In the streets of Runcorn, people… Walk around. Go for a take away (Runcorn is a ‘Take Away City’). Eat pasties all the time. Love sausage rolls. Go to the library. Go to the church. Walk their dogs along the canal bank. Feed the ducks on the Manchester Ship Canal. Go to the pubs. Get drunk. Urinate on walls. Throw litter on the floor. Don’t like walking so they use cars. Drive to the city. Take a bus. Run. Skip. Play football. Have their hands in their pockets. Fold their arms. Slouch. Hunch up. Look at their feet. Look down and kick cans or rubbish around. Listen to music on their headphones. Swagger and try to look cool. Fix their hair, fidget with their clothes and keep their hands busy. Talk on the phone. Text friends. Dress the same as their friends. Make assumptions and stereotypes from the way people dress. Think that people wearing hoodies are up to no good. Use a certain body language if they want to have a fight. Walk with dogs as big as cows to protect themselves. Use dogs as ‘babe magnets’. Are two-sided. Look at advertising posters. Look at shop windows. Sometimes see something weird, somebody who wears something different, or people with funny hair. Stand leaning against a wall. Sit on a bench. Look up and sometimes see airplanes. See flocks of starlings over the bridge in the evening. Look away when someone looks at them. Feel daft if they are in a daydream and end up staring at someone by accident. Give dirty looks. Are nasty to each other and call each other’s names. Fear to be robbed and secure their houses. Put “Beware of the dog” signs on their doors. Look at someone up and down. Make eye contact. Stop and comment when they come across something unusual. Help each other sometimes. Give money to people playing music in the street. Create bonds with shop owners. Recognise certain faces and say hello or nod. Say “Hiya”, “All’right” or “How is your day?”. Talk more when it is sunny. Talk to other dog walkers. Smile at people they know. Shake hands. Stop and have a chat. Talk about the weather. Like to gossip and talk about each other’s business. Say “Sound”, “Like”, “Tar”, “Erm”. Say “that’s ‘R’ Callum”. Link arms with their friends. Can be a bit ‘clicky’. Keep things secret. Bump into people they know, especially on market day. Don’t like the term “Old Town”. Say “go down town” and “up the new town”. Have lived there for generations. Moved in the New Town in the 70’s. Remember about the people who committed suicide on the bridge. Always used to go shopping in the old town. See Runcorn as an industrial town with a lot of pollution. Are sad to see old and derelict buildings and empty shops. Miss the fields. Miss the old way of life. Are not as happy as they used to be, they don’t really say hello to each other anymore. Are in a rush. Remember when the Queen came to the opening of the Shopping city, she had beautiful skin. Remember the Beatles playing at the Scala. Used to place empty glass bottles on their garden fences so that the train driver would throw coal at them for free. Remember the old sweet shop which had a secret recipe for humbugs sweets. Remember the delicatessen that used to smell of freshly grounded coffee. Used to say things like “I’m scheming”, “stop thrusting”, and “Runc’on”. Are proud that Runcorn has its own bridge, like France has its Eiffel Towel. Are proud that Runcorn has been the set for a lot of films. Like the fact that in Runcorn you don’t have to act hard. Like where they live because the town is nice and calm, it’s not too busy. Think that Runcorn is more innocent than Liverpool. Are friendly. Are honest, you get what you see. Saw some dolphins in the canal but apparently they were small sharks. Have seen ghosts, weird things happening in a lot of different buildings. Some shops are built on top of an old graveyard that has been destroyed years and years ago and some graves are now exhibited in Norton Priory. Heard that some people saw an apparition of a little girl running across the hall in the Masonic pub, and they believe this is a ghost. Heard that some people saw an apparition of a cavalier in the Royal. Saw the apparition of an Old Lady on 11 Saxon Road. Have seen kettles turning themselves on and glasses falling off shelves. Are still talking about Poltergeist, house number one Byron Street, which people believe was haunted. Regularly see UFOs in the sky.
Runcorn, 28 March – 3 April 2011 A performance by artist Laurence Payot with Runcorn residents.
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“The everyday is the place where repetition and creativity confront each other.� Henri Lefebvre
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Introduction
Suggesting new ways to move within a familiar place, to look again, to discover new worlds round the corner, new ways to interact with each other, to break barriers and experiment with the way we communicate, new ways to express how we feel about a place, to re-invent its identity... Gathering 190 people for a subtle 7-day performance infiltrating the streets, like flashing dots of light on the map. Similar individual actions being performed throughout a day, in different locations and at different times, by different people in various contexts…
Between Monday 28 March and Sunday 3 April 2011, 190 people living and working in Runcorn received a daily text message with a simple action to perform as part of their everyday life. The actions, suggested by seven local groups, created discreet coincidences within Runcorn’s daily routine. Participants’ experiences were gathered on a blog and through personal diaries. These thoughts are contained in this book.
