Public Gallery: Opens June 2008

The Public, one of Britain’s largest and most ambitious cultural building projects, is delighted to confirm it will open its doors on Saturday 28 June, 2008.

The Public sits in the heart of Sandwell, West Midlands, on the grounds of a former bus depot. Its building is instantly recognisable as a Will Alsop creation, whilst architects Flannery & de la Pole have completed the unique environment that hosts an entirely participatory art gallery - the only space of its kind internationally.

Boasting more than 9,000sqm of internal space, The Public is the first major initiative in an ongoing, long-term regeneration programme for West Bromwich that will bring a wide range of economic, cultural and community benefits to the area. Housing the Public Gallery, as well as a live performance theatre, recording studios, creative office space, event and conference spaces for business hire and a cafébar, The Public will become a new and extensive creative hub and social centre for Sandwell.

Public Gallery is a dynamic space with no vertical walls, and incorporates dizzying drops, a glade of steel trees carrying responsive foliage, digital waterfalls, flying avatars, labyrinthine paths and sound tunnels, alongside two temporary exhibition spaces which will see a changing programme of work by internationally renowned artists.

Public Gallery aims to engage all visitors in determining their own creative experiences during their time at the gallery, in an ongoing enquiry into notions of participation. On offer will be a wide range of accessible, entertaining, educational and inspirational activities to support this diverse and leading-edge art programme.

Highlights from the permanent programme include Trees by Ben Kelly, who built his reputation as the designer behind Manchester’s Hacienda and Factory Records HQ.

Usman Haque, who opened the 2006 Singapore Biennale, presents Flower of My Secret, a series of drawers containing virtual flowerbeds that teem with whispered thoughts and secrets left behind by visitors.

Flypad, by internationally renowned Blast Theory, creates a thrilling, collaborative experience for up to eleven players, who create their own 3D avatars. By stepping onto their Flypad they take off, diving and flying in the gallery's central atrium, with the aim of swapping as many limbs and skins by colliding and holding other players.

LA based Marie Sester has created Access at The Public, influenced by surveillance practices, that is designed to be fun. Visitors can spotlight unsuspecting individuals and send them a compliment only they can hear.

The final aspect of the gallery is an area called 'Make'. Here, the end result of an individual's journey through the gallery is offered up as a series of creative processes, to allow them to create their own designed art object, inspired by the artworks they have seen and interacted with.

Visitors do this by using data made and collected during their visit, which they personalise to make a unique range of take-away objects, from wrapping paper to coffee mugs.

Marlene Smith, Director, Public Gallery, says: “I am delighted to confirm the scheduled opening of Public Gallery, the UK’s first truly participatory art gallery, right here in the heart of the Black Country. The Public is a dynamic building, but what really differentiates Public Gallery is its dedication to making change through art and participation. Our international programme of permanent and temporary exhibitions and events will offer creative, innovative and fun experiences to over 100,000 people every year, including significant local attendance, national and international visitors and, crucially, audiences who do not normally attend art galleries.”

“Our permanent, networked exhibits use highly sophisticated technologies to engage with audiences – visitors physically enter these artworks and it is their presence and actions that completes them. The temporary programme provides opportunities to present yet further approaches to art and participation. On opening, all the work presented throughout the gallery will be new commissions. Big ideas about the transformative impact of art will be examined and presented through collaboration and exchange with our audience.”

As a gallery that is concerned with art’s potential to regenerate a place, both as a location and as an idea, Public Gallery sees the participant as the expert of their own experience. It is appropriate therefore that the first temporary commission at Public Gallery is a major new video work in the series Les Portraits des Histoires by internationally renowned artist, Esther Shalev-Gerz. For over 20 years Shalev-Gerz has developed participatory projects that negotiate personal and collective memories, notions of citizenship and democracy.

Les Portraits des Histoires explores stories of people, their communities, and also acts as a catalyst for self-examination that encourages acts of communal listening. Developed with the participation of a cross-section of citizens of Sandwell, Shalev-Gerz has videoed their responses to being asked what story they believe must be told today, from their own societal perspective against each individual’s chosen backdrop of The Public building.

Les Portraits d’Histoires will open on 28 June, 2008. Comprising of four video projections and a series of photographic portraits, examining the interface between acts of speaking and listening, it will be the first exhibition at the gallery to feed into an ongoing series of Citizens’ Juries, which Public Gallery will initiate. These juries, a cross between a conference and a think-tank, will form the template for a new evidence-based curatorial system whereby citizens influence the best practice for participatory art, and the future identity of Public Gallery’s temporary exhibition programme.

Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism: "I can't wait for The Public Gallery to open. With its mixture of iconic architecture, inspirational programming and interactivity, it chimes exactly with the way the arts in the 21st century are going. It will act as a trailblazer for further regeneration in the area and will place West Bromwich at the forefront of this country's brilliant cultural scene."

Sally Luton, Regional Executive Director of Arts Council England, West Midlands says: "The Public Gallery will house world-class commissions by artists of international standing, which will not be seen anywhere else in this country and this will provide a wonderful opportunity to put a spotlight on West Bromwich".

"As the national development agency for the arts, the Arts Council's role is to support groundbreaking projects which wouldn't otherwise happen. People's engagement with the arts is changing rapidly - young people in particular increasingly want to be able to interact with and influence the arts activities that they engage with, so we need new types of spaces and buildings to offer these opportunities. It's vital that we also change the way our arts centres are built to address this".

EDITOR’S NOTES

ADDITIONAL FACILITIES

The Public Gallery provides 3,500 square metres of cultural centre space. Included in this is a flexible events space with a capacity of over 300, space for media and recording production facilities, and two café bars.

Facilities for business include conferencing and events hires in the main spaces of the building as part of the Destination

West Bromwich programme and 2,250 square metres of space for enterprise and business tenancies and incubation.

EDUCATION PROGRAMMEThe Public Gallery champions learning and originality. In advance of its June 28 opening, an education programme has already been developed in collaboration with over 100 local primary and secondary schools.

TECHNOLOGYEach visitor will be provided with a personal RFID tag on entry, to wear throughout their visit. The tag identifies the visitor and allows them to build their collection of data as well as communicate with artworks.

TRANSPORT The Public is approx 1 Mile from Sandwell and Dudley station. It is linked by bus and train routes from neighbouring areas. E.g. Wolverhampton is 10 minutes by tram, and Birmingham is only 4 miles away (15 minutes by Metro from Birmingham Snow Hill station). It is less than a mile from Junction 1 of the M5 motorway.

REGENERATIONThe Public is the first, major initiative for Destination West Bromwich, an ongoing, long-term regeneration programme for the area that will bring a wide range of economic, cultural and community benefits to the area. Further elements of the regeneration programme include a £350m investment by Tesco, to create a retail-led, mixed use development, including a major shopping centre, department store, 10,700 sq ft of leisure facilities, a 6-screen cinema, a range of cafés and bars as well as 217,000 sq ft of high street shops.

THE PUBLIC GALLERY ADDRESS AND WEBSITE

The Public, New Street ,West Bromwich ,West Midlands, B70 9PG

Tel: +44 (0) 121 524 2109Email: info@publicgallery.org www.publicgallery.org

OPENING HOURS Tues-Sat 10am-6pmSunday 10am-5pm

PRESS CONTACTS

Please contact Roz Arratoon or Emma Pettit at

Margaret_: Roz@margaretlondon.com 44 (0)794 102 7921

Emma@margaretlondon.com 44 (0)785 219 6539