“From drawing to film, object to installation and place to performance, Alex Julyan derails the pre-ordained meanings of things with an easy wit”
The Daily Bugle
Alex Julyan’s unconventional upbringing set her on a lifelong path of experimentation.
Whether in drawing, film, object, installation, writing or performance, her maverick approach places
her decisively outside of the mainstream.
Alex’s depth of knowledge, skill and experience is coupled with a passion for chance, risk
and spontaneous action. Her ambitious partnerships with musicians, dancers, architects
and scientists are testament to her curiosity and belief in public discourse. Everything she
makes is part of a fluid conversation between ideas, processes, places and people.
education + training |
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| 1980 - 1984 | Chelsea School of Art Fine Art Painting BA |
| 1981 - 1984 | Chelsea School of Art Foundation |
| 2008 | Punchdrunk Theatre site sympathetic directing |
| 2002 | Theatre de Complicité visual interpretation |
| 2002 | Arts Council site specific projection |
awards + residencies |
|
| 2023 | New Forest National Park Artist in Residence |
| 2019 | Exeter University Arts and Culture Fellowship |
| 2017 | Horniman Museum Artquest Residency |
| 2017 | Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Grant |
| 2014 | Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Fellowship |
| 1998 | SPNM George Butterworth Award for Innovative Work |
events + performance commissions |
|
| 2019 | Merce Cunningham Company Centennial Florida State University concept artist world premier - stage projection and graphic piano score for dance |
| 2019 | Museum of Fine Arts Tallahassee, USA performance Dinner for One - durational event determined by chance |
| 2016 | The Francis Crick Institute, London creative producer whole building event + official opening ceremony in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II |
| 2016 | Centre Pompidou, Metz performance Something about Nothing - durational live drawing determined by chance |
| 2015 | Wellcome Collection, London creative producer VIP gala re-opening - whole building live music event |
| 2015 | Ulster Museum, Belfast associate producer LaTe LaB an encounter with the elements - whole building event |
| 2012 |
Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London lead artist Continuous Drawing - 4 hour drawing determined by chance |
| 2012 | English National Opera, London visual director and co-producer John Cage centennial Musicircus - over 20 simultaneous performances on 4 floors of ENO |
| 2011 | Wellcome Collection, London curator get mOuthy! an interdisciplinary view of the mouth - whole building spectacle |
| 2009 + 2010 |
Wellcome Collection, London curator Quacks & Cures exploring conventional and alternative medicine - whole building spectacle |
| 2008 | Dartington International Summer School co-producer + designer Apparitions - a night time promenade performance with over 100 performers PRS Foundation & Scottish Arts Council commission |
| 2005 |
Sonic Arts Network artistic director Beach Singularity by composer Trevor Wishart - live realisation on Scarborough Beach |
| 2004 | Barbican Arts Centre, London visual director + collaborating artist John Cage Musicircus - BBC Symphony Orchestra UnCaged Festival live event with over 40 simultaneous performances over 3 floors of the Barbican Centre |
| 2000 | Year of the Artist, Cambridge co-producer Bells of Remembrance - performance with veterans + orchestra of St John's, Smith Square |
| 1998 | ISCM Festival commission, Manchester Town Hall producer Corridors of Power - site specific multi-media whole building event Winner of the George Butterworth Award |
| 1997 | Barbican Centre, London visual director + collaborating artist John Cage Musicircus - BBC Symphony Orchestra Inventing America Festival live event with over 40 simultaneous performances over 3 floors of the Barbican Centre |
site specific commissions + collaborations |
|
| 2024 | University of Houston, Texas Architecture Department lead artist Call and response - month-long installation and performance. Collaboration with composer Stephen Montague |
