Turner Contemporary announces 2014 autumn events programme

Jeremy Deller: English Magic opens at Turner Contemporary on 11 October 2014. English Magicfurther explores Jeremy Deller’s ongoing interest in the diverse nature of British society: its people, myths and folklore as well as its broad cultural, socio-political and economic history. Following a national tour since January 2014, Turner Contemporary presents the full spectrum and final UK showcase of the exhibition, commissioned by the British Council for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2013. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of stimulating talks and events. Contemporary artist Jeremy Deller is joined by political commentator John Kampfner to discuss the topic of wealth to coincide with Jeremy’s exhibition and the release of Kampfner’s book The Rich. Author and poet Clive Wilmer explores the work of William Morris and John Ruskin and their influence on Victorian society. To coincide the release of Mike Leigh’s biopic of JMW Turner on 31 October starring actor Timothy Spall, Tim Wright, the artist who taught Spall how to paint as Turner for the film, and Charlie Cobb, who produced the Turner paintings for the film, discuss working on the making of Mr Turner in an exclusive talk at Turner Contemporary. Throughout the autumn programme, the gallery will show monthly screenings of films made by artists. This series is presented in association with the ICA with support from The Foyle Foundation.  In December artist group Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša undertake a presentation and performance organised in collaboration with UCA Canterbury. To conclude 2014, Turner Contemporary welcomes in the festive season with a performance by the Big Sing choir and a workshop of festive folk decorations with artist Zoe Murphy. Winter opening times Tuesday – Sunday and bank holidays, 10am – 5pm Admission to the gallery is free.          Other autumn highlights include:

Opening day Sat 11 Oct, 11am - 4pm, free Celebrate the opening of English Magic: interact with flying machines with artist Savinder Bual, see live birds of prey from Tomar Owl Sanctuary, make protest statements with artists Fiona De Bulat and Paul Atkins (11am – 2pm, free), then listen to The Melodians Steel Orchestra and Turner Contemporary’s resident choir the Big Sing, who feature in Jeremy Deller’s English Magic film (2pm / 4pm). Family workshops   Try something new in the gallery every week with our Easy Sunday activities.   Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 12, Sun 26 Oct, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere  is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 19 Oct , 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.   Student Late Tue 21 Oct, 6-8pm, free University students… for one night only, the gallery space is completely yours. Come to the gallery for a special late night event where you can create your own art with leading artists, and take part in a philosophical inquiry about the artworks on show at Turner Contemporary. Learn from the TC team and others.     Performance: I Believe in Unicorns  Thu 23 Oct, 4pm £3.50 children / free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Michael Morpurgo’s treasured story is told in a spellbinding one-woman show. This intimate one-woman show is set in a library full of books that hold more than stories within their pages. It is the tale of the power of books and the bravery of a young boy called Tomas. Tomas hates reading and school, but his world is turned upside down the day he meets the Unicorn Lady in his local library… An enchanting and interactive production by Olivier Award nominated Wizard, I Believe in Unicorns sparks imagination in both young and old, and challenges you not to believe in unicorns after joining Tomas’s spellbinding journey. Add your own piece of magic to the story by bringing a children’s book to become part of the set and swap it for another at the end. In partnership with Theatre Royal Margate. Book tickets at theatreroyalmargate.com. Art on Screen:  Ryan Trecartin Wed 29 Oct, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. LA-based artist Ryan Trecartin’s high-octane videos reference television and feature film; their surreal narratives spotlight American youth culture and its contradictions and nuances. Originally releasing his videos on YouTube in the mid-2000s, Trecartin’s visual vocabulary is heavy with irony and pop-culture motifs.   See more in the Art on Screen series: Loretta Fahrenholz 19 Nov Continental Drift 17 Dec   Family workshop: Big Prints Wed 29 and Thu 30 Oct, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode It’s the national Big Draw and you can create big industrial-sized prints with artist Jennifer Price.

Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 2, Sun 16, Sun 30  Nov, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.   Felicity Aston Tue 4 Nov, 3pm, tickets £6 / £5 Explorer Felicity Aston was the first woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone. In 2014, she made the 36,000km expedition from the UK to north-east Siberia. At this talk she gives an insight into her journey. A showcase of photographs from the expedition is on show in our ground floor exhibition Pole of Cold: What does winter mean to you? (4 November 2014 – 1 February 2015).     Adult workshop: Painting Wed 5, Wed 12, Wed 19, Wed 26 Nov / Wed 3 Dec, 10.30am – 1.30pm, £75 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist.   Become an expert at drawing and painting with guidance from artist Judith Bing at this 5 week course. The course runs from 5 November to 3 December.    Figure and Portrait Drawing Thu 6, Thu 13, Thu 20, Thu 27 Nov / Thu 4 Dec, 10am – 12.30pm, £75 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist. Over 5 weeks, perfect your figure and portrait drawing using live models.  Various approaches to portrait drawing will be introduced, with the focus on individual, one-to-one, tuition.    The course runs from 6 November to 4 December.    Digital Imaging Sat 8 Nov, 10am – 6pm, £50 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist.   Jeremy Deller and John Kampfner in conversation Thu 6 Nov, 6.30pm, tickets £8 / £6 / £23 for talk & 2 course dinner with wine What do a contemporary artist and a political commentator  have to say about wealth?  In Deller’s exhibition English Magic, mythical acts of revenge are taken on the excesses of oligarchs and the super-rich. In his new book, The Rich, John Kampfner profiles the psychology of the rich through the ages from ancient Egypt to the oligarchies of modern Russia and China: how they came to their wealth, how they spent it. In this lively discussion Deller and Kampfner explore the impact of capitalism on society. First Friday: Folk  Fri 7 Nov, 6-9pm, free Smugglers records return to the gallery for an evening of folk, with singer Will Varley’s irresistible songs, music and more.  Plus see English Magic at night and experience Kent’s folk music at its best.  Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 9 Nov, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Cracking the Crinoline  Sat 15 Nov, 1pm / 2pm / 3pm, free A short, sharp and surprising performance by Stephenson Thompson’s Moving Memory Company combining crinolines, corsets and boxing boots.  These Queen B’s remind us not to take little old ladies for granted.  Join them for a performance that is uplifting, life enhancing and will leave you reaching for your Marigolds.           Parliament Week: Art and Politics symposium Sat 15 Nov, 1.30 – 5pm, tickets £8 / £6, special café menu on the day for ticket holders Is all art political? Is there a difference between political art and propaganda? Can art make a real political impact, or does it just preach to the converted? Speakers Bernadette Buckley, Diarmuid Costello, JJ Charlesworth, Gordana Fontana-Giusti, Jon Kear, and others discuss these compelling questions.  Organised by the History of Art Department at the University of Kent in association with Turner Contemporary. Art on Screen: Loretta Fahrenholz Wed 19 Nov, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. Loretta Fahrenholz’s films are diverse in subject matter, often arising through close collaboration with her subjects. At the heart of her filmmaking practice is the act of revealing social on socio-political conditions through the fictional interpretation of true events – her juxtaposition of pop culture references with intense human interactions creating an uneasy presence on screen.   The Making of Mr Turner Thu 20 Nov, 6:30pm, £10 / £8 To coincide with the release on 31 October of Mike Leigh’s biopic of JMW Turner starring actor Timothy Spall, Tim Wright, the artist who taught Spall how to paint as Turner for the film, and Charlie Cobb, who produced the Turner Paintings for the film, discuss working on the making of Mr Turner.    The films follows the last 25 years of Turner’s life, when he spent time in Margate and stayed at Sophia Booth’s guesthouse, where Turner Contemporary is now situated.     Parliament Week: Giant chess 21 Nov, 10am – 4pm, free Young people from Bradfield School in Gillingham, Kent display and demonstrate their handmade chess set created from recycled car parts, in partnership with Skills22/Catch22.  Easy Sunday special:  Festive Lanterns 23 Nov, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Make large scale paper lanterns with artist Dawn Cole to bring with you on Friday 28 November for the turning on of Christmas lights and the start of the Christmas countdown in Margate. Youth gallery takeover Fri 21 and Sun 23 Nov Young people take over the gallery with tours, activities and performances on 23 November, plus they’ll be taking over the @TCMargate Twitter feed with a #whatif Q&A with artist Bob and Roberta Smith, discussing art and politics on 21 November. The Jarman Award Shortlist Sat 22 Nov, 10am-4pm, free, drop in The Jarman Award Touring Programme presents a selection of single screen film works by the 10 artists shortlisted for this year's prestigious Jarman Award: John Akomfrah, Sebastian Buerkner, Laura Buckley, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Steven Claydon, Redmond Entwistle, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Ursula Mayer, Rachel Reupke and Stephen Sutcliffe. Clive Wilmer on William Morris and John Ruskin  Thu 27 Nov, 3pm, £6 / £5, cup of tea included with every ticket Author and poet Clive Wilmer, the author of seven books of poetry and professor of English at Cambridge, explores the work of William Morris and John Ruskin and their influence on Victorian society.   Christmas lights switch on Fri 28 Nov, 4 -8pm, free Magical Margate starts the Christmas season with a festive event including carol-singing, music, and late night shopping, culminating in our lights switch on at 6pm. In the gallery, listen to the Big Sing choir singing festive pop music, make festive folk decorations with artist Zoe Murphy and enjoy festive food and drink in our café.

Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 7 Dec and Sun 21 Dec, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode At Sculpt the Sky, bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.     Readymade: Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša Thu11 Dec, 6pm, £4 / £3 concessions A presentation and performance by the artist group Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša, whose 3 members changed their names to that of the Slovenian Prime Minister, a process documented in their controversial documentary My Name is Janez Janša (2012). Organised in collaboration with UCA Canterbury as part of the exhibition Despite Efficiency: Labour, Herbert Read Gallery, 24 November - 13 December 2014   Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 14 Dec and Sun 28 Dec, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.           Art on Screen: Continental Drift Sun 17 Dec, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. This group screening explores the roles of location, time and memory in our understanding and relationship to urban and rural space. With reference to sociality and nationality, artists reveal a variety of perspectives on territory, landscape and national borders, while others capture the universal languages of geological and man-made terrains.   Easy Bank Holiday: Sculpt the Sky Mon 29 Dec, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Easy Holiday: Pottery Wed 31 Dec 2014  and Thu 1 Jan 2015, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Make your own ‘atmospheric’ piece of pottery with Bev Burt and David Melville of the Kent Potters Association. Inspired by Edmund De Waal's atmosphere, on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015, your artwork will become part of a collaborative piece.

Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 4 Jan, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015..         Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 11 Jan, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.

Free exhibition tours Every Wed, Sat, Sun and bank holiday 11:30am, free Discover more about the exhibition Jeremy Deller: English Magic with a guided tour by our knowledgeable Gallery Assistant. Spotlight talks Every Friday, 11:30am, free Turner Contemporary staff give a personal tour of our exhibition Jeremy Deller: English Magic.              Family workshops Every Sunday, and Wednesday and Thursdays during school holidays £3 per child/free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9   Craft Club Sat 25 Oct and Sat 29 Nov, 1-4pm, drop in, free Learn and practice different crafts with our friendly makers, including knitting, sewing, crochet, card-making and pegloom weaving.   Full event information can be found on our website at turnercontemporary.org/whatson