A public participatory art work by Nita Newman. The train will consist of ‘carriages’ each of which will contain a group of people.
A conceptual HS2 sound piece curated by Vinyl Artspace.
** please note that this artwork has no political leaning toward or against the current plans for the REAL HS2 “We never met.”
A public participatory artwork; a conceptual HS2 *
Call for proposals and participants
“As the railway line viaduct had never been linked up back in 1848, I asked myself what the separated pieces would say to each
other if they could talk…and I imagined them to say; We never met”. Nita Newman
Nita Newman and VINYL are calling for community groups, businesses and artist collectives to help build a ‘train’ of voices starting in Birmingham and ending in London. Participants will be asked to quote the line “We never met” in succession and at varying volumes and paces, repeating certain words. Accidentally stumbling over the phrase would also add to the composition and recreate the rhythm of a train in an attempt to conceptually bridge the gap between the separated pieces. Each group will be announced as a station stop and every participant will be credited in the running order. There will also an opportunity to add your own version of the work via written proposal. The first stage of the Birmingham audio composition will go live on line on the VINYL website in October and is curated by Andre de Jong at VINYL. Interested? Want to know more? Read on…
Want to take part? Please read the following notes carefully and submit your proposals and expressions of interest to Nita Newman at: [email protected]
Proposals for performances should be no more than 250 words in length and will be based upon the repeated phrase; ‘We never met.’ Please bear in mind that based on 40 participants recorded in sequential order with a rehearsal and 3 further recordings takes approximately 10 minutes. Proposals must include a minimum of two people and has no maximum number. According to the Office of Rail Regulation ‘There is no legal limit on the number of passengers that can travel in any given train coach’. Proposals will be accepted under the discretion of Nita Newman and VINYL. Participants can join the train more than once and participate multiple times if they so wish. What if my group doesn’t have a proposal? Groups of people who want to participate can perform under the guidance of the artist if they so wish. When and where will this take part? Performances can take place at the designated times at the works Gallery…Please see itinerary below:
What if we can’t make it to the venue? Performances and artist talks can also take place at your place of work or community venue by appointment. Nita will also be happy to visit you during the summer either prior to or after the event at the Works Gallery. IMPORTANT: By agreeing to take part in this project you are giving your permission to be recorded and photographed. This information will remain the property of the artist for promotional and educational purposes. Special circumstances can be accommodated and can be negotiated with the artist and VINYL. BACKGROUND: In 1848 a rail link from Bordesley to Duddeston was planned to join the Oxford and London lines, building started however the viaducts were never linked. The remaining parts of the viaducts now appear to be arrested by the path of the road.
*This is a public participatory art project with no political bias for or against the current plans for the HS2 rail link. Itinerary at The Works Gallery:
Mon 5th Aug 6-8pm Artist Talk & participatory performance
Wed 7th August 2- 5pm Open studio
Thur 8th August 2-5pm Open studio
Fri 9th August 2-5pm Open Studio then 6-8pm Artist Talk and participatory performance
Nita will also be available by appointment and will offer to visits to organisations outside of these hours to collect audio and do artist talks in the weeks before or after the main event. Email Nita Newman at: [email protected]
Artist Talk: Johnny Morris speaks for us all. A discussion surrounding the tendency to speak and think for others, animals and inanimate objects. Participatory performance to follow. Open studio: Nita will be using the gallery as her studio for the week and will be available to talk to about the project and her practice. There may also be an opportunity for recording by appointment. The venue:
The Works Gallery
The Jubilee Centre
(The third floor)
130 Pershore Street
Birmingham
B5 6ND
