Review - Strangelove: Identity and Politics

Ivan Riches is one of the artist whose work was selected by Shape to be included in 'Identity and Politics', a film reel curated by Shape as part of Central Saint Martins' Strangelove moving image festival.

'Identity and Politics', a selection of work representing different ways that artists deal with their view of the world, was screened on Wednesday 18 March - Ivan was present, and was part of a panel discussion afterwards. Here is Ivan's review:

"Knowing that I would be the only disabled artist/ filmmaker on the panel at the StrangeLove film festival, 'Identity and Politics' at Central St Martins, felt singularly odd. I only just felt qualified to speak about the film I made with Simon Purins and Simon Geal, 'Murmur', and was uncomfortable about the prospect of being asked to be an ambassador for the other films by Shape artists/ filmmakers. Fortunately I was not requested to do so.
Anyway, I was gratified to see such diverse and extremely high quality work from disabled and non disabled artists alike; from beautiful black and white underwater filming and stunning animations, to the vivid colours and coarse, explicit and extremely funny lyrics of Sick Bitch's music videos.
In all, our Shape curated films slotted snugly in with the other films, making us all mainstream. This is exactly what we need more of - 'disability' as a voice among many within a wider context of 'Identity and Politics' - what it says on the can (pun intended)." 

Identity and Politics

Wednesday 18th March
6.00 – 7.15pm
Studio Theatre 

"Artists working in moving image are asking the same questions that all artist deal with, who we are, where we are and why we are. In this section there are a number of artists that include an in-depth view of the artist KatherineAraniello who deals directly with her condition in a straight forward,confrontational and humorous way. It also includes artists that deal with thebody and the mind. In the selection by Shape, the disability arts organization, are works that represent different and diverse ways that moving image is used to record and to examine not only how we see ourselves but how others see us."  

Central Saint Martins Strangelove is an ambitious college wide moving image festival devised and programmed in collaboration with artist Terry Smith (workinprogress) and curator David Gryn (Artprojx). Monday 16 March - Friday 20 March 2015.

Find more information on Strangelove here.

Banner image: Still from Under by Kevin Frilet (2014)       

With thanks to Ivan Riches. http://www.ivanriches.org.uk/