- What:450 square meters of light and airy contemporary art space, showing a changing selection of exhbitions.
- Where:Ikon Gallery,1 Oozells Square,Brindleyplace, Birmingham,B1 2HS, UK
- Telephone: +44 (0) 121 248 0708
- Hours:Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Bank Holiday Mondays. Closed during installation of new exhibitions.
- Admission: Free
- Visit their website
Measuring Liberty with a Dollar - A silver dollar drawn into a wire as long as the Statue of Liberty is tall.
Measuring Niagara with a Teaspoon - You get the idea.
Enter the lift on the ground floor, and a full choir performs a single chord. As the lift rises through the gallery, the deeper voices fall away until, on the top floor, there is simply a single, pure soprano tone. The same thing happens in reverse on the way down.
We're all so used to synthetic tones that I was surprised to discover the work is a recording of the real voices of Ex Cathedra, conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore.
So much fun you'll want to ride the lift again and again.
Café Ikon is a very popular tapas and paellas restaurant serving lunch and dinner from a moderately priced menu. It's open during gallery hours and until 11 p.m. most nights but Sunday. It is also open from noon to 11 p.m. on Mondays and during exhibition installations when the gallery itself is closed. Make a reservation (telephone 0121 248 3226) if you are going with a large family or group.
