Act 52 International Womens Day,Globe Gallery
Act 52 8.00pm, Friday 08 March 2013
A collective Spoken, Signed and Multi-Lingual Recitation on International Womens Day 2013
with 34 Co-Recitors in British Sign Language (BSL), English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Scots and Spanish
Presented by The Globe Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
Previews of the Recitation by David Whetstone and Isobelle Boltt can be read at the Newcastle Journal and on Globe Gallery’s Blog
Preamble Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 1 Rachel Knight and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 1 Sandra Greenacre and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 2 Swee Gaik Seow and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 3 Lucy Form Greek
Article 3 Sally Madge and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 3 Charni Cornwell British Sign Language
Article 4 Neil Watson and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 4 Mike Golding and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 5 Kimberley Emeny and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 6 Swee Gaik Seow and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 7 Ailsa Golding and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 8 Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 9 Jake Morley British Sign Language
Article 10 Sharon Smith, Jon Copestake and BSL Interpreter Lynn JordanEnglish
Article 11 Joe Eldridge and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 12 Robin Tudge and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 13 Cait Read Spanish
Article 14 Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 15 Robert Duncan Scots
Article 16 Melanie Ashby and Lisa Matthews with BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan in English and Liliana Ghilardi in Italian
Article 17 Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 18 Matt Wilson and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 19 Isobelle Boltt French and Emma Skelton German
Article 20 Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 21 Monica Ross and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 22 Diane Jones and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 22 Stella Hall and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 23 Angela Kennedy and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 23 Claire Selwood and Lucas and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 24 Hannah Marsden and Andrew Wilson and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 25 Carol Cornwell British Sign Language
Article 26 Dawn Morley British Sign Language
Article 27 Hannah Marsden and Andrew Wilson and BSL Interpreter Lynn Jordan English
Article 28 Neil Watson and BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Article 29 Phillip Frankland and BSL Interpreter Lynn JordanEnglish
Article 30 Monica Ross with BSL Interpreter Anne Brotherton English
Many, Many thanks to all the Co-Recitors who made Act 52 such a distinctive and uplifting performance and to British Sign Language Interpreters Anne Brotherton and Lynn Jordan. Thanks too to everyone who came, to Rashida Davison, Director, Lucy Form and the fantastic team at Globe Gallery who made it all possible and once again provided delicious food and hospitality; Many Thanks also to Hannah Marsden, Bernard G Mills, Nicky Harrison, Sneha Solanki, Colin Davison, Chris Osborne and John Smith and last but not least Anniversary—an act of memory Producer Michelle Hirschhorn for initiating, connecting, co-ordinating and bringing the recitation and all concerned together.
More photos coming soon…
Coinciding with Act 52 Anniversary—an act of memory and Signworld are very pleased to release a landmark translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) into British Sign Language. As far as we know this may be the first translation of the entire Preamble and 30 Articles of the UDHR into any sign language.The translation is presented by Tessa Padden (pictured) and Nicholas Padden and has been sponsored and produced by the Newcastle and Bristol-based company Signworld as a contribution to Anniversary—an act of memory. We are very pleased to present and share this translation of the UDHR into British Sign Language.
You can find it on You Tube here: www.youtube.com/actofmemory Or download a free desktop copy here as a 550mb zip file.
Please download full information and a Press Release here or go to The Limping Chicken, the uk’s independent deaf news and deaf blogs website.
Also coinciding with Act 52, thanks to Nicky Harrison and the generosity of Globe Gallery and Whittle Print, we were able to publish a second, updated edition of the Anniversary—an act of memory booklet, shown here with a purple satin ribbon marking International Womens Day 2013. Please click on the image for details.
I took part in the event on the 8th March at the Globe Gallery Newcastle upon Tyne reciting Article 10 being the right to a hearing by all before an Independent Tribunal of a persons rights and obligations; as major changes in the availability of Legal Aid from the 1st April 2013 will severely impact on this right in England and Wales. I wore my Solicitors Robes as I wished to express my concern as a professional as well as an individual at the very real danger of detriment to so many in our society these changes will bring.
Hi Monica,
it was a lovely event. I’d not done anything like it before (although I am the local coordinator for NO2ID, hence my interest in Article 12) and was really quite moved by the show, that so many people would come and perform and watch, and by the presentation of the UN Declaration which is so obviously correct and decent, and yet from which our world is still so far removed, either by having never progressed at all, or allowed the same old hates to undermine everything like water through limestone.
Good luck with the tour and stay in touch with your next endeavour
best regards
Robin Tudge
Author of the No Nonsense Guide to Global Surveillance http://www.robintudge.com
Hello! I’m still figuring out which article is for me this go. i was wondering if it is okay to do two? i really like that act thirty is kind of, don’t twist any words in here to allow for the destruction or restriction of any of these rights. but i’m also drawn to article 25 again. the combination is kind of… well, it’s kind of what seems to be happening at the moment. standard of living – support is being withdrawn left and right. If you are not doing alright, you have the right to have help. and no state or group or person has the right to aim for the destruction of the rights. but they are aiming…
so. could i do two?
x cath
Dear Cath, Please do 2 articles ! that would be wonderful. Are you going to speak them this time or recite them in American Sign Language (ASL) or BSL as you did for Act 36?
