MARK FERELLI - TAKE ME AWAY FROM LIVING THINGS

Doors 7:30

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SINCE DISCOVERING THE LIVING MEDIUM OF THE MAGIC LANTERN AND ITS UNIQUE 'VOICE' IN THE AUTUMN OF 2003, FERELLI HAS BEEN BUILDING A BODY OF TRAVELLING WORK FROM HIS ARCHIVES: 'TAKE ME AWAY FROM LIVING THINGS', COMPOSED PRIMARILY AROUND A MAGIC LANTERN CYCLE OF THREE SHOWS, 'DEVIL DADDY' (2003), 'PHIBES RISEN' (2005) AND 'MICHAEL REEVES DIRECTS'(2007), JOINED BY A LENGTHY SERIES OF ARTIST PRODUCED 'FILMBOOKS' OF HIS WRITINGS, A NUMBER OF DRAWINGS OF VINTAGE PERIOD AUTOMATA, OIL PAINTINGS AND AN ONGOING 'WORK IN PROGRESS' OF CLOCKWORK AUTOMATA ITSELF, 'THE FLOODED ARENA'.

RETURNING HOME TO THE HORSE HOSPITAL, FERELLI PRESENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME, OVER CONSECUTIVE EVENINGS, TWO INTEGRAL PERFORMANCES FROM THE 'TAKE ME AWAY FROM LIVING THINGS' CANON.

FROM ITS PREMIERE AT THE HORSE HOSPITAL IN NOVEMBER 2003, 'DEVIL DADDY' HAS TOURED WIDELY, NOTABLY AT THE HAY-ON-WEY FRINGE FESTIVAL (2006)  AND, MOST RECENTLY, TWO PERFORMANCES AT DIVUS GALLERY PRAGUE. (2011).

A RITUAL FLAME IS BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE OIL BURNER OF A NINETEENTH CENTURY MAGIC LANTERN.  A TWIST OF FUME TRAVELS OUT THE PAINTED TIN CHIMNEY AS A SLOW DISC OF WARM, BROAD LIGHT ILLUMINATES ON SCREEN.  WITHIN ITS ORBIT DEVELOPS THE IMAGE OF A RUINED CHAPEL, ALONE, DEEP IN THE HILLS OF A CRUEL HEATH-LAND LANDSCAPE STRICKEN BY WINTER.

WEAVING ORIGINAL FILM STILLS, CONTEMPORARY LOCATION SHOTS, BIRD SONG AND SPOKEN WORD, FERELLI RE-IMAGINES BOTH TIME AND SETTING OF THE 'LOST' BRITISH HORROR FILM CLASSIC 'BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW' (G.B.1970) EVOKING, PROMPTING, THE ETHEREAL RETURN OF THE FILM'S CENTRAL CHARACTER, 'ANGEL BLAKE', SEDUCTRESS, PRIESTESS AND IDIOT SAVANT TO THE MONSTROUS, BLOOD-THIRSTY HUNGER OF AN OLD PAGAN GOD.

THE RITUAL OPERATION OF LANTERN IMAGE, SOUND AND SPOKEN TEXT NAVIGATE UNEASY LAYERS OF SIMULTANEITY, BORN OF THE PAST FILM LOCATION AND EVER PRESENT FILM STORY, A PERFORMANCE CROSSING THIS UNCANNY LANDSCAPE.

WHILST PART GRAVESIDE LAMENT, MORIBUND EULOGY, BIZARRE FILM CRITIQUE AND EVEN 'MUSICAL', 'MICHAEL REEVES DIRECTS' SAW FIRST LIGHT AT THE BLOOMSBURY FESTIVAL (2007) AND, MORE RECENTLY, AS PART OF 'NEW WORK, OLD MEDIA' (2010), A SEMINAR CONCERNED WITH THOSE WORKING WITH 'DEAD MEDIA', HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER.

'MICHAEL REEVES DIRECTS' DRAWS HEAVILY ON THE RICH BYGONE TRADITION OF THE 'PHANTASMAGORIE' OF PAST SHOWMEN LATERNISTS OF THE 19TH CENTURY SUCH AS ROBERTSON, PHILLIPSTAHL AND OEHLER, BUILDING FOR ITS AUDIENCE A JOURNEY THROUGH A LABYRINTHINE PASSAGE COMPOSED OF PROJECTED IMAGE AND SOUND.

LIFTING A VITAL SHORT SEQUENCE FROM THE REEVES DIRECTED FILM 'THE SORCERERS' (G.B. 1966) FERELLI TRANSFORMS AND INVERTS THIS MATERIAL INTO A SERIES OF MAGIC LANTERN SLIDES, ALONG WITH THE ACCOMPANYING ORIGINAL DIALOGUE, TAKING ON SOME STILTED, FORBODING QUALITY, GUIDING THE AUDIENCE ANEW THROUGH THIS DARKLY MEASURED DESCENT INTO TARTURUS.