Art Night is coming to London for one night only on Saturday 1st July. The event will host over 60 free events, ranging from live performances and exhibitions to interactive instillations and dances.
Lindsay Seers is hosting one of Art Night’s events, Mental Mental², which will combine video instillation with live performance.
Fatos, the curator of Art Night 2017, spoke about how the setting of East London has influenced the art this year. How has this location influenced your event?
Well, my instillation takes place at the Masonic Temple at Andaz, and is directly linked to the temple itself. The location has so much history, it has definitely been a big challenge to take all that on. Its original goals were about gaining access to consciousness, and getting into the nature of life and mankind. Very deep and profound questions you can see!
For my instillations, I have chosen to focus on one person who is totally out there: Aleister Crowley. Crowley was once called the most wicked man in Britain. He was considered to be pure evil, with no moral code. But in actual fact, a lot of the stuff published about him was inaccurate. He was made to appear like a villain when his intentions were never evil. His aim was to challenge all parts of morality, not to dictate it. He wanted to liberate people from the prisons they inflict on themselves in society. Actor Michael Byrne will be playing the Crowley, who (despite being known for playing villains) fights the idea that he plays evil characters. Supported by actor Francesca Dale, Michael was perfect for the role because both actor and character argue what it means to be evil.
Your instillation combines video with live performance. It sounds very exciting. Tell us a little bit more about how you have combined the two mediums to tell this story.
