II. Uncommon Ground
Here we speak about fashion’s effect on the world and its inhabitants. Labour, historical injustice and coloniality are perceived in nuanced and plural perspectives, reminding us of our own humanity, and complexity.
Thursday 22 May, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 2Bringing together films by three contemporary artists – John Akomfrah, Shireen Seno and Osbert Parker – this programme explores how textiles and dress are directly implicated in histories of land, colonialism, migration and trade.
Friday 23 May, 18:30 | Garden Cinema,
Screen 1The Toll of the Sea presents an orientalist tale of cross-racial love and loss set in an exoticised China.
With live music by leading silent film accompanist Stephen Horne. Introduced by fashion curator Isabella Coraça.
Sunday 25 May, 14:00 | Garden Cinema, Screen 3In this long-form visual essay following a group of young garment workers in the Chinese town of Zhili, friendships and romances fold and unfold as the seasons pass.
Wednesday 28 May, 17:00 | London College of FashionFocusing on the interrelation between an extreme landscape and its inhabitants, this film programme examines how representations of fashion on film can facilitate the survival of both the corporeal body and intangible culture.
Thursday 29 May, 18:15 | Genesis CinemaIn her captivating film, artist Alexandra Gulea knits together the life of her grandmother Maia (whose life Gulea dates backwards to 1999–1905) with the history of the Aromanians, a Balkan ethnic group subjected to displacement and cultural suppression during early 20th-century nationalist conflicts.
Artist films:
Colonial Threads
Thursday 22 May, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 2Bringing together films by three contemporary artists – John Akomfrah, Shireen Seno and Osbert Parker – this programme explores how textiles and dress are directly implicated in histories of land, colonialism, migration and trade.
Youth (Spring)
(青春：春)
Sunday 25 May, 14:00 | Garden Cinema, Screen 3In this long-form visual essay following a group of young garment workers in the Chinese town of Zhili, friendships and romances fold and unfold as the seasons pass.
The Toll of the Sea
+ Live Music + Intro
Friday 23 May, 18:30 | Garden Cinema, Screen 1 The Toll of the Sea presents an orientalist tale of cross-racial love and loss set in an exoticised China.
With live music by leading silent film accompanist Stephen Horne. Introduced by fashion curator Isabella Coraça.
Maia: Portrait with Hands
UK premiere + Artist Q&A
Thursday 29 May, 18:15 | Genesis CinemaIn her captivating film, artist Alexandra Gulea knits together the life of her grandmother Maia (whose life Gulea dates backwards to 1999–1905) with the history of the Aromanians, a Balkan ethnic group subjected to displacement and cultural suppression during early 20th-century nationalist conflicts.
Double Bill: Nanook of the North & Angry Inuk + Intro
Wednesday 28 May, 17:00 | London College of FashionFocusing on the interrelation between an extreme landscape and its inhabitants, this film programme examines how representations of fashion on film can facilitate the survival of both the corporeal body and intangible culture.
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