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Day 1: Monday 28 March 2011 People in Runcorn greeted friends and strangers with ‘good mornings’ and ‘good afternoons’. This action was suggested by Centre 8 drama group.
I said good morning to an old lady in the street. She looked shocked and said, “Oooh, what a nice young man, good morning too”. Andrew
The woman in the charity shop doesn’t pass pleasantries to strangers anymore because she says they can be too aggressive... Steve
I said ‘morning’ to as many people as I saw! It very much made me think of who else was on the street around me and made me wonder about their lives.
In the health good store – I again said ‘good afternoon’ to the trainee assistant. She answered, “Would you like a bag?” On checking my change and receipt, I realised she had given me £1 short in my change. Sue
Karen
I greeted a couple who turned out to be neighbours from years ago! We exchanged news enthusiastically. Jane People were happier than normal. Abi I was in work at Co-op and I said good afternoon to a few customers. Most of the elderly replied with a smile and the same response, most young people looked at me as if I was loopy! Carly I found that many people thought I wanted something or wouldn’t look. Callum
Today showed me that I can speak to people I don’t usually speak to. Emily It made me feel good, as if I was part of something, and I like the idea that people taking part may have said hello to the same person more than once. Carys I greeted 90 people today, and 80 replied. Talking to so many people made me feel magical. Nathan
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Day 2: Tuesday 29 March 2011 People in Runcorn used a different route. This action was suggested by All Saints C of E Primary School pupils.
I turned left at the bottom of the steps. I always turn right. Poppy Today, for the first time in four years of living at this address, I’m going to walk in the one direction I’ve never walked. Never had a reason before, so now is a good time. Iain It reminded me of being a child, taking my push bike out and spending hours taking different routes. Mark I ended up by Rock Park Bowling Green where I used to play when I was in my mid-20’s! Ocego Things we miss when we walk in a hurry, things we don’t really look out for. Iain I noticed a hill I hadn’t seen before. Vanessa
I noticed a little old lady in her window with a bunch of bright yellow daffodils, and the lady smiled at me and waved so I smiled back. I hope she is not on her own all the time. Gill
Just round corner I saw an old man leaning up against a bus shelter looking lost and upset so I asked if he was ok. Mike
Stopped en route to Nantwich in a cafe I’ve never been before. The assistant remembered me from school in 1970! I’d never been to the cafe before, and she did not normally work Tuesday – a coincidence! Diane On the way home Jane showed me a shortcut alleyway home. Carly At school, we took different routes to go to our chairs and to the playground. With everybody going a different way it was getting very confused. Ethan I walked dawn a street, randomly. Nobody cared. Andrew
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Day 3: Wednesday 30 March 2011 People in Runcorn talked about something found in the Mersey. This action was suggested by Pen & Inkers writing group
I said: “ Did you hear about that thing in the Mersey?” To a slight acquaintance, she replied: “Really what was it?” Then I immediately walked off and never looked back. Andrew I went to the old town and was talking about it quite loudly so that people could overhear me... Callum When she asked me where I’d heard it from I told her from my local shop. She is soooo nosy that she said she was going there to ask the shop assistant!!!!!!! Julia By 2pm, I was overhearing rumors and suspicions about what happened in the Mersey. Peter We now have a colleague consulting a UFO website to see if anything has been reported on them... what a nosy bunch we work with!!! Joanna
In Wetherspoons, a friend of mine told me it was a dolphin, or it might have been a porpoise. Ocega I told my mum that a whale with a horn was spotted in the Mersey. She watched the news in hope there was a story there... Millie In the Mersey, there was a pint of larger, a packet of crisps, a chocolate wrapper, and an Asda trolley. Jordan I think they found an old tyre. Reece I asked if they had heard about something found in the Mersey. Some said: “Oh dear have they?” or “Oh another one?” with a frown on their faces. Iain
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Day 4: Thursday 31 March 2011 People in Runcorn gave gifts to people they wanted to get to know better. This action was suggested by local residents and businesses
Poppy’s little Polish friend made her a beautiful sparkly picture. I see him and his mum everyday and as they don’t speak much English, all we ever say is hello and good night or bye. Today, I asked his mum for her mobile number so we can take the kids to watch a film in the school holidays. Mum I was at the bar, talking to this girl, so I bought her a Gin and Tonic. Her name was Polly. Ocego The ENT nurse at the local hospital used to play the cello. I was due to visit the ENT department, so I took a CD copy of an interview I had recorded of the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber for my radio show. Susan
I bought a bracelet for my friend. She was really happy and bought me one the next day! Annie I left positive notes around the college, which seemed to cheer people up. On some of them I wrote: “Have a nice day”. It made people smile. I also wrote “You’re pretty”, but people seemed to ignore this one. Peter Today I chose to give a hug as my gift. I hugged my dentist and even managed a smile after she informed me that my next visit would be a root canal jobbie! Juila
I gave handshakes of friendship, the best present I could think of. Mike
I handed a homemade hanging basket full of pansies to a surprised and smiley next-door neighbour. Jane
I give a sachet of tomato ketchup to Pete, he said “thank you”, and put it up on his wall of inspiration. Andrew
I bought a flower for a lady neighbour who I thought would appreciate the gesture. She was out so I left the presents by her door. She telephoned me later to say thank you and said she had been “taken aback” by the gesture. Later still, she came to my door and gave me a gift of a watercolour. How nice. Iain
I gave some money to a homeless person. Sarah
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Day 5: Friday 1 April 2011 People in Runcorn drew in the street. This action was suggested by Riverside College art students.
