Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 10 December 2015 – 21 February 2016
In her first institutional commission, Katrina Palmer plays with the idea of death – rather than life – being a journey. From 1854 to 1941 the Necropolis Line transported the dead out of central London; a model of this railway now runs through the three main galleries of the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds. Palmer’s architectural intervention is swathed in dim light, surrounded by railway platform paraphernalia and haunted by stories. The narrative aspect is audible and visible; fragments of articles written and read by Palmer echo through the space and a transcription of this soundtrack is printed in a complementary newspaper. This multi media installation delivers a complex study of absence.

Blain|Southern, London, 5 December 2015 – 23 January 2016
The grey London skies can feel oppressive in the winter months. However, remedy can be found in a new exhibition at Blain|Southern: Couleurs du temps is a display of 11 paintings by Agathe de Bailliencourt, inspired by her three-month residency in Marfa, Texas. The French artist has captured the elemental qualities of her desert surroundings in soft horizontal graduations of colour and a strictly minimal aesthetic.

ICA, London, 8 December 2015 – 10 January 2016
Radical Disco explores the political side of Rome’s club scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Several discos in this period were designed by architects associated with avant-garde movement Radical Design, who saw their profession as a force for social change. This phenomenon is illustrated by a tightly curated collection of photographs, film, music, architectural drawings and press clippings. The exhibition provides a window into a forgotten subculture, one in which the nightclub was a utopia of sorts.

The RYDER Projects, London, 10 December 2015 – 6 February 2016
Sculptor Mark Davey uses industrial materials – steel, fluorescents, copper, aluminium – and clean lines in his new work. Resembling parts of machines, some works are motorised and others are lit up – they seem functional while being purely aesthetic. Davey allows the viewer to see how each mechanised piece was made, playing with ideas of vulnerability and openness.

The British Museum, London, 3 December 2015 – 22 May 2016
A revealing display of coins and medals from ancient Britain opens at the British Museum this week. Hoards questions why these collections were made and tells the stories of their discoveries. The Frome hoard pot is a highlight. This curious Roman object has the capacity to hold over 50,000 coins but is unable to carry their weight without breaking – making it useless if removed from the ground. Experts now believe that the vessel could be a ritual offering.