Working out of a shared studio in Deptford, South East Drift was started at the beginning of 2016 by Amber Hanson Rowe but is run by and encompasses many creatives on rotation. Regulars include Ellen Camilla Rose, Alistair Leys and Sol King for example.
It is a somewhat ambiguous entity so far, as Drift has organised events for art, music and zines, produced videos, magazines and T Shirts with artists and is even releasing vinyl in the near future. There are no plans to conform or hinder the diversity and spread of projects and there is no clear aim other than to create a space and opportunity for people seeking out collaboration and to highlight the talent in South East London.
Naturally it has developed an identifiable aesthetic and sound from the beginning because of the concentration of artists working from the same area of London. But this may change as more and more people are getting involved from further afield. Recent exhibition ‘Sleep Easy’ had participants from SE London, Latvia, Berlin, Vienna, Finland, Turkey, Canada, Sweden, and various U.S states.
Next projects to be expected are videos featuring the musicians Gus Dapperton and Gazelle and a short video highlighting the Sleep Easy exhibition shot by Reuben Bastienne-Lewis and photography by Esther Collins.
1 film
One of my favourite films, which I find really inspiring in both its approach to the format, and in the non-linear storyline, is Richard Linklater’s ’Slacker’. The way that the narrative of the film is essentially non-sequential, and non-chronological, but the film is led by a series of vignettes, which draw a broader picture that ends up covering a wide range of different subjects.
Slacker by Richard Linklater
2 musician/producer
Stones Throw Records’ roster of artists and producers has always interested me; the diversity of the artists themselves reflects a lot of my own attitudes towards music. Specifically one producer who stands out to me is Mndsgn, the line between electronic and analog is something which I find really interesting, and his music makes an interesting comment on that divide, through his use of instrumentation, production and even in the format of his output, using vinyl as well as virtual platforms like Bandcamp.
Mndsgn – Camelblues
3 video game
The video game ‘Hotline Miami’ is really inspiring to me; the storyline is (similarly to ’Slacker’) not entirely linear and uses multiple framing devices, which work really well in connection with the text-based dialogue which progress the storyline itself. As well as this, the soundtrack is a driving force in the game, with the framing devices actually having an affect on the music itself; with some of the tracks replaying over at the game’s natural interval, and others only appearing once or twice. I think the game on the whole, was a really unique experience, especially as it was made with a very small development team on board.
4 artist
Michael DeForge is a Canadian illustrator and comic book artist, whose work I find really interesting, both in his clean-cut style of drawing, and in the kinds of topics he deals with in his graphic novels, which can range from philosophical questions, to more grounded comments on fitting into the current climate in the world.
Michael DeForge, First Year Healthy
5 book
Haruki Murakami is an author who is hugely inspiring, when I was younger I read a lot, and it has taken me a while now I’m a bit older to find books and authors that suit me more. But finding Murakami, and reading his series of short stories in ‘The Elephant Vanishes’, has given me a drive to read more of his books, as well as other books in turn. The short length, which is the nature of the stories in this book, was a big proponent for me to start reading again. Many of his stories feature a listless sense of ennui in his characters, as well as a lot surreal situations and Dadaist lines of thinking, with a slight step in the direction of being fantasy, without becoming completely unreal. Completing this profile has actually made me see a theme in the kind of features I find interesting in any piece of creativity, regardless of the format it takes.
Haruki Murakami, The Elephant Vanishes
Publications by South East Drift will feature at the Istanbul Zine Fest, April 22- 24th.
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For more recommendations on what to read, watch or listen to, go here.
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