:00:00. > :00:08.Welcome to the Royal Academy of Arts in London?s Piccadilly.
:00:09. > :00:37.And to this year's Summer Exhibition!
:00:38. > :00:39.This is the world's largest open submission
:00:40. > :00:43.exhibition - which means absolutely anyone can enter and be in with a
:00:44. > :00:46.chance to get their works displayed on the walls of the Royal Academy.
:00:47. > :00:49.Over the next ten weeks over 150,000 visitors will be passing
:00:50. > :01:07.through these doors - but tonight you?ll be seeing it first.
:01:08. > :01:10.We follow three aspiring artists hoping to make it into the show.
:01:11. > :01:18.We meet some of the newest Royal Academicians
:01:19. > :01:21.And experience the Summer Exhibition like never before with
:01:22. > :01:23.Swedish performance artists Lundhal and Seitl.
:01:24. > :01:26.We go behind the scenes with artist Cornelia Parker and the other RAs
:01:27. > :01:30.Sherlock star Una Stubbs will be tracking down the artist
:01:31. > :01:34.And Kaiser Chiefs will be playing us out with their new single
:01:35. > :01:41.In a moment we?ll be heading indoors to where it?s all happening,
:01:42. > :02:15.The guest list is 1000 strong but one of the first through the doors
:02:16. > :02:20.is our reporter Morgan Quaintance. I have never been to the summer show.
:02:21. > :02:24.I am not going to tell you I once submitted a piece of work and I am
:02:25. > :02:33.not going to tell you that I did not get in. It is on my bucket list. I
:02:34. > :02:39.knew I would not -- I knew I would get in somehow. Screw you,
:02:40. > :03:03.committee, I'm here! Has anything caught your eye in this room? It is
:03:04. > :03:16.pretty cool. Once a year everyone gets a chance to get their work on
:03:17. > :03:23.the walls. It looks like art vomit. At 12,000 entries, will 600 will get
:03:24. > :03:28.a chance to be displayed on the walls.
:03:29. > :03:31.It all began on a cold morning when 2500 people descended on the
:03:32. > :03:35.Academy. In the past, anyone could turn up and submit their work, but
:03:36. > :03:42.this year, these artists have already passed the first hurdle.
:03:43. > :03:57.They have made it through the second round of judging. You have driven
:03:58. > :04:02.from Belgium in this car? Guess! I am a smallholder. I had to feed the
:04:03. > :04:29.animals before I came. It is called the Cal. -- the cow.
:04:30. > :04:32.Ickran Abdille is 20 years old and it?s the first time she?s submitted
:04:33. > :04:52.Used cling and inked it up and put it through the press. I am from
:04:53. > :04:59.Northampton studying a BA in fine art and I am just beginning my
:05:00. > :05:05.practice. This is my little sister. I have eight siblings. Four Brothers
:05:06. > :05:09.and four sisters. It is quite a struggle here creating art in my
:05:10. > :05:15.room because there is not enough space. Becoming an artist is
:05:16. > :05:22.important to me because it gives me that freedom that I think I have
:05:23. > :05:45.always wanted. And maybe I have not had... Cheers. Lawrence Udall has
:05:46. > :05:50.come to hand in this painting of a water mill. It is not fashionable
:05:51. > :05:57.nowadays but it may come back sometime. Lawrence has been
:05:58. > :06:04.submitting to the Summer Exhibition for 15 years. He has not yet been
:06:05. > :06:08.successful. It has just been an ancient ambition since reading about
:06:09. > :06:13.artists who have submitted at the Royal Academy and you know, one of
:06:14. > :06:22.these naive things to do, at a very young age, but it has continued on.
:06:23. > :06:31.Lawrence paints for five hours a day several days a week. I am sure it is
:06:32. > :06:36.a therapy, to be honest. I did not know that I suffered from Asperger's
:06:37. > :06:41.throughout my life until very recently and I had great difficulty
:06:42. > :06:46.in properly communicating to people, unable to say I Love you,
:06:47. > :06:53.for instance. I could always come back to painting and that sort of
:06:54. > :06:56.filled the gap, really, that was missing. The social interaction
:06:57. > :07:04.which I could not do very well. If someone thought that my painting was
:07:05. > :07:08.worthy of putting in the Academy then it would be some sort of
:07:09. > :07:18.acknowledgement, if you like, that I could paint.
:07:19. > :07:28.This one is called Twister because it is like a hurricane. Nicky
:07:29. > :07:33.Carvell has probally had the shortest journey here. She works in
:07:34. > :07:38.the shop upstairs. I work in the shop three days a week and I can
:07:39. > :07:43.make enough money through that and my work to survive. I did these
:07:44. > :07:49.duvet covers. The one at the top 20 bit wrong. I would like to have it
:07:50. > :07:56.in the gallery. I think the colour in my work echoes me as a person. I
:07:57. > :08:03.can be quite shy and it could be a mask for me to hide behind. It is
:08:04. > :08:08.really hard to climb up the art world ladder I think. Getting my
:08:09. > :08:20.work in exhibition is really important to me. Like all the
:08:21. > :08:24.hopeful artists, their work will be judged anonymously by the selection
:08:25. > :08:28.committee. In a few weeks time, our artists will find out whether or not
:08:29. > :08:35.they will be part of this year's show.
