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' I currently primarily work with text, video, sound and performance. I am interested in the social and personal aspects of popular entertainment, such as music, comedy and storytelling. For instance, choral music has traditionally been a way of literally uniting communities in a shared culture, but in my works involving choirs this is often contrasted by a focus on an individual, socially isolated subject, and on the subjective, ambiguous readings that music can bring to any context.
I often collaborate with people to engage with their working or leisure
experiences, highlighting everyday practices, and peripheral positions,
as potential sites for resistance to wider social structures. Our need
to structure experience as narrative in order to gain understanding of
it, and the exemplary myth like narratives that emerge from popular music
and entertainment, are important aspects of some of the works.
Recent collaborations have involved setting school children's gossip to
music for two singers and a chamber orchestra, the writing of a 'duet'
ballad based on a call centre phone conversation, making work with a TV
audience warm up man, spiritualist mediums, and residents of a tower block.
I am also expanding the live performance side of my practice, and have
recently staged an opera based on Tony Hawes, the announcer of The Generation
Game conveyor belt prizes, with nine musicians and performers. As a way
of presenting my work I have also organised events such as The NWRA Variety
Nights, showing video works and perf
orming with a number of collaborators, including a choir, a gallery assistant,
members of a musical society, a David Bowie impersonator and an artist
performance group. '
Paul Rooney, July 2003
above: Open Plan - Heather by Paul Rooney
below: Flat 23 - Living Room by Paul Rooney
Biography :
Paul was born in Liverpool in 1967, and trained at Edinburgh College of Art. He has had residencies at The British School at Rome, Dundee Contemporary Arts/University of Dundee VRC, and was the Tate Liverpool MOMART Fellow for 2002-2003. He is a founder member of Common Culture, who have shown at EAST and had solo shows at the Cornerhouse, Manchester and Gasworks, London.
Paul's individual practice focused from 1998 to 2000 on the music of
the 'Rooney' CD's and performances, and a Radio 1FM Peel session was
broadcast in October 1999. Paul now primarily works with text and video
but performances and events continue to be part of his practice, and
venues have included The Thread Waxing Space, New York, Ormeau Baths,
Belfast, Dundee Contemporary Arts and Cubitt, London. Other recent work
has been shown in Melbourne, Stockholm, Toronto, Siena, New York, Washington,
St. Petersburg and Utrecht.
Recent commissions include 'Crossing Over 6' hosted by FACT; and The
Whitworth Art Gallery with Manchester Camerata (chamber orchestra).
Paul is currently working on projects for Grizedale and The Ikon Gallery,
and is showing in a British Council show touring to Europe and South
America. He is short listed for the first Comme Cå Art Prize North
to be announced in 2003.
above: Good Morning Call by Paul Rooney
