51Âþ»­

A new exhibition based upon a fictional world of Leicester thousands of years ago is opening tonight (Friday 17 September) in Leicester Gallery.

The Absolute by artist Ben Judd will tell the story of a lost community, the Welfarers, who once occupied what is now 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­).

The Absolute

Leicester Museums Services and 51Âþ»­’s own art collections feature alongside commissioned textile work as ‘artefacts’ that help build the history of the people.

Ben has worked with 51Âþ»­ lecturers and artists Jo Cope (textiles) and Rod Duncan (creative writing) to tell the story of the Welfarers and how they live, as well as choreographers, musicians and costume designers.

Tonight there are two live performances of The Absolute, at 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Owing to social distancing, places are limited to 30 inside the space. There are still some free places left for the second performance which can be booked by emailing Leicester.Gallery@dmu.ac.uk

The Welfarers began as part of the nationally-acclaimed fig-futures programme which was shown at the Leicester Gallery back in 2018.  

Leicester Gallery curator Hugo Worthy said: “We are very excited to present Ben’s work, and continue the story of the Welfarers in Leicester.

“The mythos of the community is explored through performance, installation and moving image, revealing the characters that form the group’s hierarchy and its factions. The Absolute is an invitation to experience the community’s internal logic, its belief system and their history evidenced through the displays.

“The exhibition includes previously unseen objects from Leicester Museums Service and 51Âþ»­ collections alongside commissioned textile artefacts.      

“It is the Leicester Gallery’s first major exhibition since lockdown and this gives us the opportunity to explore the space to its potential.”

The Absolute will remain in Leicester Gallery until November 13. It is open to the public Monday to Saturday from noon to 5pm. It will be open during tomorrow’s Open Day.

The Absolute has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Y Heritage.