Harold Offeh: Creating Patterns
Creating Patterns, developed by artist Harold Offeh, reimagines the iconic Somerset House ice rink as a space for collective mark-making, movement and sound. The work takes its cue from the 2001 album of the same name by UK afro-futurist group 4Hero, expanding its ideas of rhythm and repetition to explore pattern-making as a pathway into sonic futurisms and fictions.
| Dates | 12 Nov 2025–11 Jan 2026 |
| Space | Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court |
| Price | Free |
Working with a group of six roller skaters, Offeh developed an experimental choreographic drawing process to generate the patterns. As the skaters moved in response to different moods and prompts, the tracks of their skates were captured using graphite and cartridge paper to create large-scale mono prints. The resulting traces form a kind of glossary, mapping gestures and exchanges between skaters as layers, circuits and laps in a collective expression of mark-making. The flag on top of Somerset House’s dome references the figure-of-eight pattern created by the skaters and the 808 drum machine, known for its deep bass and distinctive percussive tones, a foundation of hip-hop and electronic music.
These drawings, together with a special sound composition played before each public skating session, connect the sounds of the rink with the marks and movements that inspired it. Through Creating Patterns, Offeh invites skaters and visitors to notice how motion leaves traces, on ice, on paper, and in sound, revealing the rhythms we create together.
Credits:
Production and Graphic Design: Tara White
Roller Skaters: Concetta Conigliaro, Nana Nottinson-Nyaaku, Kai Butler-Peter, Chantelle Notice, Ricardo Lawrence, and Esmé Fenwick
Sound Designers: James Johnson and Momo Ma Pak Yin
Workshop Assistant: Tyler Ward-Bagnald