Welcome to the only official site for People Like Us and Vicki Bennett
Taste the Moment!
On Miracle Nutrition with Hearty White on WFMU: Featuring People Like Us, Gwilly Edmondez and more! Listen here (the show is one hour long) https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/146346
People Like Us will return to play in Cologne on 4 December 2024
Info here: https://www.reihe-m.de/?p=5512
https://cas.illinois.edu/node/2915
Introduction by special guest Hearty White
Inspired by a 1941 Jorge Luis Borges short story, The Library of Babel (2024) explores themes related to the complex interplay of infinity, knowledge, and the cosmic fabric, presented through the metaphor of a vast, seemingly infinite library. In the story, the librarians are isolated, focused on an almost religious or existential quest, struggling to find meaningful texts amidst an overwhelming number of nonsensical or irrelevant books. The library itself has no goals or intentions; a canvas onto which searchers project their quests for meaning. The narrative delves into the angst and crises of those that explore its depths, raising questions about our ability to manage, navigate, and find meaning from vast amounts of information. In her film inspired by the story, artist Vicki Bennett relies on an amalgamation of audio-visual collage and intricate editing techniques to reconfigure, decompose, redirect, and recombine images with sounds that are often already ingrained in audience’s collective consciousness. Rather than adhering to a linear progression of events, her thematic narrative unfolds in layered complexities, offering a fragmented but coherent tale achieved through a blend of various sources and an ‘exquisite corpse’ approach.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Bennett and White on their independent and collaborative creative journeys in seeking meaning, social connection, and joy through the mediums of radio, video, and performance.
Hosted by: College of Fine & Applied Arts. Thanks to Kevin Hamilton.
In conjunction with: Department of Media & Cinema Studies, Department of Musicology, Department of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Illinois Public Media, School of Art + Design, Spurlock Museum, University Library
Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, UK
15 October 2024 https://www.starandshadow.org.uk/
People Like Us perform The Library of Babel
People Like Us & Gwilly Edmondez perform Chart Sweep
Core of the Coalman screening Elegy For The Sherbet Fleet
Heads up, we’ll take over the Star and Shadow Cinema in Newcastle with the above performances and screening.
“Mise en Abyme” by Vicki Bennett (October 2024)
Museu de Aveiro/Santa Joana, Avenida de Santa Joana, 3810-329 Aveiro, Portugal
2-20 October 2024 https://www.aveiro2024.pt/en/
In this widescreen, multi-speakered spatial cinema installation created for Aveiro 2024, Vicki Bennett (People Like Us) delves into the existential depths of human experience, using dense collage and a recursive narrative to explore the intricate dance between dualism and interconnectivity. Entitled “Mise en Abyme,” the installation thrusts viewers into a realm where actors are liberated from the confines of their scripted existence, navigating a sea of pure, unmediated sensation. Traditional storytelling is reimagined, employing a fusion of audio-visual collage and sophisticated editing techniques to dismantle and reassemble digital narratives, creating a tapestry woven from images and sounds that resonate deeply within the collective unconscious through their historical associations. The thematic narrative, unbound by linear constraints, unfolds through a series of layered complexities, offering a fragmented yet coherent tale forged from a myriad of sources and the innovative ‘exquisite corpse’ technique.
“Mise en Abyme” aims to use storytelling as a vessel to navigate beyond preconceived notions and internal narratives, inviting audiences into a space where the boundaries between self and other, between individual and collective experience, begin to blur.
The Artistic Technique
Vicki Bennett creates a sophisticated blend of audio-visual collage, layering historical and contemporary images and sounds to create a rich, immersive experience. The recursive narrative structure allows for a non-linear exploration of themes. The use of the ‘exquisite corpse’ technique further enhances this experience, as disparate elements are juxtaposed and interwoven, creating a seamless yet complex narrative tapestry. This method not only highlights the beauty of randomness but also demonstrates the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated elements.
Friday 13th September 2024 PEOPLE LIKE US perform The Library of Babel at Vostell Museum Malpartida, Caceres, Spain – the Fluxus museum!
Looking forward to this! https://www.cndm.mcu.es/node/23330
Join us on Wednesday, 26th June 2024 from 9-Noon (NY time), artist and WFMU DJ Vicki Bennett, aka People Like Us, appears live on Ken’s show on WFMU. She’ll discuss her new album, COPIA, being a WFMU DJ, and presenting her latest audiovisual performance, The Library of Babel. You can watch the performance on Ken’s playlist page and through the WFMU front page.
Listen and watch at WFMU.org
People Like Us will perform The Library of Babel at CON-STRUCT mini-festival
13 July 2024 | £12/£8 (concessions) | Pre-booking essential (limited capacity)
TICKETS confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/merch/con-struct-ticket
RACHEL MUSSON / OLIE BRICE / WILL GLASER / PEOPLE LIKE US / ANIA PSENITSNIKOVA / DAVID TOOP / KHABAT ABAS / PHIL DURRANT / BILL THOMPSON / CATH ROBERTS / MARK WASTELL
King Alfred Phoenix. Ivy Wood, North End Road, London NW11 7HY
Supported by The Wire: Adventures In Modern Music
People Like Us double bill with The Light Surgeons at the wonderful Flatpack Festival at The Birmingham Black Box Theatre 19 Harford St, Birmingham B19 3EB on 10th May 2024.
More info here: https://flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/people-like-us-and-the-light-surgeons
For your diary: Wed. Feb 14th, 9am-Noon NY Time:
DO or DIY with People Like Us fill in for Ken on WFMU
https://wfmu.org/playlists/pl
People Like Us perform The Library of Babel at Colchester Arts Centre
30th March 2024 / Doors open 7.30pm, gig starts 8pm / Support from Diacritical Mark
Tickets
The Wire Magazine Takeover, IKLECTIK, London
Wednesday 17 January 2024 | Doors: 8pm
We will be performing the new People Like Us AV performance The Library of Babel at The Wire Magazine takeover of IKLECTIK.
In the lead-up to the venue’s closure on 24th January, we invite you to join us for this, one of a series of closing benefit events, each a takeover of IKLECTIK by a different organiser with a special lineup. All proceeds go towards supporting the future of IKLECTIK.
Lineup: GAIKA [live] Elaine Mitchener [live] Loré Lixenberg [live] David Toop x Mark Wastell [live] People Like Us [AV set: The Library Of Babel]