If you are going to sign them could you have a think about whether or not in this multilingual recitation, you would like Lynn or Annie to do a voiceover? – it’s up to you or we can discuss on friday in the pre-meeting?
Here’s Article 25 for reference – you’re right it is a set of rights which are absolutely under siege in the UK at the moment.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
And that uncompromising Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Many thanks Cath
but of course it’s just dawned on me that you can choose to sign and speak your articles simultaneously if you want to, sorry for being a bit slow there!
heh. If i had planned way ahead, i could have bumped up my ASL to the point of being able to do justice to it. Even if I was signing my articles, i wouldn’t think i’d want to use english as well… the grammar is so different that i’d be letting signing or speaking down. one of the big things that i took home from your introduction to the project this time, is the knowing of these rights at all times, in all situations, to be able to USE them, use the knowledge that these are all people’s rights, all the time. so, i’ve been learning the ones i want to share, but also watching the videos every day. repetition and lots of it is the way i absorb things. I don’t think I’ll be as primed as you are, but i hope to be able to stand up for myself and other people when the situation arises. to make good choices. to be clear. to try. x
repetition, that’s exactly it. ourselves as the means of direct re-iteration, very simple and difficult at the same time,
thank you for your thoughts cath
it’s interesting how in different contexts and at different times certain Articles seem to take on extra significance or relevance. Article 23, the right to work, equal pay and good conditions of work, is starting to look like an important one for this recitation:
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Human-Rights/13518321061?sk=info
-and the more voices and languages each Article is heard in the more interesting it will be.
I totally agree Monica, and that is why I’ve chosen that one to read with Lucas, my 8 year old son. I see it as something that this government are trying to take away, to look for a return to past times when people were kept in underpaid jobs, in fear of their employment being ended at any time.
and especially after the decisions about cuts made by newcastle council last night
To all who would like to recite an article at the Globe Gallery on the 8th of March, please see globegallery.org/acts-of-memory or email actsofmemory@globegallery.org with the number of the article you wish to recite.
Also please feel free to attend the event even if you do not wish to recite and spread the word to everyone who may be interested. email actsofmemory@globegallery.org to book your place.
Hi Monica,
It was really great to meet you on Thursday, your talk was a great introduction to the project. Everyone at Globe is really exited for the 8th!
thanks to you all for the warm welcome you gave us. have you seen the great piece in the Newcastle Journal today?
http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/2013/02/27/preview-anniversary-an-act-of-memory-globe-gallery-newcastle-61634-32886229/#.US3bOTib7Gc.email
this is a re-posting of a post by Isobelle Boltt on Globe’s blog, 22.01.2013 http://www.globegallery.org/news-blog.php
On Friday the 8th of March, Globe Gallery will host the 52nd performance of Anniversary –An Act of Memory, a series of solo, collective and multilingual recitations from memory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Artist Monica Ross performed the first recitation in 2008 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Declaration. Since then her project has expanded phenomenally; over the years, hundreds of people from around the world have lent their voices to this celebration of the dignity and sanctity of every human life.
When I heard that Globe would be hosting the event, I was inspired by the concept and excited to become involved. Reading through the press release, Monica’s words on her own inspiration really struck a chord:
“I went to read the Declaration for the first time… I got one sentence in and I was so shocked at my own complacency – one, that I had never read it; two, that I assumed that I knew what it said, but I didn’t…”
I realised that the same was true of me. I seem to recall seeing a poster of it in some school corridor, long ago. I might have skimmed over the Wikipedia page once or twice. But had I ever actually read it? Had I ever taken the time to think about the gravity and importance of the declaration, had I ever considered its relevance to my own life? No. Not once. Following this revelation, Monica Ross decided to “try and learn it off by heart to see if I could make it part of [her]”. I wanted it to be a part of me, too. And I wanted to be a part of it.
The value of Acts of Memory lies not only in its veneration of human rights but also in its celebration of the diversity of language, and its inclusion of all human beings through reaching out to those whose language does not have a written counterpart – specifically the Deaf community. As a language student, this held a particular resonance with me.
Today we met up with Michelle Hirschorn, the project’s producer, and Nicky Harrison, the PR director, to discuss our plans for the project. My initial inspiration and excitement was reinforced by their own enthusiasm, and I endeavoured to get as many people involved as possible, using the Durham University network to reach out to people from all cultures, backgrounds and fields of interest. After all, as Monica Ross recognised, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is of inherent importance to us all, as individuals and as part of the human race.
Posted by Isobelle Boltt.22.01.2013 http://www.globegallery.org/news-blog.php
Thanks to everyone who came to the talk at Globe Gallery on Thursday night: to all the Globe Team for their hard work in making everything happen so smoothly even in the midst of all the gallery’s building work; BSL Interpreters Lynn Jordan and Annie Brotherton for their extraordinary energies and skills in keeping us all in a shared conversation; and to Tessa Padden, Linda Day and Robert Duncan of Signworld who previewed their new landmark translation of the UDHR into BSL as part of the talk. A truly amazing moment underpinned by a rousing introduction by Linda Day and interpreted by Annie Brotherton.
And last but absolutely not least, thank you to Director Rashida Davison, Globe Team and Friends for the fantastic and warming food that we all enjoyed afterwards!