:08:36. > :08:42.From what I have seen from the before, Tracey Emin was on the wall,
:08:43. > :08:48.so if I can be on the same wall is Tracey Emin, that would be amazing!
:08:49. > :08:51.This is gallery three, one of the largest regions in exhibition and
:08:52. > :09:01.arguably one of the most prestigious as well. This year, it is devoted to
:09:02. > :09:06.painting. People with big reputations will start Gillian
:09:07. > :09:09.Ayres, the late John Bellamy. The interesting thing about the
:09:10. > :09:14.academicians, they are the people who actually run this place. There
:09:15. > :09:19.are only 80 academicians at any one time. New places only become
:09:20. > :09:24.available when someone dies or turns 75. That means usually every year 12
:09:25. > :09:29.places come up for grabs. There has been quite a bit of excitement in
:09:30. > :09:34.the last year because 11 new academicians have been made. The
:09:35. > :09:37.likes of contemporary artists like Conrad Shawcross and Rebecca Warren.
:09:38. > :09:40.They are important artists and now they get to take their places
:09:41. > :09:57.alongside some of the greatest names in the history of art.
:09:58. > :10:00.It's down in the basement, where you get a sense of who these
:10:01. > :10:04.great RAs really are and I?m getting a private tour by one such figure,
:10:05. > :10:09.Hidden in these racks is work by every single Academician
:10:10. > :10:20.You open these things, you open these hings up and you just
:10:21. > :10:26.The 11 new RAs will be in remarkably good company
:10:27. > :10:35.What, what's this rather rude painting?
:10:36. > :10:42.We have here probably one of our greatest treasures
:10:43. > :10:46.which is Turner's actual water colour box, I have an idea that
:10:47. > :11:05.you?d think that an invitation to join these hallowed ranks would be
:11:06. > :11:14.Thank you so very much for offering to make me an academician,
:11:15. > :11:26.So, this is Richard Hamilton, for instance?
:11:27. > :11:29.I have no wish to become a member of the Royal Academy.
:11:30. > :11:33.When I remember the abysmal state things were in when Munnings was
:11:34. > :11:35.president and I was a student there, my flesh creeps.
:11:36. > :11:40.There was great anger at one time towards the Academy back
:11:41. > :11:56.I find myself a president of a body of men who find there is something
:11:57. > :12:08.in this so-called modern art. In 1949 the then president
:12:09. > :12:10.Alfred Munnings made a famous speech denouncing modern
:12:11. > :12:13.art, and the Academy was cast Since then it?s gone to great
:12:14. > :12:17.lengths to encourage the leading figures of contemporary
:12:18. > :12:20.art to join its ranks. And this year has seen
:12:21. > :12:22.an exceptionally strong intake. We've elected some really bright
:12:23. > :12:25.cookies and some very good artists. I think we could get some fantastic
:12:26. > :12:39.fireworks in the next 20 years. Patrick Brill AKA Bob and
:12:40. > :12:42.Roberta Smith is a sign writer and campaigner - known
:12:43. > :12:45.for his passion for politics. Earlier this year, he joined the RA
:12:46. > :13:10.as one of the 11 new academicians. Come and see my studio. Is it a
:13:11. > :13:15.shed? I would rather think of it as a contemporary Art Centre, the
:13:16. > :13:20.Leytonstone Centre for contemporary Art. What is this personal shrine
:13:21. > :13:29.you have up here? A Spitfire and something saying our aid, is that
:13:30. > :13:42.for the Royal Academy? Yes, I was release apprised that you get a
:13:43. > :13:46.medal. It is like the Olympics. Bob's first job is creating a work
:13:47. > :13:51.for the Summer Exhibition. He appears to have made quite a few.
:13:52. > :13:55.There are 23 that you have done. Can I suggest it is a bit optimistic
:13:56. > :14:01.that you will get all of them in the garden? This is a transcript of an
:14:02. > :14:10.interview by journalist Eddie Mayor. In it, surging David Nott describes
:14:11. > :14:24.his time working as a surgeon in the Syrian war.
:14:25. > :14:27.David Nott is explaining about what the inside of his...
:14:28. > :15:22.what the operating theatre was really like and they were just
:15:23. > :15:24.art? Really? That is a strange thing to say. I could not understand why
:15:25. > :15:30.English people were not being asked to make work about Morris dancing.
:15:31. > :15:35.But I thought I would try and find what authentic African art is.
