ICA is closed from the 30 May – 3 June inclusive.
This Stephen Sayadian (aka Rinse Dream) double bill presents a unique and timely opportunity to both discover and appreciate the true auteur of Americana’s dark underbelly, admired by Frank Zappa, Brian De Palma and David Lynch. An inspiration for a generation of writers, artists and filmmakers, including Hunter S. Thompson, Dinos Chapman, Nick Knight and Bertrand Mandico, Café Flesh is a post-apocalyptic “adults-only” reworking of Bob Fosse’ Cabaret. One of the original midnight movies, it replaced John Waters’ Pink Flamingos at the famed Nuart theater in Los Angeles, and played on a double bill with Curt McDowell’s Thundercrack at London’s legendary Scala cinema.
Paired here with its successor, an unhinged reworking of the silent German expressionist classic The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, a psychedelic surrealist neo-noir reworking of the 1920 German expressionist classic features eye-popping set design, a luscious synth score, not to mention acid-tongued dialogue written by Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight), Dr. Caligari drops a dirty bomb on Reagan era family values.
In addition, London-based French film writer and editor of Animus journal Elena Lazic will moderate a masterclass with Sayadian tracing the evolution of his distinctive look across print, set design and cinema.
Armenian Film Society London (AFSL) and Daniel Bird present: Fluorescent Apocalypse at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) — 4K restoration UK premieres of legendary Café Flesh (1982) and Dr. Caligari (1989), courtesy of Mondo Macabro, with director Stephen Sayadian (aka Rinse Dream) present.
The event marks the launch of the AFSL’s Jukebox Film Club at the ICA — a series of cross-disciplinary screenings and events with artists and creatives invited to talk about their audiovisual experiments. Jukebox Film Club will offer a year-round opportunity to appreciate a vibrant selection of non-mainstream, unclassifiable works of various genres that are missing from the standard cinema circuit.
The event marks the launch of the AFSL’s Jukebox Film Club at the ICA — a series of cross-disciplinary screenings and events with artists and creatives invited to talk about their audiovisual experiments. Jukebox Film Club will offer a year-round opportunity to appreciate a vibrant selection of non-mainstream, unclassifiable works of various genres that are missing from the standard cinema circuit.
Saturday 29 March, 7.30pm
Dr. Caligari + Q&A with Stephen Sayadian
As sexually deranged as it is stylistically unhinged, this psychedelic surrealist neo-noir reworking of the 1920 German expressionist classic features Laura Albert as Mrs Van Houten, a woman whose libido is dangerously out of control. Followed by an in-person Q&A with Stephen Sayadian.
Saturday 29 March, 9.30pm
Café Flesh
A dystopian sci-fi oddity from one of American cinema's true underground originals, Café Flesh is a post-apocalyptic “adults-only” reworking of Bob Fosse’ Cabaret.
no. 236848.