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Portrait of Simeon Barclay. Courtesy the Artist and Workplace, UK
Performance
RIA Presents: Simeon Barclay, The Ruin
16 Jan 2025
Regular hours
- Thu, 16 Jan
- 18:30 – 21:30
Cost of entry
Two performances, one at 6.30pm and 8.30pm. Book here: https://www.ica.art/ria-presents-simeon-barclay-the-ruin
Address
- Nash House, The Mall
- London
- SW1Y 5AH
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Piccadilly Circus/Charing Cross
RIA has commissioned the first performance work by British artist Simeon Barclay which will be presented in partnership with the ICA, London in January.
About
The Ruin will see Barclay perform himself for the first time alongside musicians within a work he has conceived to address British identity, particularly in relation to masculinity and class. The commission is part of our Practising Performance programme which debuted in 2023 with an operatic work developed with artist Rachel Jones.
The Ruin combines a monologue written and performed by Barclay with live percussion by James Larter and horn by Isaac Shieh specially developed for the performance. With this new performance Barclay questions a mythic idea of Britain through a personal lens. It introduces Barclay’s own history growing up in Huddersfield with parents originally from the Caribbean and reflects on the industrial landscape of northern England in the 1980s and 90s. Collaborating with musicians James Larter and Isaac Shieh, he brings together spoken word, rhythm and melody. The Ruin draws on a wide range of references from early modern music to landscape, urban design and fashion.
Simeon Barclay is known for his sculptural and installation practice which is rooted in material histories. He uses pop cultural references to explore personal and cultural memory and to navigate imposed and self-created identities. Interested in self-image, particularly in relation to socioeconomic status, race and 'Britishness', The Ruin investigates masculinity in a dynamic live ensemble piece.