:15:36. > :15:37.Shonibare began to research the colourful fabric integral to
:15:38. > :15:41.To his surprise he discovered it wasn?t authentically African at all,
:15:42. > :15:44.but Indonesian designs manufactured by the Dutch.
:15:45. > :15:47.The fabric has become the basis for his playful sculptures,
:15:48. > :15:54.which satirise ideas about power, empire and nationalism.
:15:55. > :15:57.I think that there is xenophobia is unfortunately back, so it?s an issue
:15:58. > :16:06.Yinka?s piece for the RA show tackles another hot topic of
:16:07. > :16:13.our times, through a rather tasty looking sculpture called Cake Man.
:16:14. > :16:18.Yes, no, they look good enough to eat.
:16:19. > :16:24.Yinka got the idea from the economic crisis of 2010, this
:16:25. > :16:28.figure?s a banker, his head is made up of the global stock exchange.
:16:29. > :16:31.I?m trying to evoke this idea of you know,
:16:32. > :16:39.As you can see the cakes are incredibly precarious.
:16:40. > :16:43.You know that in the next moment, the whole thing is gonna come
:16:44. > :16:53.I have no idea yet on how it?s going to be received.
:16:54. > :17:03.I certainly know that most people like cake so that?s a good starting
:17:04. > :17:06.That?s the secret for a popular work of art is it?
:17:07. > :17:08.I have just grabbed Bob and Roberta Smith.
:17:09. > :17:11.And we are in front of your work here.
:17:12. > :17:14.How does it feel to see it in the space?
:17:15. > :17:19.But it is mind blowing to have it here at the Royal Academy.
:17:20. > :17:22.Apart from you looking cool, you are in cool company.
:17:23. > :17:25.It?s not just you but the new RAS - Chantal Joffe,
:17:26. > :17:29.Have you got some plans in store for RA?
:17:30. > :17:43.I am really excited as it?s the most incredibly democratic thing.
:17:44. > :17:49.No other institution invites the public to show their work.
:17:50. > :17:53.It has at its core, this idea of democracy.
:17:54. > :18:01.Get the spirit of Summer Exhibition, which is bonkers and crazy and
:18:02. > :18:07.incredibly democratic and make that resonate more in the art world.
:18:08. > :18:11.In the interest of democracy are you going to extend
:18:12. > :18:14.that to an open invitation to the after show party later?
:18:15. > :18:23.I?m going to take you to the members? room.
:18:24. > :18:26.I'm joined by a few guests at the party.
:18:27. > :18:29.Tim Marlow, the new director of artistic programmes here at the
:18:30. > :18:32.RA, artist Miriam Elia and Director of the Fine Art Society Kate Bryan.
:18:33. > :18:34.These new Academicians are big names, loud voices,
:18:35. > :18:42.there's a bit of protest, political work, quite radical.
:18:43. > :18:50.Is doing something different? It is a liberal pat on the back. There is
:18:51. > :18:56.a culture of being antiestablishment without having any antiestablishment
:18:57. > :18:59.rebellion. Can this not do anything interesting? It is aesthetically
:19:00. > :19:09.beautiful and there are fantastic things but it is not cutting edge.
:19:10. > :19:15.You have been here a few weeks, you think it is too understated? Is this
:19:16. > :19:20.a response? The Academy has always embodied the establishment but it
:19:21. > :19:25.has always been antiestablishment because it always argues. Nothing is
:19:26. > :19:31.off the table. Any discussion can take place. People argue and debate.
:19:32. > :19:40.That is what is going on. But that is within confines. It is an
:19:41. > :19:43.Academy. My art education was based on the idea you were rebelling
:19:44. > :19:47.against something. The very first day at art school they said, we are
:19:48. > :19:52.not going to teach you the rules, we want you to break them, and we said,
:19:53. > :20:00.you have not taught us any rules. Do you think the selection of the 11
:20:01. > :20:07.shows some forward momentum? It is significant because it is strength
:20:08. > :20:13.in numbers. It represents 10% of the total. It is surprisingly few. There
:20:14. > :20:18.are some younger names. Someone like Thomas Heather Wick is fantastic
:20:19. > :20:22.because he will shape the cultural landscape of this country, so he
:20:23. > :20:33.must be here. That is being more outward facing. Choosing people who
:20:34. > :20:37.will deliver something. Everyone thinks it is an amazing strategy. It
:20:38. > :20:40.is labyrinthine, there is lots of horse trading, nobody is having an
:20:41. > :20:47.overview. There is an in-built liberal strategy but also a
:20:48. > :20:52.curmudgeonly strategy, electing people by the antithesis of that
:20:53. > :20:58.kind of consensus. What about the make up? It is predominantly white
:20:59. > :21:04.males. 75%. There are some women in there.
:21:05. > :21:06.60% of art school graduates are female.
:21:07. > :21:17.I take all the guilt for the sins of my gender.
