Fanfare for Crossing the Road is an ongoing international project that adds ceremony to a common event. In each country LeQuesne asks musicians – dressed in uniforms and positioned beside the traffic lights – to mimic as closely as possible the digital acoustic crossing sounds (different in every country) that signal the time to cross for the blind. To date, it has been performed in London (with 2 cornet players), Helsinki (with 3 trumpet players and 2 percussionists) and Lisbon (with 4 trumpet players). An operatic Fanfare with 8 acapella singers will be performed in Cardiff as part of the 2012 O:4W festival.

This project is ongoing. Each “Fanfare” becomes a portrait of the country – the light, the traffic sounds, the style of dress, the behaviour of the people – all contribute to what feels like chapters in a book where the story is told from multiple points of view. Performances will be added to the video as they occur and the shape of the narrative will evolve.

Ann-Marie LeQuesne stages events that explore social behaviour in group situations. She works in public places and her invitation to participate is an open one. All performances are site specific. She is never sure how many people will turn up. Often people join in the performance spontaneously. Using elements of tableau-vivant, re-enactment and ritual, she asks participants to act out a range of roles. The theatrical in the work appears as a collective effort. LeQuesne is interested in situations where there is an intention but the outcome is uncertain. She wants participants to be discovering what her request feels like as they are doing it. Performances are filmed/photographed and the resulting imagery takes on the qualities and constraints of documentary footage.
This project is ongoing. Each “Fanfare” becomes a portrait of the country – the light, the traffic sounds, the style of dress, the behaviour of the people – all contribute to what feels like chapters in a book where the story is told from multiple points of view. Performances will be added to the video as they occur and the shape of the narrative will evolve.

www.amlequesne.com
www.theannualgroupphotograph.com