival of the afterbirth now propelled in the wake of the International Premiere of Peaches Christ presents All About Evil at AND Festival, Manchester. What a night! Protestors, riot police, librarian lapdancers, walkouts and the blessing from above (or below?) that was a member of the audience ejecting their stomach contents thinking that the dixie cups distributed during the pre-show would contain the flow of vomit. It didn't. I also had to step in to the cast when we lost a monster in the process, although I'm glad that I did - I would have felt like I'd missed out on a unique opportunity otherwise. Huge thanks to everyone who made it possible. More when I've caught up on some sweet sleep...

Children of the Popcorn

bren — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:54:37 +0000

With Peaches Christ in transit - as of this very minute - from the US to the UK, strapped inside a wicker throne swinging from beneath the scaled belly of a monstrous beast, let us pause to reflect before she alights and shimmies down the flagpole at Cornerhouse for the International Premiere of All About Evil on Saturday, 2nd October. Not only do we have music from Trash-O-Rama in the bars from 8pm onwards, but Will and Rick will be squatting on a tabletop to pipe out an art-punk nozzle shaped trio of horror oddities... including Haunted Homes, Hotdog Man and a new song written in aid of the occasion, All About Evil: a aid memoir to the world's most prolific serial killers!

Peaches Christ / image: Leonardo Herrera

The queue outside Cinema 1 will begin to form from 10pm so get there early, as rumour suggests a live protest is planned by librarians from the region's most studious institutions; incensed at their depiction within the movie. Adding insanity to insult, the staff of the Victoria Theatre have travelled from San Francisco to help welcome you on behalf of deranged directress Deborah Tennis, with Adrian, Mr Twiggs and Veda/Vera all in attendance to help make this a night to remember. Don't forget, gore couture is encouraged - abstract, offensive and most definitely home-made. Prizes for the best!

For inspiration, see Peaches' incredible new short, Children of the Popcorn, featured above!

Knobby Owl

bren — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 22:12:29 +0000

Knobby Owl: Peter Adlington

Today has been a productive if panic-laced day in many ways. I had to step into the role of choreographer for one, not because a professional didn't turn up for our first monster rehearsal, but because I blissfully assumed that the class would 'teach itself'. I was wrong. But thankfully everyone was absolutely brilliant, and we stumbled through the moves with the grace of a reanimated corpse, which was entirely the point. I then returned home to make two small coffins out of foamboard. That's not something you hear me say every day. And a last-minute knee jerk NEED for button badges to complement a secret intervention that forms part of the show led me to 999-design service Peter Adlington, that fella who helped transform my insane asylum earlier this year.

Books Not Drugs: Peter Adlington

Executing my desires with perfect if slightly worrying psychic-twinning, we see here two of the badge designs that you may be lucky enough to receive on the night if you have bought your ticket. The Guardian says you should buy a ticket. So does Attitude. No excuse. Without peeling back the Ready-Meal film on the nature of the intervention involved, it concerns bibliophiles swarming en masse, with hidden intent. Pete's brilliant mascot depicted above, Knobby Owl, might give a hint at the engorged blood pulsing beneath the calm exterior, pushing against a latex-thin veneer of propriety and threatening to burst forth, showering those gathered with... well, you get the idea. Ahem.