Nicolas Winding Refn, London
To mark the publication of his first book, The Act Of Seeing, Danish film-maker Nicolas Winding Refn discusses its subject with co-author Alan Jones: the posters of trashy 1960s and 70s films. The artwork for the hippy-baiting, pseudo-lesbian romp Alice In Acidland, for example, is immediately evocative of the era. Featuring a purple line drawing of the titular character, Alice is naked and in apparent ecstasy, the typography a swirly, druggy bubble font. Also profiled is Torture Me, Kiss Me (a war movie with more Nazis and orgies than you could possibly wish for) and the equally intriguing Zero In And Scream (a softcore serial-killer thriller). Eagle-eyed readers will notice a theme emerging. Sex – and the casual objectification of women – looms large in these flicks, and in the ads that promoted them. It will be intriguing, then, to see whether the director sees these posters as curious anachronisms or artefacts that represent a cultural legacy – albeit a particularly problematic one.
BFI Southbank, SE1, Tue
OB
The Long Progress Bar, Brighton
Pitched as an open platform for discussion, this two-day festival promises cross-pollination between radical politics and culture in the form of talks, performances, screenings and workshops, which look to the possibilities of now and the near future in culture, economics and society. Paul Mason talks postcapitalism, economist Guy Standing presents an argument for a guaranteed minimum income, and Holly Herndon performs before hosting a talk and workshop with her creative partner, artist Mat Dryhurst, who uses data mining and public profile information for Herndon’s visuals. Post-digital musician TCF discusses cryptography, data and coding, and Metahaven present projects including Black Transparency, a long-term investigation into transparency and secrecy.
Studio Theatre and Lighthouse, Thu & Fri
JA
Festival No 6, Portmeirion
A trip to the wonderfully odd town of Portmeirion has become a late highlight of the festival season. As you might expect from a gathering that has a knack for attracting a particular kind of mature, bookish yet radical culture warrior, there’s as much talking as musical action. An early highlight is a rare appearance on the Friday from Deborah Curtis, who’ll be discussing her late husband Ian’s lyrics with noted rock critic Jon Savage and Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris. After that, look out for a talk from Maxine Peake (6 Sep), Irvine Welsh, who’ll be reading new work and speaking to Justin Robertson (Fri), and Steve Coogan (5 Sep), who will hopefully offer his thoughts on the spectacular late flowering of Alan Partridge’s pitches to Tony Hayers. And that’s just the tip of the festival’s verbal iceberg.
Portmeirion, Thu to 6 Sep
PH
