Turner Prize winner and Somerset House Studios artist Tai Shani will present a free commission as part of Somerset House’s 25th birthday celebrations in its courtyard this summer.
The Spell or The Dream will launch on Thursday, August 7th centered around a new sculpture for the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court with a 24/7 radio broadcast, live talks, performances, and a family programme over the summer holidays.
The Spell is a sculpture drawing on the archetypal fairytale image of a sleeping figure in a glass box, featuring a newly commissioned soundscape by composer, producer and double bassist Maxwell Sterling.
Aimated by subtle movement, the luminous blue figure is hand painted and gently breathes, eyes partially open, at the cusp of waking from this cursed slumber.
It invites a communal, intergenerational intervention to imagine, wonder, and dream alongside it.
The installation will be available to view until Thursday, September 14th while, The Dream Radio invites guest contributors and audiences to reimagine new and hopeful ways of being, collectively.
Co-curated by Shani and broadcast globally via Channel, the radio features brand new commissions and contributions, alongside archival work, by an extensive list of artists, writers, musicians, academics, economists, activists and thinkers, exploring dreaming as a radical act of imagination.
Audiences can tune in online or listen on-site in the Seamen’s Hall and will be invited to submit their dreams for interpretation and broadcast on the radio.
Among the accompanying programme of events is After Illusions, three live conversations inspired by the pioneering late-night television show After Dark (1987–1991).
Each session brings together voices from across disciplines to explore different topics in the wake of fractured systems, including law, democracy, and capitalism, and asks what might come next.
Two Friday Late events, titled Hypnopompic Hallucinations, will feature takeovers by radio stations Sister Midnight and Resonance FM and live music performances.
A programme of family-friendly activities will also run throughout August, inviting younger audiences to explore themes of dreaming, storytelling, and sound through creative workshops and drop-in sessions.
To coincide with The Spell or The Dream, Tai Shani has created a newly designed flag that will fly above Seamen’s Hall for the duration that the installation is on site.
For details go to somersethouse.org.uk.
.jpg "Turner Prize winner Tai Shani presents The Spell or The Dream at Somerset House")
The Spell or The Dream will launch on Thursday, August 7th centered around a new sculpture for the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court with a 24/7 radio broadcast, live talks, performances, and a family programme over the summer holidays.
The Spell is a sculpture drawing on the archetypal fairytale image of a sleeping figure in a glass box, featuring a newly commissioned soundscape by composer, producer and double bassist Maxwell Sterling.
Aimated by subtle movement, the luminous blue figure is hand painted and gently breathes, eyes partially open, at the cusp of waking from this cursed slumber.
It invites a communal, intergenerational intervention to imagine, wonder, and dream alongside it.
The installation will be available to view until Thursday, September 14th while, The Dream Radio invites guest contributors and audiences to reimagine new and hopeful ways of being, collectively.
Co-curated by Shani and broadcast globally via Channel, the radio features brand new commissions and contributions, alongside archival work, by an extensive list of artists, writers, musicians, academics, economists, activists and thinkers, exploring dreaming as a radical act of imagination.
Audiences can tune in online or listen on-site in the Seamen’s Hall and will be invited to submit their dreams for interpretation and broadcast on the radio.
Among the accompanying programme of events is After Illusions, three live conversations inspired by the pioneering late-night television show After Dark (1987–1991).
Each session brings together voices from across disciplines to explore different topics in the wake of fractured systems, including law, democracy, and capitalism, and asks what might come next.
Two Friday Late events, titled Hypnopompic Hallucinations, will feature takeovers by radio stations Sister Midnight and Resonance FM and live music performances.
A programme of family-friendly activities will also run throughout August, inviting younger audiences to explore themes of dreaming, storytelling, and sound through creative workshops and drop-in sessions.
To coincide with The Spell or The Dream, Tai Shani has created a newly designed flag that will fly above Seamen’s Hall for the duration that the installation is on site.
For details go to somersethouse.org.uk.
© Adam James Sinclair and Lotti V Closs, 2024