Rosa Barba: Subject to Constant Change at Cornerhouse

For some, a trip to the cinema acts as some form of escape that requires little thinking. But now, Cornerhouse and Turner Contemporary have joined forces to expose film’s more material properties and the detailed structure of cinematic narratives. This exhibition, which centres around Subconscious Society, a piece of film based on the end of the industrial age, is a display of solo creations from celebrated visual artist Rosa Barba, known for her cinematic film installations, sculptures and publications. The film archives the memories and reflections of local residents’ experiences of the age of mechanical reproduction and analogue technology, all filmed within the grand surroundings of the historic Albert Hall (currently under renovation by the Trof group). Shown in contrast with the post-industrial exterior scenes of Kent’s Thames Estuary, it seeks to outline the advancement of leisure culture against the demise of the functions and meanings of past objects. Think collapsing piers, rusting boats and deserted buildings, as the idea of cinematic nostalgia is brought into the real world. The other half of this exhibition is showing at Turner Contemporary in Margate between Fri 1 Feb and Mon 6 May.

Sat 26 Jan – Sun 24 Mar, Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street, M1 5NH, Tel: 0161 150 2000, Closed Mondays, FREE, www.cornerhouse.org