Disobedient Objects

I had been meaning to check out this intriguing-sounding exhibit at the V&A, but the confluence of my schedule, an out-of-town visitor and the happy coincidence of a late event swung it for me. So, Friday was spent in the salubrious surrounds of South Kensington.

First, the exhibit itself: many, many objects crammed into one room that didn't really seem big enough to hold them. It was busy, making for much manoeuvring around curious bodies, stooping for a look, craning necks to look up at banners and much photography. (Not too many selfies, though I did indulge. I wanted to position myself next to the blank space that was waiting to be filled with future disobedient objects.) So, what are disobedient objects? Well, they seem to be anything associated with protest, whether that be the arpillera textiles of Chile or the inflatable cobblestones of May Day in Berlin. A film played on a loop above our heads, and merged with the sound blasting from the bike bloc (and instructions on how to assemble one could be taken away) parked nearby. I reminisced over the ACT UP buttons and mused on the possibilities of book blocs.

Later, returning to the V&A in the evening for the one-off Making Trouble, Influencing People event, I found a techno rave in progress by the information table, and a series of lectures and performances dotting the museum. We queued for Guerrilla Girls' lecture, but missed out. We tried our hands at assembling book blocs and were chuffed to see our work realised as the cover of Animal Farm.

Book blocs; photo: Val Phoenix

We listened to barefoot music from Gaggle in the Raphael Room in front of the imposing altarpiece, wandered from room to room seeking amusement and finally sat outside in the vain hope of seeing a fully-formed cobblestone float into the sky. Instead, we saw what looked like a large bin bag being pumped full of air. Oh, disobedient objects!

Disobedient Objects is on at the V&A until 1 February 2015.

Upcoming Screenings

It's been some months since I have had any screenings to announce, but now I have two coming up in the next seven days.

This Friday in Hamburg my film In Bloom is part of a "swarm viewing" at the opening of a new exhibit, Fliegende Gärten. I have never heard of a swarm viewing, but, apparently, it is an interactive, personal type of film viewing in which visitors to the space get personal DVD players and exchange films. Wish I could be there to see it in action.

Then on Saturday is the first night of Wotever DIY Film Festival, and my films will be part of the closing night on 2 September at Royal Vauxhall Tavern as part of the Defiance programme. Very much looking forward to that.

I made a podcast for East London Radio to promote Wotever DIY Film Festival.

Odd Girl Out ELR5 by Val_Phoenix on Mixcloud

Yvonne Rainer: Dance Works

Over the years I have reviewed work by Yvonne Rainer, including her filmic and choreographic, but have never seen her dance work performed live. The show at Raven Row, curated by Catherine Wood, provides an opportunity to see four works performed, as well as see some of Rainer's notations and documentation of previous performances.

She's a puzzler, Yvonne Rainer. Not being knowledgeable about contemporary dance, I cannot say where she fits in or doesn't with standard practice. The dancers appeared before us in everyday clothes, five women and one man, and performed a series of moves, each one preceded by a spoken command. "C," for instance, was the aching back (my title), as they gripped their backs and dashed across the room. This piece, which dragged a bit for me, was Diagonal.

The second featured them using the second chamber, adjacent to the first, which was intriguing, as I had wondered when they would make use of it. They were also joined by a seventh dancer, a woman who appeared from the audience. She danced in jeans! I think this was Trio A.

The third piece featured the man alone (to the disgruntlement of my companion, Bev: "How feminist is that?"), tumbling through his moves while describing an essay he wrote about his great-grandfather and whether he should change it to fit the facts. That amused me. That was Talking Solo.

And then to the last piece, Chair Pillow, which alone featured musical accompaniment, the exquisite "River Deep, Mountain High", as the dancers brought out chairs and pillows and used them as partners. I was delighted by this and bopped along in my seat.

We took a turn through the exhibit, on three floors, in a gorgeous Huguenot building. I wanted to move into the fireplace, it was so roomy.

On the way home my back was complaining, and I gripped it, wearily. "C," I said.

Yvonne Rainer: Dance Works is on through 10 August at Raven Row, London. 

Women's Activism Film Night and East London Suffragette Festival

Four Corners; photo by Val Phoenix

No matter how long I have lived in East London, there are always things to learn about its rich and complex history, and last night's Women’s Activism Film Night at Four Corners gave me some new insights into the history of feminist activism in the area. Raised in the USA, I am familiar with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and so forth, but haven't really familiarised myself with the Pankhursts and their agitations in the UK, first for the vote and then for multiple issues. Chief in this regard was Sylvia Pankhurst, who established the East London Federation of Suffragettes in Bow in 1914, working on a multi-pronged strategy to provide food and opportunities for East End women while the war raged abroad.


The film night was the kickoff of a ten-day celebration of her legacy and that of others in the East End, which culminates with a day-long event at Toynbee Hall on the 9th. It should be fascinating.


Last night's film programme, organised by the dynamic duo Barrelstout, started with footage of the suffragettes marching through London, but then moved on to other areas and time periods, seeking to make connections to labour, anti-racism, and other struggles that continue to the present day. It definitely whetted my appetite to see the excerpted films in full, which included Rise Up Women! and Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything Is Possible. Even the titles are inspirational! There were plenty of history I knew nothing about, such as the 1970s Grunwick strike, led by Asian women, and interviews with women who supported the miners strike and found they could do more than they thought. This is a familiar refrain with women's activism.

Suffragette rap sheet; photo by Val Phoenix

An exhibition of posters from several eras of women's activism in London is on display for the next week at Four Corners. I found the photos of the suffragettes and descriptions of their activities most intriguing. Such fierce women!

One interesting theme I picked up on in talking to other attendees was the vast energy and agency these women seemed to tap into. Could we ever see delegations from local estates pouring into a demo at Wapping? Labour organisers bussed down in their thousands to support a local strike? Women firebombing churches in order to obtain equal rights?

East London Suffragette Festival runs 1-10 August in London.