Live Art and the ICA

Levenshulme Festival actively supports Live Art

This year Levenshulme Festival has taken the brave step to host an evening of challenging and exciting Live Art, bringing what is often seen as an elitist art form to a community event.

Hello Friends Theatre Company, a darkly playful company for whom this will be the last venue of their national tour, and Ceri Rimmer, an emerging artist focusing on mixed media with movement, are proof of the urgency and cultural necessity of this field as their work is at once accessible and challenging.

Surely as we look openly in the face of a recession we want instant exciting scratched understated theatre, that is at once affordable and necessary, in essence living proof that the art form does not lack ‘depth and cultural urgency’ as the ICA suggest.

Grania Pickard, organiser of ‘Diversity of Appearance’ – the exhibition supporting the event, is pleased to be supporting local artists,

‘I could see that I was surrounded by very talented people who were working extremely hard and producing very good work but without a strong support network. Although this is improving with organisations such as New Work Network and PANDA within the North, there is still far to go. I therefore felt it was very important to include an evening of live art as part of the exhibition to provide a platform for local artists and to deliver it to a community group. The recent cutback from the ICA is disappointing but I think it will make those working with Live Art more determined.’

‘Diversity of Appearance’ is an exhibition including the work of Paul Read, Hannah Cooper, Jennifer Hodgson and Jo Kelly, working with photography and mixed media, and was supported in its launch with local musicians such as Zac Rogers and Shake the Barley. It is an active illustration of how diverse art forms can work together with equal value.

Hello Friends Theatre Company Presents….How to be well dressed and famous.

Part one: Rock Aint No Riddle. Fact. - Delivered by Jennifer E Jordan

Jennifer has a dream.

Jennifer has a dream that she wears tight leather trousers - tight fake leather trousers - and big sunglasses and a tan. Jennifer has a dream that she is a rock star.

Armed with her electric guitar, Jennifer will methodically tick every rock box from anti-authority attitude to selling out in the lucrative world of advertising.

Part two: Dressing the Part - Delivered by Ellie Harrison

“Vain trifles as they may seem, clothes change our view of the world and the worlds view of us” (Virginia Woolfe)

Fuelled by cake and wine Ellie puts each version of herself (from an ageing Alice in Wonderland to a poor imitation of Liza Minelli) through its paces in a search for the perfect outfit. Drunkenness begins to cloud her vision and when no clothes will do, just how far she will go to please her audience is put to the test.

Also with work from….

Ceri Rimmer - Pots the Difference
A performance piece in which dance, physical theatre and installation are provoked to explore a thought…‘every person is a cage of light’

Event: Diversity of Appearance – The Live Celebration
Date: Thursday 6th November 2008
Venue: M19 Bar, 847-849 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester.
Time: 7.00pm – 11.00pm
Admission: Donations to Polio Children's Charity.
Tel 0161 224 8135
www.levenshulmefestival.co.uk