Abstract
Slow Races was conceived for the Dear Serge programme of the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill and plays on the local history of motor racing and on the modern obsession with speed, mobility and utility. Traditionally ‘A Day at the Races’ showcases the fastest horses or the speediest cars. Slow Races inverts these values and offers games in which participants can enjoy slowness and stillness while performers excel in uselessness.
The event combined four peices of work: In 'Gnomes Race' familiar garden ornaments come to life and slowly drift around the Pavilion, celebrating their ornamental selves; in 'All Human Beings are Born Useless and equal in Uselessness' a garden gnome addresses audiences from the bandstand of architect Niall McLaughlin with a provocative speech which challenges the ubiquitous utilitarianism of Modernity; in 'Scooter Murmuration' mobility scooters roam around the grounds of the Pavilion like flocks of starlings, and visitors can take part in the Bucket Race, balancing buckets filled to the brim with water.
Original language | English |
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Media of output | Online |
Publication status | Published - 5 Jul 2014 |
Event | other - De La Warr Pavilion, 5 May 2014 Duration: 5 Jul 2014 → … |