Author: Ryan Coleman

On Tuesday 4 August  I was asked to select a work featured in the Battle and District Arts Group summer exhibition to award the annual  De La Warr Pavilion Prize.  The paintings and drawings on display were extremely varied in their themes and the quality of work very good overall. After some deliberation, I settled on a small study by Michael Irish. In a room full of generally much larger pieces, I found myself being drawn repeatedly back to this little work. I particularly liked the stark, almost architectural, composition and Michael’s concentration on simple forms. I was intrigued by the crisp shadows and sharp angles and felt that this stripped down still-life was a deserving winner.

Rowan Bunney, Exhibition Organiser @ DLWP

We are delighted to have been selected as one of the 21 landmarks that define 21^st century Britain, taken from thousands of public votes submitted to The Independent Traveller and BA’s High Life Magazine.

Other landmarks include The Eden Project, The Angel of the North (by DLWP Patron Sir Antony Gormley), Coventry Cathedral, Tate Modern, Turner Contemporary, Edinburgh Castle and Blackpool Tower.

The Independent Traveller, along with BA’s High Life magazine asked readers to help select structures that most enrich the nation. Thousands of votes were submitted which were then eliminated down to just 40 votes, these then were presented to a panel of judges for consideration.

The judging panel: Iwona Blazwick, director of London’s Whitechapel Gallery; Stephen Hodder, chairman of Hodder Associates and president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA); Julia Bradbury, broadcaster with the BBC and ITV; architect Will Alsop, who, over the years, has won the Stirling Prize and the Civic Trust Award – twice; and Kerry Smith, editor of High Life.

Read the full article by Simon Calder here: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/great-british-landmarks-21-structures-that-define-our-landscape-10430164.html

Inspired by Bridget Riley’s notion of creating and de-stablising an order situation, join artist Beccy McCray in Crafternoon Tea Club on Friday 7 August & Friday 21 August.  Using unexpected building objects to create towering structures to record the sucess (or failure!) of each one… Think of it a bit like jenga, only much more adventurous in form and scale using biscuits and recycled objects!

• Fri 7 August & Fri 21 August
• 2-6pm
• Free event (donations welcome). No booking required

Please note: This exercise will coincide with afternoon tea so no biscuits will be wasted in the creation of this artwork

Beccy’s Crafternoon Tea Club is a collective which explores participatory and community art, combined with DIY craft-based tradition that can take any form; from games, happenings and installation, to collage, baking, parties and painting – or just being nice to people. The project acts as both curator and collaborator; creating frameworks within which unexpected situations can occur. It aims to blur the line between artist and audience, bringing people together, using collective powers for the greater good, and having fun while they do it!

Beccy’s work has been commissioned by organisations such as The Barbican, the Jerwood Gallery, Turner Contemporary, The Olympic Park Legacy Company, The National Theatre, Home Live Art, Create London, ONCA Centre for Arts and Ecology and the Women’s Institute.

www.beccymccray.com

beccyandbridget.tumblr.com

The De La Warr Pavilion and Project 78 Gallery, in partnership and Kino Teatr, are proud to present:
Dear Serge Offsite@Project 78
At Project 78 Gallery, Norman Road, St Leonards-on-Sea and streamed live to Kino Teatr, St Leonards. Also online at www.dlwp.com and www.dfarecords.com
Date : Saturday July 25th 2015
Time: 12noon to 6pm
Admission: FREE

This event is co-curated by De La Warr Pavilion and Project 78

At Project 78, the gallery will be divided in half , with some performances taking place in an open ‘white cube’ space and others within a specially constructed ‘black cube’. These small spaces will host live bands, a performance lecture on infinite economics, artist films, DJs and more. With space for only about ten  lucky audience members within each ‘cube’, a live internet video-stream will be sent to Kino Teatr’s cinema/gallery/bar which is situated just a few metres away on the same street. Screenings will also take place in New York and Paris venues, in similarly sized black cubes.  Alongside this the video stream will be viewable online at dlwp.com and the DFA record label site.

Dear Serge:
Over the last two years, with the generous support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the De La Warr Pavilion has produced a groundbreaking programme of interdisciplinary one-day live arts events under the ‘Dear Serge’ moniker.

