Institute of Contemporary Arts

How the ICA did the Big Chill

Lee Scratch Perry in the ICA's Media Mix tent at the Big Chill, 2008. Photo: Lotta Boman

The ICA was thrilled to be a part of The Big Chill festival at Eastnor in Herefordshire this year, supplying a programme for the Media Mix Tent on the Sunday. We commenced with an afternoon of ICA films, including the perfectly-suited Gypsy Caravan and then kicked off an evening of performance featuring in turn the bizarre, the educational and the especially entertaining.

The heavens opened as our host Infinite Livez introduced the voiceworks of artist Aileen Campbell. A popcorn machine accompanied by Aileen’s dramatic operatics opened proceedings. Miss Campbell – a recent participant in the ICA's Nought to Sixty - left a bowl of popcorn for onlookers to partake in as the tent was hit with a nine-minute call-and-response piece: notes dispatched at pace and pitch to a towering version of Aileen herself onscreen. Job done.

Next came the charming Jeffrey Lewis and his band. A large crowd lapped up every minute as the New Yorker gave renditions of classics such as The Red Hand, the story of a monster who employs the narrator in place of a lost limb. Attendees were in high spirits, the sun responded in kind, and rain was dispelled.

Doug Fishbone succeeded Jeff with a 30 minute piece (incorporating sound effects) about the problems inherent in the communist doctrine, pointing out that its failings are similar to those we experience in today's political quagmire. Doug, an astute judge of the hypocrisy in modern life, has the presence of mind to draw all his analogies in fine humour and painstakingly pieces together found images from the internet to illustrate his case - he's a visionary and instructive artist with a bright future ahead of him. Good work Mr Fishbone.

The darkness fell as Berlin hoax band Lustfaust took to the stage, led by their mascot Sex Pig. Via T-shirts, stickers and personal appearances he had had become quite an icon in the 48 hours leading up to their drone-drenched performance. Lustfaust - the creation of Murray Ward, Mike Harte and conceptual artist Jamie Shovlin - came on like a team of cracked scientists losing their minds - in white coats and boilersuits, ringfenced by a gaggle of drunken cheerleaders attempting to get sensual. What anyone sober stumbling onto the proceedings would have made of it we know not, as plainly the tent was full with those soaking up the last hours of festival spirit. With dada shapes thrown by visual incumbents Dandelion & Burdock the krautrock four-piece chalked up another victory to sex and death, paving the way for the final act. Until next time Sex Pig.

Lee 'Scatch' Perry did not disappoint, although his fine art skills – he planned to draw a picture, auctioned to charity whilst Adrian Sherwood from On-U soundsystem supplied the tunes - perhaps did a little. Lee concentrated more on conversing with the crowd, toasting over the music and discussing the peppered subjects on his mind. Everyone flowed to cathartic effect. "Choose Lust" as many T-shirts (handed out by the previous act) seemed to suggest "for life".

Aileen Campbell. Photo: Nick Wood

Doug Fishbone. Photo: Laurence Hamburger

Jeffrey Lewis. Photo: Oliver Chanarin

Lustfaust in the ICA's Media Mix tent at the Big Chill, 2008. Photo: Jamie Shovlin