One of the best things about Somerset House is the way the building beautifully reflects each season. The Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court is currently bathed in glorious autumnal sunshine as preparations continue for the opening of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair next week, along with the opening of Hannah Perry's first solo UK exhibition since 2015, our celebratory AGM Studios party and the arrival of TBCTV, transforming Somerset House’s Lancaster Rooms into a TV set as you've never seen it before. Read on below to discover more about these essential events happening in October and to book your tickets.
And sticking with the theme of sunshine, here's a look back at some of our favourite highlights during our sold out Summer Series gigs.
And sticking with the theme of sunshine, here's a look back at some of our favourite highlights during our sold out Summer Series gigs.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns for its sixth edition next week at Somerset House with an expanded programme of exhibitions, special projects and talks. The fair will welcome leading galleries from countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America. This edition is accompanied by a compelling series of special projects and 1-54 FORUM, the fair’s talks programme, curated for the first time by writer Ekow Eshun.
One of 1-54's special projects and the next instalment of The Charles Russell Speechlys Terrace Room Series, Somerset House will present new and rarely seen works from internationally renowned South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga in his first major solo UK exhibition, Of Gods, Rainbows and Omissions. Ruga brings three recent series of work together for the first time to unveil a surreal, mythical utopia, filled with a collection of extraordinary characters.
04 - 07 OCT 2018
SOUTH, EAST & WEST WINGS
£20.00 / £15.00 CONC
SOUTH, EAST & WEST WINGS
£20.00 / £15.00 CONC
Transforming Somerset House’s Lancaster Rooms into a TV set as you've never seen it before, TBCTV presents a dynamic and evolving programme of new live theatre and film screenings from Somerset House Studios residents Mel Brimfield, Ewan Jones Morris and Chloe Lamford. In the evening TBCTV will be going out live, with two new performances written by Tim Priceand directed by Finn den Hertog starring Arthur Darvill and Inès De Clerq.
03 - 07 OCT 201811.00 - 18.00, FREETHEATRE PERFORMANCESFROM 19.30 (£12.00)LANCASTER ROOMS, NEW WING
HANNAH PERRY: GUSH
In her first UK solo exhibition since 2015, Somerset House Studios resident Hannah Perry presents GUSH, a captivating and poignant exhibition featuring large-scale dynamic sculpture, sound and film, in a candid and personal exploration of mental and emotional health in our contemporary, hyper-networked society.
03 OCT - 04 NOV 2018
FREE
RIVER ROOMS, NEW WING
Music Hackspace presents Taiwanese Experimental Music
Taking place in the crypt this weekend below our courtyard, this Music Hackspace special features music and visuals by Wang Fujui, Lu Yi, Meuko! Meuko!, TZU NI and LTY in an evening full of analogue and electronic noise and unique sonic experimentation from acclaimed Taiwan based artists.
SAT 25 SEP 2018, 20.00 - 23.30
DEADHOUSE, SOUTH WING
£8.00 IN ADVANCE / £10.00 ON THE DOOR
DEADHOUSE, SOUTH WING
£8.00 IN ADVANCE / £10.00 ON THE DOOR
Join our mycologist-in-residence for a hands-on mushroom growing workshop culminating in your own spawn to take away.
As part of the Edible Utopia project at Somerset House we're growing mushrooms beneath the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court. Using waste coffee grounds from our on-site cafés as nutrients, we'll nurture the mushrooms as an example of sustainable growing in the heart of the city centre.
SAT 06 OCT 2018
FAMILY SESSION 10.30 – 12.30, £7.00
ADULT SESSION 14.00 – 16.00, £7.00
DEADHOUSE, SOUTH WING
Dance Umbrella presents everything that rises must dance
A compelling celebration of female movement from Sasha Milavic Davies created with more than 200 women from across London, this free performance unfolds over two performances in The Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court. Rippling with choreography that reproduces the minute movements of daily life while weaving in fragments of folk dance from around the world, the spectacle sets expressive movement to Lucy Railton's evolving sonic score.
SAT 13 OCT 2018, 15.00 & 17.00
THE EDMOND J. SAFRA FOUNTAIN COURT
FREE
WED 31 OCT 2018, 19.00 - 23.00
£7.00DEADHOUSE, SOUTH WING
GOOD GRIEF, CHARLIE BROWN!
Charles M. Schulz debuted his first ever Peanuts comic strip on 2 October 1950, so it's fitting that our major exhibition celebrating Snoopy and the enduring power of Peanuts should also begin this month.
GOOD GRIEF, CHARLIE BROWN! brings together Schulz's original cartoons with new work from a wide range of acclaimed contemporary artists and designers who have been captivated and inspired by this highly influential and much-loved cartoon. Unique in its enduring appeal, our exhibition explores Peanuts’ renewed agency in contemporary culture and society.
25 OCT 2018 - 03 MAR 2019
EMBANKMENT GALLERIES, SOUTH WING
£14.00 / £11.00 CONCS / COURTAULD FRIENDS & U12s FREE
It won’t be long before the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court is transformed again into London’s most beautiful ice rink. Have you booked your tickets yet?
You can skate day or night with family and friends, no matter whether you’re a seasoned professional or taking your very first spin. Treat yourself at Fortnum’s Lodge with one of our Skate Extras – all designed for two to share, or simply relax and take in the spectacle rink-side with a drink and a warming snack in the Skate Lounge. On selected evening sessions from 20.30 join us for Skate Lates, an extra special series of music nights throughout the season featuring a changing line-up of incredible DJs. And Fortnum’s Christmas Arcade transforms the West Wing into a one-stop, essential festive shopping destination.
14 NOV 2018 - 13 JAN 2019
THE EDMOND J. SAFRA FOUNTAIN COURT
FROM £11.00 WITH A ONE-OFF BOOKING FEE OF £2.95
62nd LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
WED 10 – SUN 21 OCT 2018
RICH MIX
11 days of the best contemporary cinema from around the world, as the BFI London Film Festival returns to Rich Mix with premieres, Q&As and incredible independent movies.
KNOCK KNOCK
UNTIL 18 NOV 2018, FREE
SOUTH LONDON GALLERY
KNOCK KNOCK explores the enduring use of humour as a device in contemporary art featuring works by more than thirty artists. The show spans the SLG’s main space plus three floors of its new annexe in the former Peckham Road Fire Station, celebrating a joyous moment in the history of the gallery, but also exploring what makes us laugh in art and why.