RIA Presents:
Simeon Barclay, The Ruin
at the ICA, London
'RIA Presents: Simeon Barclay, The Ruin' — a new performance commission investigating British identity.
16 January 2025
The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London
Two performances: 6.30pm and 8.30pm
RIA has commissioned the first performance work by British artist Simeon Barclay which will be presented in partnership with the ICA, London in January. 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.
With RIA’s support, Barclay has developed The Ruin over a year-long period that has included R&D conversations with artist, performance maker, researcher and designer Moi Tran and theatre designer Agnes Treplin to explore performance and staging.
In 2025, The Ruin will tour to The Hepworth Wakefield. This is part of our mission to make performance more sustainable by presenting works more than once and to different audiences across the UK. More information to come soon.
Simeon Barclay says: "Working through the fundamentals of performance with RIA on this new commission has enabled me to explore less obvious aspects of my sculptural practice such as how bodies move and are shaped by space, architecture, light, and sound. These elements are integral to how I approach art making, and through this process, I’ve been able to connect them with other areas I have long been interested in, including language, the potential of sonic space, self-projection, and British identity. I’m excited about discovering a new expansion of my practice and a fresh way of working.”
Kate Davies, RIA Director says: “We are thrilled to be working with Simeon Barclay this year in our Practising Performance strand. Simeon’s interventions in the architecture of spaces through light and sound along with his use of atmosphere, humour and his very particular relationship to language are areas we wanted to build on with this commission. We hope this opportunity to develop a live work from concept to realisation opens up new realms of possibilities for Simeon’s practice and process in future.”
ICA Director, Bengi Ünsal added, "The ICA is pleased to collaborate with the Roberts Institute of Art, reinforcing its commitment to supporting interdisciplinary artists such as Simeon Barclay. We are delighted to welcome this talented multidisciplinary artist as he embarks on a new trajectory into performance.”
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