CONGREGATION- A visual and sound Installation by ES DEVLIN supported by King’s College London and the Courtauld, St Mary Le Strand and Strand Aldwych.

Join us as renowned artist Es Devlin unveils CONGREGATION, a monumental collective portrait installation created in support of UK for UNHCR, the national charity partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Curated by Ekow Eshun and developed in collaboration with King’s College London and The Courtauld, the work takes place at the jewel-like eighteenth-century church of St Mary le Strand.

It will be open to the public from the 4 - 9 October 2024, coinciding with Frieze London.

CONGREGATION features large-scale chalk and charcoal portraits of 50 Londoners who have experienced forced displacement from their homelands. Presented as a projection-mapped tiered sculpture, the work offers a luminous encounter with those who bring their gifts to London.

Each evening at 19:00, the installation will be accompanied by free choral performances fusing the voices of The Genesis Sixteen, The London Bulgarian Choir and the South African Cultural Gospel Choir in the pedestrianised area outside The Courtauld.

The work has been co-authored by the 50 portrait sitters - reflecting on their lives in London, as well as their journeys from more than 25 countries, including Syria, Sudan, Ukraine and Afghanistan. The accompanying soundscape is composed by Polyphonia, with film sequences created in collaboration with filmmaker Ruth Hogben and choreographer Botis Seva.

Admission: Free and open to the public 11am-9pm, 4th-9th October, 2024

Special Choral Performances: Daily at 19:00* (Excluding Monday 7 October). 

Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging

Congregation will be presented as part of Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging, a free arts and ideas programme from King’s Culture. Lost & Found foregrounds stories of sanctuary - exploring themes of refuge, resilience, and the search for safety in a world facing significant social, political, and environmental challenges.

The programme has been inspired and informed by King's life-changing research and co-created with artists and communities from across London and beyond. It reflects King’s College London’s status as a University of Sanctuary, as well as an ongoing commitment to improving the lives of those affected by injustices and addressing the forces that prevent peace and security.