:21:18. > :21:21.But I think intuitively the Academicians, a lot
:21:22. > :21:28.One thing we?re all agreed on is that there need to be more women.
:21:29. > :21:32.Well, there's at least one female RA who's set on causing a bit of
:21:33. > :21:35.mischief this year, and that's the contemporary artist Cornelia Parker.
:21:36. > :21:38.This year she's been tasked with curating a room of her own,
:21:39. > :21:58.Cornelia's Parker's artworks often start off as found objects.
:21:59. > :22:01.It's what she then does to these objects that makes her work
:22:02. > :22:06.Or even run them through a guillotine.
:22:07. > :22:09.The thing I love about Cornelia Parker is she takes these
:22:10. > :22:12.objects and subjects them to these processes that are often very
:22:13. > :22:16.violent and very witty, and along the way she transforms them into
:22:17. > :22:20.This was made of over 1,000 pieces of squished silverware.
:22:21. > :22:27.And this was shot by a pearl necklace.
:22:28. > :22:29.So I can't help wondering what exactly she has in mind
:22:30. > :22:40.My home studio, it was supposed to be my office
:22:41. > :22:42.Yes so this, this is the lecture room which
:22:43. > :22:47.This is the first room you see on your right.
:22:48. > :22:49.But, Cornelia, that's quite a big one.
:22:50. > :22:52.Cornelia's invited 26 artists she likes and admires to show
:22:53. > :22:56.Given that these artists wouldn't normally submit to the summer
:22:57. > :23:07.Each artist has to work to Cornelia's unifying
:23:08. > :23:15.This bear here, we've got Mark Wallinger,
:23:16. > :23:22.Hmm, there's a Laurie Provost who's just won the Turner Prize and she's
:23:23. > :23:27.These are intriguing sounding pieces - but I've a hunch there's more to
:23:28. > :23:30.this black and white room than a mere showcase.
:23:31. > :23:34.Do you feel the room as a whole will be a Cornelia Parker sort of piece,
:23:35. > :23:37.that your character as an artist is, is writ large there?
:23:38. > :23:40.Well, I think it's bound to, just because I'm curating it
:23:41. > :23:42.but obviously, everybody's got their own voice
:23:43. > :23:52.One of the artists is David Batchelor who's celebrated
:23:53. > :23:55.for his colourful installations, but has risen to Cornelia's black
:23:56. > :24:01.Why haven't you submitted to the summer show?
:24:02. > :24:08.Is Cornelia just a very hard lady to say no to, or why did you?
:24:09. > :24:11.Oh yeah, you can never say no to Cornelia.
:24:12. > :24:16.David Batchelor's experimenting with a process that turns paint
:24:17. > :24:29.There's quite a lot of it I can't control.
:24:30. > :24:32.I'd like to control, but the first few minutes I'm
:24:33. > :24:36.He's hoping that as the paint dries, the surface will shrink
:24:37. > :24:43.It's sort of almost like an - someone described them
:24:44. > :24:46.as like deflated balloons, which is almost literally what they are.
:24:47. > :24:50.David's promised Cornelia a pair of matching paintings,
:24:51. > :24:56.one black and one white, but it's a process of trial and error.
:24:57. > :24:58.I mean, 50% of them at least don't work.
:24:59. > :25:20.Over in Dorking is another of Cornelia's recruits.
:25:21. > :25:24.This is a really amazing thing actually to look at.
:25:25. > :25:30.Duo Ackroyd and Harvey, who turn grass into biochemical portraits.
:25:31. > :25:34.This slightly grainy texture is the seed, and it's just starting to put
:25:35. > :25:38.So this is in the early stages of developing.
:25:39. > :25:43.A black and white negative is projected onto the grass.
:25:44. > :25:46.The more light the grass receives, the greener it will be.
:25:47. > :25:53.We just need to wait for the grass to grow into a portrait.
:25:54. > :25:58.Ackroyd and Harvey usually exhibit their work just like this - but
:25:59. > :26:03.for Cornelia's black and white room it's a little bit too green.
:26:04. > :26:06.The point is this isn't the finished piece, is it?
:26:07. > :26:19.Works of grass don't last for long, and Ackroyd and Harvey have come up
:26:20. > :26:23.A deceptively simple black and white photograph.
:26:24. > :26:33.That aspect of it being grass - may not be immediately obvious.
:26:34. > :26:43.I think at this point it's taken on a life of its own.
:26:44. > :26:46.Two weeks later, and all Cornelia's artists have sent
:26:47. > :27:01.I'm trying to tease out some playful juxtapositions that I can.
:27:02. > :27:04.For example, the Bob and Roberta Smith sign above Keith Coventry's
:27:05. > :27:11.It almost suggests that the reason this window has been
:27:12. > :27:16.looted is because far less children did art at school.
