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Love songs beamed across Bristol for Valentine’s Day
A love-filled project is beaming songs from across Europe to a location of the listener’s choice on Valentine’s Day.
Voices of ordinary people from across the continent will be broadcast using location-specific audio hotspots, which listeners can choose through an app.
It’s a Valentine’s Day event by Pervasive Media Studio residents Action Hero and is part of a bigger project called Oh Europa.
is needed now More than ever
Through the songs of love recorded as part of the project, the Beacons of Love event hopes to provide a moment of solace and comfort at a time of hardship and separation.
Action Hero, formed of Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse, have been making live work since 2005 and this latest project seeks to look at connection across the continent, how space is shared and connections are made across countries.
The artists have been travelling across Europe in their motorhome and asking strangers to sing them a love song since 2018. They have now visited 33 countries and recorded more than 1,000 songs.
For one day only, Action Hero are allowing their ever-evolving archive of songs to be accessed from any specified location. Spaces are limited so people are continued to sign up before Sunday, February 14.
“You might not be together with loved ones on Valentine’s Day this year, but you can still make a date to tune into love under lockdown,” say Gemma and James.
“You are invited to experience a digital audio artwork for your ears only: a chorus of love songs transmitted directly to a location of your choice in the UK.
“You can listen to the songs on your daily exercise route, in your garden or even on your sofa via a location-specific audio hotspot which will broadcast voices singing with sentiments of love, heartbreak and longing. Your location, your choice!”
Once Valentine’s Day has passed, people can still listen via a network of “beacons” placed by the artists on the borders and edge-spaces across Europe.
Using the app (which needs to be downloaded to take part on Sunday) the archive of songs can be heard on invisible boundaries, cultural junctures and geological egdes.
A sign of hope in uncertain times, Beacons of Love hopes to bring some solace during the winter months.
Main photo: Action Hero
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