We are proud to announce that WE Hope has selected its two artists to develop the public artwork driven by the stories housed within the project and due to premiere in October 2021 at Frequency international festival of digital culture in Lincoln, UK.
The WE Hope commission updates the traditional notion of the Cantastoria, using song and words to tell stories in public spaces. In this 2021 update, we are developing and testing an approach that uses choirs and choral composition alongside interactive poetic digital visuals to engage audiences in the stories and connection to humanism that WE hope embodies.
Zach Walker of Make Amplify will develop the visuals and interactivity. MakeAmplify is an award-winning collective of artists and technologists under the artistic directorship of Jennifer Irons and Zach Walker. They create spectacular outdoor and immersive events that connect people and transform public spaces, engaging communities and audiences in experiences that combine the physical, emotional and digital. Zach often focuses on the body, creating visuals that emote beyond language, ensuring that the work is open and has the potential to connect with any audience in any given space or location.
Alongside, Make Amplify, acclaimed composer and vocal artist Juliet Russell will write and perform a musical and vocal score, accompanied by a local choir. Juliet’s music has been performed by Choirs to bhangra bands – heard in Cathedrals, Castles, Mayan temple sites and football stadiums. Her solo performances have spanned venues from the National Theatre rooftops to under the Brooklyn Bridge.
For the last 25 years, she has been inspired by creating sound in extraordinary spaces inspired by the landscape. For WE Hope, this vocal score and composition have the potential to travel and engage local choirs in any touring location.
Through the creativity and the skills of the two artists, the WE Hope piece will adapt from a public installation to a live performance space. It will be premiered and tested on 28th October 2021 to tour in 2022.
This article was written by Samantha Lindley, Director of Programmes at Threshold Studios.
Photo : Frequency Festival 2019. Photo credit Electric Egg
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