Robin Vaughan-Williams collaboration at Filmpoem Antwerp

Still from 'What's real is home'

It has been an exciting week for us all on the project, first with the news from LA about our first international screening for Ping Pong Paranoia and now with another debut for a new collaboration with Poetry. Alban Low it seems has been busier than we all assumed in the simulated mental health ward at Kingston University and St George's University London as part of his art residency.

We are delighted and surprised to learn that another film from the residency 'What's real is home' is going to screened at the Filmpoem Festival, held this year in the Felix Archief in Antwerp in partnership with Felix Poetry Festival and in association with The Poetry Society. It will be screened on the 14th June as part of the Open Programme between 3-3.45pm.

'Sandra'

This year Alban Low and psychotherapist Harvey Wells recorded the voices of the patients on the ward. They wanted to use these monologues as a creative springboard to explore a whole range of mental health themes. Alban already has both drawing/painting and film at his disposal but wanted to broaden the project's horizons even further. Earlier this year he gave the transcript of patient 'Sandra' to poet Robin Vaughan-Williams and waited to see what the young wordsmith would conjure up.

Robin Vaughan-Williams

Robin Vaughan-Williams and Alban Low met but a few months ago when they worked together on an exhibition of poetry and art to help celebrate World Poetry Day. Jawspring was held at the Village Hall Gallery in Wimbledon and proved a huge success with audiences of both genres. Vaughan-Williams wasn't daunted by the thorny issues discussed on the recording and with empathy he created a new poem from it painful themes. It wouldn't be a murder minutes production without a jazz inspired score and this time it was courtesy of Leo Appleyard and his quartet. They are just about to release their debut album, Pembroke Road, on the F-IRE label in September 2014.

'What's real is home' is the first collaboration between Art and Poetry on this project and one that we hope will continue. Please find out more about the Filmpoem Festival HERE and follow them on twitter. Download the full festival programme here if you would like to experience it first hand!

This year Filmpoem will posting all the available films live on their website from Monday 16th June on http://filmpoem.com/