This selection of old and new experimental films and spoken word looks at the human body as a place of pleasure, illness, and as a site for transcendental experiences.
Efforts of Nature VI is the sixth and final iteration of an expanded screening programme arranged by Morgan Quaintance, that both includes and expands from his film of the same name.
This version of the combined programme, featuring moving image and spoken word work by Marthe Peters, Jerry Tartaglia, Marlon Riggs, Xiaolu Wang, Pedro Pietri and Anne Charlotte Robinson, considers the human body as both grounded locus for affects, pleasures and illnesses; and as a vessel through which carnal realities lead to transcendental experience.
Together these works explore what encases the body, what sets the mind free, and how these two conditions may not be as separate as we think.
Please note Ecce Homo contains scenes of explicit sexual nature.
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.
Programme
Pixillation
1976, USA dir Anne Charlotte Robertson 3 minutes DCP
An astonishing and disarming work of self-portraiture by the late, acclaimed film-diarist Anne Charlotte Robertson.
Courtesy of Harvard Film Archive
RIP
2022 UK dir Morgan Quaintance 3minutes DCP
RIP is one of Morgan Quaintance's ongoing 'miniature' films, each under three minutes, exploring a single idea. These shorts vary from loose and improvisational to carefully edited, using archival footage or material shot on DV or Hi-8 cameras for quicker, more intuitive production.
Courtesy of LUX
Affirmations
US 1990 dir Marlon Riggs 10 minutes DCP
Marlon Riggs expresses the hopes, dreams, and desires of gay Black men in this ode to queer African American empowerment.
Courtesy of Frameline
Telephone Booth Number 905 1/2
Spoken word - Pedro Pietri (1 minute)
Kalkapje
Belgium 2023 dir Marthe Peters 24 Minutes DCP
In Baldilocks, Dutch director Marthe Peters reflects on her battle with cancer, using her father's video footage to explore the lasting, non-physical scars. This emotionally raw yet hopeful self-portrait examines how her past continues to shape her present, offering a powerful story of recovery and hope.
Courtesy of the artist
1 AM At All Times
Spoken word - Pedro Pietri (2 minutes)
Efforts of Nature
UK 2023 dir Morgan Quaintance 19 Minutes DCP
Blending low-resolution footage, 16mm film, and satellite imagery, Efforts of Nature explores the passage of time and the processes of change and dissolution from two distinct perspectives: the existential realm of the human body and the planetary scale of shifting geological conditions.
Courtesy of LUX
Telephone Booth Number 23
Spoken word - (1 minute)
Ecce Homo
USA 1989 Jerry Tartaglia 7 minutes 16mm
Ecce Homo (behold the man) interweaves images from Genet’s masterpiece, Un Chant d’Amour with images from gay male sex films. It asks the viewer to question their role as spectator in looking at “pornographic” images. Is the taboo against gay sex or against seeing gay sex?
Courtest of Light Cone
I Wish You Happy Moon Festival
China 2021 dir Xiaolu Wang 3 minutes DCP
One overseas phone call, but one phrase was lost to the receiver of the call.
Courtesy of the artist
Give a year of art, music, film and theatre
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.
