Dazed Digital - ActArt

(Working my way round a wretched ex-industrial factory whilst hairless, vacuum-waxed asexuals unleashed terror upon themselves in every corner wasn't a usual Friday night out. Though it was a very entertaining, and at times refreshingly self-depricating smorgasbord of fetish talent, I can't tell people what went on there as they wouldn't like me any more.)

ACT ART showcase twisted, debased fetish art like no-one else. Inspired by the Viennese Actionists and Marina Abramovic's infamous Rhythm projects, founders Oliver Frost and Marc Massive take their work seriously. Their eighth event, this Friday, aims to stir perceptions of censorship, coercion and marginalisation through a variety of gaudy and salacious shows at Angel's Islington Metal Works, once a 19th Century horse house. In exploring the cerebral shades of fetishism, the night offers a selection of outlets for the 100+ pool of artists, many of whom have never set foot in an installation: From arthouse and world cinema screenings to 2 and 3D pieces, spoken word features and music sets, the display is spread evenly in effort to, as Marc and Oliver claim, 'decompartmentalise' conceptual art. Dazed Digital caught up with the provocateurs to discuss cummy pig heads, vaginas, voyeurism and the method behind the madness.

Dazed Digital: How did ACT ART come about?

Marc: I came on board the ACT ART ship when I met Oliver six years ago, and we’ve produced events and club nights ever since. As live artists, we felt there were lack of opportunities for emerging cross-discipline artists to show their work alongside more established individuals. In attempting to break down the elitist programming system that artists often have to operate in, the project was born.

DD: What were you hoping to achieve with it?

Oliver: Our agenda has always been to show experimental, radical, confrontational and non-mainstream art alongside less challenging and more entertainment-based works. The last thing we want to do is to produce a freak show or be seen as sensationalist just for the sake of it, but we do realise that some of the work we exhibit is quite thrilling to watch. Our aim is to programme work that is often overlooked and difficult to get commissioned.

DD: What can we expect from the night - what will guests see, feel, touch and smell?

Marc: If you like your entertainment to be safe and comfortable, ACT ART is not for you. There’s a unique energy created when different pieces of work run simultaneously - the building is usually exploding with creativity. There are more extreme shows on the main stage like Mouse who sucks up fluids with her vagina and sprays them all over the audience, Alex Fear’s show that sees him splashing about in a paddling pool of offal whilst fucking a mutated pigs head, and other less provocative and interactive exhibits.

DD: Are there any other similar nights going on in London that you feel you compete with?

Oliver: As far as I know we are the only movement that showcases work from all artistic disciplines in single night events, from the extreme performance scene to intimate one-to-one live shows and more traditional art works.

DD: Is there a balance between people who turn up for voyeuristic kicks and those approaching it from an artistic point of view?

Oliver: There probably are some who turn up for novelty and sensationalist reasons, and others who appreciate the event for its diverse programming. We’re not against spectacle for spectacle's sake - not all visual work needs to be deep or political, sometimes it's fine for work to be visually stunning and nothing else. We want to bring the unexpected to the forefront, and present works that are challenging, thought-provoking, emotional and sometimes uncomfortable to watch.

DD: Any other projects in the pipeline?

Marc: After Friday, I'm looking forward to working on a new album with my band Massive Ego. We’d love to open up a space for regular nights; using it maybe for a combination of purposes that allows us to have an art-space that can operate on a day-to-day basis rather than just occasionally, but it's a big project and it all takes time. One day though, hopefully!