Somerset House Studios presents a major new commission by Imran Perretta, his first major new work since 2019.
A Riot In Three Acts is a large-scale installation using the tropes and techniques of cinema, in the form of an expansive film set and cinematic score, to reflect on the narratives of our urban spaces and the social inequality and racial violence that shape them. It centres on the symbolic site of Reeves Corner in Croydon, the former site of the family-owned furniture shop, House of Reeves, that was set ablaze and destroyed during the 2011 London Riots. It provides a stage for the conflicting narratives that accompany these collective actions, historically spurred by racist policing, anti-war sentiment, disaffected young people and discontent towards exclusionary and exploitative government policies.
Central to A Riot in Three Acts is a newly commissioned score, A Requiem for the Dispossessed, composed by Perretta and co-commissioned and performed by Manchester Camerata. Drawing on the classical tradition of the requiem, a musical composition honouring the dead, the score serves as a sonic representation of a civil uprising and its aftermath, questioning who controls the narrative around how these actions are interpreted. Presented in spatialised surround sound by producers and fellow Somerset House Studios residents Call and Response, the installation mirrors the experience of cinema sound, locating the audience at the centre of the action.
The exhibition is accompanied by eight intimate live performances, events and a 5-day workshop for aspiring creatives aged 16-19, and will be accompanied by a special edition of The Process podcast, hosted by Imran.
A Riot in Three Acts: Performance and Live Events Programme
- A Requiem for the Dispossessed, performed live by Manchester Camerata orchestra | 27 - 28 SEP & 25 - 26 OCT 2024. Tickets HERE
- Act One: Retrieving Croydonia | 18:45 - 20:30 Thursday 3 October 2024. Tickets HERE
- Act Two: Spatialities of Violence | 18:45 - 20:30 Thursday 17 October 2024. Tickets HERE
- Act Three: Liberated Zones for Palestine | 18:45 - 20:30 Wednesday 30 October 2024. Tickets HERE
- Future Artists Programme Raheel Khan 5-day workshop for aspiring artists aged 16-19. FREE
Tickets: Events | Somerset House
Further Information: Imran Perretta: A Riot In Three Acts | Somerset House