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AV FESTIVAL 12: AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE
1 March 2012 – 31 March 2012
“One of the most imaginative festivals to be staged in the UK for many years.”
(The Guardian)
Titled after ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible), by pioneering artist John Cage, the AV Festival 12 theme explored how artists have stretched, measured and marked the passage of time. Some works lasted the full 31 days of the Festival, others were infinite in duration or moved imperceptibly slowly.
For the first time, the Festival ran for a whole month. It took place at different speeds, paces and times of day, across Newcastle, Gateshead, Middlesbrough and Sunderland. Including 22 exhibitions, 38 film screenings, 15 concerts, six walks, a 744-hour continuous online radio, plus 16 new commissions and 18 UK premieres.
AV Festival 12 achieved 94,096 visits, a 33% increase on 2010. It attracted 24% of visitors from outside the region, contributed £516k GVA to the local economy, and achieved a return on investment of £2.88 for every £1 of public funding received. The archive of Festival highlights can be viewed below, or you can search by the categories opposite.
Festival Director: Rebecca Shatwell
Various Artists: Lament for John Cage
Sat 3 March 2012, 8-10.30pm
The Sage GatesheadMarking the 100th anniversary of John Cage’s birth and 20th anniversary of his death, this evening focuses on... more
James Benning: Nightfall
Sat 3 March 2012, 3.50–6pm
Tyneside CinemaWidely acclaimed for his great 16mm durational films about the American landscape, James Benning has been making new work in digital HD since 2009. We were... more
Lav Diaz: Melancholia
Sat 10 March 2012, 1pm-11pm
Star and Shadow CinemaThree strangers arrive in rural Sagada. Past revolutionaries, they adopt different identities to manage their trauma. Exploring the legacy of failed revolution...more
Yoshi Wada: Sound Ship upon Tyne
Fri 2 March – Sat 31 March 2012
Discovery MuseumPart of the American minimalist music and Fluxus scenes in 1960-70s New York, Yoshi Wada was influenced by George... more
Hamish Fulton: Slowalk
Sat 31 March 2012, 1–3pm
Spillers WharfFor the finale of AV Festival 12, this leading British artist devised one of his legendary slow walks for Newcastle. Since the 1960s, Hamish Fulton has produced... more
On Kawara: One Million Years
Thu 1 March – Sun 29 April 2012
One Million Years is an epic work of conceptual art. It speaks simply and directly about a subject... more
Hanne Darboven: Requiem
Sun 4 March 2012, 8-10pm
St Thomas the Martyr ChurchThe UK premiere of Hanne Darboven’s Requiem is performed by Thomas Dahl, Director of Music at St. Peter’s Church in Hamburg and selected by the...more
Iain Sinclair: Middlesbrough Talk
Thu 15 March 2012, 6–7.30pm
mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern ArtIain Sinclair is a leading writer, filmmaker, poet and psychogeographer...more
James Benning: Milwaukee/Duisburg
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
Platform A GalleryJames Benning is one of the most important figures in American avant-garde film. In 1971 he... more
James Benning: One Way Boogie Woogie 2012
Thu 1 March – 9 June 2012
Northern Gallery for Contemporary ArtIn summer 2011, James Benning returned to his hometown of Milwaukee to make a third... more
Susan Stenger: The Structures of Everyday Life: Full Circle
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
Newcastle Civic CentreThis sound installation unites Western harmony and Eastern philosophy to mark both... more
Jonathan Schipper: Slow Motion Car Crash
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
16 Saville Row / Locus +Jonathan Schipper’s work provides an alternative way of experiencing the world by slowing... more
Phill Niblock: The Movement of People Working
Fri 2 March 2012, 7.45-10.15pm
The Sage GatesheadThis leading US minimalist composer and filmmaker, presented his music and films simultaneously in a special concert. The films... more
