Institute of Contemporary Arts

The ICA at the Big Chill: a sweet and salted mix

Date: 13 August 2008

Aileen Campbell in the ICA's Media Mix tent at the Big Chill, 2008. Photo: Nick Wood

Tara and Dave

The Media Mix tent was the place to go to escape the mayhem and exercise your mind amidst the wealth of incoherent abundant hedonism. A place to collect your thoughts, have a family picnic, hide out in the dark to snort all kinds of powders or collapse from their effect upon your mind. The place to generally recover from last night, become immersed in the astounding visual array of films. Retro India told in Super 8mm, tears shed at the abandonment of the homelands. A palette of looks which took the mind and heart on a journey far from the deer park in which we sat. The grainy feel of the home video and richly textured emotional intensity warmed the cockles on a rather washed out day, in which wind constantly tried to blow the rain into the haven of our tent.

Silhouettes shifted restlessly on the itchy sack cloth as the day's programme turned to evening and Nought to Sitxy artist Aileen Campbell's vocal performance signalled a change in tone. Was this the transformation of a household object into an instrument? Or the mediation of the rhythm of the popping corn, with the effect that it sang to us directly? The drama of the movement of the corn built and built until the privileged audience was offered the fruits of the labour! Popcorn, pure unadulterated, sugared or salted.

Campbell's performance received a mixed response, with much of the crowd perhaps not prepared for the challenge on offer, yet surely new and strange experiences are in the 'festival' small print?

The atmosphere this weekend was ultimately chilled, there was plenty of space. We weren't packed like sardines. We got quick bar service. We were closer to the action. So we could truly chill, bigtime.