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acon@afoundation.com

How did it compere?

Paddy Bramwell was compere at the aconvention. Here's his overview

The aconvention was set in the most fantastic hotel; any horror film director would wet their pants for the place. Over the course of the weekend, in the main lobby, a gynaecologist's exam, a homeopathy conference, a military vehicle appreciation society and a fashion show for Confetti magazine all took place in the main lobby while we sauntered through looking for aconvention events.

In one room, people would discuss the relevance of art as a reaction to terrorism and the nature of terrorism itself while ten steps away a couple of hundred people watched girls catwalking in wedding-night lingerie. Uri Geller could be found talking to a room of people that seemed to be on the verge of saying in one voice, 'Oh shut up, just shut up, you silly man.' But no-one did, because everyone is transfixed by his weird celebrity. I never knew it was an ambition of mine to see Uri Geller and Pete Wylie on the same night, in the same bizarre location, until it was fulfilled.

On Saturday, a man in his sixties wearing a blazer and tie with a picture of a tank on it stood and watched Chloe Poems in her wig and gingham dressing gown perform her poem 'The Queen sucks Nazi Cock' - and didn't leave.

The whole weekend had the most vague sense of timing. Events couldn't start until the audience wandered in, except the audience wouldn't wander in until the event started.

I have never seen so much technology being used outside of PC World. People were filming each other filming computer screens that were being projected onto backdrops being photographed by the artist. There were talks and discussions and performances and parties and shows and installations, all involving some mix of space or technology or politics or philosophy or alcohol or mediaeval prostitutes or toast or music or film, and all among those weird corridors with their marble walls and wallpapered ceilings.

The aconvention can be done again and should be done again but can never be repeated.