Named in tribute to the forward thinking architect Serge Chermayeff, the Dear Serge programme has stayed true to the spirit in which the iconic building of  the De La Warr pavilion was conceived. Presenting and promoting the very best in new, cross-disciplinary and experimental art from the UK and beyond, over 24 months we have commissioned and supported over 50 early career artists.

For this event we are taking Dear Serge out of the building and joining up with local organisations who share our enthusiasm for the very best in fresh, new art forms. We are honoured to be working with two organisations situated just along the coast in the culturally thriving town of St Leonards-on-Sea (Project 78 Gallery and Kino Teatr).

Confirmed Artists:
Prinzhorn Dance School (Live Music) Taking a break from their European tour, we have a very special one-off performance/installation –The full band crammed into a small black cube playing a selection of their most experimental tracks from across their output

Joe Snape (Tired Music – Live Sound Performance) Simultaneously beautiful and edgy sound performance from the Berlin based Joe Snape. Not to be missed…

Noteherder and McCloud (Live Experimental Electronic Music)m Searing analog synthesizer meets skronking soprano sax and shouty weirdness, and somehow it really works

Cliff Stevenson (An Artist Talks to an Economist – One Man Live Performance Lecture) Ex -economist turned artist Cliff Stevenson presents an alternative to neo-liberal economics, involving infinite supply and zero demand…

 Christina Yeo Clarey  (Canis Lupus and the Logic of Pink Icing – Live Performance)
With a maximum of six  audience members seated around a table, Christina’s performance weaves a story that involves amongst other things, motherhood, wolves, Joseph Beuys and pink icing. Winner of the University of Seoul Performance Award 2013

Simon Barker and Nayan Kulkarni (Recorded Delivery – Film Screening) Dual channel film, 11 minutes, 2012 – Filmed on location at the Medway Bridge; Medway Gate; and Medway Bridge Marin, featuring Patrick Jones and Andrew Phillips

 DJ Cheesemaster (Esoteric and Eclectic Audio Selector) Looking after the turntables at various points during the day we have Spirit of Gravity Life President – DJ Cheesemaster. From experimental Kraut-rock to Hawaiian lounge music, expect the unexpected

 Bartosz Dylewski (Live Visuals) Fusing influences from Russian constructivism, glitch art and vorticism, Bartosz’s incredible reactive visuals have been in high demand over the last few years – don’t miss the chance to witness them in this intimate setting…

Sean Dower (New Video Work) We are super pleased to present a new site/system specific work made for this event by one of the UK’s most interesting artist’s currently working in the fields of sound, video and installation

 Also – Very special after-party happening at Kino Teatr – 6pm to 11pm with DJ’s and other acts to be announced!!….

We are delighted to announce that McPhersons Chartered Accountants are the sponsor for this yea’r’s Sunset Screenings at the De La Warr Pavilion.

These free screenings will showcase family classics such as Bugsy Malone, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Labyrinth and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with the finale being a Disney/Pixar film chosen by the audience!

To vote for your favourite film visit dlwp.com/peoples-film

The team at McPhersons have enjoyed showing their creative side in producing a short trailer which will be shown before the films.  –Come and see your favourite accountants as you have never seen them before!

Director, Ashley Gill says

“McPhersons are delighted to be the sponsor of the Sunset Screenings 2015. These free to attend screenings will make a great night out in a fabulous location. The sponsorship has also given us a chance to show our creative flair in the making of a short movie trailer”

DLWP Director Stewart Drew says:

McPhersons have long been a keen supporter of the work that we do and we are delighted that they have taken the opportunity to become a partner in this year’’s outdoor Sunset Screenings. We love the fact that they have embraced the spirit of working in a creative environment and their movie trailer is not to be missed!

For more information about the film visit www.dlwp.com/events/live/cinema

The De La Warr Pavilion welcomes support from its corporate partners. For more information on how you can get involved please visit www.dlwp.com/support-us/opportunities-for-businesses/

Watch now the McPhersons Chartered Accountants trailor – The Unusual Accountants

Stewart Drew , Director and CEO of the De La Warr Pavilion presented his annual report for April 2014/April 2015 to a full council meeting of Rother District Council on Monday evening.

