Adventures in the House of Memory
Terror of the Imagination

A Foundation, Liverpool

As part of the Liverpool Biennial, the A Foundation invited international guests to join them to explore the politics and aesthetics of the contemporary imagination.

I presented a series of conversations, performances and screenings including a performance with Richard Wilson and Phil the Messenger which used various invocatory devices to have a conversation with, rather than about, Paul Burwell, (1948-2007) a long-time collaborator with Richard and myself, especially as the group, the Bow Gamelan Ensemble. I had contacted Phil the Messenger when I was searching for a psychic to work with on one of the short films that finally became the project TAPS which was shown in 2010. We did a seance together to conjure Paul, during which Phil said he was a golden eagle flying towards us. Just then a great gust of wind roared around the house and an ice-cream van started playing  Greensleeves, a juxtaposition of sounds that Paul would have appreciated. I asked Phil to be present during the performance to ‘hold onto’ Paul with us and we used other devices such as Richard and I swallowing some of Paul’s ashes washed down with Lagavulin whisky (Paul’s favourite) as we began the performance. Phil joined in by coming up to speak of his recognition of Paul. The séance was filmed and edited by Patricia Wells with Brian Routh.