| 2024 | Music Summer School and Festival, Gresham lead artist temporary installation and collaboration with composer Stephen Montague |
| 2022 | Arts and Heritage Milton Keynes selected artist Walkabout - absurdist live interventions in a Milton Keynes neighbourhood |
| 2021 | London Festival of Architecture solo project Traffic Island Garden - public event featuring a unique pandemic garden |
| 2017 | Poplar Pavilion, London project lead publicly informed design, construction + live programme |
| 2011 | Musik im Park Festival, Baden am Stein, Germany visual lead rural installations |
| 2010 | Punchdrunk Theatre design + installation The Memory Distillery - NPA Promotional event |
| 2005 | Spitalfields Development Trust, London selected artist Unfastened Silence - Spitalfields Market conceptual signage |
| 2003 | BBC Proms project lead Memory Spaces - multi-media installation supporting British premier of work by John Adams |
| 2002 | The Wapping Project, London lead artist composition of impulses ii - multi-media installation Society for the Promotion of New Music [SPNM] |
| 2002 | Chelsea Physic Garden, London selected artist Received Wisdom - interactive sculpture |
| 1999 | Helix Arts, Newcastle lead artist Safe and Sound - St. Margaret’s Chapel, Sunderland, whole building transformation collaboration with composer Cameron Sinclair |
| 1999 | Created Space, London selected artist Support System - temporary ceiling installation |
selected solo exhibitions |
|
| 2024 | SPUDworks, New Forest residency works |
| 2019 | Railroad Square, Tallahassee, USA resident artist showcase |
| 2017 | Martyrs Gallery, Sussex resident artist showcase |
| 2003 |
Turner Contemporary, Margate composition of impulses - ACE commission |
| 2002 |
Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford Made in England - sculptures |
| 1998 |
PriceWaterhouseCoopers HQ, London Ground Control - sculptures |
| 1996 | Holland Park Orangery, London The Museum of Nonsense - installation |
selected group exhibitions |
|
| 2009 | England & Co, London Summer Show Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, Northamptonshire Flatpack Architecture Leicester Artworks Collection Held in the Hand |
| 2007 |
Royal Academy, London Summer Show CGP Projects, London Open |
| 2005 | Kaze Gallery, Tokyo Here-Now |
| 2003 | London Artfair |
| 2002 | England & Co, London Oxo Gallery, London Two Schools of Thought London Artfair Contemporary Art Society, London ArtFutures |
| 2001 |
London Artfair |
| 2000 | Bluecoat Gallery . Liverpool . Ruskin Gallery . Cleveland Crafts Centre . Value Judgements London Artfair Contemporary Art Society, London ArtFutures |
| 1999 |
Royal Academy, London Summer Show Hidden Art, London Open Contemporary Art Society, London ArtFutures featured artist |
| 1998 | Whitechapel Gallery, London . Whitechapel Open 100 Park Lane, London Art at 100 |
| 1997 | Towner Gallery, Sussex Open |
| 1985 - 1995 | Riverside Studios . Groucho Club . Royal Overseas League South London Gallery London Contemporary Art Fair . Southern Arts Touring Exhibitions Whitechapel Open . Cable & Wireless collection |
film |
|
| 2018 | Hand to Mouth on vimeo a trilogy of personal narratives about objects in 7 languages |
| 2013 | Kisser on vimeo 100 memories of a first kiss with music by Stephen Montague |
| 2012 | Clapping Twins on vimeo a story of absurdist actions, chance and disruption |
books |
|
| 2018 | Chain Reaction [pub Lost & Found Press] devised, commissioner + edit essays and interviews about the built environment |
| 2013 | John Cage Was [pub Wesleyan] by James Klosty commissioned text |
| 2013 | Pamphlets [pub Artquest] edit + after-forward anonymous essays on aspects of the art world |
| 2009 | Lost in Translation [pub Lost & Found Press] by Alex Julyan & Bill Gilonis collaborative between London + Zurich project exploring perception, language and chance |
other writing |
|
| 2018 - 2019 | Reporting from the Front essays from Tallahassee |
| 2015 | Wellcome Trust Researcher Spotlight Blog commissioned article artist profile and research in focus |
| 2010 + 2011 | Southwark Council evaluation report Silver Views - seniors open exhibition by Lucy Wilson + Alex Julyan |
