Oh! Dreamland 2023 Installation View. © Courtesy Turner Contemporary. Photo John Sainsbury
Oh! Dreamland
Clore Learning Studio
To coincide with 'In The Offing', the Clore Learning Studio has been transformed into a playful dreamscape for relaxing, reflecting and experimenting – designed for young people by young people.
Oh! Dreamland is a space for people to:
Relax,
Take their time
&
Have fun.
See yourself in new ways in the wall of mirrors, curl up with a good book from the children’s art library, learn your fortune from the ‘Mouth of Truth’ and take part in a postcard exchange.
Oh! Dreamland has been designed by Turner Contemporary’s Emerging Producers, a group of eight local young people, selected as part of Creative Estuary’s Re:Generation 2031 programme which provides employment and skills development in the creative industries. Over the course of two years, the Emerging Producers have worked with Turner Contemporary to help research, develop and deliver a series of programmes. For In The Offing the group has worked alongside the gallery’s Learning team to re-design the Clore Learning Studio. This Creative Estuary Co-commission takes the form of an imaginative hub for creativity that nods to O Dreamland, Lindsay Anderson’s 1953 ground-breaking short film about Margate’s amusement park.
Presenting work by Margate-based creatives, the space features a new sculptural commission by Kavitha Balasingham, signwriting by Mia Pollack and a resource kiosk by Elouise Farley.
The Emerging Producers are: Oliver Castle, Layla Crick, Oliver Fisher, Danniella Jasper, Miroslava Karaskova, Eridanus Kyren, Philippa Raye and Stuart Rayner, led by Jennifer Scott, Learning & Engagement Manager at Turner Contemporary.
During the autumn 2023 season, the space will host art workshops and the Children’s Art Library during the day, transforming into a venue for music and talent development on selected evenings, details of which will be announced soon.
The Emerging Producers programme is part of a three-year project of which Freelands Foundation is Principal Supporter.
Creative Estuary’s Re:Generation 2031 programme is also Supporter of the Emerging Producers programme and Oh! Dreamland is a Creative Estuary Co-commission.
Featured Artists
Kavitha Balasingham
London-based artist Kavitha Balasingham (b. 1994, Kent) earned her MFA from Goldsmiths in 2022.
Elouise Farley
Elouise is an artist as well as a skilled carpenter and metal worker.
Mia Pollak
Mia is a traditional signwriter specialising in gilding and glass etching.
As part of In The Offing, Leckey conceived and hosted Salamagundy ‘22 in December 2022 – a Variety Show which brought an eclectic line-up of artists to Dreamland’s iconic Roller Room to explore ideas around modern entertainment and contemporary art practice. The event was a Creative Estuary Co-commission, delivered by the Emerging Producers as part of Creative Estuary’s Re:Generation 2031 programme which provides employment and skills development in the creative industry.