Kenneth Goldsmith: The 1703 Weather Diary of Thomas Appletree
Sun 4 March 2012, 11am-2pm
Morden TowerIn this new commission, Kenneth Goldsmith read for three hours continuously, from the... more
Yoshi Wada: Sound Ship upon Tyne Live
Sun 4 March 2012, 2-30-3.15pm
Discovery MuseumThis new composition for bass drum and highland bagpipes, is performed live within Yoshi Wada’s sound installation at the Discovery... more
Wishful Thinking: In Remembrance of Peter Christopherson
Sat 17 March 2012, 8pm–12am
Tyneside CinemaPeter 'Sleazy' Christopherson was best known as a founder member of Throbbing Gristle and Coil... more
Torsten Lauschmann
Thu 1 March – Sun 6 May 2012
Laing Art GalleryTorsten Lauschmann’s critically acclaimed work has been described as too slow to be film, and too fast to be photography. Working across old and new... more
Ben Rivers: Two Years At Sea
Sun 11 March 2012, 11am-12.30pm
Star and Shadow CinemaBen Rivers’ first feature-length film documents the solitary existence of Jake, who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish forest... more
Slow Cinema Discussion
Fri 9 March 2012, 11am-12.30pm
Tyneside CinemaA panel of filmmakers and critics discussed their work and current trends within contemporary cinema, including: Lav Diaz... more
Cyprien Gaillard
Thu 1 March – Sun 1 July 2012
mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern ArtIn his largest UK exhibition to date, award-winning artist Cyprien Gaillard presents two major film installations. The works show... more
John Gerrard
Thu 1 March – Sun 1 July 2012
mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern ArtThe UK premiere of two recent works by John Gerrard. Cuban School (Community 5th of October) 2010 and Cuban School... more
Julien Maire
Thu 1 March – Sat 19 May 2012
Hatton GalleryThe first UK solo exhibition by this leading new media artist revisits ideas of slow motion and duration. Making his own cinematic machines using... more
Elizabeth McAlpine
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
Reg Vardy GalleryElizabeth McAlpine’s work explores the two essential elements of all film: light and time. This exhibition brings together... more
Jem Finer: Slowplayer
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
The NewBridge ProjectAt extreme slow speeds, the spin of a record player is reduced to a glacial crawl, the music to seismic rumbling. A beat may last a minute... more
Benedict Drew: The Persuaders
Thu 1 March – Sat 31 March 2012
CIRCA SiteA single screen video gives breathing instructions that induce a sense of calm and well being. Sculptures act as empathetic mascots... more
Leif Inge: 9 Beet Stretch
Thu 1 March, 12am – Fri 2 March 2012, 12am
Star and Shadow CinemaLeif Inge’s 9 Beet Stretch is Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony stretched to 24-hours, with no pitch distortion. This marathon... more
Steven Stapleton: Sleep Concert
Fri 23 March 2012, 9pm-9am
Centre for LifeThe UK premiere and fourth ever Sleep Concert. Steven Stapleton performed live throughout the night manipulating... more
Attila Csihar: A Scrying: First and Second Action (NCL)
Sat 24 March 2012, 7-9pm and Sun 25 March 2012, 8-10pm
Tyne Bridge North TowerAttila Csihar, the baritone voice of Sunn 0))) and Norwegian black metal pioneers Mayhem, created... more
Chris Watson: Teesside Sound Walk
Sat 24 March 2012, 11am–3.30pm
Seal Sands Nature ReserveChris Watson is one of the world’s greatest sound recordists, famed for capturing the natural... more
Ben Russell: Let Each One Go Where He May
Thu 29 March 2012, 7.30pm-9.45pm
Ben Russell’s stunning feature debut is an epic road movie drawing from documentary and...more
Raya Martin: INDEPENDENCIA
Wed 28 March 2012, 7.30pm-10pm
Fleeing the American invasion of the Philippines in the early 20th Century, a mother and her son retreat into the jungle. Ingeniously... more
Rirkrit Tiravanija: Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours
Wed 21 March 2012, 7.30pm-10pm
Star and Shadow CinemaThis debut feature by visual artist Rirkrit Tiravanija is a portrait of the slow passage of... more
