- Collectivity
A choir of 500 people become an 'emotional choir' and performed throughout the event alongside moving sculptures.
'And, on that Note' is a visual art commission which combined choral voices with sculpture, performance and audience participation. A team of 35 locally based artists, students from St Helens College and Carmel College, dancers from 'Watch This Space Productions' and a Cheerleader group helped in the production of the works as well as performing at 'Silent Night' on December 10th 2014 at Langtree Park, Rugby Stadium.
The works were presented as part of Silent Night, an event linked to the anniversary of the World War 1 Christmas Truce of 1914. For one evening this event brought together school, church and community choirs from across the borough, forming a mass choir of some 500 local singers and an audience of approx 1500.
‘And, on that note’ considered moments of transition, states of uncertainty, inbetween private thought and public behavior. The performative works present individual and collective endurance - the patterns within moments of exertion where action, feeling and meaning become one. Each element looks at the ‘self’ during moments of human interaction and gathering, reflecting on the tensions between isolation, desire, connection and unity.
Elements of the work included:
A fabric sculpture, which performers provided the flexible support structure of, which greeted the audience as they entered the Arena and moved around the pitch to observe the event.
A carpeted landmass sat still on the arena’s pitch until it rumbled and fell apart. A mass of moving sculptures of giant boulders.
Inflatable black clouds negotiated the terrain. An inflatable sculpture manifested as a collective breath in the opposite stand of the stadium.
The Choir of 500 people, who performed three interludes during the event where they became an 'Emotional Choir'.
These interludes were choreographed to coincide with the moving sculptural elements.
Part 1 A laughter Choir where each row laughed in turn until the whole choir were laughing and the clouds moved across the pitch and were passed into the audience.
Part 2 The Choir and audience were invited to repeat the name of a person they loved while the landmass erupted and fell apart.
Part 3 The choir sang a high note, while holding a gold card infront of their heads until they couldnt hold the note anymore.
