Hasta La Ideas

Dezeenwire: designer Ron Arad is to create an installation at London’s Roundhouse in August this year to host performances by designers and musicians including Hussein Chalayan and Javier Mariscal.

Called Curtain Call, the installation with comprise 5,600 silicon rods suspended from an 18-metre ring inside the venue, which was built in 1846 as a steam-engine repair shed.

This shifting cylinder will form a backdrop to videos, live performances and interactive installations from 9-29 August 2011.

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Here are some more details from the venue:

Major installation by Ron Arad at the Roundhouse

As part of Bloomberg Summer at the Roundhouse, internationally renowned artist, architect and designer Ron Arad will create a unique installation for the iconic London building – Curtain Call.

Arad has responded to the Roundhouse’s spectacular Main Space by creating a curtain made of 5,600 silicon rods, suspended from an 18 metre diameter ring – a canvas for films, live performance and audience interaction.

He has invited his favourite artists, musicians and friends to create unique work for the 360° interactive installation. Each day visitors will be able to see work by Babis Alexiadis, Hussein Chalayan, Matt Collishaw, Ori Gersht, Greenaway & Greenaway, Christian Marclay, Javier Mariscal, SDNA, David Shrigley, and students from the Royal College of Art as part of the piece.

Ron Arad says of Curtain Call: “Walk in, penetrate, cross the moving images to get inside the cylinder. You’ll be engulfed by images – a captive, but also a creator. It’s amazing what exciting things happen on both sides of the curtain. I can’t wait.”

Marcus Davey, Roundhouse Artistic Director and Chief Executive: “The Roundhouse Main Space has been the setting for all sorts of brave, influential work over the years. But this is the first time that an installation of such physical scale and creative scope has been staged. Ron’s remarkable project marries experimental design with live performance. It looks set to be an unforgettable experience.”

Bloomberg: “We’re delighted that our collaboration with the Roundhouse and Ron Arad will inspire artists and audiences to engage in new ways through exciting new technology. We’re proud to be part of such a unique and extraordinary event.”

A number of special events will be staged throughout the run, for which tickets range from £12-25, including: acclaimed cellist Stephen Isserlis with a performance of solo suites by Bach and Britten (17 Aug); Berlin-based electronic music label Innervisions with an evening featuring a screening of 1920s classic, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, accompanied by a live score (19 Aug); and London Contemporary Orchestra performing Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and other modern pieces on ancient themes (23 Aug).

There will also be free events, including a rude oracle delivered by award-winning American author Jonathan Safran Foer, singer/ songwriter Lail Arad, and Call to Create – a chance for emerging artists to collaborate with AV collective, Eyes on the Wall.

Ron Arad’s constant experimentation with materials and his radical approach to form and structure have put him at the forefront of contemporary design. In 1994 he unveiled the Bookworm bookshelf, and in 2005 he designed a chandelier for the Swarovski crystal company, which uses LEDs to display scrolling text messages sent from mobile phones. He was Head of the Design Products Department at the Royal College of Art from 1997 to 2009. Ron Arad Architects designed the Design Museum Holon, which opened in 2010. Recent major shows include the Centre Pomidou, Paris, MoMA in New York and the Barbican in London.

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