When was the last time you had fun with books? It's a simple enough question, posed by Self Publish, Be Happy (SPBH) founder Bruno Ceschel. This bank holiday weekend you’ll have the chance to answer that very question in a rather unique way.
Tate Modern visitors can expect a whale of a time, as SPBH takes over the famous Turbine Hall to host a series of events to mark the first art publishing fair of its kind, Offprint London. A unique blend of events, workshops and performances promise to inspire visitors to make their own editions by playing with different photographic and printing processes.
‘We want visitors to think about the way we take and consume images, and make them into objects, to see in a different way,’ explains Ceschel. ‘There is an element of playfulness, but also an element of insight, of seeing how artists work and their process, giving you the chance to try it yourself and get involved.’
The programme itself is as varied as it is eclectic, ranging from speakers’ corner slots where everyone is invited to talk about books they love to more hands-on activities: creating temporary tattoos with Thomas Mailaender; getting creative with an aerobics class turned selfie-stick tutorial; laughing out loud with Dominic Hawgood and many more. Each workshop is run by emerging artists from around the world, bringing a more human element to Photo London which is running simultaneously at Somerset House.
The space itself will be quite a sight to behold, too. ‘It is overwhelming,’ Ceschel says of the Turbine Hall, ‘both in sense of scale and history, so we wanted to make something that was in line with our ethos.’ To that end, architects Ana Varela and Philippe-Albert Lefebvre, together with graphic designer Antonio de Luca, have used 400 plastic containers to transform the cavernous hall into a manageable space that is at once inviting, protective and nurturing, whilst keeping true to the DIY idea that drives SPBH. ‘There is that design element at play here, too. These are materials we all have access to, and yet you can use them to make something spectacular.’
Architects Ana Varela and Philippe-Albert Lefebvre, together with graphic designer Antonio de Luca, have used 400 plastic containers to transform the cavernous hall into a manageable work space.
'There is that design element at play here too,' explains SPBH founder Bruno Ceschel. 'These [plastic boxes] are materials we all have access to, and yet you can use them to make something spectacular.’
'Illustrated People' is the book form of Thomas Mailaender's performance piece. His tattoo parlour will invite visitors to create their own temporary, UV tattoos.
Japanese photographers Daisuke Yokota and Hiroshi Takizawah will produce 50 photobooks using experimental printing methods. Each artist will print photographs with different materials - Yokota with iron powder and Takizawah with cement - before drying and sewing them together
Visual artist Dominic Hawgood will host 'LOL', a laughter class drawing on the ideas about the therapeutic benefit of play and letting go through group laughter and improvisation
Artists Arvida Byström and Maja Malou Lyse will host aerobics classes as creative selfie-stick tutorials
Somewhere between performance and sculpture, Johan Rosenmunthe's 'Tectonic Crystal Healing' uses stones and sound to engage members of the audience to create a source of healing powers
ADDRESS
Tate Modern
Bankside, London
SE1 9TG
-
At the Sony World Photography Awards 2025, architecture shinesThe Sony World Photography Awards 2025 winners are announced, offering a visual feast in the Architecture & Design category
-
Dior holds an enchanting Kyoto show in the midst of cherry-blossom seasonMaria Grazia Chiuri chose the grounds of Kyoto’s serene Tō-ji Temple to present a Fall 2025 collection that celebrated Dior’s longstanding links with Japan
-
Giant rings! Timber futurism! It’s the Osaka Expo 2025The Osaka Expo 2025 opens its microcosm of experimental architecture, futuristic innovations and optimistic spirit; welcome to our pick of the global event’s design trends and highlights
-
Ed Atkins confronts death at Tate BritainIn his new London exhibition, the artist prods at the limits of existence through digital and physical works, including a film starring Toby Jones
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next yearTate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: Tate Modern’s cultural shapeshifting takes the art prizeWe sing the praises of Tate Modern for celebrating the artists that are drawn to other worlds – watch our video, where Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver gives the backstory
-
Looking forward to Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary partyFrom 9-12 May 2025, Tate Modern, one of London’s most adored art museums, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a lively weekend of festivities
-
Discover psychedelic landscapes and mind-bending art at London’s Tate Modern'Electric Dreams' at the Tate encompasses the period from the 1950s to the beginning of the internet era
-
Tate Modern to host Aphex Twin listening experienceA free listening event for Aphex Twin's reissued album 'Selected Ambient Works II (Expanded Edition)' on the 25th of October
-
Looking at people looking at art: inside the mind of a gallery attendantVisitor experience workers at London’s Tate Modern, Serpentine, Barbican and V&A share what it’s like to watch people looking at art during a time of changing attention spans and rising vandalism
