BIFOCALS / RITUAL EXCHANGES

Home-made record sleeves. This example comes from the early 60's. The teenage market is expanding; pop star life story mags are cheap and plentiful, encouraging identification with performers who increasingly share a background with their audiences. Pop ( we call it Pop by now ) is part of a rite; the big labels form a megalith within which we dance, fight and grope. Record packaging lags behind other commodities; Lps and Eps come in attractive sleeves, but 45's are plainly packaged; grey text on monochrome labels, the  green of the Columbia label had echoed the livery of corporation buses. Company sleeves are standardised and come in single colours, some have adverts on the back for the company catalogue, or for gramophones and hairdryers.  The Machineshop Overall Blue of the Decca label always looks capable of nullifying any colour in the recorded performance within, and the orange stripey sleeves have the utilitarian feel of a bag for woodscrews or rawl plugs,...

Ritual Exchanges is a  multi media investigation into autonomous vernacular creativity and traditional celebration in 3 coastal towns. In partnership with archivists and local participants, four artists (and others, hopefully) will collaborate, argue and produce audio visual pieces, multiples, text and soundworks for broadcast and installation in public realm spaces. We will explore recurrent themes and the motives and investment of participants. We will examine the longevity of practices, games and events and the importance of key sites in maintaining the cycles of expression, celebration and liminality in each town. In recent projects we have engaged with grass roots events in Cumbria and Yorkshire as artists, supporters and critical friends. We have made contacts within cultural industries, broadcasting, autonomous music and arts scenes and with folk archivists and performers. At the same time, old alliances have been rekindled with people who can work together, see where an...