Tate Collective: Keeping Tate LOUD

Loud Tate is there to disrupt the silence.

Galleries have become quiet temples of contemplation, isolating the individual within the thoughts and expression of an artist. However, this can isolate an individual away from a work, especially a younger generation who missed out on or forgot (because of exams) the Magic, the Humour, the Fun, the Vulgairty and the Noisiness of Art.

Tate Collective will not allow Tate to become another library… it just hasn’t got enough books for that.

Once a year Loud Tate disrupts the authority of a librarian, by smuggling in the following: Urban photography, take-away Poetry, photo-booths, Screen Printing, Zombies, something bigger than an Ipod and much, much more.

The reason for this is simple. We are that generation who feel we are being intimidated by the silence and sterility of a white-cubed gallery that suppresses the life of Art.

Let us not forget this a gallery and from it we chose a theme relating to a current exhibition: The Underworld, inspired by John Martin’s grand, biblical paintings.

John Martin, The Great Day of His Wrath (1851-3)

John Martin is a British Artist whose spectacular paintings stretch the boundaries of imagination and perspective. With his intense focus on architectural composition and the otherworldly chaos in Paradise Lost, he creates something predating any Hollywood blockbuster like Avatar. This has spurred an idea of an urban underground littered Platonian shadow puppetry, coincidental truths found in a glimpse of camera’s flash and spelt out in takeaway poems that look at what’s below the surface.

This cunning sellotaping of ideas will be brought into full view by the Urban photography Workshop, Raw Tours and a Q&A session (where I will be).

The Urban photography workshops will hold a treasure of wonderful props and two very talented photographers aiming to show you some of the secrets of a camera’s soul with an urban accent.

The Raw Tours… well, they are tours with hi-tops. They are unconventional, interactive and of course loud, because Art exists through opinions and dialogue… and Tate is not a library!

Now for the Q&A. There will be two and it’s not a press conference and Jeremy Paxman is banned. This is an opportunity to get a candid and informal response from established film-makers from your question and opinions.

Richard Hamilton, Interior (1964-5)

I have been part of Tate’s peer lead group scheme since 2007. I believe the way to experience art is in a cocktail of experience. Workshops laced with facts stirred up with discussions is the best way to get into a gallery, because it becomes personal. My personal  favourite artist because of this is the late Richard Hamilton. The first Pop Artist whose blend of commercialism, materialism, sex, objects and disciplines produce dark but vibrant works that to this day critique our society.

So come down, make a noise so we can chase away these librarians.

Ian Hamilton Finley, Drum (1991)

Loud Tate: Underworld is a FREE event of live music, art and performance on 1 October 2011, curated by the young people of Tate Collective.

Posted on by Mansour Mansour
Filed under BlogTate Britain

About Mansour Mansour

Mansour Mansour has been a member of Tate Collective, Tate's youth forum, since 2007.

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