Thursday 04 March 2010
9.00AM - 5.00PM

Search Party vs St Pancras International

FREE EVENT

Part of Sprint Festival

This event takes place in the Arcade at St Pancras International

Search Party are throwing down the gauntlet. They challenge you, the people of St Pancras, to a marathon game of Ping Pong. Search Party vs borrows the notion of team from sport to examine connections between the personal and the geographic, exploring ideas of community, place, belonging, team identification and competition.

Spectators and passers-by are invited to form a team and compete against Search Party; to represent St Pancras and to support each other through thick and thin. Modes of behaviour are suggested, spectators are invited to sing, to chant, to wear their heart on their sleeve, to take their tops off and swing them round their heads. As the tournament develops and fatigue sets in, new unexpected narratives emerge, rousing team talks and comfort breaks are needed and the allegiance of each supporter is tested. Search party want a good clean fight, no biting, no diving, no tackling from behind and the umpire’s decision is final.

Search Party is the collaboration of artists Pete Phillips and Jodie Hawkes. Since 2005 we have been making live art that re-negotiates the relationship between artist and audience. We make site specific, studio based and durational performances that attempt to create temporary communities, inviting spectators to become co-collaborators in the live event. Our current work questions the relationship between sport and performance, borrowing the notion of team to examine connections between individual, group and place.

www.searchpartyperformance.org.uk