:27:17. > :27:21.It's the first time Cornelia's seen some
:27:22. > :27:28.Ackroyd and Harvey piece - I think it's turned out brilliantly.
:27:29. > :27:33.I've had a lot of people come in and be drawn to it.
:27:34. > :27:35.And the closer you get, it disappears.
:27:36. > :27:43.They become the graphic, when you have the photo of them
:27:44. > :27:47.but when you get close to them, you know it's a lake of paint that
:27:48. > :27:55.A lot of people view being in the Summer Show with horror.
:27:56. > :27:59.These people have trusted me with their work so I hope they can have
:28:00. > :28:07.I've really been looking forward to seeing the finished room.
:28:08. > :28:11.And it's mainly because the space can be quite hard to get a
:28:12. > :28:15.handle on - it's a great jumble full of all sorts of different artworks.
:28:16. > :28:20.But here, thanks partly to this all encompassing black and white room
:28:21. > :28:24.by Richard Woods, there's a sort of concept that binds
:28:25. > :28:28.everything together, so that the art works start to talk to one another.
:28:29. > :28:33.On the other hand she did get to invite everyone in the room,
:28:34. > :28:37.unlike every other curator, and I got a sense of how tricky this can
:28:38. > :28:41.be to hang these other rooms, when I invited Kirsty to rummage through
:28:42. > :28:44.the hundreds of public submissions stored in the vaults right beneath
:28:45. > :28:47.our feet, and the challenge was to pick the most works of art that
:28:48. > :28:52.would make it on to the walls of the final show - and what I didn't tell
:28:53. > :29:00.Kirsty to begin with is that I had a scheme. I'm joining Alastair
:29:01. > :29:08.in the underbelly of the Academy, all for the sake of a wager.
:29:09. > :29:12.Right through here, we have the vaults.
:29:13. > :29:20.In these rooms are 1200 works of art - but only around half will
:29:21. > :29:27.Each of us is going to bet on 5 works that we think will end up
:29:28. > :29:39.The danger is I could be here till midnight.
:29:40. > :29:51.It's hard to know how to play this one, because for the bet, you know,
:29:52. > :29:55.you could go for the - the sort of summer exhibition of old, but of
:29:56. > :29:58.course, it is changing and so that's a slightly risky strategy and I
:29:59. > :30:01.don't know, you have to kind of follow your guts.
:30:02. > :30:04.There's a wonderful historical costume drama.
:30:05. > :30:06.I'm considering that will be on the wall.
:30:07. > :30:09.Alastair makes his money doing this stuff - he's an art critic,
:30:10. > :30:12.but it's not a normal exhibition to criticise, is it?
:30:13. > :30:16.It's very hard for an art critic to get a handle on it.
:30:17. > :30:23.So maybe being an art critic isn't so much of an advantage.
:30:24. > :30:33.You've got to pick big bold pieces that have impact.
:30:34. > :30:36.I can see Kirsty's rummaging around in the smaller works, I'm not
:30:37. > :30:56.I've picked 3-4 that have made it onto the walls.
:30:57. > :31:24.Is this what we love or what will be in?
:31:25. > :31:35.I really love the intensity of colours.
:31:36. > :31:45.I like the fact you feel the silence in this photo.
:31:46. > :31:50.You can feel what looks like death, but actually it's to be reborn as
:31:51. > :32:16.I've gone for figurative, painting, abstract painting, and photograph.
:32:17. > :32:28.Thanks, this is a painting by Matthew Collings who is
:32:29. > :32:31.He and his wife have a very distinctive
:32:32. > :32:36.There's only one thing I notice here, that I didn't notice before,
:32:37. > :32:40.Her leg comes forward like that, but this is...
:32:41. > :32:47.Alastair's picked with his head, I've picked with my heart -
:32:48. > :32:52.and we'll find out who's won the bet on opening night.
:32:53. > :32:54.What I love about what we've done - we've done
:32:55. > :33:06.And that reflects the nature of the whole show for sure.
:33:07. > :33:12.With great reluctance I must concede a point already to Kirsty as I've
:33:13. > :33:14.spotted one of the picks she selected from the
:33:15. > :33:19.It's Benedict, and in fact I'm joined now by one of
:33:20. > :33:22.the stars of Sherlock, Una Stubbs who plays the landlady Mrs Hudson.
:33:23. > :33:25.Well, Una, who do you deduce painted this?
:33:26. > :33:31.In fact, is this another one of yours
:33:32. > :33:38.Have you submitted work before to the summer exhibition?
:33:39. > :33:44.A few years ago and the handler said when he was handing them back to me,
:33:45. > :33:49.You have to try again, so I plucked courage and tried.
:33:50. > :34:00.The pleasure of just seeing them up on the wall.
:34:01. > :34:10.It's such an amazing British institution.
:34:11. > :34:12.Kindly eccentric, to give opportunities to amateurs to
:34:13. > :34:31.You do not have to like them all, you just have to look at the ones
:34:32. > :34:45.you really enjoy. You have done a great job.
