NOTES ON PROTESTING
Peter Liversidge
Notes on protesting
Curated and Sponsored by
EMDASH Foundation
Location:
at Whitechapel Gallery,
Southbank Center Tate Modern
and Bonniers Konsthal,
Stockholm
Date:
Thursday 1st May 2014
PETER LIVERSIDGE at Whitechapel London
What if we could change the world?
Commissioned by EMDASH and inspired by ideas around demonstration, protest and democracy, in early 2014 British artist Peter Liversidge began working with sixty children aged 8 and 9 from east London on ideas about community, commonly held views and the power of collective voice. Together they created songs, choreography, banners and placards which expressed the children’s views on everything from ‘No More Homework’ and ‘Our shoes are too tight’ to ‘I Don’t Like Cooked Tomatoes’ and ‘Less trucks and cars. More chocolate bars!’
The resulting performance was staged at the Whitechapel Gallery on May Day 2014, at the South bank Center in October 2014 and again at the Whitechapel Gallery on May Day 2015 in conjunction with an exhibition dedicated to the project featuring documentation of the workshops and rehearsals.
Peter Liversidge has worked with a diverse range of institutions, including Tate Liverpool (2008); Bloomberg SPACE, London (2009); The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (2010); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2013); Tate Modern, London (2013); Tang Museum, Saratoga (2013/14); i8 Gallery, Reykjavik (2014); Printed Matter, New York (2014); Drawing Room, London (2014); The Mac, Belfast (2014); Matt’s Gallery, London (2014) and Basis, Frankfurt (2014/15).
Inspired by ideas of demonstration and protest, Peter Liversidge went to a primary school in East London with the her of EMASH and asked students to respond to the idea of ‘rules.’ What rules did they like, what rules did they want to change or implement, how did they feel about the strictures around them?
18th of June: A performance by choirs from all over London singing about Tate Modern.
Artist Peter Liversidge has written a unique cycle of songs in response to Tate Modern’s building, its history and its place in contemporary life. Inspired by conversations the artist held with gallery staff, construction workers, visitors and local residents, the lyrics will be sung unaccompanied and in unison by over twenty choirs involving over 500 singers to create a powerful soundscape in the Turbine Hall.
The piece is conducted and arranged by Esmeralda Conde Ruiz (and assistant Aine O Dwyer). Performance times and locations:.
18 June 17.00–17.40 (500 singers on the Turbine Hall Ramp) 119 June at 14.00–14.40 (50 singers on Level 4 Switch House)
This performance is part of the opening weekend for the new Tate Modern, brought to you by Uniqlo.
