Parasol Public presents
Ana Gallardo
A place to live when we are old
A public art project with Ramiro Gallardo
and Mario Gomez Casas
9–15 July 2012
Launch: 9 July, 12noon
Bishops Square
Spitalfields, London, E1
Hours: Mon–Sat, 12–7pm; Sun, 12–4pm
Admission is free
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art presents A place to live when we are old, an inter-generational, dance-based piece by Argentinian artist Ana Gallardo, in collaboration with Ramiro Gallardo and Mario Gomez Casas. Bringing people of all ages together through dance, this week-long event at Bishops Square, in the heart of London’s Spitalfields, sees three mature, amateur dancers from Mexico offering demonstrations and lessons of danzón, a typical Mexican dance, to members of the public.
Building on the success of Kate Gilmore’s Walk the Line, the inaugural Parasol Public project staged in June 2011, Parasol unit is now presenting this participatory, site-specific project. A place to live when we are old premiered with great success at the 29th São Paolo Biennial in 2010. For its London debut, Ofelia Martinez Herrera, Concepcion Marvan Pale, and Lucio Romero Rojas, three dancers in their 70s, give presentations of danzón and encourage the public to join in. A place to live when we are old takes place on a purpose-built dance floor in Bishops Square with accompanying music, a site-specific wall drawing, and video projection that together create a dynamic social environment.
In Mexico City, where Ana Gallardo lived for many years, the artist absorbed the culture of danzón, popularly danced by senior people in the public squares. A place to live when we are old focuses on showcasing the sociological concerns surrounding age in modern society. For Gallardo, the project challenges the typically ‘unfavourable image of growing old, often associated with illness, financial constraints, and physical or mental decline.’ The project’s central themes of hope, community, and enjoyment play out through the shared experience of dance.
A place to live when we are old will feature in Big Dance 2012, a nationwide festival that promotes public involvement in a broad range of dance activities in a variety of unconventional places.
Groups and individuals of all ages are welcome. For further information and group bookings, please contact Lucy Britton at lucy [at] parasol-unit.org or Nicola Pomery at nicola [at] parasol-unit.org.
This project is generously supported by: Arts Council England / Spitalfields / CONACULTA: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes/ Embassy of Mexico in the United Kingdom / Tower Hamlets Council
Directions
Nearest tube stations are Shoreditch High Street and Liverpool Street.
Buses 8, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 78, 149, 242, 344, 388 all travel down Bishopsgate; 67 travels down Commercial Street.
Current exhibition at Parasol unit, 14 Wharf Road, N1
David Claerbout. the time that remains
31 May–10 August 2012
‘Epic doesn’t begin to describe or do justice to Claerbout’s enthralling, languorous style of filmmaking.’
–Martin Herbert, Time Out
Dedicated to the filmic works of Belgian artist David Claerbout, the time that remains features pieces he has made since the year 2000. It is Claerbout’s first solo show in a public London gallery.
For further information and full events programme, please visit www.parasol-unit.org.
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art
14 Wharf Road
London N1 7RW
T +44 (0) 207 490 7373
Hours: Monday by prior arrangement
Tue–Sat, 10–6pm; Sun, 12–5pm
First Thursday of every month, open until 9pm
Admission: Free
About Parasol unit
Founded in December 2004, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is a registered educational charity in England and Wales and a not-for-profit institution that operates purely for the public benefit. Every year the foundation organises four thought-provoking exhibitions of works in various media by contemporary artists, and also sets up a variety of other artistic projects. Each exhibition is accompanied by a publication and related educational events. The foundation does not bear the founder’s name, and its exhibitions are not derived from the founder’s collection. Admission to exhibitions is free of charge.
Parasol unit operates like publicly funded institutions in London. Currently about 60% of the funding is provided by the founder and 40% through Gift Aid, charitable organisations, private donations, and the sale of merchandise. The exhibition space has been put at the disposal of the foundation free of charge by the founder. Thanks to this new model between private funding and public support one of London’s most vibrant contemporary art spaces has come to exist.
*Image above:
Ana Gallardo, A place to live when we are old. Courtesy of Ana Gallardo, Ramiro Gallardo and Mario Gomez Casas, and Parasol unit, London. Photograph: Mario Gomez Casas