Director Bureau of Silly Ideas
Roger Hartley is the founder and Artistic Director of the Bureau of Silly Ideas (BOSI), the Brixton-based not-for-profit arts organisation he established in 2002. An artist, performer, producer and maker, Roger has built a body of work that brings art, humour and surprise into public spaces from remote-controlled wheelie bins to large-scale conceptual artworks he calls ‘SuperFictions’.
His practice is rooted in the belief that access to art is a route out of urban poverty, and that play and silliness are serious tools for connecting fractured communities. Before founding BOSI, Roger created Lost Vagueness, the pioneering pop-up casino and cabaret that became a fixture of Glastonbury Festival. He later became the first artist in residence at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
A guest lecturer, masterclass leader and TEDx speaker, Roger has been a Leverhulme Scholar and is an active campaigner for people’s right to affordable space to live, work and experience culture. He works across the UK and internationally, collaborating with partners spanning heritage, the arts, local government and community organisations.