We have the former SFMOMA and Whitney director David A Ross to thank for staging the first London show of American video art pioneer Peter Campus, taking place at Albion Gallery. Understandably, therefore, of the two artists in conversation with the curator, most in the UK will be far more familiar with the filmic works of 1996's Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon than those of his influential predecessor. Both, though, are key to the development of the medium and interpret the psychological space afforded by new media in ways that highlight the covert strategies of technology and narrative convention. The viewer becomes the unwitting star of Campus' impressively simple closed-circuit video installations of the '70s, through which one can simultaneously experience and examine what it means to exist in real-time. Gordon, meanwhile, is best known for his slo-mo manipulation of familiar or iconic film footage, such as Hitchcock's Psycho and of French footballing legend Zidane, that play with our preconceptions of the genre and the means through which the moving image is constructed. After experiencing Campus' early works at Albion, his simple articulation of complex ideas appears stark in contrast to this referentially loaded contemporary art moment: the timing of this exhibition and talk just couldn't be better.

NB: Peter Campus' exhibition at Albion Gallery runs till 24/04.

In 1796, Irishman Robert Barker secured a patent for his system of representing an entire landscape through painting. He began his work producing 360 degree images of the views across Edinburgh. The large circular structure needed -- the cyclorama -- went on to become an enormously successfully attraction during the early 19th century. O2 have commissioned architect Jason Bruges to develop the idea further. Employing high street technology, combined with some clever coding, The Memory Project hopes to examine our relationship with something called our collective digital memory. Housed in an impressive circular aluminium structure, 11 plasma screens will show stills taken from corresponding digital cameras directed outside. Alert thermal sensors housed above the screens then allow the viewer to summon past images from the structure's immense memory. To further complicate matters, a website connected to the structure will log the panoramic rings chronologically, allowing the user to remotely view any images that may feature themselves.

NB: The Memory Project will be installed at Gabriel's Wharf from 18/04 till 20/04 then will tour to Liverpool and Edinburgh the following weekends.

Private Property (in french Nue propriete), written and directed by one of Belgium's brightest young stars, Joachim Lafosse, has a train-wreck of a plotline. This arthouse drama explores the emotional repercussions of a family failing to pull themselves together after a divorce that happened 10 years ago. Mother Pascale, played by the exceptional Isabelle Huppert, is shackled to the family home by her pathetically dependent grown-up twin sons, Thierry and Fran?s -- acted by real-life brothers Jeremie (of L'enfant fame) and Yannick Renier. The three of them co-exist in a near-incestuous, claustrophobic and utterly messy state until the emotionally damaged Thierry, refusing to let his mother move on, unpicks the final threads that hold his family together. Lafosse skilfully evokes immense frustration and despair with long takes using a stationary camera, a slow pace and an achingly thin dialogue. And yet, all in all it is a mesmerising and intense gem of a film.

NB: Private Property is released in London on 18/04. Other films of note released on the same date are In Bruges and Happy-Go-Lucky.

Frauke Requardt is "really very German". Take from that what you will. A former Associate Artist at The Place, she presents her second full work as part of the Spring Loaded season (till 17/05). The choreographic process has been incredibly open and reflective; audiences in three countries have seen the piece as a work-in-progress and each international residency has shaped the cast, chords and content. Requardt's work is character driven; in Roadkill Cafe a group of misfits share their stories through speech and song. The pedestrian movement is by no means of secondary importance to its strong narrative, so expect this group of accomplished and articulate dancers to deliver an assured, mature performance. One of the intriguing aspects of Requardt's work is the sense of understated, casual perfectionism. There's a devil-may-care feel to her creations, but there is also slick and sensitive examination of her chosen themes; in this case, of individual identity and the notion of entertainment. Enter another world this weekend and join the cafe residents as contemporary dance collides with jazz.

NB: Frauke Requardt performs at The Place on both 18/04 and 19/04.

