Somerset House, London launches UTOPIA 2016

On 25 January, Somerset House, London is launching “UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility” to mark the 500th anniversary of Thomas More's text titled “Utopia”. A huge celebration of the renaissance work that forever changed the way we think



Somerset House is proposing a series of artistic initiatives to celebrate the 500th anniversary since the publication of Thomas More's “Utopia” in 1516. We can use these initiatives to become the book's main character - the traveller, Raphael Hythlodaeus - in our case searching not for a non-existent island but rather for the many aspects of art in all its forms, from literature to fashion, from theatre to design, from film to architecture. Input from the past to face the challenges of present society.





UTOPIA 2016 is broken down into seasonal “highlights” and is an artistic and contemporary take on the renaissance dream of a society that lives in peace, where culture dominates and regulates the lives of humans, drawing on it to get new ideas for our present time in history.





 It all takes place between Somerset House, King's College London and The Courtauld Institute of Art which “will be transformed into a space of possibility, participation and imagination around the themes of utopia, where people from all walks of life will be invited to experiment with new ways we might live, make, work and play. We will create physical and virtual spaces where positive visions are nurtured, supported and celebrated, and where anything is possible”, in the words of the directors of the three institutions involved in UTOPIA 2016.





Noi siamo molto curiosi di sperimentare questo approccio olistico-artistico all'opera di Tommaso Moro. 
Of course, we're very curious to try out this holistic-artistic approach to Thomas More's inspirational work. UTOPIA 2016 starts on 25 January 2016 at Somerset House with the raising of the flag created by Jeremy Deller and Fraser Muggeridge studio who have also developed the visual identity for the year, including the dedicated site (with our favourite colours!). 

Christiane Bürklein

“UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility”
launch on 25 January 2015
Location: Somerset House, Londaon, UK http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/
Images: 
Flag: Utopia © Jeremy Deller and Fraser Muggeridge Studio
Venturing Beyond (3 March – 3 April)
Now Play This 2016. Utopia at the London Games Week
Counterculture Now