Anna Chen previews Anna May Wong Must Die!

I finally got to preview my multimedia presentation, Anna May Wong Must Die!, a personal journey through the life and crimes of Anna May Wong, at the Salthouse Gallery on Friday 8th May 2009 as part of the St Ives Literary Festival.

Developing my radio programme, A Celestial Star In Piccadilly, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January, this hour-long educational show gives me the chance to expand on my social criticism and include material which had to be left out due to time constraints.

It had poetry, music, sex and technical glitches galore. There was no cable to link up my Mac to the projector or the big speakers, so Alban saved the day by transferring the entire file onto his PC and I controlled it from there. Dramatic sounds, transitions and fonts were lost, and I was plunged into a crepuscular gloom in the absence of lighting, but it was a laid-back affair and a great time was had by all.

Next outing is an extract at the Roxy Bar & Screen in South London, Tuesday 26th May, introduced by film historian Jasper Sharp. This is a themed night with a screening of Piccadilly (1929) which Anna May Wong made in Britain, re-released by BFI in 2005 with a new musical score to mark the centenary of her birth. Shanghai sounds from Resonance FM Lucky Cat DJ, Zoe Baxter.

Radio show, A Celestial Star In Piccadilly, produced by Chris Eldon-Lee and Mukti Jain Campion for Culture Wise


UPDATE: Anna May Wong Must Die! pages now live