Vauxhall Pleasure

We wanted to lay it on thick about traffic and pollution and gardens… Maybe the same thinking that creates gardens, encircled zones of nature, also enables the sort of uber-junction of roads that is Vauxhall Cross. The separation-out of beauty, art and pleasure from all the other activities of everyday life is about the industrialisation of society and the principles of capitalism. This project was along term collaboration with Paul Whitty. 

In 2008/9 a series of projections and a single screen film was made and a series of performances toured music venues.

This project was a way of making ideas of the past, present and future of Vauxhall Cross collide through a performance event staged for a single day. Vauxhall Cross is on the site of the legendary Pleasure Gardens, which were renowned as a place combining pastoral beauty and fresh air with the musical entertainments, fountains, fireworks and fun of 18th century public urban culture. I worked with composer Paul Whitty who re-arranged music by Thomas Arne. Our aim was to explore the relationship between political protest and entertainment, traffic and pedestrians, pollution, breathing and song.

50 singers performed to the traffic, their singing conducted by the phases of the traffic lights, and in the evening, recordings from the Vauxhall Cross performances were accompanied by a live chamber ensemble across the river in Tate Britain . Alongside the singers, a research team from Imperial College (DAPPLE) measured the air pollution levels using a specially adapted bicycle. The website holds an archive of research material which was available during the exhibition connected with the project Tempered Ground at the Museum of Garden History.

The current performance and film has toured The Warehouse, London, The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham, The ICIA, Bath, and Oxford Contemporary Music, Holywell Music Rooms, Oxford.

Date

2004-2009+

Collaboration

Paul Whitty

Locations and venues

2004 –

Vauxhall Cross, Tate Britain, Museum of Garden History

2008 –

The Warehouse, London

2009 –

The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham, The ICIA, Bath, and Oxford Contemporary Music, Holywell Music Rooms, Oxford.

Media

Live event
Composition
Broadsheet
Performance
Website

single screen video (approx 22′)

video and audio installation

musical performance

Publications

broadsheet
Tempered Ground catalogue (Danielle Arnaud Gallery)

julieta gonzalez essay

Aknowledgements

Danielle Arnaud – Parabola

Catherine Wood, Tate Live – Tate Britain
Dr Roy Colvile – Imperial College (DAPPLE Dispersion of Air Pollution & Penetration into the Local Environment Consortium Research Project)

Arts Council England

Cross River Partnership

Arts + Humanities Research Council award with Paul Whitty at Oxford Brookes

http://www.vauxhallpleasure.org.uk/

Production by LAND – Siobhan Wootton, Sara Watkins, Ben Tomlinson, Charlie Tweed

Video by Simon Steven & Andrea Crociani, Magz Hall – sound

Audio by Seth Brignell, David Chin, Ingrid Plum, Michael Wright, Adrian Shaw

Broadsheet by Amy Plant – design and editing, Anna Best – research and editing, Ella Gibbs – design advice
Catering by Kamila – Bonnington Square Café

Rehearsal, Wilma Roest, St. Peter’s Church

PR by Theresa Simon PR

Website by Pete Edwards – e-2

Tate Late performers

Cheryl Enever / soprano
Catherine Laws / harpsichord
Helen Godbolt / cello
Caroline Welsh / flute
Emma Welton / violin
Paul Whitty / electronics

Singers at Vauxhall Cross

Nicholas Merryweather, Juliet Prew, Ross Parfitt, Elena Klaudis, Ben Cooper, Graham Titus, Adey Grummet, Paul Sheehan, John Milne, Imogen Mitchell, Francesca Best, Madelaine Holmes, Cecilia Wee, Joanna Gamble, Jon English, malcolm Banham, Viv Corringham, Angela Henkel, Doro Wing, Lorna Perry, Melanie Lodge, Mark Seberton, Alexander Poulton, Juliet Wood, Micaela Leon, Jonathan Williams

Advisors

Mary Acland Hood
Adam Coffman – CTC working for cycling
David Gryn – artprojx
Terry Horner – PFA Consulting
Siraj Ishar – xyzlondon
John Jordan – broadsheet concept
Live Art Development Agency
Jonathan Meares – Lambeth Council Area Parks Officer
James Marriot – Platform
Peter Nicholson – Transport for London
Kathy Preece – The Kennington Association
Naomi Siderfin – Beaconsfield Contemporary Art

Archive

  • single screen video (22′)
  • audio recording and video documentation of BMIC Warehouse event Nov 2008
  • performances at – the warehouse, london – the pound arts centre, corsham – ICIA, bath and OCM, Oxford
  • the AHRC at Oxford Brookes and Paul Whitty

2008/9