Channel is Somerset House’s new curated online space for art, ideas and the artistic process.
Our creative and versatile central London venue is combining it artistic and corporate offering this autumn and winter in a major exhibition that explores the push towards 24/7 consumption and how it affects our lives. The 24/7 exhibition explores how we can reset the natural rhythms of life – work, leisure, rest and sleep. Through the work of international artists, designers, scientists and thinkers, the exhibition is perfect for event planners looking for a relevant yet creative backdrop to their events.
With event spaces capable of hosting meetings, conferences, product launches, exhibitions and filming or photo shoots, our flexible approach to events provides delegates with a host of opportunities to experience 24/7 as part of their event. In addition to private tours and viewings, this can include the development of event content that crosses boundaries between the exhibition and event as well as engagement with resident artists.
1. Installation view of Tekja, Awake, 2019 at 247 at Somerset House (c) Stephen Chung for Somerset House [1].jpg
Installation view of Tekja, Awake, 2019 at 247 at Somerset House
“Our creative arts programme rarely delivers an exhibition that has so many parallels and relevant themes to the modern working world,” comments Jenny Freestone, our Head of Corporate Events at Somerset House. “24/7 is the perfect opportunity for organisers to align their meeting or event with Somerset House’s artistic offering. In particular, it will appeal to corporates who are encouraging and developing the best working practices and policies for their staff.”
In this day and age, it seems we are unable to switch off and unwind. Since 2010 we’ve added a full week (37 hours) to our working year, yet 200,000 working days are now lost annually due to insufficient sleep. Britain has become a nation of night owls, with almost half of the country (48%) regularly going to bed after 11pm. Living in the glow of blue lights shockingly people in the UK now check their smartphones, if averaged over 24 hours, every 12 minutes.
Jenny Freestone concludes: “As a team we are really looking forward to exploring the different ways we can integrate this ground-breaking exhibition with our commercial events offering and deliver some truly inspiring and creative event over the months ahead.”
More about what the exhibition entails:
- Over 50 multi-disciplinary works that have been brought together to explore the unrelenting pressure to produce and consume around the clock.
- It takes visitors on a 24-hour cycle from dawn to dusk through interactive installations and interrogations.
- It truly holds a mirror up to a society where complex systems are exerting control, causing us to sleep less and disrupting our instincts to daydream and pay attention to the world around us, and each other.