RIA Presents: Simeon Barclay, The Ruin
Saturday 31 May, 5.30pm (doors 5pm)
£15 Standard / £10 Members / £5 Students - add an alcoholic drink with your ticket for £5
Book NowThe Ruin is a new performance by British artist Simeon Barclay, commissioned and first presented by the Roberts Institute of Art. This piece combines spoken word and live percussion by James Larter and horn by Isaac Shieh to explore themes of British identity, masculinity and class.
Drawing from his upbringing in Huddersfield as the son of West Indian parents, Barclay reflects on the industrial landscape of northern England in the 1980s and 90s, using rhythm and melody to evoke a rich and layered soundscape.
Presented against the backdrop of Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures and Wakefield’s River Calder, the performance engages with this distinctive environment, where spoken word, sound, and sculpture intersect. The performance also draws inspiration from early modern music, industrial sounds, and pop cultural references, blending them into a theatrical meditation on self-image, memory, and the evolving myth of Britain.
With RIA’s support, Barclay developed The Ruin over a year-long R&D period that included close engagement with theatre, costume and performance.
Running order
Doors: 5pm
Start time: 5.30pm
Performance ends: 6.15pm
Simeon Barclay and Eleanor Clayton, Head of Collection and Exhibitions, in conversation and Q&A: 6.45-7.15pm
Evening ends: 8pm
Drink offer
Enjoy this event with a refreshing Northern Monk beer, a glass of our seasonal Field & Fawcett house wine, or a delicious Folkington’s pressé or juice – add to your basket when booking your ticket.
Simeon Barclay
Simeon Barclay (b.1975, Huddersfield) lives and works in West Yorkshire, UK. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally with major exhibitions, including Chester Contemporary, Chester (2023); In the name of the Father, South London Gallery, London, UK (2022); England’s Lost Camelot, Workplace Gallery, London, UK (2021); ART NOW: SIMEON BARCLAY ‘The Hero Wears Clay Shoes’, TATE Britain, London, UK (2017).
Group exhibitions of his work include Sculpture In The City 12th Edition, London, UK (2023); Fruitmarket, Edinburgh (2023), Victoria Miro, London (2022), Workplace, London (2022), Somerset House, London (2021), British Art Show 9, Aberdeen, Manchester and Wolverhampton (2021) and Southbank Centre, London (2020).
His work is included in the Arts Council Collection, London; Zabludowicz Collection, London; Manchester Art Gallery and Whitworth Art Gallery collection, Manchester. Barclay has completed a major commission for Deutsche Bank and a new performance commission with the Robert’s Institute of Art, The Ruin (2025).
Credits
RIA Presents: Simeon Barclay, The Ruin (2025). A collaborative performance conceived by Simeon Barclay. Commissioned and first presented by the Roberts Institute of Art.
