Purple Diary
[January 31 2014]
Free film screening tonight of “The Angelic Conversation” by Derek Jarman at King’s College London’s chapel, London
To kick off year-long celebrations of the life and work of Derek Jarman on the 20th anniversary of his death, the King’s College London’s chapel will be holding an all-night party-vigil in honor of the pioneering filmmaker, painter, gardener and activist. This marks the opening of the immersive exhibition Derek Jarman: Pandemonium which centers around Jarman’s relationship with London and in particular the Thames, the diverse influences of literature and the Medieval era come through in the rarely seen Super 8 films and immersive displays. On Friday 31st from 7pm for 24 hours the chapel will house a continuous, free, come-as-you-please screening of his 1985 film The Angelic Conversation. The film is a juxtaposition of slow moving photographic images and Shakespeare’s sonnets read by Judi Dench with a soundtrack composed and performed by experimental group Coil. The film consists primarily of homoerotic images and opaque landscapes through which two men take a journey into their own desires. Made a year before his diagnosis with HIV, the film is an introspective, even fragile, picture of his obsession with endangered love. See more details on the screenings here.
