Lowry Lounge

ThE LOWRY LOUNGE

Malcolm Lowry reclining in a deck chair at Dollarton, 1945 (University of British Columbia Library,

Rare Books and Special Collections, Malcolm Lowry Collection, BC 1614/07)

The 2012 Lowry Lounge at the Bluecoat

Saturday 27 October 11am-6pm

The Bluecoat’s annual celebration of Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry (author of Under the Volcano) comprises a psychogeographical walking tour of Liverpool with artist Colin Dilnot and an afternoon at the Bluecoat including the launch of The Firminist No 3, an occasional journal of all things Lowry, performances, talks and music.

THE PROGRAMME

Part One: 11am-1pm. The Walk: Lowry's Many-voiced Mersey

A walk around Liverpool with Lowry fanatic Colin Dilnot that will explore the streets in Lowry's 'terrible city', heading to the Mersey, the writer's ‘risk-laden escape route from lunacy into uncertainty’. Assemble at the Bluecoat and finish there. Come prepared for inclement weather. Limited capacity so book early.

1-2pm break – refreshments available from the Bluecoat’s Espresso or Bistro

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Part Two at the Bluecoat: 2-6pm. The Lounge:

Launch of The Firminist No 3

This occasional journal dedicated to Lowry has a music focus this time and is introduced by its editor Mark Goodall.

Bryan Biggs and Cathy Butterworth: From Allerton to Dollarton

Audio visual presentation inspired by their recent trip to Vancouver in search of Lowry.

Robert Sheppard: David Markson & Lowry  

David Markson (1927-2010) got to know Lowry while writing a thesis on Under The Volcano and went on to develop his own distinctive style. His Wittgenstein's Mistress has been described as ‘pretty much the high point of experimental fiction in this country (USA)’. Robert Sheppard has been searching David Markson's late novels for hints of Lowry. He found some, will read some of them, and will attempt to say why he has become so captivated by these anti-novels.

Mark Goodall: The Sinister Quarter: Malcolm Lowry and Ivan Chtcheglov

Film and discussion of how Lowry’s writing influenced the radical post-war Paris scene that spawned Situationism, focusing on Ivan Chtcheglov, whose tragic life echoed Lowry’s own.

Annick Drösdal-Levillain: Lowry and the Norse Resonance

Exploration by French Lowry expert of Lowry’s Nordic connection, based on bio-bibliographical miscellanea.

Helen Tookey and Cathy Butterworth: “Darling, why did I leave? Why did you let me?”

Spoken word performance drawing on Lowry’s ‘lost correspondence’ in Under the Volcano, using postcards, written from the heart, left over a few weeks by visitors to the Bluecoat.

Toast to Lowry

Film: Dziga Vertov’s Man With A Movie Camera (1929) (68 mins)

An extraordinary piece of filmmaking, a montage of urban Russian life showing people at work and at play, and the machines that keep the city going. Vertov's first full-length film, it uses a variety of cinematic techniques - dissolves, split screen, slow motion and freeze-frames - to create an exhilarating montage. It was included in the 1929-30 Cambridge Film Guild season attended by Lowry, who later imbued his writing with a literary version of montage taken from films like Man With A Movie Camera.

Throughout: musical interludes from Bryan Biggs on the decks

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The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX www.thebluecoat.org.uk

Tickets: The Walk £5 (places limited)/Lowry Lounge £3/combined ticket £6: available from the Bluecoat Tickets & Information, 0151 702 5324