Eloise Hawser helped the ICA raise funds with the performance ‘Er and Other Conductors’ at its annual gala in the heart of The Vinyl Factory Space, Brewer St Car Park. Over 200 guests enjoyed a specially choreographed evening comprising a reception and dinner followed by a fifteen minute performance. For the event, Hawser contributed a selection of electro-mechanical devices, combined with organs, dance, light and sound and featuring the collective AERIAL and voguers from the House of Lady Di. Hawser worked closely with choreographer Benjamin Milan who has performed with many high profile artists including FKA twigs.
The performance culminated in the unveiling of a series of newly-created glass works, donated by Hawser and auctioned off by Oliver Barker of Sotheby’s, who deftly handled the flurry of enthusiastic bidders. Throughout the evening, guests dined on a black and white feasting menu, specially created by Bompas & Parr, and designed to complement the urban surroundings of The Vinyl Factory Space. Highlights of the event included the first ever studio dinner with Idris Khan and Annie Morris with live music from Jamie Cullum and lunch with legendary figures from British Fashion Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue, and Jonathan Saunders and Nicholas Kirkwood.
‘I’m really pleased to have collaborated with our special guest artist Eloise Hawser on this breathtaking event which has proved to be an astounding success for the ICA. Eloise has not only devoted precious time and energy towards this event in full support of the ICA’s programme but also premiers a series of works which will be revisited as part of Eloise’s forthcoming solo exhibition at the ICA, ‘Lives on Wire’’ – Gregor Muir, Executive Director ICA
‘Er and Other Conductors’ follows previous unique fundraising events with Eddie Peake (2014), Oscar Murillo (2013), Subodh Gupta (2012) and Tracey Emin (2011).
The performance by Eloise Hawser was developed in collaboration with Henry Degnin and Kara Mensah of AERIAL and House of Lady Di Voguers with curatorial support from ICA Curator Matt Williams. Aries kindly provided the costumes. A reconfigured version of last night’s performance will be presented at the ICA Theatre on 27 August 2015.
Eloise Hawser graduated from The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford in 2007 and continued her studies at Stadelschule, Frankfurt under Tobias Rehberger (2009-2012). 2015 Weighted Data (group show), Tate Britain, London; The Generational Triennial (group show), New Museum, New York, NY; 2014 Europe, Europe, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo (group show); Don’t You Know Who I Am? Art after Identity Politics (group show), M HKA, Antwerp, Belgium; 2013 Burn These Eyes Captain and Throw Them in the Sea (group show), Rodeo, Istanbul, Turkey; Soft Wear curated by Philip Zach, Sandy Brown, Berlin, Germany; Pre pop to Post-human, Hayward Touring, London, UK; Here we go (group show), Karsten Schubert, London, UK Solo Presentation, Frieze Art Fair, Frame section, London, UK. A Journey Through London Subculture: 1980s to Now (group show), ICA Offsite, London, UK; One After One, Group Show, Vilma Gold, London, UK.