Petit Pois
An open letter to the French people of the world
The time has come to make a stand, to stop revelling in the past glories and wishing for a return to 1912 or 1968; the time has come to make a new declaration of independence. You the people who gave the world liberté, égalité and fraternité have disappointed in the recent past...
We must build on certain aspects of your character, namely I would suggest your audacity, and to restate certain fundamental foundations for a modern, serious and intelligent culture. We must also seek to challenge the French propensity for Idealism in both its senses.
The first step is the gesture (as you know the slogan has been le/la gesture du jour), this must occur outside the system, it can not take place within as the system requires clarity; the gesture of the artist is a short cut bypassing clarity...Performance uniquely deals with issues of authenticity in a visceral way. The authenticity of the body is a check and balance against the delusions of the mind.
To this end we have commissioned a number of artists/ activists/ performers to contribute and collaborate with the Centre of Attention in Petit Pois, in what amounts to a theatre of crudité.
The gesture is the lightning rod that focuses desire; is a call to arms; a catalyst. The gesture is a wedge into the world's systems that will become a manifesto of deeds. 'De l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace !!'
the Centre of Attention, April 2006
performances:
14 June: The
House of O'Dwyer anxiety dream at the Barbican
4 July: Theo
Cowley The Harlequin Sits with the 7 Sins and a Character
with No Character at Tate Modern
14 July:
Rachel
Brooksby untitled (singing) at the Camden Arts Centre
19 Sept: Relâche
(hommage to Picabia) at the Whitechapel Gallery
28 Sept: Eileen
Perrier at the Photographers Gallery
26 Oct: Children
at Bischoff / Weiss
31 Oct: Julie
Wells at the V&A
18 Nov: Anthony
Schrag at Carter Presents
23 Nov: Ben
Cummins at Anthony Reynolds
Petit Pois is organised by the Centre of Attention in collaboration with Sophie Kaplan and part of Paris calling, a season of contemporary art from France