| 2008 | Tate Modern Finding Louise Bourgeois - seniors project by Michèle Fuirer + Alex Julyan |
| 2008 | CGP London evaluation report FutureBluePerfect - exhibition project by Lucy Wilson + Alex Julyan |
| 2007 | The Natural House evaluation report Clay Build Architecture - multi-site project by Ania Bas |
in conversation |
|
| 2018 | Wellcome Collection, London on collaboration with choreographer Léa Tirabasso, neuropsychologist Sebastian Crutch and architect Yeoryia Manopoulou |
| 2018 | Horniman Museum Residency with Artquest listen here and here |
| 2017 | Countercurrents with surgeon Professor Roger Kneebone . listen |
presentations |
|
| 2011 | Artquest Real World series professionalism in the arts listen |
| 2010 | Artquest Self Assembly series on rates of pay |
| 2009 | Yo Opera! conference, Utrecht, Holland drawing as performance |
| 2008 | RESEO conference, Bregenz, Austria on visual arts in opera education |
| 2004 | ENGAGE conference, London an artist educator's perspective |
consultation projects |
|
| 2023 | Orleans House Gallery, London public engagement consultation |
| 2022 | Ethox Centre Oxford University + University of Copenhagen consultant artist Critical Bestiaries - developing ethical and human learning in Artificial Intelligence |
| 2018 | Wellcome Collection, London consultant curator Living with Buildings exhibition - live programme |
| 2016 | Wellcome Trust, London peer review award application for Wellcome Trust Centres |
| 2014 | Wellcome Trust partnerships manager Clover Project - digital games and science partnerships |
| 2014 | Wellcome Collection Raw Minds project lead + curator Curious Journeys - inaugural exhibition |
| 2013 | Higgins Art Gallery and Museum, Bedford co-curator A Sense of Place - inaugural community exhibition |
| 2012 | Wellcome Collection Youth Programme design consultation architectural consultation project for Wellcome Trust and Wilkinson Eyre |
| 2010 + 2011 | CG Projects, London co-curator Silver Views - senior artist's open exhibition |
public art |
|
| 2002 - 2007 | Trees for Cities Altab Ali Park, Whitechapel, London Barking + Dagenham Council Old Dagenham Park, London Islington Council Highbury Corner, London |
| 1984-1988 | Thomas Tallis School, London Greenwich Hospital, London Southampton General Hospital Isleworth Hospital |
teaching |
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| 2008-2017 guest graduate teaching | Trinity Laban Conservatoire visual collaboration + Co-Lab project Royal College of Art developing public engagement Central St Martin's College of Art the art of listening |
| 1987 - 1999 | Winchester School of Art graduate lecturer fine art, textile design, textile art |
| 1986 residential teaching | Kaachwa School, Uttar Pradesh, India |
core learning teams + development |
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| 2003-2012 | British Library core team programme development + facilitation schools, adult + exhibition programme |
| 2004-2008 | Tate Modern core team programme development + facilitation learning and interpretation - schools + community programme |
| 1998-2007 | V & A core team programme development RIBA / V&A pilot programme development |
| 1997 - 2017 gallery + museum education | Autism London . Barbican Art Gallery . CGP. Chisenhale Gallery . Creative Partnerships De La Warr Pavilion . ENGAGE . Look Ahead Housing & Care . National Portrait Gallery Royal British Legion . Serpentine Gallery . Science Museum . Southbank Centre . South London Gallery . Turner Contemporary . Towner Gallery . Wellcome Collection . Whitechapel Gallery |
interdisciplinary projects | |
| Royal Opera House Orchestra of St. John’s BBC PromsBBC Symphony Orchestra Glyndebourne Opera Towner Gallery Will Alsop Architects | |
design | |
| backdrop, costume, set design | Paul Smith (1984-1987) LIFT FESTIVAL Frankfurt Music Messe MTV BBC2 TV Picture This BBC1 TV Carluccio PriceWaterhouse corporate film Glyndebourne Youth Opera Barbican Arts Centre Dartington International Summer School |
Illustration | |
| Telegraph Magazines Radio Times New Scientist Discovery Channel Royal Mail British Diabetic Association Holland Park Opera | |