The 17 Bill Drummond Event - "Amplified Indivduals" July 14, 2008

Renowned artist and musician Bill Drummond has been invited to create a unique performance piece entitled The17 to celebrate QUAD and particularly its location in Derby. Drummond will be working on the piece over six weeks during the summer with members of the community, culminating in an evening performance on the Market Place on Friday 22nd August.

"The performance in Derby stems from an idea that Drummond has been working on for a few years" comments QUAD's senior curator Louise Clements. "However, the version in Derby will be more spectacular than ever before, and we're currently looking for participants to join in with this opportunity to be involved with a unique and ground breaking project by an incredible internationally renowned artist."

When it has been performed in other cities, The17 involved just 17 people, all of whom sing a score written for them by Drummond (an aptitude for singing is not a requirement though!). The only audience to The17 is the singers themselves, who perform only once, so to hear The17 you have to be there and be part of it. Whether you haven't sung since mumbling in the school choir, or if you're an opera diva, anyone can join The17.

Participants will be asked to give a maximum of one hour of their time in order to attend a recording session, where the project will be explained by Drummond. They will be recorded together making one note with their voices for five minutes and then a group photograph will be taken, along with a one minute video portrait that will be screened in QUAD and on the BBC Big Screen on the performance evening. The photographs will be included in the first exhibition inside QUAD and published in a special The17 book.

These 100 separate sound recordings will mix together to create one huge piece of choral music. All 1,700 participants will then be invited to the performance event on the Market Place for the evening of 22nd August, to hear the one and only playback of this recording before it is deleted forever.

On the same night the participants will be invited to be our special guests at a private view reception and personal tour of the new QUAD building, this will give participants the opportunity to view their photograph and film in the exhibition throughout QUAD before the building is open to the general public.

Official Website: http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/other-events/the17