The Tiger Lillies are back in London and have a new show that revels in familiar Lillies territory, sin and depravity. For those who haven't seen them before, they are a three- piece cabaret noire band fronted by Martyn Jacques. They were in large part behind the success of the theatre show Shockheaded Peter and they have a worldwide following. For 7 Deadly Sins they manage to turn out songs about kicking babies down stairs and heroin-addled children that are both funny and touching. Filth and outrage is, for The Tiger Lillies, a wave that they ride, accompanied by deeper strains of melancholy distinguishing them from a shock-comedy band. They have, however, recycled some old songs and while the queer Punch And Judy act may be novel, it does not sufficiently take the place of a cabaret front man, a role Jacques seems reticent to fully assume. Still, there are some very good set pieces and the music and song writing is as tight as ever.

NB: runs till 26/04.

Since so much of the blogosphere spent 2007 salivating over Italians Do It Better, it's hard to believe that the label's brightest prospect has taken until now to reach these shores. The icy disco noir of Chromatics' Night Drive captures an irresistible intensity of emotion, reflected most strongly in Ruth Radelet's vocals. But the trio's fusion of soft downtempo and Italo-influenced disco also owes a lot to production virtuouso Johhny Jewel, the brains behind many and who is also one half of Chromatics' labelmate Glass Candy. If you're sensing an Italian love in, you'd be right. DJing in support is Italians' boss Mike Simonetti, a heavyweight of the disco revival in his own right. He's probably as pleased as anyone to see the rather enigmatic Scandinavians Studio in place to further fuel the notion of a US-Scandinavian axis running discoland. Their unassuming moniker and frankly non-descript titled LP West Coast proved thankfully to be little impediment to their lush Balearic soundscapes getting well-deserved attention. For those who like their house deep, the feast doesn't end there, as German duo of the moment Ame are promising a five-hour set. No wonder they need to keep the place open until midday on Sunday.

Warning: go and see this film with a group of friends and make sure you have a couple pints of cider, or something equally as mood/mind altering, beforehand. Think of a Dan Dare comic adventure mixed up with '50s sci-fi movies, the The Naked Gun series, TV's Spaced, a Star Wars-influenced storyline and a smattering of Brief Encounter-like romance. That's what you're hit with. It's weird, surreal even, and has its tongue firmly thrust in its cheek, but ultimately it's a wonderful labour of love and lo-tech invention from director Simon DaVison. And like it's bumbling hero Captain Eager (James Vaughan, coming on as a cross between Leslie Nielsen and John Wayne), its spirit soars triumphant. Tamsin Grieg's love interest, Jenny, is all Celia Johnson-esque fluttery gestures-meets -Princess Leia's kick-ass firebrand. The story is good vs evil, and revolves around past history between Eager and the black rubber clad Colonel Regamun (Rick Leaf). The screen format is labelled "Cardoscope", due to the amount of cardboard used in the special fx, and the make-up is heavily reliant on an excess of green face-paint. If none of this gets you, then just have a great time counting the number of continuity errors that occur whenever the elderly Professor Moon takes off his glasses.

NB: Post-screening catch a Q&A with the cast: Tamsin Greig, Mark Heap and Rick Leaf, and the director Simon DaVison. Captain Eager And The Mark Of Voth screens at the ICA from 18/04 till 08/05.

Though Dalston may have recently lost its "shithole of an area with a killer music scene" crown to New Cross, venues like Bardens Boudoir still provide plenty of good reasons to make the trek up the Kingsland Road. This Sunday it's the turn of the tastefully named Club Motherfucker to shock and awe us with a motley collection of electro punks, misfits and ne'er-do-wells such as ubiquitous art pranksters Le Couteau Jaune and the multi punctuated Teeth!!!. Of most interest, though, is an all too rare London show from French electro party starters DAT Politics, three laptop-toting noiseniks whose lo-fi shouty 8-bit rave has been electrifying dancefloors since 1999. Filling in the gaps and playing whatever the bloody hell they like (ROAR!) will be resident DJs Daugters Of The Kaos and Mar Dulok. Dedicated fashionistas may have long ago swapped electroclash, faux outrage and polysexual shenanigans for deck shoes, proper haircuts and Chris Rea b-sides but Club Motherfucker soldiers on, and in a sea of mediocrity is still a reliable bet for a messy Saturday night out.

