Lost London: Explorations of a Dark Metropolis

In April Robin and I took part in a conference at Sheffield Hallam University 'Lost London: Explorations of a Dark Metropolis'. Academics and academic artists from the disciplines of architecture, literature and film met over a two day period. Iain Sinclair gave the keynote speech. It was a good couple of days, I especially liked paper on the way London had been used as locations for British Sci Fi TV by Jonathan Bridle (Sheffield Hallam University) '"Tunnel Visions": The London Underground in British Science Fiction Television' and talk on London cemeteries Gian Luca Amadei (University of Kent) '"Urban Burials”: Discovering the Role of Burial Grounds within the Planning for Twenty-First Century London’, oh yes - and Robin's paper/performance on London physical and psychic spaces which exist outside nomenclature: '"The Bike Cemetery": Ethics of Representation in Contested Territory'. I gave my film Empty Orchestra a first airing. This project, as many of you who know me will remember with a wry smile, is a labour of love that I've been tinkering away at for more years than I will ever admit - in between doing other things. The link to the film is here.

Burn

I saw Burn at the Berlin Bienale in 2005. It's by Reynold Reynolds and Patrick Joley (2002 16mm 10 mins) The occupants of the house do nothing as the house burns around them. Its beautiful and makes me think of the Corman's Fall of the House of Usher, Argento's Inferno. I can't find anywhere to see the film online which is a shame.