Video and 5.1 sound installation:
12-8pm continuous screening

Saturday 16th November, 5pm: Artist's talk - Helen Petts, Mick Audsley and musician Steve Beresford.

Following its successful launch at the Full of Noises Festival, visual artist Helen Petts' film comes to the OTO Project Space.

An exploration of the nature of creativity, artistic integrity, improvisation and ageing - through an intimate portrait of free improvising soprano saxophonist Lol Coxhill, who died last year. Specialising in the solo improvisation but also known for his work with soul singer Rufus Thomas, progressive rocker Kevin Ayers, the Damned, and film directors Sally Potter and Derek Jarman - Lol Coxhill was a leading member of the international free improvisation scene. He was a much loved personality as well as a great musician. The film features a 30 minute solo from the 2009 Freedom of the City Festival in London, intercut with archive footage from a documentary made in 1972 by leading feature film editor Mick Audsley, Petts' more intimate recordings of other Coxhill solo improvisations and footage of his personal archive of music, instruments, toys and ephemera. Final sound mixed by Dave Hunt.

Helen Petts is a British artist film-maker who for the last 5 years has concentrated on working within the experimental and free improvised music scene both, in the UK and in mainland Europe. Her work has been screened in galleries, museums and international film festivals. She also has a hugely popular Youtube site devoted to showing this work plus live performances. Recent work includes “Throw Them Up and Let Them Sing” exploring sounds and landscapes from the world of Kurt Schwitters commissioned by the Hatton Gallery Newcastle and the London 2012 Festival, also shown at Tate Britain earlier this year and Trondheim Centre for Contemporary Art (promoted by Ny Musikk).



www.helenpetts.com
www.youtube.com/helentonic

Originally commissioned by the Full of Noises Festival in Cumbria. 


Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through the Arts Council England.