Free entry
15 May – 21 September 2025
Gallery 7
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 11am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 11am–6pm |
| Thursday | 11am–9pm |
| Friday | 11am–6pm |
| Saturday | 11am–6pm |
| Sunday | 11am–6pm |
Whitechapel Gallery is committed to making all of our exhibitions as accessible as possible for every visitor. Please contact access@whitechapelgallery.org if you would like to discuss a particular request and we will gladly discuss with you the best way to accommodate it.
For complete access information about the gallery, please visit here.
Popcorn! is a new participatory exhibition by artist Jenny Pengilly inviting audiences of all ages to explore the sonic world through our voices, bodies, and props.
This exhibition is inspired by Foley artists, sound designers who produce the sounds we hear in films, television programmes and video games that can’t be recorded live on set. They often use surprising objects and inventive methods such as bubble wrap in place of popcorn, shaking leather gloves to mimic flapping wings, and snapping celery to replicate the sound of breaking bones.
Featuring a playful DIY punk aesthetic characteristic of Pengilly’s practice, the multi-sensory exhibition invites audiences of all ages into an imaginative world that explores the magic of sound and sound effects.
Visitors can interact with a range of unusual props, image boards and soundtracks to create their own acoustic adventures. Alongside sound, visual prompts and moving image, the exhibition features a recording den ‘Static Studios’ where audiences can record Foley sounds to accompany an improvised film.
Pengilly’s practice is informed by her ongoing research into experimental music and children’s learning. The exhibition has been developed through a series of workshops at Whitechapel Gallery and Phoenix School in Tower Hamlets, which supports children and young people with autism. Music and drawings from Pengilly’s ongoing collaboration with her niece Robin also feature in the exhibition.
Read the full exhibition press release.
Jenny Pengilly is a multidisciplinary artist working in learning and social engagement. Her work predominantly focuses on the medium of the ‘art workshop’ and the use of affective materials and making to facilitate play, experimentation, collaboration and mutual growth and exchange with children, young people, families and adults. Jenny is interested in the interactions, processes and objects that emerge from these engagements and exploring how they could be creatively expanded and shared.
Jenny holds an MA in Art and Design in Education from the Institute of Education and has worked with organisations such as Tate Kids, Bow Arts, Royal College of Art, Heart and Soul, Royal Academy of Art, Museum of the Home and South London Gallery, amongst other arts, learning and community organisations. Jenny is co-director of Joy For Stuff, a social art project and sound art duo, and is a co-founder of Electronic Audio Club, a peer-led community group exploring DIY electronic audio projects based at TACO! gallery.
Jenny also hosts a monthly radio show ‘Experimental Tunes and Children’ on RTM.fm exploring experimental music in relation to children’s learning, culture and experience.
Participatory exhibitions at Whitechapel Gallery highlight artists working with participation and social engagement as core foundations of their practice. These projects showcase highly skilled practitioners offering creative opportunities for audiences of all ages at a time when arts subjects continue to be side-lined in the curriculum.
Popcorn! builds on the success of the Children’s Commission 2009-2019, Escape the Slick 2023, Sculpting Conversations 2023, Edge Effects 2024, and Moving Grounds 2025. It further expands possibilities for how immersive, experiential and participatory practices can manifest in a gallery setting. Through an emphasis on intergenerational experiences and collaborative working, as well as offering a fun and social environment, the exhibition invites everyone to explore their own creativity.
Whitechapel Gallery’s Participation Programme is generously supported by:
Whitechapel Gallery Education Council Founding Members: Julie and Debashis Dey and Alex Sainsbury