It's a brave man who makes a mainstream film with no discernable storyline, but if there was ever such a man to do it, and give it popular appeal, it's Mike Leigh. His writer/director credits have veered from the off-beat contemporary comedy Secrets & Lies (wealthy black woman reunites with white woman who gave her up for adoption) to Vera Drake (1950s period piece about a neighbourly abortionist) via Topsy Turvy (gloriously theatrical biopic of Gilbert and Sullivan). Not quite working to a theme, is he? So, on to Happy-Go-Lucky, negligible storyline aside, it's about Poppy (Sally Hawkins,) an eccentric who is so bursting with life and the joys of spring it's almost (but not quite, which is the crucial thing) unbearable. The film simply shows her bouncing around, interacting with various normal people (i.e., people who can be, and are, grouchy). How people react to her effervescence and enthusiasm is funny, fascinating and weird -- especially in the case of her violently misanthropic, angry and slightly deranged driving instructor. It's these reactions/ interactions that drive the film and make it such a successful character piece. It's an odd one but definitely worth seeing -- especially if you can fire a few questions at the director afterwards, and believe us, you will want to.

NB: Happy-Go-Lucky is released in London on 18/04. Catch Mike Leigh for a free Q&A at SOAS on 12/05 (6pm). Other films of note released on the same date are In Bruges and Private Property.

Written and directed by the award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh (who won an Oscar for his short, Six Shooter) this bittersweet comedy didn't seem that promising at first but, it's as good a film as we've seen in the last year. Two hit men old hand, including Ken (marvellously rendered by the great Brendan Gleeson) and his younger colleague Ray, equally well realised by Colin Farrell, are holed up in Bruges awaiting instructions. Ken loves a bit of culture -- art galleries, medieval buildings, books -- while all Ray wants to do is get drunk, get shagged and then get the hell out of there. But as the tale unfolds, we discover that there are dark and extremely disturbing skeletons lurking in their closets, all ready, willing and able to jump out and bite them both on the bottom. With a pitch-perfect script, Eigil Bryld's stunning cinematographic impressions of Bruges, and excruciatingly adept performances from all, including from Jordan Prentice as Jimmy, the ketamine-enhanced, racist dwarf and Ralph Fiennes as the morally conscious gangland boss, this a truly wonderful film that you really must not miss.

NB: In Bruges is released in London on 18/04. Other films of note released on the same date are Happy-Go-Lucky and Private Property.

For many, including WB Yeats, Alfred Jarry's notorious character Pere Ubu, provides the quintessential satire on politics, aggrandisement and corruption. (Prince Bandar and BAE's "oiling" the wheels of the arms trade comes immediately to mind.) Among his innumerable incarnations, and ever since his first affront to an audience in 1896, Ubu has appeared as a vegetable, an etching, an actor, a woodcut, a cartoon, an opera singer, a puppet, a king, a colonialist and a cuckold, as well as having been, in an earlier life, one of Jarry's school teachers. With a collaboration between the Brothers Quay, renowned for their magical animations, and David Thomas' Pere Ubu band, celebrated for their Pataphysical rock, how will Ubu appear in the "rock opera" premiere of Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi? Perhaps he'll remind us still, and all too hideously, of some modern VIP -- a venal, yet impeachable politician. If you're not there, you will no doubt hear tales of it afterwards and always regret that you had thought you had something supposedly better to do on what promises to be a rather unusual evening.

NB: Pere Ubu performs at the QEH on both 24/04 and 25/04. This event is part of the Southbank Centre's Ether festival (18/04 till 28/04).

