This two-day festival in the East End is a showcase of contemporary artists and musicians. Flora Fairbairn, a curator with an knack for discovering and nurturing young talent such as Annie Kevans and Benedetto Pietromarchi, has put together an interesting programme of art projects including a "sonic fantasy" by Riflemaker artists; an exhibition of kinetic artists; a group show of emerging artists titled Make Believe; and Brown Noise by Sean Dower, Lohan Emmanuel and Nick Waplington. Co-curated by festival co-founder Paul Hitchman, and supported by the Whitechapel Gallery and Time Out, this celebration of contemporary art will centre round Heart Of Glass, an exhibition of 25 upcoming and established artists in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall.

Music-wise the event has been curated by Tom Baker of Eat Your Own Ears. Given his experience and the long list of august institutions involved it looks guaranteed to be a success. It would be an exercise in futility to attempt to describe fully the programme but recommendations for the two days read as follows: on Thursday, the irreverent and essential Stool Pigeon showcase at Catch with The Real Heat and Joe And Will Ask? vies for your attention while the Greco-Roman party delivers intrigue in the shape of a disco set from dubsteppah Skream. On Friday the main draw is TV On The Radio who play the Hearn Street Car Park while also of note is Swedish poptart Lykke Li's performance at Cafe 1001, Border Community's party at Plastic People and finally Wire magazine's Cargo night with snd and Vladislav Delay.

NB: Concrete And Glass runs for two days on both 02/09 and 03/09.

Couple, Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri have collaborated as actors, writers and directors on some of the most entertaining and clever French films ever made. Their cult films such as Un air de famille, On connait la chanson, Le gout des autres and Comme une image all nail the particularities of contemporary French bourgeoisie on the head. Their films usually revolve around anodyne situations that bring together the most unlikely characters that clash to delightful effect: an overweight opera signer and her superficial father; a feminist politician and an ambitious young filmmaker; bodyguards with aspirations to become artists; and the owner of a steel plant who wishes he could be a free-spirited bohemian. Surprisingly, in spite of all the characters' flaws, Jaoui and Bacri always manage to make them memorable and even lovable. With their latest effort, Parlez-moi de la pluie, coming to the London Film Festival they are offering a masterclass where they will discuss their methodology, show scenes from some of their films and take questions from the audience.

NB: Parlez-moi de la pluie is released in London 07/11. Films of note released this week are The Fall, Fear(s) Of The Dark and Ulrich Seidl's Import/Export (catch a season of Seidl's films at the ICA from 03/10 till 30/10).

If, like us, you're fascinated but still a bit baffled by Charles Avery's The Islanders: An Introduction, at the quietly confident Parasol unit, why not swerve the £25 catalogue and let the artist spell it out for you instead. Avery's conversation with Tom Morton (Hayward curator / contributing editor at frieze) should help you understand the philosophy-saturated, iconographically dense world detailed in his masterly pencil drawings, fantastical taxidermy (fantasidermy?) and sculpture. The artist, inspired by Wittgenstein and Wodehouse among others, and working in a vein comparable to the large scale drawings of Paul Noble, is half-way through a ten-year project stitching together a spooky world full of misery and wonder populated by hook-nosed drunks, picked-egg enthusiasts and headless dogs. Avery grew up on Mull and his work is heavy with the dark humour of Royston Vasey. Morton recently typed in "conceptual" to the art section of eBay and got an exhibition (View Basket). If you typed in "Star Wars bit-part reject" you probably wouldn't get close to the tragic mutant creatures that populate the world of The Islanders.

NB: The Islanders: An Introduction runs till 08/11. On 23/10 (7pm) catch a tour of the show with curator and art critic Nicolas Bourriaud.

