Fairground Architecture

A Hugh Evelyn Excursion into Architecture 'Fairground Architecture' by David Braithwaite. This book gives an account of the history of the fairgrounds development from pagan festivals to medieval trading fairs and how certain popular entertainments at these fairs became principle attractions. Looking specifically at 'Joy Rides', 'Joints' and 'Transportation' the book forms the first comprehensive study of such a subject. It also has a remarkable early plan of Nottingham's Goose Fair from 1965 with a key to each symbol- Juvenile and Tipping Vampire Jets are currently my favourites. Although I don't remember them as the bare knuckle fighting tent seems to have taken up all my childhood memories of Goose Fair....

Giulietta Degli Spiriti - Fellini 1965

Giulietta Masina's journey...

Lunnaya Raduga (Лунная радуга) (1984)

Moon Rainbow (1984) amazingly strange russian sci-fi. With music by Eduard Artemiev (Solaris, Chebruashka). Thank you Baron for showing me this!

Topiary and Treppanation

Here are some images taken at Beckley Park in Oxfordshire. Not only home to fabulous examples of topiary some of which are over 100 years old but also home to Amanda Fielding, artist and scientific director and founder of The Beckley Foundation. Fielding is perhaps best known for her self-trepanation in the early 1970's, and is an expert in the research of expanding consciousness as well as taking a huge role within of the independent study of psychology and neurophysiology. She will be talking at The Breaking Convention in Canterbury as well as speaking and showing her film " Hearbeat in the brain" (documenting her trepanation) at the ICA as part of the Strange Attractor Salon that will run alongside the Nathanial Mellors show.

Breaking Convention

Breaking Convention 1-3 April 2011

A Multidisciplinary Meeting on Psychedelic Consciousness

University of Kent, Canterbury

A great weekend convention in Canterbury with an array of speakers, music and art. There are still cheap tickets going until the end of February. More information here and here!

Sean (1970)

This incredibly sincere documentary was totally unbeknownst to me until my fabulous artist friend Arabella Campbell sent me it the other day. Directed by film maker Ralph Arlyck whilst he was a graduate film student in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, Arlyck casually interviews the four year old Sean, capturing his perspective on smoking weed, the police and finding wearing shoes as 'creepy'.

Dark Materialism

On January 12th Kingston University held a symposium under the title 'Dark Materialism'. It was a multi-disiplinary affair discussing ideas of darkness within modern philosophy, physics, mysticism, speculative realism and literature. There are audio recordings of the symposium online here..I would highly recommend Eugene Thacker's 'Divine Darkness'.