Welcome to my World

Welcome to my World is a weekend programme of artists’ films and conversations at the Arnolfini exploring lived experiences of Black masculinity and depression, psychosis and neurodivergence. Taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, the event features artists Larry Achiampong, Marcus Coates, Joanne Dorothea-Smith, Louisa Fairclough, Patrycja Loranc and Mars Saude.

FRIDAY 16 MAY, 7PM–9PM

LARRY ACHIAMPONG, GHOST_DATA_ + Q&A with Larry Achiampong and Ben Borthwick

In A Letter (Side B), which is partially filmed on a hacked Gameboy camera, Achiampong recounts a deeply personal moment in a counselling room following a suicide attempt, offering a raw portrayal of his mental health struggles. The story unfolds against a backdrop of structural inequalities that historically, marginalised communities continue to face today. A Pledge is a work that explores the interconnected states of generational trauma, seclusion, mental and physical health and communal agency through the acts of driving and Gōjū-ryū Karate. (Trigger warning: Contains flashing lights and scenes of a sensitive nature including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and racism). BOOK NOW

SATURDAY 17 MAY, 3PM–3.30PM

LOUISA FAIRCLOUGH, Mental Falls

Mental Falls is a short lyrical essay film by Louisa Fairclough weaving the voices of singers with Louisa’s own voice in a close observation of her sister Hetta Fairclough’s sketchbook. Hetta (1973-2008) produced a remarkable sketchbook of drawings which take the form of assemblages and visual poems pulling on her own experience of anxiety, depression and mania. Page by page Louisa’s interpretation of her sister’s drawings – spoken and sung – becomes the soundtrack to the film. BOOK NOW

SATURDAY 17 MAY, 4PM–6PM

MARCUS COATES, The Directors + Q&A with Marcus Coates and Cherry Smyth

The Directors, commissioned by Artangel, is a collaboration between artist Marcus Coates and five individuals in recovery from different lived experiences of psychosis. Positioned behind the camera, each of them directs Coates in a filmed restaging of particular episodes from their lives. The resulting films challenge cultural stigma through an attempt to understand different realities. Of the five short films, three will be screened: Anthony, Stephen and Lucy followed by a Q&A with Marcus Coates and art writer Cherry Smyth. BOOK NOW

SUNDAY 18 MAY, 7PM–9PM

The Brain is a Literal Object

A film and performance event exploring autistic poetics through projections and live narration, with Joanne Dorothea-Smith, Patrycja Loranc, and Mars Saude. BOOK NOW