Visual arts at the ICA

This week, I'm doing a little spotlight on the ICA and their amazing program of events. First of all, it's worth knowing that as a student, you can join for just £25.00 for a year, which gets you into loads of great gigs, talks and movies. For instance, this month you can finally see the documentary on the Helvetica typeface. For some people this may well seem like an absolutely nightmarish way to spend eighty minutes of your time, but for anyone interested in graphic design or typograpy, it's a must see.

Something else that might just surprise you is the London International Comics Festival, coming up at the ICA on the 19th of October. This genre of work is finally coming out from the shadows and being taken seriously, having been relegated to the sidelines for years as a child only domain. You need only look at the amount of movies and animation that are spawned by comics to see what a surprisingly central part they have to play in our popular culture, and with some really exciting artists choosing this particular artistic forum to express themselves, you really don't have any excuse not to take a quick look at what the festival has to offer.

Finally, there is a talk coming up on the 25th of September called "Why be an artist?" with Gavin Turk amongst many illustrious others, debating the pros and cons of being an artist and an art student in London today. How much more essential viewing can you ask for?

Katherine Whitehouse
Creative Director

What's the point of film studies?

If you missed the London International Animation Festival a couple of weeks ago, all is not lost. There are still plenty of things for you film makers to get your teeth into.

First up, at the Roxy Bar and Screen, you can see a live re-score of Jan Svankmajer's Faust. I studied his animation at university, and I can't recommend his work highly enough both for animation buffs and anyone interested in film, sculpture or the art object.

If Saturday is too long to wait, then tonight you can join in a discussion with Danny Birchall of the ICA at the Wheatsheaf pub in fitzrovia. He will be discussing the question "what's the point of film studies?"
This is a regular series of general philosophical discussions in pubs. I suggest you keep an eye on the Big Ideas website, because there is sure to be more interesting topics coming up...

Finally, if you're a budding music video director then take note - the Radar festival is looking for entrants. For £10 (although it is free if you're a student) you can enter a the competition, and put yourself forward for the opportunity to get a commision, cash or just some help from some of the best companies in the business.

Katherine Whitehouse
Creative Director