John Banville writes with a haunting poetic lyricism that has won over critics from both sides of the Atlantic. Since 1990, he has been a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books and with his eighteenth novel The Sea, he was awarded the Man Booker Prize in 2005. As well as being a playwright and journalist, he is building a strong reputation as a detective novelist under the dark pseudonym Benjamin Black. With the Quirke mysteries, The Silver Swan and Christine Falls to his name, he is bringing out a new independent thriller which was a serial with the New York Times Magazine: The Lemur. Here, John Glass, a journalist languishing in Manhattan hires a man called the Lemur to research the background of his father-in-law "Big Bill" Mulholland (an ex-CIA man and billionaire) about whom he is writing a biography. But soon the investigation is clouded by complication. Here, the Dublin-based novelist discusses his latest venture and brilliant literary career.

For those who caught and enjoyed 2000's The Cell with JLo you may well recognise the name Tarsem Singh. Then again, you may not, as he has done almost nothing since. You will, however, instantly spot the similarities between that flawed but visually majestic psychological thriller and The Fall, Tarsem's 23-year labour of love, only now reaching a wider audience following little attention on its completion in 2006. The film opens in an LA hospital in the 1920s, where a young immigrant girl with a broken arm and a bed-bound stunt-man form a bond through his imaginative story telling. The adventure he creates unfolds in stunning locations recreated by sets in breathtaking colour and scale, more than making up for the somewhat flimsy plot and none-too-perfect casting. There is a dark scheme behind his tales, however, which leaves both fantasy and reality building toward a heart-breaking climax. Were it closer to perfection The Fall could easily be a contender for The Never Ending Story / Time Bandits / The Princess Bride for a new generation, with the increased violence and explosions appropriate to the less innocent times we live in. Despite its imperfections The Fall is startling, original and moving, a feast for the eyes and heart.

NB: post screening Tarsem Singh will answer audience questions.The Fall is released in London on 03/10. Others films of note released on the same day are Fear(s) Of The Dark and Ulrich Seidl's Import/Export.

Sound as an invisible wave. Sound as sculpture. Composer and artist Max Neuhaus alerts us to the vibrations of the world around us in unique ways. Abandoning his successful career as a solo percussionist in the late '60s, having toured with Boulez and Stockhausen, packing away his one thousand kilos of instruments, he went on to pioneer ideas of "sound installations" and interactive art forms with a social context. Largely invisible to the world, his works can frequently be experienced 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as in Times Square, where you pass through a block of sound in this busy business and tourist district of New York City, a hovering harmonic sound cloud enveloping the often unintentional listener. In 1977 he anticipated the network of the Internet with his nationwide complex of 190 radio stations and more recently has been designing humane and safer sounds for emergency vehicles in the USA. In other words, an engaging and colourful career, which should be illuminated in this conversation with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Firmly established now as the weirdbeat fan's venue of choice, Corsica Studios plays host this weekend to the long-running Bleep43 night for just their second party of 2008. Taking full of advantage of the venue's booming bass bins they've roped in Berlin-based low frequency expert Stefan Betke, whose productions under the name Pole alongside fellow German Moritz Von Oswald have pretty much defined the dub techno aesthetic and consequently been a massive influence on some of the more out-there proponents of dubstep such as Shackleton and his Skull Disco labelmates. Another veteran who knows how to eke every last drop out of a decent rig is Gescom's Rob Hall, long-time Autechre affiliate and one of the best DJs around in a genre more noted for its producers, making his first ever appearance at Bleep43. Beyond that we have a debut London performance from the Viennese Microthol along with Mario and Bleep43 DJs. Expect a finely honed mix of electro, hip-hop, techno and scuzzy electronica.

At a price higher than even Fabric regulars are accustomed to and a distinctly longer commute, there's a lot of pressure on matter to present a kitchen sink of a line-up every night it opens its doors. Leaving aside the curious opening weekend choices -- UNKLE and Carl Cox, which one can only assume was linked to those who were around at the dawn of Fabric -- the new uber-club is now thankfully pushing some more contemporary buttons. Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford has become known as much for his studio production with bands as for the mad scientist stage show that made the SMD such a popular live jaunt; the duo have regained their taste for heavy beats though, with a bopping Fabric compilation under their belts and a pleasingly mature mix for Nike about to hit. (LCD Soundsystem proved in their endeavor that the franchise doesn't necessarily maketh the track). But melding the revered cosmic fancies of Lindstrom, Dusty Kid's playful kick- orientated bangers and the fuzzy psychedelia of Emperor Machine will be far from easy. Still, with Lindstrom sitting atop the Scandinavian disco juggernaut that's pulverising everything in its path, and Emperor Machine threatening to conjure Syd Barrett within their cocktail of dark space rock, it's surely worth a try.

