Cinema Povera: 'The Waste Land' - live expanded cinema performance
Saturday 1st May 2010
5.30-7pm
Old TK Maxx Unit, Plaza Shopping Centre, Leeds
Published in 1922 in the aftermath of the First World War, T.S Eliot’s epic poem of the 20th Century still divides opinion and remains as mysterious today as when it was first written.
Against the backdrop of a devastated Europe with the portentous rise of nationalism, social fragmentation and growing economic turmoil, The Waste Land was written in an atmosphere of uncertainty and creative experimentation. Europe had seen the unparalleled horror of the First World War with death on an unimaginable scale and the seeds of fascism were firmly planted in the ruins. In Britain, two million were unemployed after economic collapse, and the traditional social order was falling apart. This was a period of economic turmoil, hardship and desperation yet paradoxically it was also a time of unparalleled wealth and technological advance.
Written over a number of years and dedicated to his close friend Ezra Pound, The Waste Land is a complex work, yet it contains some of the most intense and beautiful lines ever written.
Chris Hall and Ian Harker present a new interpretation of the poem finding a striking resonance in today's confused and turbulent age of flickering images, financial crises, and permanent war. Although in later years Eliot distanced himself from interpretations of the poem as social commentary, the poem can be seen as a desperate search for the affirmative and a refusal of a barren society.
The Waste Land will be read as part of a multi-sensory expanded cinema performance incorporating live projection and a live performed soundtrack.
The performance will last an hour and admission is free.
