ICA Figures of Speech Gala 2009
The ICA ‘Figures of Speech' Gala 2009 raises £180,000 to support our future.
The Institute of Contemporary Arts annual fundraising ‘Figures of Speech' Gala, in association with SpinVox, featuring star turns from Ryan Gander, Bob Geldof, Janet Street-Porter, Rory Bremner, Bianca Jagger, Camila Batmanghelidjh and Billy Childish and held at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, Barbican, London, EC1 on the 26 March 2009 has raised a significant £180,000 to support emergent artists and extend the outreach of contemporary art to younger audiences and those with learning or other disabilities.
Opening with a Veuve Clicquot champagne reception, guests such as ICA Chairman, Alan Yentob, Nick Broomfield, Juergen Teller, Isaac Julien, Pixie Geldof, Alice Dellal, Henry Holland and Mika were treated to a ‘preview' exhibition of auction artworks (including Nan Goldin, Jenny Holzer and Yoko Ono), a Billy Childish performance piece, The Son of Art whilst being serenaded by Bob & Roberta Smith's Apathy Band all in the presence of HRH Queen Elizabeth and her three Royal Corgis (an Alison Jackson look-a-like) with whom they were able to pose for photos. Guests were then asked to take their seats for the main part of the evening in the venue's impressive gold and black bedecked Porter Tun hall.
The host for the evening was the warm, witty, risqué and inimitable Alan Carr who welcomed to the stage the first act of guest speakers, each of whom was asked to talk about the one object they treasured above all others. First up was artist Ryan Gander, who brought along a jar full of what appeared to be murky water, but was guaranteed by Gander to be the remains of a snowball gathered on the first spectacular day of snowfall this January. The significance of this object, he explained, was not only that he had just discovered he was to be a father - so the fragility and beauty of the snowball held special poignancy - but more that it symbolised the leap of faith, the willing suspension of disbelief, required between an audience and an artist.
He was followed by Bob Geldof who brought along two objects, the first a Ukelele purchased as a teenager as an easier to master and cheaper option than a guitar to woo girls. Geldof then treated the audience to a rendition of ‘My Generation' by The Who much to the embarrassment of his daughter, Pixie, who at this point squirmed at the back of the hall. Bob's second object was a doughnut- shaped whetstone from the Kalahari desert that had been given to him by a tribesman. The stone was traditionally used as a kind of compass or guide and for Geldof was a powerful symbol of how so much information and knowledge could be contained in something so outwardly simple.
Janet Street-Porter rounded off the first set in praise of the humble but surprisingly versatile Shower Cap. Its uses, as demonstrated by JSP, ranged from protecting the pristine pillows of superstar friends such as Elton John from her trademark hair dye, to being an effective water carrier as well being an excellent form of birth control.
Between courses, Rory Bremner directed a more poignant sentiment by presenting as his treasured possession the tip of a mortar shell found whilst visiting the WWII battle ground in France that his Father had fought on 63 years earlier. Bremner lost his father when he was only eighteen, so this tangible relic from a situation in which a man whom he hardly knew had been a part of seemed especially significant and despite strict security controls (which had disallowed a tube of toothpaste through, as he put it, "A signal failure") he'd managed to smuggle it back to the UK.
Ekow Eshun, artistic director of the ICA then introduced the auction with an emotive speech which, whilst acknowledging the difficulty of asking for financial help in this economic climate, stressed the vital role of Art as a means to question, reflect and change the world around us, and the significance of the ICA as a supporter of the new, the brave and the idealistic. Sotheby's Auctioneer Adrian Biddle then encouraged guests to raise an impressive figure of £86,000 by auctioning much coveted lots such as a trip to Paris in a private jet (courtesy of Jet Republic) to see U2 play live (including backstage passes) that went for £8,000; a stunning Jenny Holzer trademark text-based art work, which sold for £12,000 and top lot of the evening, the naming rights to the ICA's new Education Space, which despite fierce bidding from competition such as Mika, was sold to the Edwin Fox Foundation for £26,000.
The final set of speeches opened with Bianca Jagger who teasingly revealed a secret relationship, the one that she can't live without, as her.......laptop! Charity campaigner, Camila Batmanghelidjh brought along absolutely nothing to promote the importance of emptiness, or rather to proclaim the significance of an undefined moment; a still quiet space to think, dream or just to be. The evening was brought to a beautiful and heart-warming close by artist Billy Childish who read a poem he'd written about the birth of his son Huddie.
Special guest DJs Henry Holland, Amy Molyneaux & Percy Parker of PPQ, and Crystal Vision provided musical entertainment at the hot-ticket after party, which took place at private club Parker McMillan.
Ekow Eshun, ICA Artistic Director, commented: "We are both delighted and encouraged by the amount raised tonight. The success of the evening as a whole is testimony not only to the high regard and affection held for the ICA but also to the enduring strength of art and imagination in this climate. Difficult times call for original, brave thinking and thanks to the generosity shown to us tonight we can continue to support new artists, new work and new ideas."
The ICA is especially grateful to the Figures of Speech sponsors, SpinVox for their kind support.