Aesthetica Magazine Issue 40

April / May 2011

In the spirit of celebration, this issue and the magazine’s future plans are incredibly exciting. In art, James Turrell constructs a spectacular installation in Järna, Sweden as part of See! Colour! Critically acclaimed photographer and director, Wim Wenders, returns to London with images that breathe life into landscapes with Places, strange and quiet. Sculptors Alice Anderson and Kate MccGwire present Bound at the new arts venue in King’s Cross, London, All Visual Arts. Zoë Gray discusses the ideas behind Making Is Thinking, which is currently on at Witte De With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, while Portuguese fashion photographer, Pedro Janeiro, discusses the cinematic in his highly aesthetic images.

In film, Matt Bissonnette’s latest film, Passenger Side, re-examines the idea of the road trip. We also catch up with Genna Terranova, the Senior Programmer for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival about what visitors can expect this year. In music, Esben and the Witch discuss what it’s like to reach noteriety so quickly and then we survey the mechanics behind the beloved synthesiser.

In theatre, taking performance to a new level, the One-on-One Festival offers visitors a chance to participate in 28 individual and intimate performances. Finally, Lebanese artist Rabih Mroué discusses his latest work, The People are Demanding, which is influenced by the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and the Middle East since the Lebanese Civil War.

In the Face of Silence

Presenting an intimate portrait of the lives of French farmers from the Forez region, on the eastern side of the Massif Central, In the Face of Silence is a powerful and emotive account.

Protest Stencil Toolkit

With the die-cut stencils and stencil typeface this book provides, it’s tempting to go straight outside and start marking your territory, however there is a wider message at play here.

Five Bells

Gail Jones, twice nominated for the Orange Prize and once for the Man Booker Prize, explores the lives and pasts of strangers in her latest offering.

Reality Hunger

Is the novel dead? Is art theft? Can you copyright reality? These are just some of the questions asked (and answered) in David Shields’ manifesto, Reality Hunger.

Submarine

Adrian Mole for the new generation, Oliver Tate is a wonderfully bright narrator and Dunthorne captures the bittersweet melancholy of the teenage years with great wit and honesty.

Iconic Image-making

To stand up in the world of fashion photography takes hard work, skill and endless amounts of creativity. Pedro Janeiro is a rising-star in this genre.

Places, Strange and Quiet

Exploring the moment, highly acclaimed director and photographer, Wim Wenders, brings his distinctive style and sensitive imagery to London.

A Reaction to Globalised Production

15 international artists exhibit in a ground-breaking exhibition that deciphers new meaning within the difference between making and thinking.

Myth-Making and Childhood Anxieties

With materials taking precedence, two new site-specific works explore the nature of narrative creation and memory.

New Interpretations of Colour

James Turrell’s latest site-specific work, opening this spring in Sweden, creates interplay between the body and light.

A Marine Story

Self-funded, and making use of borrowed locations, this drama examines the profound personal impact of the US Army’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.

My Kidnapper

My Kidnapper is the culmination of an interaction in which Mark Henderson and three of his fellow captives return to Columbia to meet their abductor.

Rubber

Rubber is surreal and bizarre, but just when connections are made, Dupieux cleverly reminds you that there is no reason, and after all you are watching a film about a killer tyre.

The Arbor

The Arbor tells the powerful true story of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and her daughter Lorraine.

Archipelago

Archipelago comments on the dynamic and often complex relationships between family members and wonderfully exposes moments of inner-awkwardness.

City Island

City Island is a touching and funny tale set in a quaint fishing village unexpectedly located in the midst of the Bronx.

UK Film: Global Stage

The UK Film industry has taken a few major blows recently. In the face of this, British films are being picked up by overseas film festivals: next stop, Tribeca.

On a Road to Nowhere

Across the Atlantic there’s a strong tradition of road trip films, the bulk of the action based in or around the car and the endless dusty highway ahead.

Achilifunk & OJO

The last Achilifunk album marked the start of something big on the rumba scene and focused attention on the culture and history of the genre.

The Robot Heart

Born out of Marsh’s struggles with substance abuse, heartbreak and the deaths of several friends, it’s reflective, but ultimately affirming material.