At Open Sessions, speakers share their career-defining moments and advice for getting started in a creative field. It is also an opportunity to make new connections and meet like-minded people.

At Open Session #10, Lighthouse presents The Informals, an improvised performance by artists Polina Medvedeva and Andreas Kühne about non-conformity and ways of living in the digital age. The screening of The Informals was accompanied by performances by local artists Photenic and Kemastry.

The Informals

This partly autobiographical work uses live music and documentary film footage to focus on the experiences of young ‘digital natives’ in the Russian city of Murmansk. To escape the norms and constraints of northern Russia, young people in Murmansk gravitate to deserted areas, where they improvise with space and create new stories through their digital community and culture.

The materials collected from Murmank are played by the artists live using an audiovisual instrument, which produces new unscripted versions with each live performance.

After the performance there was a Q&A with Polina, Andreas and local artists Phonetic and Kemastry who are involved in the project as it takes place in Brighton.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Andreas Kühne

Andreas Kühne (1988, the Netherlands) is an improviser, sound artist, and drummer. His art practice involves creating audiovisual works and field improvisations by revealing the musical qualities of on-site inert objects with live electronic setups for real-time generation and manipulation.
He is a Master of Music graduate from the ArtEZ University of Arts, and the founder and curator of the interdisciplinary concert series RAMSES/ MPRO in Amsterdam.

Recent performances include; A4 cultural space, Bratislava; Lofoten International Art Festival, Solvaer; Sonic Acts Festival, Amsterdam; Inversia Festival, Murmansk; Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam; Overkill Festival, Enschede; State of Fashion Exhibition, Arnhem; Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam.


Polina Medvedeva

Polina Medvedeva is a Russian-Dutch (documentary) filmmaker and artist based in Amsterdam. Her work researches the notion of informality, focusing on informal economies and non-conformist communal structures, their principles influencing the aesthetics of her videos.

Medvedeva’s works have been exhibited at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels; Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Jerusalem; Rotterdam City Theatre; Art Brussels; Centre of Fine Arts Groningen; De Nieuwe Vide gallery, Haarlem and screened during IDFA Docs for Sale and on VPRO among others.


Phonetic

Phonetic is an artist who is already synonymous with Brighton’s thriving hip hop scene, thanks to her skills on the mic, combined with her unwavering creative drive. That drive and talent go way beyond her 21 years and they are good signifiers as to why she has already earned support slots for a number of notable artists and acts, including Rag’N’Bone Man, Children of Zeus, Skinnyman, LEVELZ, Dr Syntax and Amy True.

Phonetic continues to build her career with more live shows and collaborations, as well as her very first solo project – The Dictionary of Proverbs LP – which promises to be a boom bap heavy affair, peppered with elements of trap and the perfect springboard for her official launch into the UK scene and beyond.


Kemastry

Kemastry is a Brighton-based rapper signed to High Focus Records with the group CMPND. CMPND have recently released ‘Eagle Court’ their debut album whilst earning themselves a highly coveted support slot with The Four Owls’. Kemastry himself is a competent freestyler renown for his abstract social commentary and tripped out nuggets of lyricism. ‘Kema’ is also active in the community as a youth worker with AudioActive and Tarner Community Project.

Formally Viral, now Lighthouse Young Creatives, is a project for 16-25 year olds who want to work in the creative and digital industries, but who don’t have the opportunities, facilities and connections they need. The project is for young people from diverse backgrounds, including those not in work or training.

Over six months the young people receive production training, business development, mentoring, showcasing opportunities and peer-to-peer support. The project focuses on a range of disciplines including music, film, photography and design.

Viral Open Sessions are presented by Lighthouse with support from Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and are part of the Viral programme. The Informals was originally commissioned by Sonic Acts and Inversia Festival, Murmansk.