Clare Woods' paintings can be recognised at a glance, notably for their glossy enamel finishes that convey wetness. What first appears like the flat surface polish of abstract works soon reveals a world of delightful details. The use of photographs as a starting point can be traced in the final works that harbour the gloss and hyper-real tints of a colour negative. Indeed, Woods renders unique landscapes, still lives and elements of nature with the artifice of synthetic colours and textures. Yet, they present very few elements of realism, erasing all sense of place. The series Fantastic Zoology presents shapes that could be roots, stumps and branches, but that also present the distorted features that you might see carved in a pumpkin come Halloween, and the touches of acid green, fuchsia and red somehow shed doubt as to their origin. The immense Monster Field is awash with soft camel, lilac and moss brush strokes contrasted with carefully defined slashes of bright orange and turquoise. The eye happily gets lost in the contemplation of this unlikely miasma and the mind stops wondering whether it represents a swamp covered in vines or a tropical jungle.

NB: runs till 04/10.

Fear(s) Of The Dark is not scary. That's not a problem, but it is worth establishing right away. Neither do the diverse styles of narrative and animation cohere as the filmmakers would have them despite the amazing list of contributors. Even if the overall concept fails, FOTD is still a hugely enjoyable journey into the darker sides of the imagination featuring some of the best talent working in ink, including Charles Burns and Lorenzo Mattotti. Intelligent, well-written and skilfully animated, the wide possibilities of the medium are used to full effect, as is the starkness of the black and white pallet. The stories range from the more abstract, such as Pierre di Sciullo's tongue-in-cheek visualised list of hates, to the ultra-violent, viz the seemingly random murderousness of Christian Hincker's master of hounds. More Stainboy than Toy Story, FOTD is one for comic book rather than cartoon fans, delivering esoteric delights that Pixar would never consider, exacerbated by the surprise revelation that it is all in French with subtitles. C'est cool!

NB: Fear(s) Of The Dark is released in London on 03/10. Others films of note released on the same day are The Fall and Ulrich Seidl's Import/Export.

Juliette Binoche is the epitome of French charm for the Brits. Akram Khan is a dancer of exquisite animal grace and a masterful choreographer. In-i, their collaborative project at the NT has the financial backing of Hermes and the seal of approval that comes with any initiative aimed at establishing Franco-British relations. On paper, it looked like cultural history in the making. Yet it was mostly panned by the critics as irrelevant, banal and lacking proper direction. Scripted as scenes from the key steps of a relationship, in-i oscillates between theatre and dance with varying degrees of success. Anish Kapoor's set design establishes the tone with a backdrop that features various elements of scenery that change with judicious lighting. But there is always a risk involved when amateur and professional dancers are juxtaposed on-stage and in-i sadly doesn't eschew that danger. It is somewhat humbling and frustrating to see that Khan's agility leaves Binoche gamely trying to catch up but at times, Akram's ability to move and Binoche's ease to move others find a redeeming balance that makes up for the occasional clumsiness. Neither Binoche nor Khan give their best performances but they were willing to try something new and you should enjoy it as a novel experience as well.

NB: runs till 20/10. On 06/10 (9:45pm) make sure you catch Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan for a post show discussion. In conjunction with the production the BFI Southbank is running a season of Binoche films (till 15/10). Finally, for dance fans make sure you check out Dance Umbrella 2008 (till 08/11).

