By Dan Thompson
Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey has worked with eight Thanet young people to create a variety show at Dreamland.
Salamagundy ’22 takes place in the Roller Disco on Friday 9 December and will see a line up of musicians, cabaret artists, and quirky performers chosen by Leckey with the help of the young producers. The event is inspired by old TV shows and by the history of entertainment in the area.
The Master of Ceremonies is legendary avant-garde drag artist David Hoyle, better known as The Divine David (pictured below), who regularly appeared on TV in the late 1990s.
Other acts include visual poet Richie Culver and performance artist Rowland Hill.
Musical acts include Alpha Maid, multi-instrumentalist Island Girl, and singer Katie McGarry supported by Tom Giles.
Artist Ebun Sodipo, DJ Twilight Sparkle and cabaret performer NiCKY complete the line up.
The event’s title Salamagundy comes from the culinary term for a dish made of different ingredients – much like a mix tape – a concept that is reflected in the diverse selection of artists and acts that will perform.
The variety show, which took the 1953 film O Dreamland as its starting point, is the first part of an ongoing project leading to an exhibition at Turner Contemporary in 2023.
Mark Leckey is an artist working with film, sound, sculpture and performance. In 2008 he won the Turner Prize for his exhibition Industrial Light and Magic and has had recent solo exhibitions at Tate Britain (London), MOMA PS1 (New York).
He said: “As a little kid I always liked the format of the Morecambe & Wise show; comedy, music, dance, with somebody doing a ‘turn’. I carried around this idea for a long time and I’ve finally got the opportunity in Margate, an ideal place for a variety show.
“I am incredibly proud to be a project manager at this variety show,” said emerging producer Miroslava Karaskova. “Working at the gallery for a year now has already opened my horizons. I can already see the growth in my confidence and preparedness for a future career in the creative industries.”
The young producers are part of Creative Estuary’s Re:Generation 2031 programme, which provides employment and skills development.
Salamagundy ’22 takes place in the Roller Disco on Friday 9 December, from 7pm – 9:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Tickets are available from https://turnercontemporary.org/whats-on/mark-leckey-presents-salamagundy-22/
