NEW ARTIST RESIDENCIES:
Somerset House is thrilled to announce that a further 25 artists will take up residency at Somerset House Studios, the experimental workspace at the centre of contemporary culture, joining the 33 already onsite.
Following an open call for applications, these new artists have been selected for residency at Somerset House Studios from April 2017. They were chosen by an industry panel comprised of Artangel Co-Director Michael Morris, Kickstarter’s Heather Corcoran, artist and Studios resident Paul Purgas, Somerset House Director, Jonathan Reekie and Somerset House Studios Director, Marie McPartlin.
Building on the already dynamic artistic community, new residents include those working across visual art, music and composition, performance, fiction and non-fiction writing, fashion, film and emerging technologies. The new arrivals’ specialisms reflect the Studios artists’ breadth and showcase Somerset House’s reputation for presenting multi-disciplinary work.
New joiners include artists such as 2016 Turner Prize-nominee Anthea Hamilton, performance artist Florence Peake, and cross-disciplinary artists Hannah Perry, Imran Perretta and Jesse Darling; artistic technologists Music Hackspace and Burton Nitta; acclaimed theatre designer Tom Scutt, filmmaker Nick Abrahams, winner of the British Council short film prize for his work with Sigur Ros, and data visualisation studio Tekja, who created the London Situation Room installation at Somerset House’s Big Bang Data exhibition.
Launched in October 2016, Somerset House Studios offers affordable and secure studio space in an artistic community at the heart of London, as well as providing a public platform through Somerset House’s audiences for new creative projects. The Studios’ ongoing programme of events is driven by the artists, makers and thinkers in residence and the themes emerging from their work onsite.
MARCH-JUNE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOMERSET HOUSE STUDIOS’ EVENTS:
Dismantle Yourself (deconstructive rave) curated by Graham Dunning [18+ only]
Saturday 15 April, 20.00-01.00
The Deadhouse, £11
Continuing Somerset House Studios’ late night series of guest curations deep inside The Deadhouse, Associate Artist Graham Dunning deconstructs the concept of a rave with Dismantle Yourself, a night of experimental dancefloor focused electronic music. The evening will feature performances from Polish electronic noise artist Ewa Justka; Algobabez, the live-coding/algorave duo formed by Joanne Armitage and Shelley Knotts; dtubs, AKA experimental electronic musician Jaxson Payne, NTS DJ Alien Jams (Chloe Freida) plus a mechanical techno set from Graham himself.
Beyond Telepathy
Thursday 20 April, 17.00-21.00
River Rooms, Free (advanced booking fee)
Beyond Telepathy is an evening of performances, interdisciplinary discussions and interventions exploring non-verbal communication within performance practice. Curated by Taru Elfving in partnership with Wysing Arts Centre and The White Building, the event will feature a performance from new Studios artist Florence Peake alongside contributions from Essi Kausalainen and Jenna Sutela, with more contributions to be announced. Supported by The Finnish Institute in London.
HOTLINE hosted by Jamila-Johnson-Small and Sara Sassanelli
Thursday 27 April, 18.30
G16, New Wing, £5
Studios resident Jamila Johnson-Small and collaborator Sara Sassanelli will bring their travelling critical discussion evening HOTLINE to Somerset House Studios. The event will be freeform and fluid, with contributions from Diva Magazine’s Sita Balani, artist and activist Jacob V Joyce and Block Universe founder Louise O’Kelly. Each will present short provocations as catalysts for discussion, to which the audience will be invited to respond.
Music Hackspace Programme
March onwards
Details vary, see www.somersethouse.org.uk
New Studios resident Music Hackspace bring a full programme of events from March onwards including a weekly series of free artist talks. They will also offer regular software and hardware workshops and one-off events for industry insiders and curious novices. Music Hackspace’s programme of events continues their exploration of the intersections between music and technology, from music made from algorithms and code to hacking brainwave data to create new soundscapes.