You Guardian-reading Flashers may have stumbled onto Jonathan Jones' article about the beginning of Modernism; it could go all the way back to the Renaissance he says. Now that's not really helpful, is it? Right now the Courtauld have very kindly provided one possible riposte. On display are all 15 drawings, watercolours and paintings that make up part of The Courtauld's Cezannes. Samuel Courtauld, industrialist and collector, was one of the earliest supporters of the then revolutionary Impressionism. Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was not really an Impressionist, although he did take from them the notion of en plein air painting -- that is, making art based upon looking directly at nature. Strange as it may seem now, back then that was a radical proposition. Cezanne often said that he wanted to paint what he saw; not so much the landscape itself, but the way he saw it. The result is the skewed and slightly fragmented planes and backgrounds that one finds in these paintings. Picasso took from the Provencal tradition the fragmentary nature of his compositions and you could say that the rest is history. But take your time around these works; they range from the earliest to the mature, and include one of his great still-lifes and even letters. This is a scholarly show, rare in our blockbuster days.

NB: runs till 05/10. While at the Courtauld Gallery make sure you see Edouard Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, another Impressionist masterpiece.

Not ones to let the trifling matter of council complaints get in the way of a good time, secretsundaze move their Summer Closing Party / Secretsundaze Vol 2 album launch to the courtyard of Ministry of Sound, adding a touch of techno class to a venue more commonly known for the cringeworthy upfront house genre. Facial hair enthusiasts James Priestley and Giles Smith are among the more esoteric of London promoters and the programming of their irregular summer parties usually contains at least one reason to attend, as previous guests have included such luminaries as Carl Craig and Radio Slave. The quality control is kept at a premium for this event with Innervisions big cheese Dixon headlining along with the added intrigue of a secret guest DJ. Some concerted Googling may uncover the identity of the special guest but where's the fun in that? Mention should be given to the Disco Bloodbath crew who will be taking over the bar with their highly revered mixup of balearica, camp disco screamers and house. Much has been made of their Dalston parties being London's best kept secret which can't really be true these days given the fact their name has been added to the bill of any party of note over the last six months.

The Southbank's Oliver Messiaen festival continues this autumn and for those still intrigued by the sound world he opened up to classical music, there are some real gems to be savoured, including long-overdue performances of work by some of his pupils, further reminding us of just how significant Messiaen's contribution is to our contemporary musical landscape. First up are two concerts containing two epic masterpieces, Gerard Grisey's Les Espaces Acoustiques (14/10, 7:30pm) and Messiaen's La Transfiguration De Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ (16/10, 7:30pm). Both pieces feature breathtaking writing for orchestra and are being directed by conductors and performers with an intimate knowledge of the works. Interestingly enough, this will also be the UK Premiere of Les Espaces Acoustiques, some 20 years after it was written, despite the fact that it is commonly regarded as the defining work for one of the most significant movements in contemporary music in Europe and the USA: spectralism. Following on from these two concerts there is also the chance to see work by one of Britain's most influential composers: George Benjamin, whose Sudden Time is being performed alongside works by Xenakis and Ligeti. Messiaen's majestic Chronochromie completes the programme (21/10, 7:30pm) in what promises to be a whirlwind two weeks for contemporary music in London.

NB: the festival runs till 06/03/09.

As former American president Eisenhower once said: "Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all." If you fail to see any wisdom in this, don't pull or push, but follow that string to the ICA for the next Philosophy Of The Overlooked. The series of talks has been paying special attention to things we tend to ignore for a few years now and the seventh overlooked object to be analyzed and idealized for one evening is the modest string. This event focuses on tying, knotting, measuring, adorning, playing. A physicist, a musician, an illusionist and an artist will talk about their experience of slender cord, thick thread and narrow slips of material. Speakers include: Cornelia Parker, visual artist; Mark Messenger, Head Of Strings at the Royal College Of Music; and David S Berman, reader in theoretical physics at Queen Mary University. There will be a demonstration by John van der Put, award-winning contemporary magician and co-founder of standnotamazed theatre company.