There's not a lot that hasn't been written about Sebastien Tellier since he emerged from the studio with his third full album Sexuality, a lush and eccentric meditation on all things erotic. Having audaciously written his name into the lexicon of the French musical establishment by befriending Air, Daft Punk and the country's Eurovision selection panel, he now promises a sexually charged live performance that lacks none of his characteristic peculiarity. Previous shows have seen him pour bottles of whisky over his head and stick cigarettes up his nose with the gusto of a deranged cabaret singer. Yet Tellier keeps his affected maverick persona together with a grace that allows him to claim his oeuvres are fit to spread-eagle across France's audio heritage. Allusions to and illusions of Gainsbourg through to Cassius are plentiful and could only be sustained by a man capable of penning a track as arresting as "La Ritournelle", or as lithe as "Sexual Sportswear". It's some wonder that this show hasn't already sold out, particularly since a ticket also buys you a sniff of hotly tipped Swede Lykke Li. Her powder-pop meanderings through soul and electronica are liable to have the smoothe Frenchman salivating as much as the next man.

NB: this gig will sell out so make sure you book your tickets in advance. Also, on 18/04 (8pm - 2:30am) catch Lykke Li at the Don't Panic Dance night At Proud.

NIE is a well-established international theatre company of practitioners from different European Countries and traditions. Their new show My Life With The Dogs takes you on a dangerous and bizarre journey through Moscow backstreets, telling the tale of Ivan, a four-year-old homeless boy who has spent two years of his life being cared for by a pack of wild dogs. As you enter the studio space of the BAC, you plough through a wacky Eastern European house party with characters drifting between stage and audience. The result is like a mixture of devised theatre and a happening. Using live music, clowning, animation and good old-fashioned story telling, the performance keeps you engaged with its substance from the moment you enter the space. Sometimes Ivan's tale feels too much like an emotional shortcut and one wishes it were more developed, but the quick pace, humour and the imaginative way of dealing with the complexity of the subject matter makes up for the imperfections in the writing. This is an emotionally and artistically challenging piece of theatre.

NB: runs till 03/05.

Over 20 years after its Venice premiere, Luigi Nono's masterpiece Prometeo finally receives its first London performance this May. An opera that eschews the noisy spectacle of theatre, Prometeo is called a "tragedy of listening", with its performers often called upon to brush against the inaudible. For Nono, who died in 1990, "to listen is to know" -- not simply as a compass of understanding through musical structure, but to sense the appeal of the human voice. This is the necessity of the libretto -- composed by the philosopher (and fellow Venetian) Massimo Cacciari, for whom the text is to be understood not simply through what is said, but as "the utopia of the voice". Nono was one of the rare artists who understood Walter Benjamin's presentiment that even the dead demand liberation from the enduring triumph of humanity's own destruction. While Prometheus evokes a mythical subject -- who broke the divine law to give mankind fire -- Nono's composition employs today's technology to create its sonic spaces. At the RFH, the electronics and sound projection will be supervised by Andre Richard, the composer's collaborator at the original performances. Repeated the following day, Prometeo is truly an event not to be missed.

NB: these two concerts wrap up the Southbank Centre's Luigi Nono retrospective.

What's unsettling about the works in David Burrows' new solo show is the juxtaposition between what they ostensibly are -- contemporary bas-reliefs -- and the subtle yet palpable horror they evoke. Large-scale topographical collages executed in his trademark comic-splatter aesthetic depict, not the aftermath of an ambiguous, horrific event for which he is known, but the more readily-identifiable territory of fashion magazine covers -- albeit covers enlarged and scrawled over in the style of bathroom graffiti. The subject and sentiment would seem so-last-season were it not for the potency of these rather amplified visions. Deploying his layered cut-out technique, coupled with an adept manipulation of colour and volume, Burrows creates a uniquely destabilised perceptual experience where what's receding and what's popping out seem to do both simultaneously. This is not merely a display of playful virtuosity however for somehow, and ultimately, these detached yet ecstatic portraits fuse defacement with the idol. In 1680, a supernova explodes while Whigs stage Pope-burning processions. In a parallel universe, another David Burrows analyses this spectral residue, only first perceptible 325 years later. It's possible Kate Moss is its Hermes, delivering messages from the collapsed star of the past-future -- according to Burrows, a probable event.

NB: runs till 10/05. On 10/05 (2 - 6pm) catch a live performance by Plastique Fantastique (David Burrows + Simon O'Sullivan) and Bughouse.