The presentation outlined the programme of activity throughout  the year in the galleries, the auditorium and emphasised a  key partnership with the Hastings and Rother Arts Education Network (HRAEN). Out of 17 exhibitions in 12 months the highlights included Ladybird By Design  – a record-breaking exhibition in terms of attendance with over 54,000 visitors, pages of press coverage and a transfer to the House of Illustration in London. Ivan Chermayeff’s Cut and Paste exhibition revived our association with Ivan, son of one of the Pavilion’s original architects Serge Chermayeff and leading graphic designer responsible for the Mobil/Pan Am/National Geographic and NBC logos amongst many others. Ivan has since designed our 80th anniversary logo and become an Honorary Patron of the Pavilion.

The De La Warr Pavilion has attracted headline music and comedy acts with 48,000 ticket buyers in 12 months over 120 evenings. The diversity of the programme is key to our business and events  range from independent  films to sold out gigs such as Elvis Costello and Suede who appear in Bexhill before they performed at the Glastonbury Festival.  We have produced 98 of our own productions and hosted 22 community shows.

An investment from Arts Council England of £412k levered a total of £500k investment in the auditorium – the first investment in the auditorium for over 20 years.

We have delivered over 30 community events including four exhibitions in the studio, sold 4000 tickets to family shows and 5000 to our community events and school productions.  The learning and participation programme has seen over 5500 participants in workshops, courses and classes.

The Pavilion has supported the attainment of 28 Arts Awards for young people, 20 through the Hastings & Rother Arts Education Network. We are a leading partner in this important  new network, working with most schools in Bexhill, Hastings and Rural Rother.

Approximately 50% of our daytime visitors live within 30 mins drive time of the Pavilion and approximately 80% of our evening audiences come from Bexhill, Rother, Hastings and Eastbourne.
97% of our staff live locally and we work with over 30 volunteers and work experience students.

A door count of 390k visitors illustrates the extent of our contribution to the economy of Bexhill and Rother through secondary spend on food, drink and accommodation. We continue to work closely with local partners such as the Town Team, the South England Local Enterprise Partnership, Rother’s regeneration team and 1066 Country to name a few to remain a key play in the future of Bexhill and Rother.

Friday June 12 marked a significant day in the story of the De La Warr Pavilion when we opened the gallery to show over 30 works spanning five decades of painting by Bridget Riley. Riley, who is unquestionably one of the UK’s most significant artists joined us, along with Sir Nicholas Serota from Tate and at least 200 other figures from the national and international arts world, DLWP Patrons and Members, artists and friends and partners from  Bexhill and Sussex . Riley was delighted with the exhibition and gave a rare interview on camera to the BBC which was part of a live broadcast from the terrace that night. Other accolades came from Jonathan Jones in the Guardian and Richard Cork from BBC Front Row who described the exhibition as a “perfect marriage between art and setting” and the Pavilion as “a pioneering building of lines and curves” with the curvaceous staircase proving to be the ideal introduction to the curves in Riley’s works inside the gallery.

Speeches were given by Stewart Drew (Director and CEO of the Pavilion), Sir Nicholas Serota (who declared  that the Pavilion “made him feel like dancing”) and Riley herself.

 Over 150 people enjoyed dinner in the auditorium, hosted by the DLWP Chair of the Board Julian Bird. In his introduction Julian  reminded the guests that, as well as celebrating Bridget’s work, we were also launching the Pavilion’s  80th  Anniversary celebrations  and the evening was also the start of a fundraising campaign for future works to this Grade One Listed Modernist icon.

 Bridget Riley: The Curve Paintings 1961 – 2014 runs until 6 September
Talk about the exhibition with dancer  and choreographer Siobhan Davies  and composer Ed Hughes , Sat 11 July , £7
Free Gallery Tour Sat 25 July, booking recommended on 01424 229111
John Stezaker : Film Works, Gallery 2,  runs until 19 July
Silvio Meier: Drawings, Objects and Paper Cuttings, Rooftop Foyer, 4 July – 30 August