October 13, Somerset House Studios raise a toast to another vibrant year of their in-house artist community by hosting a late-night party inside the former Inland Revenue building in Central London, turning it into London’s biggest house party.
Taking control of the Studios’ ground floor in the New Wing, this year’s edition promises to be a night of collaborative energy, art installations, and captivating live performances spanning a multitude of disciplines. Curated by three artists: Studios residents Joe Namy and Akinola Davies, and performance artist Rosa-Johan Uddoh. DJ’s performing include; Bonaventure, Ain Bailey, Paul Purgas (1/2 of Emptyset), and Egyptian selector Nihal El Asar.
In the Lancaster rooms, artist and composer Joe Namy presents ‘Disguise as Dancefloor‘, in which they’ve invited collaborators to join them before a dancefloor constructed out of copper tiles for a series of improvised performances morphing the staging and sonic texture of the room throughout the night.
In the intimate G30 space, BAFTA-nominated and Sundance award-winning writer, director and moving image artist Akinola Davies invites friends including James Massiah for a cherished evening of music, spoken word, and drums in dialogue.
Down the hallway in G16, interdisciplinary artist and performer Rosa-Johan Uddoh will host a short, three-act live performance with collaborators, playing upon the notion of plays with ideas of ‘ye olde’, and how the image of ‘History’ exists in popular imagination today. Rosa-Johan Uddoh’s interdisciplinary practice uses humour, parody, and play, to work toward radical self-love, inspired by Black feminist practice.
Alongside these acts, in the River Rooms, Somerset House Studios’ autumn exhibition from resident Sonya Dyer Three Parent Child will have a late opening for the evening. The installation, a two-channel moving-image work and a large-scale sculpture, weaves through the rooms, imagining the future of human space travel, influenced by Black feminist history, scientific inquiry, science-fiction, and ancient mythology.
Somerset House Studios is an experimental workspace in the centre of London connecting artists, makers and thinkers with audiences. Located inside the repurposed former Inland Revenue building, the Studios offer space and support to artists pushing bold ideas, engaging with urgent issues and pioneering new technologies. It is also a platform for the development of new creative projects and collaborations. Up to 70 artists are resident at any one time and are supported to develop their practice for a defined period.