Berlin-based multi-media Isa Genzken studied at the Kunstakademie, Duesseldorf, whose faculty included such heavy-weights as Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter. Her approach employs various media including sculpture, photography, film, video, works on paper and canvas, collages and books. Resembling city skylines, Genzken's audacious structures shine and shimmer, acting as metaphorical miniature representations of the world in which we live. This latest show brings together her ideas for re-imagined urban architectural designs: a church, hospital, car park, disco, memorial and shopping centre, together with her concepts for Ground Zero, the latter in collaboration with engineers to reproduce something the scale of the World Trade Towers. At the same time this exhibition feels like a gloriously re-arranged jumble sale, incorporating mirror tiles, bright fabrics and plastics, ornamental chintz, toys, parasols, drinks trolleys, irons and car windscreens -- a seemingly joyous juxtaposition (or emotional reaction?) to the realities of Ground Zero itself. This flamboyant surrealism creates a contemporary environment in which mundane bric-a-brac becomes almost threatening.

NB: runs till 17/05. In tandem with this show is another exhibition Ground Zero (2) at Wolfgang Tillmans' gallery Between Bridges (till 22/05).

Wonky scaffolding provides the support for Stefan Saffer's domestic scale assemblages made from hand-painted wood, plastic and re-commissioned objects including a dinner plate and head massager, whose delicate wire fronds glint under the spotlight. Each one is carefully cut, felt and placed. The sculptures and unconventional plinths are positioned on a swathe of purple carpet running from the top of the gallery's far wall to the opposite floor, providing a stage for objects and spectators alike. Presiding over the scene, an orange clock with no face denotes the passing of time without telling it. Spotlit and standing against their regal backdrop, the artist likes to think of his objects in conversation with each other and the visiting audience. Indeed there is a palpable moment of theatrical tension as one decides whether to take an active part in the drama, or simply watch the sculptures perform from the empty runway left between gallery entrance and office. The random letters hand-cut by the artist into the end of the carpet seem to invite your presence: stepping onto it allows closer inspection of the sculptural actors, revealing their rough edges and fluctuating surfaces for mutual appreciation -- nobody's perfect, even starlets have blemishes.

NB: runs till 18/05.

Before 2007, American art historian Robert Storr was primarily known for his longstanding curatorial role at MoMA's Department of Painting and Sculpture. As the first US Commissioner of the 52nd Venice Biennale last year, however, he received a barrage of criticism from the Italian and art press for, as the New York Times' Michael Kimmelman put it, his "subtle and sober" handling of the Arsenale show, the central international exhibition. Storr effectively "answered his critics" in an interview with The Art Newspaper back in January, in which he spoke candidly about his choices as helmsman of the world's most famous exhibition and the bureaucratic hoop-jumping that ensued. In booking Storr for the International Curators Forum's first London event, Tate has certainly scored a coup. Ears will doubtless be pinned in anticipation of any art world gossip dropped during his conversation with David A Bailey, senior curator at Autograph. Essentially, though, this is an extraordinary chance to hear a first-hand account of the Biennale's recent past and consider the issues hanging over its future.

NB: this event will sell out so make sure you book your tickets way in advance.

Architecture concerns everyone -- they say it's the only form of art you can't avoid -- and this debate will mark a significant moment in the public debate surrounding it. Prince Charles started it all in 1984, kicking off what has become a highly polarised debate now mature enough to provoke both smoke and fire. Speaking for the motion are Sunday Times/Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins, Leon Krier, who advocates a sensitive conservatism but is not against progress, and Roger Scruton, a philosopher whose belief in the ethical function of architecture will fuel the "aye" side. Those thundering against the motion include journalist and design advisor Stephen Bayley, spirited writer Alain de Botton, and flamboyant colourist architect Will Alsop, whose ability to listen to people has been honed in his work with Urban Splash. The IQ2 debates have tackled subjects big and small and their consistent "sold out" notices signal their quality. That they have turned their attentions to architecture, gathered substantial speakers, and will open the floor for questions, are ample reasons to head along, speak your mind, and expect to be heard.

NB: this event will most likely sell-out way in advance so buy your tickets quickly.

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