New festival Art Night will unlock the doors to some of London’s hidden spaces on 2 July, from historic rooms inside Admiralty Arch to a Brutalist landmark on the Strand.
Works on view for one night only include an installation by 2013 Turner Prize-winner Laure Prouvost, who will respond to the history of the Grade I-listed arch, and a performance piece by Alexandra Bachzetsis inside the neo-Gothic Two Temple Place.
The upper gallery at Two Temple Place
Two Temple Place will feature a new work by artist and choreographer Alexandra Bachzetsis. Pictured is her work, ‘From A to B via C’, a 2014 performance in collaboration with Gina Folly. Photography: courtesy of the artist
Also participating in Art Night is Laure Provoust. Pictured is her ‘Farfromwords’ installation at Whitechapel Gallery 2013. Photography: Tim Bowditch, courtesy of the artist and MOT International London and Brussels
‘Untitled (North Greenwich)’, by Celia Hempton, who will be creating an installation inside 180 Strand. Image: courtesy of the artist
Art Night will ‘turn Westminster into one large performance’ for the evening, said Kathy Noble, who is curating the nocturnal event alongside the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
‘The trail runs from Duke of York steps, along the North Bank and all the way to Temple.’
Also on the programme is the UK premiere of Reanimation, by Jazz pianist Jason Moran and artist Joan Jonas in Southwark Cathedral, and a ‘sculptural, theatre set-like environment’ by artist Celia Hempton inside 180 Strand, in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory.
Art Night is a non-profit event conceived by Unlimited Productions, a collective of cultural entrepreneurs that produce projects exploring the link between art and urbanism. ‘We create accessible art experiences,’ says the group’s Ksenia Zemtsova.
They drew on the international Nuit Blanche model of free-to-attend nocturnal events, first born in Paris in 2002 which quickly spread from Toronto to Tokyo. Partners for the London event include Phillips auction house, the Art Fund and Capco, among others.
The trail will kick off from 6pm on 2 July until the early hours, with open air events – such as in the courtyard of Somerset House – being open to all. Tickets for indoor performances and installations will be released on 9 May.