While the days when you had a rough idea what you were getting from a band signed to Warp are long gone, it's increasingly diverse new acts are still, despite the grumblings of fanboys with their copies of Artificial Intelligence preserved in amber, always worth checking out. The newest kids on the block are Australian three-piece Pivot, who, armed with just drums, guitars and a laptop, make a pleasing racket that sits somewhere between synth prog excess, drone rock mantras and post punk spikiness. On their few UK appearances so far they've blown away audiences with an intense wall of sound and, having captured both the beauty and ferocity of their live set on their first album for Warp, O Soundtrack My Heart, expect tickets for this London show to be snapped up fast. Support comes from Munch Munch -- think Deerhoof meets Sesame Street -- and fellow Australians Snowman, who have for some unknown reason just quit the sun-kissed shores of their native Perth, for the grey and wet streets of autumnal London.

NB: for more Australian action check out up-and-coming singer-songwriter Gotye who plays at Bush Hall on 02/10 at 8pm. (Make sure you listen to Supermayer's excellent remix of Gotye's "Hearts A Mess".)

It is just over two years since Bank Violette's last solo show at Maureen Paley, which was a collaboration with drone band Sunn O))). Gone are the huge speakers and broken beer bottles; this time round the work has a more mysterious feel. A white horse gallops towards you -- it moves forward, then stops, seems to jump slightly and then start again. Ripped from the opening credits of TriStar Pictures and projected on to smoke, the sequence is stopped and repeated just before the horse spreads its wings and flies away. Eternally galloping -- the horses' movement is mesmerising yet it becomes somewhat idiosyncratic, like a record that is stuck on a groove. In an artist statement, Violette admits to making direct reference and homage to Canadian conceptualist, Jack Goldstein's work with the MGM lion who continually roars, again and again. The exhibition continues upstairs with minimalist structures; huge glossy black billboards and screens erected in the middle of the space. One seems to have been crumpled, although it is not apparent by what means. The back of them held down with sandbags, they become abandoned stage sets, something you might find at the back lot of a film studio. Encore!

NB: runs till 19/10.

David Blandy makes art out of his personal obsessions with music, comics, films and the ephemera associated with them. Taking centre-stage in each of his appropriated video works the British artist has lip-synched his way through soul classics as a "White-and-Black Minstrel" and re-worked sections of the Star Wars script into a perfunctory mini-soap opera. In his latest guise as a kung fu master Blandy undergoes a journey of spiritual enlightenment in a Japanese garden in Cheshire to a dub reggae soundtrack. In less fanatic hands the irony of the situation -- that this pasty fella in glasses is a far cry from the hero he portrays -- might fall flat. But Blandy's endearing dead-pannery -- watch him flick at a pond with a Samurai sword as if playing a half-arsed game of crazy golf -- and sensitive re-interpretation of filmic details makes palpable the desires of male nerdyhood and, on a wider level, the everyday pop-culturally-inspired slippages between fantasy and reality that get us through. Should further escapism be required, the Artprojx / Blandy Dojo is kitted out with DJ duelling equipment and a martial-arts arcade game.

NB: runs till 25/10. On 03/10 (8 - 11pm) at the Whitechapel Gallery make sure you catch David Blandy: Duels And Dualities, a DJ clash between Manasseh Sound System and The Barefoot Lone Pilgrim (this event is part of the Concrete And Glass festival).

The fomenter of foam flies to London to discuss his world famous molecular gastronomy. Why eat an olive when you can indulge in an olive-green orb of olive-sized olive essence, ever so delicately frozen by liquid nitrogen? England's Heston Blumenthal (of The Fat Duck) has plied this playful cuisine for a half-decade. The two scientists/chefs usually battle it out each year for the title of the world's best restaurant. Ferran Adria, a master manipulator of the Mediterranean palate, has reached the plateau of his success: his restaurant elBulli is still rumoured to have a several-year-long waiting list. Couple that with the fact that his singular accomplishments have been achieved in Spain of all places. Insecurity has finally had landfall in France where the remaining greats are running for cover for food heritage protection from UNESCO. Find out what's new on the frontier of foam from the man whose famous flights of fancy are part of a new globally accepted avant-garde of cuisine.

NB: this event will sell out very soon so make sure you get your tickets asap.

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