People Like Us now have an additional official website, for handling t-shirts, tote bags, greeting cards, postcards, prints and mugs. We’re continuing to use the same supplier but this time directly, so this change allows us to offer the same high-quality organic cotton t-shirts but at significantly lower prices.
Additionally, we have a brand-new t-shirt and tote bag design featuring a sneak peek of artwork from our upcoming CD, called “Copia”, set to release in May 2024.
First there is experience. Then we attach a story to it.
The Library of Babel is a vast library of words. Some combine to make stories of consequence, others are nonsensical.
The library is complete. Yet searching it is futile.
Using dense collage and splintered narrative, “The Library of Babel” is a new audio-visual performance by People Like Us, a journey through cinema and sound where the actors are set adrift from their story, left with pure experience.
The title is inspired by a 1941 Jorge Luis Borges short story, exploring 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, focussed 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 this new work by People Like Us, traditional storytelling gets a modern twist through the amalgamation of audio-visual collage and intricate editing techniques. The digital narrative reconfigures, decomposes, redirects, and recombines images with sounds that are often already ingrained in audience’s collective consciousness due to their prior associations within the selected materials. Initially, they sail on a journey of previous associations and memories. However, the extensive fusion of source materials evolve them into a unified whole, severing past affiliations and pioneering uncharted territory that transcends memory to become a singular, immersive experience. Rather than adhering to a linear progression of events, the thematic narrative unfolds in layered complexities, offering a fragmented but coherent tale achieved through a blend of various sources and an ‘exquisite corpse’ approach.
Using collage as a medium democratises the content, making it resonant not just for aficionados of art, film, or music, but for a broad cross-section of the community. The technique is a universal entry point that appeals to both young and old, presenting elements that can communicate varied messages about film, music, culture, or society. Alternatively, the collage can stand alone as an extraordinary experience devoid of an overt narrative. Indeed, the aim is to use storytelling as a tool to transcend the preconceived notions and internal stories that audiences may bring with them.
The Library of Babel is an incredible work. Beautiful and dreamlike as ever but I particularly enjoyed the pace of this one as well – it felt like there was a bit more breathing space which allowed me to appreciate it all the more. And because there were fewer references that I instantly recognised (maybe I just don’t watch enough films!) I found myself intellectualising it less, (ie thinking about the original texts and the juxtapositions between them) and enjoying the images in and of themselves instead … Gone, Gone Beyond was amazing and certainly psychedelic – blew me away as an experience – but Babel felt more emotionally affecting and yes definitely immersive … I felt the same way about the music as the visuals, with less familiar reference points to digest it felt more about the immediate experience and less about semiotics – Tom Mugridge, November 2023
Sent an IndieGoGo Perks update last week, but went for a walk in the sun today so decided to shoot a little video! Music under the video is our collaboration with Ergo Phizmiz, on The Library of Babel gig and our forthcoming album.
We made a fundraiser to help us spend time this year to create a new touring audiovisual performance and album, with a whole list of very exclusive merchandise and experiences in connection with that. Hope you can lend a hand and take this show on the road with us 🙂 The initial campaign is now completed but for now, you can still get a whole bunch of exclusive merch and recordings and help us to keep things going this year while making the new work. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/people-like-us-new-album-and-tour
We’ve moved as much of our shop as we can over to bandcamp – which not only sells digital but also merchandise (CDs, records, cassettes). The link below is still managed by us as well as any necessary visits to the post office, it’s just a lot easier to use than going through our website, and gets us more random traffic too 🙂 https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/
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
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]
We’ve made an edit of the video that we shot of our Cafe OTO residency, here it is.
edit by Vicki
Thanks to those of you who managed to attend the event, and all of you who’ve helped fund my IndieGoGo campaign this year, along with our Patreons who help us on a day-to-day basis to pay for our rather steep usage of computer-related electricity power, and Café OTO for being totally brilliant. And of course, my friends, the artists, my inspiration!
Now we will return to making more of our solo performance The Library of Babel (which you see an excerpt of in the above video), continuing to make a new album.
PEOPLE LIKE US Cafe OTO ARTIST RESIDENCY 27 / 28 / 29 OCTOBER 2023
PEOPLE LIKE US | MAGGIE NICOLS | ERGO PHIZMIZ | GWILLY EDMONDEZ | POREST | IRENE MOON | ERIK BUNGER | HEARTY WHITE
Vicki edit of our residency!
Cafe OTO is proud to announce a new artist residency, featuring multimedia artist Vicki Bennett aka People Like Us. Vicki has collaborated with a wide range of artists and musicians; some are joining us for this 3-Day residency, both solo and in collaboration. The residency includes a preview of the new People Like Us audiovisual performance The Library of Babel.
Our new People Like Us AV performance The Library of Babel will be on at Brighton Cinecity at Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on 14 November 2023, on a double bill with our good friend Blevin Blectum.
Thanks to The WIRE Magazine for having us write The Inner Sleeve feature in the new October 2023 issue of the magazine. We chose Marc & the Mambas “Untitled”.