:34:46. > :34:50.So you fancy yourself as a bit of a collector.
:34:51. > :34:52.What sort of art are you looking for?
:34:53. > :34:55.I am a collector in that I own lots of art.
:34:56. > :35:01.There are few things that give me more pleasure than collecting art.
:35:02. > :35:03.Thing about the Summer Exhibition is it's overwhelming.
:35:04. > :35:06.It feels like they have got hundreds of paintings and thrown them
:35:07. > :35:11.I don't care what art is trying to say, I have no interest.
:35:12. > :35:15.I care in how it makes me feel and how it might change the feel
:35:16. > :35:21.I look at a piece like that Van Gogh tapestry or that dollar bill and I
:35:22. > :35:24.think, how would it change the feel of a room in my house?
:35:25. > :35:29.So we talked about your taste, but what about when they are
:35:30. > :35:37.That's the thing that strikes you here - look at that!
:35:38. > :35:42.How would you begin to know how to hang this?
:35:43. > :35:45.That's a question that echoes round the Royal Academy every year.
:35:46. > :35:48.Hanging the show is one of the most daunting tasks
:35:49. > :35:53.The selection committee have a fortnight to place these
:35:54. > :36:00.disparate works and turn them into a cohesive show.
:36:01. > :36:06.You're a curator - does that fill your heart with dread?
:36:07. > :36:10.If I was to approach this my first emotion would be exhilaration
:36:11. > :36:12.and then I'd be terrified because it would just be such
:36:13. > :36:16.a challenge to try and make sense of all the stuff that's going on.
:36:17. > :36:19.The Hang is the next stage of the selection process.
:36:20. > :36:22.There are now around 1200 works from the public submissions in the
:36:23. > :36:27.The committee will need to decide what pieces work together - and
:36:28. > :36:40.Seems there are going to be big names here.
:36:41. > :36:50.I'm gonna leave the country shortly after the show opens.
:36:51. > :36:54.It's an important showcase for a lot of work, a lot of people will
:36:55. > :36:59.As the hang draws to the end the committee have made
:37:00. > :37:02.their final decisions and for the artists who've sent
:37:03. > :37:35.Thank you for delivering your artwork.
:37:36. > :37:38.The members of the selection committee have given careful
:37:39. > :37:42.consideration to your entry but we regret to inform you it has not been
:37:43. > :37:46."I'm pleased to inform you that your work has been selected."
:37:47. > :38:07."I am pleased to inform you that Twister has been accepted" - Yay!
:38:08. > :38:15.It's not really likely it would get in.
:38:16. > :38:35.Are you going to enter again next year?
:38:36. > :38:40.Definitely, I will definitely enter again.
:38:41. > :38:43.Do you look normal or did you do yourself up to look even weirder?
:38:44. > :38:48.I look like a sad panda today but at least you can be proud of me,
:38:49. > :39:18.How does it feel seeing it in the space?
:39:19. > :39:25.I am floating in mid air but I'm on the floor chatting to you.
:39:26. > :39:28.Because work is my whole life it is really brilliant for everyone
:39:29. > :39:34.And it's just so good to be involved with a whole spectrum of works.
:39:35. > :39:40.So I've lured Kirsty off the sofa and into the gallery.
:39:41. > :39:43.Not lured me, I'm desperate to be here because I
:39:44. > :40:01.We selected five works and six of them have made it onto the walls. I
:40:02. > :40:13.think I have one. How confident are you feeling? Quite confident. Let's
:40:14. > :40:17.see. One each. Disappointing. One all. You didn't take that but you
:40:18. > :40:48.did pick that. Benedict. This is the one that I
:40:49. > :40:53.knew about. Sold already. Did you buy that? I have got Jane Fonda,
:40:54. > :41:00.cowgirl, Benedict and I have got that one as well. Where does that
:41:01. > :41:05.take us? It means I have lost. Every year I do this. Every year I am
:41:06. > :41:11.publicly humiliated as I managed to lose the competition. What is the
:41:12. > :41:18.score? I think the score will be 4-2. That is quite comprehensive.
:41:19. > :41:23.That is fine. We are friends. I have never experienced an art exhibition
:41:24. > :41:28.like this and never experienced a mad dash. It has been extraordinary.
:41:29. > :41:31.Recently, I experienced a mad dash around the Royal Academy, the likes
:41:32. > :41:44.I have never experienced before in my life.
:41:45. > :41:46.As an art critic, I come across weird
:41:47. > :41:50.But being led blind folded through the RA with nothing
:41:51. > :41:53.but my imagination and a series of whispered instructions to guide
:41:54. > :41:57.possibly my most unusual encounter yet.
