Girl About Town- A week of openings!

The unveiling of the Tacita Dean's new work for the Tate Modern felt more like a psychedelic love in rather than a conventional Art Opening. It certainly was an iconic piece of work.

It's a vertical film collage of simulating abstract images. The film is driven by mutating images that invoke feelings in flight rather than a conventional narrative.

 It coincides a campaign by Dean to recognise & save Analogue Film. Screw the guy on the BBC news who said there was no difference between analogue & digital. He clearly needs his eyes checked out!

I loved the work both as a piece of art & a  fellow analogue enthusiast. Off course there IS a massive difference between Analogue & Digital. Analogue gives you an entire spectrum of emotions that Digital is not capable of & this was so evident in Dean's inspiring piece of work.

 

The Opening of the Frieze Art Fair is one hot ticket & coincides with a brilliantly curated programme of events, by Sarah McCrory of Frieze Projects.

This year Frieze Projects has invited Lucky PDF to run a TV channel, especially for Frieze. The public are invited to engage with the channel at the fair or to watch remotely via the internet.

I was lucky enough to catch their 1st performance of the fair. Love the references to Tony Wilson's, 'So it Goes.'

 

I then swanned off to Lancaster House on my 1st outing as An Official Ambassador for 'The Diana Award.' The event was so inspiring. It was wonderful to meet many amazing young award holders & hear their tales of courage & bravery.

I was also over the moon that my shoulder piece by Ada Zanditon fit in so well with the Lancaster House furnishings. Yay! Check out me & Fashion legend, Zandra Rhodes.

Please go to www.diana-award.org.uk for more info about the charity & all their wonderful work. I look forward to working closely with The Diana Award to spread their message.

And finally Here is Pierre Huyghe's remake of Brancusi's 'Sleeping Muse.'
in the secret back room at The Frieze Art Fair. I loved the crab hiding inside the Brancusi head.I think it was my favourite piece of the entire fair.

'Postmodernism,' at the V&A

 'Postmodernism' at the V&A is a design based retrospective from the 70s-90s charting what the V&A claim to be 'the most controversial movement in art & design history,' as the era 'defies definition.'

Since most of my friends & contemporaries have been born within these decades, the postmodern aesthetic has been the only state we've ever lived in & don't know any better. {Hooray!}

 

From Postmodernism's Italian roots, to design Collective 'Memphis,' Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner & the art of Jenny Holzer - 'Postmodernism' is a feast for all the senses.

The Room that resonated with me the deepest contained Music, projections, artefacts & costumes, from the likes of Grace Jones, Klaus Nomi, Leigh Bowery, Talking Heads & Devo.
There was even an entire enclave dedicated to Laurie Anderson's, 'Oh Superman.'

This room had almost church like connotations for me & came as a relief to see these performers represented in a gallery context- at last.
For years I've struggled in board room meetings & interviews in the music industry & press media to try & communicate the sort of musician/performer I've been influenced by & have always aspired to be. And here they all were.

I just want to say that real music fans {That's all of you - off course!} have always understood the true postmodern performer.
It's where art, design, theatre & technology orbit around Music & where the Music serves as the most important nucleus of any piece of work.

Fellow Friend, Collaborator, Friend & Blogger, Fred Butler said, of the exhibition, 'It's like our brains crammed into a museum.' Right she was.
Get thee to the temple!

Miri It Is - Bishi B Side

Miri It Is by Bishi_World
Welcome to 'Miri It Is,' The B Side to the forthcoming 'Dia Ti Maria' choral epic by, me, Bishi.

'Miri It Is,' can almost be considered a 'Medieval Standard.'
Sung in Middle English, the song represents the last of Summer's Merriment before a mournful & harsh winter.

Rather fitting, seeing as we in London have just experienced a freak heat wave in early October!

I'm almost tempted to say this was my attempt at sounding ' Medieval Witchouse!' In any case I hope you enjoy!

Happy Durga Puja

Happy Durga Puja to all! It comes but once a year for those of us Hindus who don't necessarily celebrate Diwali & what a grand affair it is.

To celebrate this year, my own dear mother, Susmita Bhattacharya sang a programme of songs by Rabindranath Tagore at The Harrow Arts Centre. These songs called, 'Rabindra Sangeet,' is the music my mother is an expert in. {BTW It's Tagore 150th birth centenary dontcha know!}

This is the music I grew up with - Needless to say it had a MASSIVE effect on me.

To those of you who don't know the legacy of Tagore, he's like the Indian Bertolt Brecht crossed with Bob Dylan.
Read about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore

I was then treated to a Dance Piece, also by Tagore

Now to clear up matters this dance form is NOT 'B' for Bollywood.' Curiously all Indian Culture gets slapped with this unfortunate & generic label!
This dance form is none other than Bharata Natyam - My favourite Classical Dance form in all of India. And, moreover something that has influenced Bollywood.

Tea & Samosa's anyone?

Behind the Scenes of the 'Dia Ti Maria,' Shoot

These, my friends are some of the stills from the 'Dia Ti Maria,' shoot yesterday. I had such a good time on set & such a GREAT team, I can't stress that enough. The 'Black Narcissus,' meets Laurie Anderson fantasy is well & truly alive.

