A live public arts intervention that opens dialogue
about the urban environment, posing the question,
‘How do we experience our city?’
At 11pm from a central venue base
(which could be a gallery setting as much as a disused warehouse or an empty shop for example) a group of artists from a mix of creative disciplines, are sent into the city with one hour to complete a reconnaissance, gather material or execute an interaction.
At midnight the City Runners return to base
and have two hours to create a piece of work inspired by what they have seen and experienced in the city. The time limitation is part of the challenge for the artist, to work outside their ‘comfort zone’ and engage with their process afresh. Work produced is often ‘DIY’, the artists not having the safety of their studio environment, a full complement of tools and materials, or time for reflection. Whilst valid in its own right the work is often an experiment for the artist, or the working stages of a piece they may revisit outside of City Running.
At 2am the City Runners present this work
to their peers and a public audience. The work and its process is explained to the group and discussion is encouraged, examining the creative process and the relation of the artist’s work to the city.
‘It resulted in truly unique art experiences for the participants and for the audience. It wasn’t easy to be either: participants or audience. Both roles were challenged and challenging in City Running and it asked us to re-evaluate what we expected from the standard experience of each.
City Running truly moved the boundaries in a way that few other ‘exhibitions’ ever have. This was conceptual process based art work and, despite the strange time of night that it happened, at it’s most accessible. I think that City Running represents a new and valuable departure as a model for producing and experiencing art.’
Katharine Perry, Brighton & Hove Arts Commission, Grassroots
‘Working spontaneously was fantastic. I shot, considered, edited, printed and hung a set of photographs that I was very pleased with in three hours ... Not something I have ever done before. Working with artists from other disciplines is always good but was made better by the spontaneous nature of the event ... I rediscovered a means of being creative that I thought I had left behind.’
Tom Wichelow, photographer
‘I was worried in advance of my run but I really like the photos I took in the end. They were specific to the city and to the night. I also had lots of other ideas before my run and since for works that I would still like to make at some point. So it has been very fruitful in that sense. I like the spontaneous element. Daunting but good for creativity. Talking and sharing is great. The audiences and other artists were very supportive.’
Rachel Cohen, artist