At the beginning of March, we have Small Acts (artists Katie Etheridge and Simon Persighetti) staying this us!
Working with people and places to explore the intersections between architecture, community, place and performance, their residency at Metal Southend focuses on 20th Century Essex Boy, a new project in the early stages of development.
Known for creating innovative socially engaged artworks and performances that investigate and celebrate the often-invisible web of connections at the heart of communities, Small Acts are now focusing the lens closer to home. Simon’s hometown to be precise.
As the eldest son of seven children born to an Irish-Italian, working class family in Southend-on-Sea, Simon Persighetti was perhaps destined either for the priesthood or Neeta’s tubular furniture factory. Instead, growing up in Southend in the second half of the 20th Century afforded an ordinary boy access to extraordinary experiences that ignited the imagination and sparked a rollercoaster ride through some of the key cultural, countercultural and political movements of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
During their residency Small Acts will be engaging in a period of immersive site-based research and writing to explore the questions:
How do our early experiences of place influence the direction of our lives?
What does it mean to grow up in a town that is always ‘performing’?
See more Small Acts here:
@smallactsliveart
