Holy Pop! Relaxed Session

Relaxed sessions are to enable visitors with additional needs such as sensory processing differences, SEND or other neurodivergence to experience an exhibition in a comfortable and calm environment. Lighting levels are raised, sound/AV lowered and capacity is lowered in the gallery by 50% or more.

To ensure that HOLY POP! is as welcoming and calm as possible, we:

• Limit the number of visitors in the session
• Turn off or lower the volume of audio-visual elements in the space
• Provide a visual story to help you plan your visit
• Provide Access Packs – available at Holy Pop! entrance. These contain noise cancelling headphones, magnifying glass sheet for reading any printed text, a large print guide and a fidget toy
• Run regular disability awareness sessions with our staff
• Provide a safe/calm space to help assist visitors who may be overwhelmed due to the new environment

For any questions about our Relaxed Sessions, please contact visitor@somersethouse.org.uk. Lines are open between 9am-6pm between Monday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Please be aware that we do not offer refunds or exchanges as per our terms and conditions of sale.

We want our events to be as accessible as possible, therefore this exhibition is Pay What You Can. We are asking visitors who are able to do so to consider making a donation to support the work of Somerset House.

Somerset House presents Holy Pop!, an exhibition celebrating the world of modern shrines, the objects and collections through which we honour heroes, celebrities, and cult icons.

In an increasingly secular world, the way we idolise pop stars, cult icons, and even fictional characters has become a modern form of devotion. Holy Pop! explores the fascinating world of contemporary shrines—the objects, collections, and spaces through which we honour our heroes.

From Princess Diana to Andy Warhol, Prince and Harry Potter’s Dobby the Elf, this exhibition uncovers how fan devotion shapes our identities and brings us together. In a fast-moving digital age, it’s a celebration of human connection, community, and the physical objects that anchor our fascination with pop culture.

Set across three rooms, Holy Pop! takes you on a journey through the different ways we express our admiration and solidarity:

• The Personal Spark: Explore the deeply intimate nature of devotion and what draws us to the figures we idolise.
• Communal Mourning: Look at how strangers come together in moments of grief to share memories and commemorate public figures.
• Domestic Shrines: Step into the intimacy of the home to see how everyday objects, fridge magnets, and carefully placed photographs create personal spaces for reflection.

The exhibition concludes with a remarkable piece of pop culture history: Nina Simone’s chewing gum.

Collected by musician Warren Ellis after her final UK concert, this tiny, everyday item became an artifact of artistic devotion (and later inspired his 2021 memoir). It perfectly captures how the things we leave behind can become sacred to the people who admire us.

Holy Pop! is curated by Tory Turk, supported by Somerset House’s Senior Curator Claire Catterall.

Header image: Children of Graceland (project). Hayley Louisa Brown