May I just take this opportunity to thank, Matthew Hardern, Christian Landon, Maria Papadopolu, Peter Gomes, Beau Scott, Noriko Okaku & Gemma Drummond for all their sterling work yesterday.

I was definitely vibing a bit of Sister Wendy Beckett on set yesterday & what a tough gal she was. Watch her here defending Andres Serrano's, 'Piss Christ.'

It was also a delight to have artist & filmaker Peter Gomes on Camera yesterday. He showed me a film he directed in collaboration with the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. It was right up my strasse. Check it out here:

Phantasmaton [2002] from mutantfilm on Vimeo.

You can watch more of Peter Gomes' work at: http://www.vimeo.com/mutantfilm

NUNZITA!

Flirting with London Fashion Week

Whilst being in pre-production for the video of 'Dia Ti Maria,' I managed to escape to a couple of fashion presentations for my dear friends during Fashion Week.

It was great to see so many friends proudly exhibit their new collections for the upcoming SS2012 season. I was somewhat alarmed, but mostly thrilled, at the amount of free champagne swilling around on Silver platters. {I mean we are supposed to be in an Economic Meltdown!}  However, it gave Somerset House an air of new found decadence that was complimented with some really great weather. And it felt great swanning around!

The first presentation I attended, was of my good friend/long term collaborator Ada Zanditon. {I'm wearing a piece from 'The Cryoflux,' collection, above, next to Cherie Lily}
A fiercely original designer, Ada's ethical fashion is steeped in narratives that stem from a scientific view on the environment.

Her new collection "Poseisus"  was inspired by seahorses, Greek Goddesses & Haiti Kanaval.
Watch the film below directed by Andrew & William Ho, which has a truly urban & monochrome atmosphere with a bitching soundtrack by Sebastian Bartz


ADA Zanditon ss12 from Andrew & WIlliam Ho on Vimeo.

I was whisked away to St Luke's Church on Old St by Broken Hearts DJ Amber Jane,  to Jayne Pierson's catwalk show. {It was nice to be back, as I once performed with the London Symphony Orchestra at St Luke's!!}
Pierson collaborated with The Royal Ballet, choreographing dancers instead of models, on pointe throughout the entire show. It was breathtaking!

My final date with Fashion week, ended with Fred Butler's presentation at The Portico Rooms in Somerset House. Fred's made some incredible pieces specially made for my appearances including, for Tonight with Jonathan Ross & The Culture Show.

With a sound installation from my oldest friend, Patrick Wolf, Fred's presentation saw her work move into more formal clothing territory, without compromising her trademark geometric precision or orgy of colour that characterises her work so brilliantly.


Fred Butler S/S 12 from Susie Bubble on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for Production shots from my upcoming video shoot!

Behind the Artwork, Behind the Music

Dear Bishi World. Welcome to the virtual unveiling of my Single Artwork. I'd like to thank the amazing team for coming together & making this happen...!

Photo by Dominic Harris
http://www.dominicharris.co.uk

Projections by Noriko Okaku
http://www.norioka.net

Head Piece by Christian Landon:
http://www.christianlandon.com

Make up by Maria Papadopolou:
http://mariasmakeup.com

Nun's Cowell by Sybil Rouge

Art Direction by Matthew Hardern & Bishi

I thought I'd add a few more pictures that inspired me behind making this image:

This is a still from a film by Vittorio De Sica, called 'A Night like Any Other.' It was recently curated in an exhibition by Rankin called 'The Peroni Collection – Italian Style on the Silver Screen.' I love the entire sex & sophistication of the entire genre of 60s Italian Films.

 
This is a still from my most recent show, 'The Power of Projection,' with a projection made by Noriko Okaku. Projections have been an ongoing theme in my music performances this year with special outfits co-designed by myself. Noriko's been one of our key collaborators  & it's been great to have her wonderful visuals, a part of the of the Single Artwork.

Here is a bit of blurb, behind the music, of 'Dia Ti Maria':

Bishi’s new single.'Dia Ti Maria' is an 8.5 minute choral piece; a song of loss, fortitude and self-realization.

Inspired by the Greek Orthodox liturgy, the 1st and last sections are written in Koine (Biblical) Greek. The English lyrics are quotes from the speeches of Satan in Milton's Paradise lost.

Originally commissioned by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus the US debut grabbed the front page of the New York Times who announced Bishi as the 'New British Diva'.

Bishi sings all 50 voices on the recording…

'I chose to sing all the parts because, for me, the piece is about light and darkness within ones own mind and self'

Rich harmonic writing develops from the clusters of Bulgarian throat singing to the more open, pastoral harmonies of English folk. The atmosphere moves from despair to realization and resolve.

Vocal techniques suggestive of Ligeti and Meredith Monk can be heard in the occasional slides and ‘asides’ to give a sense of melodic fluidity to the musical landscape.

The live presentation is an immersive video performance with Bishi centre screen surrounded by projected images of herself. Halos and choirs, inspired by Byzantine icons, radiate around her while the costumes and stage design owe much to Lempika, Erte and the cinematic choreography of Busby Berkeley.

Can't wait to play it for you all!
Stay Tuned for more updates!
xx