Ghost Parade
Ghost Parade is a project for Marc Rees’ Artists Taking The Lead (Cultural Olympiad) project, Adain Avion.
The project is a large scale collaborative event taking place on the 1st July 2012, along the final mile of Adain Avion’s journey from Swansea to the redeveloped Steelworks site Ebbw Vale.
Ghost Parade is a nocturnal event involving outdoor projections, archival moving image material and mass participation with music provided by a brass band. This collective endeavour will take place 10 years, almost to the day, since the closure of the Steel Works. That occasion was marked by the remaining workforce who staged a symbolic march out of the gates. Ghost Parade celebrates a decade of transition in Ebbw Vale.
Part carnival, part surreal protest, Ghost Parade participants will carry phantom placards and banners. At points along the route, the placards will become a moving, choreographed screen, on which a brief sequence of archival film will be shown.
When the parade reaches its destination the placards will be roughly reconfigured to form a large cinema screen. Once construction is complete, the screen will be used to show a short film work.
Central to Ghost Parade is the participation of the public. The artist will be working closely with local groups, individuals and organisations to realise the project. People will be able to participate in the event itself - 100 - 200 people will be needed to carry placards and banners; Stefhan will be working with archives (and archivists) in the development of the film works and is inviting people to submit their own film material online and via social networks. In order to make sure everyone can participate, film materials can be shot on any device which can record moving images - a mobile phone, web cam, digital camera or video camera.
To participate:
- In the parade
If you would like to be part of the parade, please email ghost@stefhancaddick.co.uk including your name, or names if more than one of you will be taking part. Please also provide some contact information so we can get hold of you. You will need to be available for one or more rehearsals before the event, probably in June, and available from 3pm onwards on the 1st July 2012. - By submitting a video portrait
As part of Ghost Parade, I am inviting people from Ebbw Vale and the surrounding area, or people with an association with the town (you might have been born there, but now live in Paraguay for example), to submit video portraits of themselves. These will be projected as part of the event. If you would like to submit that would be great. It’s very simple - you can take part just using a mobile phone. There’s more information on the submissions page.
Ghost Parade has been commissioned by Adain Avion, Wales’ Artists Taking the Lead project under the Artistic Direction/Curatorship of Welsh artist Marc Rees. Adain Avion is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival.