As we approach Halloween, a special time when the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world dissolve, ArtHaus make an offering to you to join them for a screening of Benjamin Christensen’s Häxan (1922) with improvised live film score. 101 years after it’s release, Häxan is as potent as ever, combining historical material and folklore to explore ideas around witchcraft from it’s origins to the early 1920s. A prime of example of the power of the horror genre, in depicting the persecution - and so-called treatment - of witchcraft, it allows us an imaginative space to scrutinise and reflect on ongoing systems of oppression and misogyny today.
ArtHaus is Anika Mottershaw, Lucinda Chua, Fran Lobo, Laura Groves and Auclair.
They come together through a shared enjoyment of sound, weird and wonderful films and creative community.
⛢ Anika Mottershaw
Anika is a modular synth head keen on wrangling electrons around circuits in pursuit of some deeply ephemeral, highly magical sonic alchemy. Making sounds and noises never to be repeated (and often ugly or unmusical) feels cathartic, triumphant and playful. Leaning into the situationists' concept of dérive, this approach to sound creates an antidote to the highly structured world we live in today.
⛢ Lucinda Chua
Artist, composer & multi-instrumentalist Lucinda Chua released her debut solo album “YIAN” on 4ad earlier this year. Prior to this Chua wrote, recorded and performed under the moniker “Felix;” releasing two albums on American independent record label kranky. As a cellist Chua has toured as part of FKA twigs and Stars of the Lid. In 2019 she co-wrote the soundtrack to the feature documentary 30HA.
⛢ Fran Lobo
Fran Lobo is a British- Asian singer, songwriter, producer and performer. She has just released her debut album ‘Burning It Feels Like’ on Heavenly Recordings on 18 August 2023. The album was accompanied by three self directed short film/music videos which explored dance, theatre and fantasy. Previously, she released the Brave EP on Slowdance recordings as well as performing live with UNKLE on their world tours. Her work often explores dreams/reality, a search for identity and a sense of horror which often results in collagist and chopped and screwed compositions.
⛢ Laura Groves
Laura Groves is an artist and producer from Bradford, West Yorkshire. Her album “Radio Red” was released on Bella Union in August 2023, following on from her “Private Road” EP, releases on XL Recordings as Blue Roses and EPs “Thinking About Thinking” and “Committed Language” on DEEK Recordings. She is a frequent collaborator and has spent over a decade producing a body of work through a passion for home/self-recording and layering of voices, acoustic and synthesised sounds. Her latest album was accompanied by self-directed video work and she currently hosts an NTS Radio show called Desire Paths, alongside a series of collaborative improvised music nights of the same name.
⛢ Auclair
Auclair is a British-Rwandan music and sound artist. Her work explores rhythm, voice and electronica - treating everyday life like new mythologies and taking an embodied approach to exploring ideas with sound. Alongside a series of releases, her versatility has led to a wide range of multidisciplinary projects and collaborations. Her latest EP Giramata is out now on Amorphous Sounds, written/recorded/produced by Auclair, with additional production and mix from Kwes (Warp Records) and visuals by Dark Angel Services.