About Rational Rec
Select from one of our Frequently Asked Questions, and all will be revealed.
- What is Rational Rec and why should I come?
- Where does the name come from?
- Where is it held, and how often?
- How much does it cost?
- Who organises Rational Rec?
- What nice things have people said about Rational
Rec?
- Who funds Rational Rec?
- What is Rational Rec and why should I come?
Rational Rec is a monthly inter-art social occasion, incorporating sound, music, text, performance, film and psychological experiments. Come along and be artistically, intellectually and alcoholically stimulated.
- Where does the name come from?
Rational Rec is a half-shortened version of 'rational recreation'. Rational recreation' is a late 19C movement connected with Working Men's Clubs (which admitted women from the start). It was the middle class' solution to the perceived tacky, perverse recreation of the working class, most of which spent their time at pubs and bars.
The self-assured Victorian middle class formulated new leisure activities that reflected their righteous ethos of productivity and moral respectability. Leisure had to be not only respectable but also productive - good for one's soul and for the country as a whole. Leisure and recreation above all had to be rational.
The kinds of activities established were hiking, organized sport, popular education, political debate, music and drama.
- Where is it held, and how often?
Rational Rec is at the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, Pollard Row, London E2 on the first Tuesday of every month from 3rd October 2006, until 3rd July 2007 (except in January 2007 when its on 9th, the SECOND Tuesday of the month). For details of how to get there, see the Contacts and Map section.
A mere £5! Because all the money made on the door goes towards paying our acts, we regret that we don't offer discounts or concessions. Your money goes straight to supporting the best music, peformance, film and events. And we give prizes at our competitions, too.
Rational Rec's season 3 is suppported by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts, so not only do we continue to spread the overwhelming majority of our funds to artists and composers, but we get to pay them properly as well.
Season 3 is also supported by the PRS Foundation.
Russell Martin moved to London in 1998 after finishing his studies at Glasgow School of Art. Since arriving, he has worked at too many London galleries as an 'intern', co-run the Hotel Bellville exhibition and curatorial project, run education programmes at Whitechapel Art Gallery, worked at the Venice Biennale, advised visual artists on their careers and travelled to Madrid with a van-load of Michael Andrew's paintings. He has just finished writing something clever about all this during an MA at Goldsmiths. Russell also presented the series Show Me The Monet on Resonance 104.4FM and will be co-presenting a new show at the 2007 Frieze Art Fair.
More information at www.russellmartin.org.uk
Matthew Shlomowitz was raised in Adelaide, Australia. He studied privately with Michael Finnissy and at Stanford University with Brian Ferneyhough who supervised his doctorate. Groups such as Champ D'Action, Elision, Ensemble Offspring, Ixion and the Nieuw Ensemble have performed his work and he is represented by the BMIC's New Voice scheme. He co-directs the Anglo-Belgian Plus-Minus ensemble.
More information at www.shlom.com
Cecilia Wee was born and lives in South London. She is currently researching her PhD on the rationales for documenting performance and live art, at the Music and Philosophy Departments of Sussex University. She has been producing and presenting programmes for Resonance 104.4FM since 2002, including the long-running ‘New Art on Mondays’ and her latest project ‘Salon or Seminar’ - a cultural take on the BBC2 programme ‘Question Time’. Cecilia likes Black Books and space travel.
More information at www.ceciliawee.com
- What nice things have people said about Rational Rec?
The ICA had this to say about our Working Men's Art Quiz, and Kultureflash quite liked our Lachenmann recital at Whitechapel Art Gallery in March 2006. There was also the memorable Guardian Culture Vulture blog, where people felt their lives were in danger. Blimey.
An article by Dolan Cummings of February 2007 mentions Rational Rec in the context of other contemporary art and music scenes in London, the only complaint he could make being that there's not enough of us!
ArtForum's Alex Waterman voted us number 6 in his top ten Music Best of 2007 on artforum.com.
Ivan Hewitt from the Daily Telegraph had these nice things to say about us in February 2008.
As well as general nice things people say about us, Rational Rec is working with Felicity Mukherjee on our in-house evaluation exercise for Season 3, who sends this message:
Rational Rec would like to thank those of you who have contributed to the in-house evaluation and research programme conducted by Felicity Mukherjee at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and Spitalfields Festival launch. Collected data is currently being analysed, ready for formal presentation at the end of season Rational Rec event in July. If you require more information about the evaluation programme, or the unique musical ability testing and improvement service please contact: fmukherjee@care2.com
Since Rational Rec only costs a fiver to get in, you may ask how we're able to bring you such high quality acts and still hold our heads up high, knowing we're paying people properly. Rational Rec gratefully acknowledges the support of both Arts Council England and The PRS Foundation for season two.