Surrealism at the Barbican

A programme of short avant-garde silent films made by women directors Maya Deren and Germaine Dulac
With specially composed & original soundtracks performed live by cutting-edge women musicians including Errollyn Wallen and Seaming To.

 
The Smiling Madame Beudet (La Souriante Madame Beudet)
France 1922 Dir. Germaine Dulac
Melodrama, farce and dreams collide to portray an intelligent woman imprisoned in a joyless marriage in this milestone of avant-garde feminist cinema.

Errollyn Wallen
Wallen's award-winning music is featured on numerous recordings including the Brodsky Quartet's 'Moodswings ' . Her own CDs include Meet Me at Harold Moores, The Girl in My Alphabet and Errollyn and her multi-media show Jordan Town , was a sell-out hit at the Edinburgh Festival. The motto of Errollyn Wallen's Ensemble X, “we don't break down barriers in music ... we don't see any” , reflects her genuine, free-spirited approach and eclectic musicianship. Wallen's compositions range from avant-garde classical to popular song writing; she moves freely among influences from Bach to gospel, and Bill Evans to Charles Ives. A 'renaissance woman of contemporary British music' - The Observer

Meshes of the Afternoon
US 1943 Dir. Maya Deren
The highly influential foundation of experimental New American Cinema, Deren's beautiful and poetic 'trance film' plays with Surrealist devices to symbolise its female character's unconscious state of identity fluxes and mystifying reflections.

Camberwell Composers Collective
Anna Meredith & Emily Hall are composers who studied together at the Royal College of Music. As the Camberwell Composers Collective they have received many commissions, prizes and awards, including The Genesis Opera Prize, and The Royal Philharmonic Award.

At Land
Maya Deren , US, 1944
In her second experimental film, Deren stars as a woman journeying through different and confusing landscapes, trying to reach a deeper knowledge of her own desires.

Seaming To
Vocalist, multi-intrumentalist and composer, Seaming To has contributed her unique operatic vocals to Homelife's last few albums for Ninja Tune and recorded with Mr. Scruff on his album Trouser Jazz . She has finally managed to piece together her first solo record – already attracting a mass of attention from a huddle of artists queuing up to work with her. “…the voice of the 21st century…” Radio One