RIA Presents:
Simeon Barclay, The Ruin
at The Hepworth Wakefield
Following its London premiere in January 2025, RIA Presents: Simeon Barclay, The Ruin toured to The Hepworth Wakefield. Our performance commission by Simeon Barclay was presented in a new setting against the backdrop of Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures and Wakefield’s River Calder.
Commissioned and first presented by the Roberts Institute of Art, The Ruin by Simeon Barclay 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.
The performance engages with this distinctive environment of The Hepworth Wakefield, 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.
The performance travelled to The Hepworth Wakefield following its premiere at the ICA, London in January 2025. This is part of our mission to make performance more sustainable by presenting works more than once and to different audiences across the UK.
You can watch vignettes from the performance at the ICA, London here.
