Portobello Film Festival – Original Pink Floyd Light Show!
Early, original Pink Floyd light shows, unseen for many years, as well as original footage of the band kick off the music strand of the Portobello Film Festival this weekend (August 5th from 2pm – 11pm at Westbourne Studios. Full listings link), celebrating the theme of this year's Festival – Portobello's bohemian cultural heritage and the birthplace of Pink Floyd and Carnival.
The Pink Floyd light shows, groundbreaking in their day, were created by Mark and Joan Boyle – The Boyle Family art collective – who lived in and around Notting Hill in the 1960's. The psychedelic light shows were produced using projection pieces presenting physical and chemical change: boiling water, burning slides and bodily fluids – producing a liquid light of exploding colours which became the visual accompaniment to bands including Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine, and, of course Pink Floyd.
The Day also features films by Peter Whitehead – one of the greatest avant-garde film-makers of the '60's, who's films stand as a record of the decade's counter-culture – films by the Boyle Family, as well as a panel discussion featuring Free School survivors John Hopkins, John Michell and others.
Now in its 11th year, Portobello Film Festival, Europe's biggest independent film festival, runs from 3rd – 22nd August 2006 and will feature over 500 brand new shorts from established and new directors from all over the world, as well as cutting edge art and music films
Uniquely, all screenings and events are free, taking over many of the bars, studios, cinemas, galleries and parks across Notting Hill and Portobello, making it a real community affair, while giving independent film-makers direct access to film industry insiders and audiences of around 15,000 film-lovers.