:41:58. > :41:59.This is Symphony of a Missing Room, an experimental performance that
:42:00. > :42:02.encourages visitors to free their minds and experience the Summer
:42:03. > :42:09.A few days before the show opened, I got a sneak preview
:42:10. > :42:14.from the brains behind it - artistic duo Lundhahl and Seitl.
:42:15. > :42:17.I've met quite a few of the artists exhibiting at this year's
:42:18. > :42:21.Summer Show now, but I haven't found any of them in the courtyard
:42:22. > :42:35.This is quite a surreal scene, what are you doing with this head?
:42:36. > :42:38.This is called a binaural microphone.
:42:39. > :42:42.There's a microphone in each of the ears.
:42:43. > :42:59.Yes, it appropriates the format of a tour.
:43:00. > :43:05.So in the work people hear you in their ear?
:43:06. > :43:12.The voice will give instructions to the visitor.
:43:13. > :43:22.It could say in front of you is a hand - take the hand.
:43:23. > :43:26.Lundhahl and Seitl have staged similar tours
:43:27. > :43:28.at museums around Europe, each time carrying out meticulous
:43:29. > :43:35.Maybe you can tell me a little about the thinking behind the work?
:43:36. > :43:42.It started with us looking at visitors of different museums
:43:43. > :43:48.and realising there is quite a set way of looking at artworks.
:43:49. > :43:54.There is a certain voice of authority.
:43:55. > :43:57.There's a certain type of goggle that we do put on unconsciously
:43:58. > :44:03.Entering here we sort of lower our voices a bit
:44:04. > :44:07.and we have a certain way of walking as well and a certain speed.
:44:08. > :44:13.Yeah, looking sort of in a certain speed, a certain rhythm, looking
:44:14. > :44:16.around and then looking about for some information here to see,
:44:17. > :44:28.In the piece people will wear these goggles.
:44:29. > :44:30.This is like a scuba diving mask painted white.
:44:31. > :44:41.I don't know if we should show it, it looks so silly.
:44:42. > :44:50.To help nudge our imaginations in the right direction,
:44:51. > :44:52.each blindfolded visitor will be plugged into
:44:53. > :44:58.But just don't expect the usual gallery audio guide
:44:59. > :45:01.on this alternative tour of the Summer Exhibition.
:45:02. > :45:08.When we were recording in the forest we were there with our daughter.
:45:09. > :45:32.So this is the power of just a simple clip, a piece of audio that
:45:33. > :45:41.Very simple bodily illusion tricks the mind to think this is
:45:42. > :46:00.Everything inside you has been forgotten.
:46:01. > :46:11.And it's uncanny how much the sound and sense of light occurring
:46:12. > :46:20.in front of those goggles immerses you in this imaginative world.
:46:21. > :46:23.And it was weird waking up, everyone else is lying there.
:46:24. > :46:32.I thought I should come and find someone and share my thoughts.
:46:33. > :46:46.I think I need to lie down somewhere else now.
:46:47. > :46:50.And if you fancy trying that out for yourself, Symphony of a
:46:51. > :46:53.Missing Room is playing here as part of the LIFT festival till tomorrow.
:46:54. > :46:56.But if you can't make it, Lundhal and Seitl have created
:46:57. > :46:58.a tour especially for you at BBC Arts Online.
:46:59. > :47:01.To experience it from the comfort of your own home,
:47:02. > :47:10.In previous years we wouldn't have seen a work like this at the
:47:11. > :47:26.It's a complete departure - and definitely a step
:47:27. > :47:30.A lot of people who come to the Summer Exhibition who don't
:47:31. > :47:35.So it's really important they can come here and have something
:47:36. > :47:41.It's a way of introducing new things to a sophisticated
:47:42. > :47:45.But it's got to be as representative as they can
:47:46. > :47:50.Is it to be representative or do you think it should be pushing
:47:51. > :47:53.I take the point it might be representative.
:47:54. > :47:57.I quite like the fact this is different.
:47:58. > :47:59.It's similar, it's like nothing else.
:48:00. > :48:02.And the one thing this isn't is an overweaningly curated thing.
:48:03. > :48:07.There's no labels, you have to use your mind, work out
:48:08. > :48:11.It's quite an unpatronising show as far as the viewer's concerned.
:48:12. > :48:14.Does it really test the temperature of contemporary art?
:48:15. > :48:22.Having something that's traditional, that's existed for 246 years,
:48:23. > :48:25.but playing with tradition rather than try and unravel it.
:48:26. > :48:29.Do you think it's playing about tradition or does contemporary
:48:30. > :48:31.art have something to say about the world?
:48:32. > :48:34.One of the main criticisms when I walk round galleries most of
:48:35. > :48:38.the time is that they don't relate to the real world - they reference
:48:39. > :48:44.things beautifully, they look like something I've seen before.
:48:45. > :48:49.But I was teaching at an art school - the kids aren't looking
:48:50. > :48:57.Stylish, but they leave me empty because
:48:58. > :49:08.Now we've just proved how much contemporary art can divide opinion.
