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Now in it's sixth year, the increasingly popular Act Art returned to The Arches last Friday for its latest installation of, um, installations! A huge collection of artists ranging from the avant-garde to the avant-a-clue (or was that just me?) painted themselves, painted each other, sang, mimed, told stories, made music, breast fed, played with food, made a mess and even masturbated for the collective. There was live performance, films, artworks, interactive installations and much more. French punk bears in stockings and heels (Chose Chaton), a monologue on childhood sex abuse (La John Joseph), darling Ryan Styles' superb Old Age, Stav B up a ladder, Dee Mee Tree making Russkia Beats in 'I did this for you to like me' and Lady Kitt in a tent being controlled by audience texts. The sheer diversity of the performers, performances and experiences was staggering and overwhelming. Take 100 years of the Turner Prize, wrap it up in some tortured Francis Bacon, sprinkle liberally with some Dali surrealism and you barely get a quarter of the way towards Act Art. Curated by Mark Massive and Olly Frost, it is in a class of its own and while some of the pieces were forgettable, the gems shone out like beacons in a Munch landscape. Topped off by a finale from Andy Bell and dancing to the tunes of Mark Moore, this was the event the phrase 'something for everyone' was written for.

words and photos by Chris Jepson