Art Ping Pong comes to The Big Chill this year courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery which has commissioned four bespoke tables by some of the UK's leading artists: Ron Arad, Gavin Turk, Richard Woods and Jim Lambie.
Ron Arad is an artist, architect, designer and avid ping pong player, best known for his sculptural furniture and innovative work within the fields of architecture and design. Glasgow-based Jim Lambie was shortlisted for the 2005 Turner Prize and uses ordinary materials to create vibrant sculptural installations, working with brightly coloured vinyl, transforming the existing architecture. Richard Woods is internationally acclaimed for his temporary makeovers, creating alternative realities for interiors, exteriors and everyday objects. Since the early 1990s Gavin Turk has been making sculpture and installations that deal with issues of value, authenticity and identity. Following their appearance at The Big Chill this year, the tables will be auctioned in the autumn with all proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
As part of this year's Art Trail, Saatchi Online presents seven emerging artists. Oliver Beer will show a film from his Resonance Project, an ongoing series of works that turns buildings into giant architectural instruments, using the human voice to force them to resound at their natural resonant frequencies. Suki Chan will present her film Interval II, which juxtaposes a cast-iron pier in Northwest England with a roundhouse in Southeast China, and follows the mesmerising swarms of migrating starlings.
Mimi Norrgren will perform two site-specific works testing the limits of her physical endurance. Katie Louise Surridge will create a large-scale sculpture out of found objects scavenged from the streets of London. Elizabeth Jordan will present an immersive installation projection, creating a three-dimensional optical illusion that challenges a viewer's capacity to perceive visually. Susie Olczak and Rachel Wilson will be creating new immersive installations, playing with light, our spatial surroundings and optical illusion. Both projects have been curated by Rebecca Wilson, Associate Director, Saatchi Gallery, London.
Last year saw an international line-up of some of the biggest selling names in electronic, indie and pop music and 2011 sees another all-star cast taking to The Big Chill stages including an exclusive UK festival appearance by Kanye West plus The Chemical Brothers and Rodrigo y Gabriela. The Big Chill takes place from 4th to 7th of August 2011 at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Ledbury, Herefordshire.
Tickets are on sale from www.bigchill.net/festival
