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APFEL - Tate

For the first time in its history Tate Modern has welcomed a touch of theatre into its stark white confines, throwing hushed (or not so hushed) academic wispering to the wind in favour of a good old song and dance. The World as a Stage brought together international contemporary artists who examine the notions of performance and staging in their work for a three-month spectacular, and A Practice for Everyday Life provided the graphic accompaniment.

As it was in fact Shakespeare who first declared, "All the world's a stage," APFEL took a trip to London's haven of literary antiquities, Cecil Court, and a glance back into theatre's rich visual history. "We spent an afternoon looking at a beautiful collection of printed theatre ephemera," says Kirsty Carter. "We really enjoyed the simplicity of these objects - the maaterials, the colours, the typefaces, the mini-advets in the back, the portraits of the stars in each show." Keen for their catalogue, signage and identity to speak the same language, while remaining distinct in design terms, APFEL persuaded curator Jessica Morgan to write her essay in acts and commissioned illustrator Paul Ryan to draw portraits of all the artists. The bright yellow publication, whose dimensions and paper stock nod towards those of a theatre programme, also features pages of vintage-inspired adverts for various performances, which were then blown up and placed on billboards around the Tate. With invitations and pamphlets printed on uncoated stock with fluoro inks for a delectably tactile finish, the results definitely deserve an encore. It's just as well, then, that they'll be working together again soon.

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