Contrasting rich, buttery song with a brutalist aesthetic, the teaser film released by Gareth Pugh ahead of his AW17 show tonight has us tingling with excitement.

Directed by Pugh’s long-time collaborators Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin, the startling black and white aesthetic is infused with powerful sound courtesy of Rebekah Del Rio – star of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive – who performs a haunting version of her signature song ‘Llorando.’

The film opens with a quote from Shakespeare’s King Lear, “‘Tis’ the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind”, setting a strong precedent for a political context in his AW17 show. As Pugh notes, the film is “a vision of a world on the precipice of anarchy.”

If Pugh’s previous shows are anything to go by, audiences can expect his AW17 collection to be a damning indictment on the state of current affairs.

In the meantime, watch Gareth Pugh’s AW17 film here.

Tags: AW17, Gareth Pugh, Gareth Pugh AW17, Twin Issue 15, Twin XV

The Julia Stoschek Collection in Berlin is a private collection of contemporary international art. With the gallery’s focus on time-based media, the ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ exhibition is perfectly in keeping with its ethos. Made up of 39 artworks by 30 contributing artists, including installation artist Isaac Julien and sculptor Guan Xiao, ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ includes video installations and even fragrance-based art. The works are rooted in our understanding of evolution, investigating an alternative interpretation of anthropology and zoology.

Taking its inspiration from 18^th Century explorer Alexander van Hombolt, who was the first researcher to point out how the forces of nature, both animate and inanimate, work together, the name of the exhibition is a reference to Hombolt’s chronicles of the New World. The chronicles were published in 1853, in a special edition entitled ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’. The collection of works in the exhibition describe a reality that no longer distinguishes between the natural world and artificiality, but sees them as a whole and as equals.

‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ explores some notable themes, including looking at the existence of indigenous people today, hybrids and synthetic forms of life, migration, and the different influences that impact our constantly changing perceptions of reality.

The exhibition will run until late November The Julia Stoschek Collection in Berlin.

Tags: Julia Stoschek Collection in Berlin, Twin Issue 15, Twin magazine, Twin XV

At a time when liberal values are being challenged and questioned in the West, the story of George Montague‘s campaign is timely. In November 2016, George, a 93-year-old gay man, marched on Downing Street to present Theresa May with a petition signed by 16,000 people. The petition demanded an apology for the discrimination against homosexuality and the abuse that gay men endured under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. Before homosexuality was legalised in 1967, the act often culminated in arrests and criminal records for men persecuted for their sexual orientation.

George, who was convicted of gross indecency in 1974, brought the case to the Prime Minister on behalf of all gay men who were forced to suffer shame and embarrassment as a result of the Act.

A new film from Hilow Films invites viewers into George’s life as he embarks on his journey to No.10, celebrating his activism, sense of humour, loving nature and commitment to securing the ‘sorry’ that gay men of his generation are yet to receive. You can watch the new film exclusively below.

The Hardest Word from Hilow Films on Vimeo.

Tags: gay rights, George Montague, political activism, Twin Issue 15, Twin XV