:49:09. > :49:11.So spare a thought for the judges of the Wollaston Award.
:49:12. > :49:14.They have to decide upon the most distinguished work in the
:49:15. > :49:29.It seems very quiet in here as if the art works are waiting
:49:30. > :49:32.But before that happens, there is some very serious judging
:49:33. > :49:38.Earlier today the Wollaston judges whittled down this year's exhibition
:49:39. > :49:41.of over 1000 paintings, sculptures and prints to a shortlist
:49:42. > :49:50.Will Morgan I see eye to eye with the judges?
:49:51. > :49:59.When we check out their selection for ourselves?
:50:00. > :50:02.It does not surprise me they put Wolfgang Tillmans on the shortlist.
:50:03. > :50:07.The first thing you think is when you walk in is that it's
:50:08. > :50:13.It's almost like blood is moving across it or someone
:50:14. > :50:23.The idea is that it's photography but not as we know it.
:50:24. > :50:34.Whether that's enough to win, I don't know.
:50:35. > :50:38.So, a pretty recognisable Michael Craig-Martin.
:50:39. > :50:41.We know it's a Michael Craig-Martin because he always does paintings
:50:42. > :50:46.And they look as if they have been done by a human
:50:47. > :50:53.But for me there is not enough in it to win the award.
:50:54. > :50:55.So next on the shortlist, Sean Scully.
:50:56. > :51:08.I think it has got tremendous depth and a huge amount
:51:09. > :51:16.You kind of forget this is a gallery full of loads of different paintings
:51:17. > :51:40.Now, this I think is a piece by Marlene Dumas.
:51:41. > :51:43.I have to say that this is my favourite one.
:51:44. > :51:45.It looks like someone who has some trauma.
:51:46. > :51:49.It is almost a challenge or it's a kind of 'you can't help me'.
:51:50. > :51:53.Now, if had ?25,000 burning a hole in my pocket this is one I
:51:54. > :52:07.But whose work will the judges crown most distinguished
:52:08. > :52:28.We have been given special permission to eavesdrop. There was
:52:29. > :52:33.this in the far distance but it seemed to be quite close up because
:52:34. > :52:40.it was incredibly strong and vivid and very sensuous. Talking about
:52:41. > :52:47.that positively. Does that mean they might be the favourite? You're very
:52:48. > :52:52.impressed by Sean Scully. I liked it. It is your favourite. I think
:52:53. > :52:59.until you're close to them, you don't experience how sensual they
:53:00. > :53:06.are. Interesting, because she is a painter backing it. You go close and
:53:07. > :53:15.you see the painting, the touch, everything is so pitch perfect. Yes.
:53:16. > :53:20.I want Sean Scully to win. I am a great advocate of Michael
:53:21. > :53:29.Craig-Martin. I'm not convinced that all. Why don't you like it? I don't
:53:30. > :53:36.really like locks. Can we go round and decide? It's a big prize. I feel
:53:37. > :53:43.quite nervous. I'm going to foot for Sean Scully. It will have to be both
:53:44. > :53:48.gang till months for me. Interesting. Full tank till months
:53:49. > :53:53.for me as well. He is the winner. This should have
:53:54. > :54:07.one. So, Alastair,
:54:08. > :54:09.if you could pick any work in And Morgan - overall
:54:10. > :54:16.this year's show. It's done a brilliant job
:54:17. > :54:20.of combining the public submissions with strong
:54:21. > :54:23.contemporary work and enough there Well, the party's almost over,
:54:24. > :54:28.but not quite! You can get a guided tour with
:54:29. > :54:31.Tracey Emin at bbc.co.uk/arts - and other highlights of the
:54:32. > :54:34.Summer Exhibition. But here to play us out,
:54:35. > :54:37.it's the Kaiser Chiefs with their Picture
:54:38. > :55:04.yourself in a glittering silver suit the new recruit Do you remember
:55:05. > :55:10.the numbers Hung on the door Do you remember
:55:11. > :55:19.the numbers Hung on the door Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're
:55:20. > :55:22.waiting for you, waiting for you if you believe them, you will see
:55:23. > :55:30.that when you them, you will see that when you Are
:55:31. > :55:50.ready to Led by consuming desire
:55:51. > :55:54.for a good idea Lighting the clock It's not worked ten
:55:55. > :56:01.years, but I know that it's still Meanwhile up in Heaven,
:56:02. > :56:07.they're waiting for you, waiting for And if you believe them, you
:56:08. > :56:16.will see that when you you will see that when
:56:17. > :56:30.you Are ready to Your mind is the you will see that when
:56:31. > :56:37.you Your mind is the
:56:38. > :56:49.key, it is is the key, it is the key that sets
:56:50. > :57:32.you free they're waiting for you, waiting for
:57:33. > :57:55.This is one of the most fire-prone regions on earth.