Curtain Call by Ron Arad at the Roundhouse, London

London may have had quite some month but, at the height of the rioting mayhem, a remarkable and inspiring story was unfolding inside Chalk Farm's Roundhouse. On 8 August, the historic former railway building unveiled Curtain Call, an astonishing installation by Ron Arad, incorporating a month-long programme of events that culminate this weekend. We suggest you see them while you still can.
Arad, whose design studio is conveniently situated almost opposite the building, has masterminded a giant (18m across) circular curtain inside the space made from 5,600 identical 8m-tall silicone rods. Suspended from the (considerable) roof of the space, the free-hanging rods provide a backdrop on to which a series of especially commissioned artworks is currently being projected. The programme includes musicians, artists, designers, and students from the Royal College of Art (where Arad was professor of design products) and visitors can walk through the swinging curtain and interact directly with the 360 degree video images.
And what powerful images they are. Christian Marclay's Pianorama is an audiovisual composition, featuring pianist Steve Beresford, filmed and remixed by Marclay, with Beresford's multiplied hands projected onto the curtain. Greenaway & Greenaway, brothers based in London and Berlin, have devised a film which fractures images of the Roundhouse itself and re-projects them onto the curtain causing an eery sense of displacement in the space. Then there is Hussein Chalayan, who is showing his film Kaikoku, Mat Collishaw and David Shrigley, all who have created bespoke works.
Curtain Call has been, by all accounts, an epic installation to physically achieve, and the spirit in which it was created was a generous one that sat in stark contrast to the surrounding unrest in the city in early August. Sponsored by Bloomberg, the public is invited to pay whatever they can for admission.
Arad's installation has just been unveiled inside the Roundhouse in North London
Photograph by Stephen White
Arad has masterminded a giant (18m across) circular curtain made from 5,600 identical 8m-tall silicone rods
Photograph by Stephen White
Suspended from the (considerable) roof of the space, the free-hanging rods provide a backdrop on which a series of especially commissioned artworks will be projected over the coming month, including 'Waking Dream' (pictured) by SDNA
Photograph by Stephen White
A still from 'Waking Dream' by SDNA
The programme includes musicians, artists, designers, and students from the Royal College of Art (where Arad was professor of design products). Pictured is Mat Collishaw's 'Sordid Earth'
Photograph by Stephen White
Visitors can walk through the swinging curtain and interact directly with the 360 degree video images
Photograph by Stephen White
Christian Marclay's Pianorama is an audiovisual composition featuring pianist Steve Beresford filmed and remixed by Marclay
Photograph by Stephen White
The Fat Girl Gets a Haircut and Other Stories by Babis Alexiadis
Photograph by Stephen White
The Fat Girl Gets a Haircut and Other Stories by Babis Alexiadis
Photograph by Stephen White
'Greyhound Carrousel Race' by Olivia Decaris and Hina Thibaud
Photograph by Stephen White
In a one off special inside the curtain on the 27 August (4 -7pm), Paul Cocksedge will be transforming 12" records into elegant loudspeakers used to amplify sounds from smartphones. Bring your own record and see its metamorphosis happen.
'Roundhouse°' by Greenaway & Greenaway
Photograph by Stephen White
'ProlongGone' by Gabriel Klasmer and Shira Klasmer
Photograph by Stephen White
Animation stills from 'Walker', 2011, by David Shrigley
'They Never Met Themselves' by RCA students Florie Salnot and Billur Turan
'They Never Met Themselves' by RCA students Florie Salnot and Billur Turan
'They Never Met Themselves' by RCA students Florie Salnot and Billur Turan
Still from 'Kaikoku' by Hussein Chalayan
ADDRESS
Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8EH
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Henrietta Thompson is a London-based writer, curator, and consultant specialising in design, art and interiors. A longstanding contributor and editor at Wallpaper*, she has spent over 20 years exploring the transformative power of creativity and design on the way we live. She is the author of several books including The Art of Timeless Spaces, and has worked with some of the world’s leading luxury brands, as well as curating major cultural initiatives and design showcases around the world.
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