GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL
THE LATE SHOW Mysterious arts patron Randolph Kemp Potter invites you to his Gold Ballroom Party, a night of unexpected happenings inspired by Kubrick’s surreal masterpiece The Shining
O ne of the most eye-catching events on the programme for this year’s Glasgow Film Festival is a decadent party themed around the Gold Ballroom scenes from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The event - part performance, part party - is hosted by colourful character Randolph Kemp Potter, flamboyant London gallery owner and legendary patron of the arts with an ego the size of his bank balance, who is keen to extend his tentacles into Glasgow’s thriving art scene. Here the man himself introduces the Gold Ballroom Party, an event where not all is as it seems . . .
You’re well-known as a gallery owner and patron of the arts but this is your first foray north of the border. What excites you about the Glasgow scene? There is a lot of talk about Glasgow in the art world at the moment. When I first heard about the Glasgow Miracle I thought some local had seen Jesus’ face in a pie. I was amazed to discover that Glasgow was pushing out Turner Prize winners like a single mum on benefits squeezes out kids. I love Scotland: I own some properties in this lovely country and will be delighted to tap into the talent here.
The Gold Ballroom Party is inspired by famous scenes from Kubrick’s The Shining. What was it that drew you to that film and why did you feel it would make an appropriate setting for an arts benefit? I was at an opening in Glasgow recently and to be honest it was a dreary affair. All the young people were badly dressed and could barely hold a conversation or a decent posture. In choosing the ‘Gold Ballroom’ I wanted something grand to enliven the art experience that also reflected the image of the haunted waifs I saw that night. 16 THE LIST 24 Jan–21 Feb 2013
The event is an opportunity for artists to rub shoulders with patrons of the arts. What do you recommend artists do to get noticed by potential benefactors such as yourself? Get a decent haircut and make a bloody effort! I’m old fashioned but there is nothing wrong with a nice smile and showing a bit of young flesh. Would you like to see a closer relationship developing between the art world and investors? Absolutely. Artists spend a lot of time posturing a left-wing stance but wave a bit of cash under their noses and they would stand on each other’s throats to get at it. I’m planning a shoot on my estate up north where artists will get a chance to spend time with investors while we get drunk and kill some animals. It should be great fun.
What do you see as some of the opportunities and challenges facing artists in Austerity Britain? Let’s be frank now: most artists are middle class kids who can count on Mummy and Daddy to make the bad austerity go away. Artists might dress like the homeless but that’s their main concession to poverty. I’ve not seen any tramps sitting in a vegan café on their MacBooks lately. (Interview by Allan Radcliffe)
The Gold Ballroom Party, Grand Central Ballroom, Glasgow Mon 18 Feb. Part of Glasgow Film Festival. The ball is preceded by Entre chien et loup, new work from some of Scotland’s most talented artist filmmakers, including Rachel Maclean, Torsten Lauschmann and Raydale Dower, curated by Henry Coombes and accompanied by a live soundtrack.