CHEERIO PUBLISHING presents an exciting trilogy of events in conjunction with the exhibition Pariah Genius: John Deakin, the Psychobiography of a Photographer, being staged at Swedenborg House.

In the third event in the series, join novelist Iain Sinclair, artist John Christie and psychogeographer and author John Rogers for a screening of Christie’s seminal documentary film Salvage of a Soho Photographer (1991, 26 mins) about John Deakin, the subject of Iain’s new novel, and a conversation between two of London’s most notable chroniclers.

Both a celebration of Iain’s new book Pariah Genius and a finissage of the exhibition, follow John, Iain and John in the footsteps of Deakin, whose fragmentary images of Soho life – and the world of Francis Bacon and his friends – have so influenced our perception of one of British art’s most fecund generations.

The evening will including a specially recorded appearance from comic book legend Alan Moore in converastion with Iain Sinclair.

Attendees who buy the book will also get a free glass of wine and have the opportunity to have their copies signed.

Pariah Genius will be on sale at the discounted price of £17.50 on the night.

John Christie, still from Salvage of a Soho Photographer (1991).

Biogs

JOHN CHRISTIE is a noted filmmaker, visual artist and maker of artists’ books, whose works are keenly aware of the interplay between geometry, colour and space. He co-authored the title I Send You This Cadmium Red—a collection of correspondence considering colour—with John Berger and co-founded the publisher Full Circle Editions. His artwork is represented within the collections of institutions such as the Tate Gallery and V&A.

ALAN MOORE is the author of some of the best-known comic books and strips, including Batman: The Killing Joke, From Hell, Promethea, Swamp Thing, Watchmen and V for Vendetta, many of which have gone on to inspire hugely successful Hollywood films. Alan published the novel Jerusalem in 2006 and the short story collection Illuminations in 2022 and he has been described by Rolling Stone as ‘One of the great fiction minds of his generation’.

JOHN ROGERS is a writer and filmmaker, who is the author of This Other London – Adventures in the Overlooked City (2018) and Welcome to New London: Journeys and Encounters in the Post-Olympic City (2023). He is the director of the documentaries London Overground (with Iain Sinclair), The London Perambulator (2009), Make Your Own Damn Art – the World of Bob and Roberta Smith (2012), and In the Shadow of the Shard (2018). He produces a regular series of London walks on YouTube with over 68,000 subscribers.

IAIN SINCLAIR is considered one of London’s greatest chroniclers. Iain’s early work consisted mostly of poetry which he published on his own small press, Albion Village Press. His novels include Downriver (winner of the James Tait Black Prize and the Encore Prize) and Dining on Stones (shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize). Non-fiction books, exploring the myth and matter of London, include Lights Out for the Territory, London Orbital and Ghost Milk: Calling Time on the Grand Project. For the Swedenborg Society he has written Blake’s London: The Topographic Sublime (2011); Swimming to Heaven: The Lost Rivers of London (2013); and (with Brian Catling) Several Clouds Colliding (2012).

About the organizer

CHEERIO PUBLISHING is an eclectic, independent publishing imprint and production company launched in 2020 in association with The Estate of Francis Bacon. They commission innovative books and films that confound received ideas and open the door to new perceptions, aiming to bring unusual books to a mainstream audience. In the spirit of Francis Bacon’s work, CHEERIO are here to intrigue, disturb and thrill. They have published works by Jeremy Deller, DBC Pierre, Ingrid Swenson and Sarah Fletcher, amongst others.