A screening in celebration of Iain Sinclair's new book, plus a Q&A with the talent behind the accompanying film, chronicling the life of John Deakin.
Marking publication of celebrated London chronicler Iain Sinclair's new book Pariah Genius, John Deakin & The Soho Court around Francis Bacon, The Biography of an Afterlife (Cheerio Publishing), this special event presents the world premiere of a new artist's film of the same name (2024, 25 mins) made in response to Deakin's life by remarkable talents - Emma Matthews, Chris Petit, Susan Stenger and Sinclair himself - all in conversation with Gareth Evans after this unique double-bill screening.
With thanks to Gareth Evans.
Ticket prices
Students £11
Unwaged £11
Over 60s £11
Under 18s £6
Wheelchair spaces, free companion seats may now be booked online.
Please select the relevant preferences on the access registration page during your booking, so we can provide you with the correct information and discounts.
Booking a wheelchair space
Select a seat displaying the wheelchair user icon and then select 'wheelchair user' ticket type. The ticket will be priced at the lowest price for that event. If you need an essential companion, please select the E icon next to the wheelchair space you have selected.
Booking essential companion tickets
Please select at least two tickets and one of them will be automatically discounted to zero in the basket.
Booking British Sign Language or Captioned Seats
Select seats in the area appropriate to your needs.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Biographies
Emma Matthews is a Film Editor who has worked with Iain Sinclair and Chris Petit among others, as well as with Anthony Wall on Arena.
Chris Petit is a writer and filmmaker. Iain Sinclair appeared in his film Weather and together they made The Cardinal and the Corpse, The Falconer, Asylum and London Orbital, as well as collaborating on many other projects.
Iain Sinclair has lived for centuries in East London, trying to assemble a Grand Theory of Everything, by way of underground poetry, film, curation and speculative essays. In film, he has collaborated with Chris Petit, Emma Matthews, Andrew Kötting, Grant Gee and John Rogers.
Susan Stenger is a composer, performer, sound installation artist and founding member of Band of Susans, The Brood and Big Bottom. Her range of collaborators has included dancer / choreographer Michael Clark, writer Iain Sinclair, filmmaker Pat Collins and visual artists Cerith Wyn Evans, Jesse Jones and Ailbhe Ní Bhriain.
Give a year of art, music, film and theatre
Notes
"A once celebrated photographer dies in a Brighton hotel room and the dreams begin. The days with Bacon and the revenants of the Colony Room; Bacon, Freud, Michael Andrews and the rest. In drink, as ever, Deakin spent his dead hours shooting from the screens of afternoon cinemas, assembling fictions for an unlived life. And flogging the myth to magazines. Now traces from the bardo, sea sounds, snatches of dialogue, are recovered through this collaboration."
THE FALCONER (1998, 56 mins) marks a convergence of unreliable witnesses - Matthews, Petit and Sinclair - as they attempt to construct a real fiction from the contradictory legends (and film extracts) offered by egg-smuggler and prolific documentarian Peter Whitehead. A man who always has one more story to tell. Dave McKean layered the graphics. Bruce Gilbert provided the sound design. "Nothing is true and everything is permitted." (Notes by Iain Sinclair).
Cinema 1
Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.
Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you over the road to the venue.
Address
Beech Street, London
EC2Y 8DS
Nearby public transport
We are within walking distance from a number of London Underground stations, the closest being Barbican, St Paul’s and Moorgate. The nearest train stations are Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Bus Route 153 runs directly past the Barbican along Chiswell Street
Car and bicycle parking
We have free bicycle spaces and paid car parking spaces available
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Access
Level access from the Pit floor foyer only to the two boxes (see Mobility below). All other seats lead off stepped aisles.
Mobility
Two boxes at the rear of the auditorium each have space for one wheelchair user and a companion. Please book early and ask for these seats.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking, to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
There is an induction loop in the auditorium. You can use this by adjusting your hearing aid to the ‘T’ setting.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
Access
Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.
Mobility
Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