Block Universe presents Zadie Xa
Thursday 1 June, 19.00
Lancaster Rooms, £10 / £8 concessions
Somerset House Studios welcomes performance art festival Block Universe to the Lancaster Rooms this June with a new commission by Canadian artist Zadie Xa. Creating an immersive environment for performance for the Lancaster Rooms, Xa will interrogate Eurocentric perceptions of Asian identity and otherness through a fantastical over-layering of cultural references, often invoking the supernatural in this special, one-off performance.
Anabasis to Dora, curated by Eloise Hawser
April, May, June – further details to be announced
Locations vary
Visual artist and Studios resident Eloise Hawser continues her off-site series exploring unusual, industrial sites, museums and collections around the UK with three new excursions. With participants invited to collectively document the field trip and share via a dedicated site online, the series includes the Transport for London control centre and Crossness Pumping Station in Thamesmead, a Victorian sewage treatment plant featuring extraordinarily ornamental cast ironwork despite never being open to the public, and Somerset House itself.
Jennifer Walshe: Sound Salon
22 March, 26 April, 24 May 19.00
G16, New Wing, £5
Jennifer Walshe’s monthly series of Sound Salons – co-curated with Adam Harper and Michael Waugh –returns throughout March-May to explore music, sound, the internet and digital technologies with a special guest each time. This popular series aims to fuel critical discussions and new analyses of post-internet sound and music. Guest speakers to be announced.
NOTES TO EDITORS
NEW SOMERSET HOUSE STUDIOS RESIDENTS INCLUDE:
Alan Warburton
Anthea Hamilton
Ben K
Burton Nitta
Ewan Jones Morris
Florence Peake
F͡RA̴UD̸
Hannah Perry
Imran Perretta
Jesse Darling
Libby Heaney
Lindsey Dryden
Marija Bozinovska Jones
Music Hackspace
Nick Abrahams
Nick Ryan
Phoebe Davies
Season Butler
Simon Terrill
Ted Hunt
Tekja
The Workers
Thought Collider
Tom Scutt
Zinzi Minott
CURRENT STUDIOS RESIDENTS INCLUDE:
Anna Meredith
Buckley Williams
Caroline Williams
Charles Jeffrey
Chloe Lamford
Christian Marclay
Deborah Pearson
Eloise Hawser
Erica Scourti
Estela Oliva
Gareth Pugh
Graham Dunning
Inés Cámara Leret
Jennifer Walshe
Jessica Rinland
Juliet Jacques
Katie Paterson
Larry Achiampong
LaTurbo Avedon
LoneLady
Makerversity
Matthew Plummer-Fernandez
Mel Brimfield
Memo Akten
Mind the Film
Minimaforms
Paul Purgas
Phoebe Boswell
Project O
Strange Telemetry
Superflux
Unmade
Werkflow
For press enquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Lilley, Acting Head of PR // stephanie.lilley@somersethouse.org.uk
Francesca Hughes, Senior Press Officer // francesca.hughes@somersethouse.org.uk
0207 845 4624
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Dates, Times and Tickets Prices vary. There are no additional ticket fees on listed prices. Please check copy or consult the website at www.somersethouse.org.uk
Address: Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
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About Somerset House
A unique part of the London cultural scene, Somerset House is an historic building where surprising and original work comes to life. From its 18th-century origins, Somerset House has been a centre for debate and discussion – an intellectual powerhouse for the nation. Somerset House is today a key cultural destination in London in which to experience a broad range of artistic activity, engage with artists, designers and makers and be a part of a major creative forum – an environment that is relaxed, welcoming, and inspirational to visit while providing a stimulating workplace for the cultural and creative industries.
Since its opening in 2000, Somerset House has built up a distinctive outdoor public programme including Skate, concerts, an open-air film season and a diverse range of temporary exhibitions throughout the site focusing on contemporary culture, with an extensive learning programme attached. In October 2016, Somerset House launched Somerset House Studios, a new experimental workspace connecting artists, makers and thinkers with audiences. The Studios provide a platform for new creative projects and collaboration, promoting work that pushes bold ideas, engages with urgent issues and pioneers new technologies. Somerset House is also one of the biggest community of creative organisations in London including The Courtauld Gallery and Institute of Art, King’s College London Cultural Institute and over 100 other creative businesses. It currently attracts approximately 3.4 million visitors every year.
www.somersethouse.org.uk
