Wednesday 20 October 2010

Protest

If you haven't seen Chto Delat (or 'What To Do' ) at the ICA yet, I reckon you should see it!

The exhibition is by a group and looks at Russia after perestroika. There is variety and energy in the show; posters, a newspaper, illustrations on the wall and extra walls and levels.

I watched what looked like a filmed play with subtitles about a debate between two groups on politics. They were discussing whether communism was a good idea. It made us giggle because these ideas seem outdated. However the film forces you to review the ideas and imagine them, adapted in a modern context. Perhaps a dangerous avenue looking back, perhaps not if...

The theatre film was beautifully presented with rows of beds, but I did not feel like sleeping. Instead the viewing structure provided contemplative environs for the spectators. (There were three separate groups of us)

Visually, it mixes a folk look and look of political protests that gives you a feel of a show reflecting a country’s history and its legacy straight away.

On the news in the evening they discussed why the French could strike and be supported and why the English system makes it difficult and views protests or strikes as a nuisance to our routine. Maybe I should get fired up and march up the road to Buckingham Palace or the Houses of Parliament and say what can be better?

The exhibit finishes on Sunday, so do something and go!