edges ensemble at HCMF

edges ensemble, 15 November 2019, free entry

In 1964, Yoko Ono published Grapefruit, a collection of conceptual and often ludicrous instructions for performers to make art with. Written in absent-minded verses of poetry, the book’s pages say things like ‘Carry a bag of peas. Leave a pea wherever you go’. Ono realised these surrealist passing thoughts as a sort of incidental theatre, combining mundanity and absurdity until they meant the same thing. At hcmf// 2019, the University of Huddersfield’s edges ensemble will perform choice pages from Grapefruit as interludes between concerts, weaving a surreal dimension into festival proceedings. They’ll blend into the environment just enough to keep the audience at a level of constant participation – performing Ono’s off-the-wall art as if it were a self-help guide for going about your daily business. This launch event will give audiences an idea of what to expect throughout the festival.