I drew on all my strength... to go out in that cold wind! Iain I haven’t drawn for about 10 years! Steve
I usually draw random pictures of smiley faces or Justin Bieber, so this was really different. I looked at things more carefully, and people walking passed. Amber I sat on a bench and looked around to find something interesting to draw. I decided to draw one of the little trees in the High Street, with no leaves on and some chicken wire around it. Julia Opposite Riverside College, I saw a young mum with child. I drew a picture to represent the scene. Jane
I went out of the office with a white envelope and drew the building and cars on the other side of the road. My drawing wasn’t great but I decided to sign it and gave it to someone. Simon I went to town with my dad. We brought a red chair and some coloured pencils in a basket. I drew Sayers, advertising posters, a yellow van, and someone putting litter in the bin. A woman with a red coat stopped and talked to me. Abbie
People looked and watched me as I had my book out. Sarah Some people looked like they wondered what I was doing. One person stopped to look at my drawing, then looked at what I was drawing. Mark
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Day 6: Saturday 2 April 2011 People in Runcorn created recipes for a new local delicacy. This action was suggested by the Cooking Group at All Saints Church.
Memories of Runcorn delicacies... Regent Street, used to deliver to my house in Heath Road when I was a child, Johnson’s pies, Devonshire bakery when it was in the old site, Hamlet’s butchers by the shoe shop, El Cap coffee bar by the baths, Ice Cream in Weston; Littlemore pies; Runcorn Humbugs, Penny Sweets... Diane
The recipe for Johnson’s mince pies have been passed on for 3 generations, but I don’t like the ones from Monk’s baker as much, the pastry’s not exactly right. Ian I made a Runcorn Rocky road with ginger nut biscuits, mint poppets, strawberry poppets, dairy milk and crunchie! Had fun making it and had to do stocktake at work and shared it out. My boss refused and referred to my lovely cakes as “poo on a plate”. Julia The new Runcorn delicacy should be my mum’s hotpot, she does it every new years eve. It’s got potatoes, carrots and meat in it. It’s like Coronation Street’s Betty’s hotpot, and my mum’s called Betty too! She always makes a big pot of it and uses what we don’t eat to make a pie, Betty’s hotpot pie! Ocego
My recipe of the Chilli Con Halton would make a good delicacy for Halton because it is cheap to make, and it fills up a whole family. You need: some nice lean mince, 2 onions, 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tin of baked beans, some chili powder if you like it. Cook the mince and onion and drain the fat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add beans, tomatoes, and chilli powder. If you have any leftover vegetables you can add them. Leave on a low heat for about 30 minutes, let it all stodge. Serve with rice or better still with chips! Carys For my Runcorn delicacy I made a Maple Melt: Take several small pancakes (place layered). Pour maple syrup over them. Add warm slices of dates. Add vanilla ice cream on the top. Pour cream around the layered stack. Pour more maple syrup over the top. Crumble ‘Halva’ over the top. Serve warm. Sue Gammon, chips, egg, pineapple and beer battered onions. Carly
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Day 7: Sunday 3 April 2011 People in Runcorn wore bright clothes. This action was suggested by the Ella performance group at Halton Speak Out.
Dressing for a reason reminded me of enjoying choosing paper clothes for paper dolls. It was fun to reminisce and indulge a passion. Jane
I always wear dark colours, black, grey... so it was interesting to get an old colourful T-shirt out of the cupboard.
What to wear? Plain or stripes? Decisions: Decisions! Iain
I wore my brightest shirt, it’s pink, and I went to the pub. Ocego
I made sure I wore lots of colour, all tied back together with leopard accessories. Carly
I felt quite self-conscious today with my bright yellow T-shirt. I noticed a few people looking at me. I am not used to stand out, so it felt a bit weird. Steve
I wore a long sleeved shirt, with a bright checked pattern in yellow, blue, pink and red. Sue I wore my bright pink coat. People commented on it, they seem to be more friendly with me when I’ve got it on. It’s bright and it cheers people up. I used to wear black all the time. Now I wear black at work. Carys I don’t wear bright clothes other than on holiday. I did dress my little girl up and took her the park. Joanne
Mark
I wore colourful clothes while I was out and made people notice me more. Sarah
I wore bright colours today but I don’t think anyone noticed. Callum We dressed up the dog too! Mike
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A special thank you to each of you who made this project happen... Mark Allen Mick Asuton Steve Askworth Austin Bennett Demi Braddish Abbey Brady Sarah Bray Andrew Brookes John Paul Brownbill Joanne Buckley Robert Burns Tony Carruthers Mike Carney Stevie Carry Mike Casey Joanne Castley Lea Cherry Daniel Crowe Kelly Dace Kate Dennett Steven Doran Maureen Duffy Jane Dutton Dave Easton Helen Edmondson Susan Ellison Jeanette Emmison Adele Evans Chloe Gaynor Paige Geoghegan Kay Goldsmith Carole Graham
Sheila Grimes Carly Hallsworth Sandra Hannan Diane Harrison Evelyn Hayes Marion Hayes Louise Hesketh Joanne Henaghan Mark Hilditch Yvonne Holme Andrew Holt Nicole Horabin Carol Horrington Carys Anne Hughes Peter Jenkinson Joanne Jones Steven Jones Jackson Kavanagh Nicola Kelly Denise Keogh Sarah King Ashley Kinsella Charlotte Kinsella Ian Knowles Melissa Lamb Emily Lucas Wendy Maher Catherine May Millie McGuirk Lynne Miah Jean Miller
Stephen Paul Miller Anne Mulloy Gillian Murray Ann Noonan Ocego Annie O’Donnell Simon Palmer Rachel Prime Lorraine Pritchard Elaine Rathbone Andrew Relvorb Karen Ripley Matthew Roberts Katie Roscaleer Jane Simcock Julia Smati Iain Smith Mark Smith Sarah Smith Ewa Smolka Lea Stephen Ruth Telling Amber Tominson John Wai Manda Wainwright Mark Walter Jen Westwood Jill Whewdy Jess White Angela Whitehead Nicole Whitehead
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Callum Woodward All Saints C of E Primary School pupils All Saints Cooking group Centre 8 Halton Speak Out Halton Voluntary Action Halton Partnership Trust Pen & Inkers Riverside College Runcorn and Widnes World Runcorn and Widnes Weekly New Coincidence was part of the Creative Projects funded by Arts Council England, managed by Halton’s arts development team, and supported by Longhouse Action Research Bursary.
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About the artist
Laurence Payot was born in Metz, France. She graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and is currently based in Liverpool. Over the last few years, she has been commissioned to create public works for museums and festivals such as Pompidou Center-Metz (France) and Belluard Bollwerk International (Switzerland), exhibited with UK galleries such as TATE Modern and the Bluecoat, was selected for a residency with the British Council in Libya, and has received three Arts Council Awards to develop her practice. Her work short-circuits our everyday, using visual tricks – and more recently performances – to challenge perceptions and question the way we behave.
It is presented out of the gallery walls, merging itself within the public realm like a chameleon. By blurring the line between the work (‘staged’), and ‘real life’ (‘unstaged’), she creates situations where the viewer has to respond to the work without being aware that it has been placed there by the artist. As Laurence Payot describes: “I don’t want my work to be spectacular, I want to break the barrier of the work versus the viewer, for them to become one. The work exist in a more organic form, it is the reactions and situations it provokes, rather than the object or performance in itself.”
For Coincidence, people suggested that they could…Make less noise when other people are asleep. Only go out if they’re a girl, stay home if they’re a boy. Be quiet for a day. Stop speaking. Smile at someone and ask this person to smile at someone else. Smile all the time. Randomly wink at each other. Always say hello. Wave at the same time. Talk all the time. Have pleasant conversations. Say some nice things. Tell people that they look nice. Be nice to each othe (if someone’s tell you a lie and you know it’s not true, you could just say it’s ok). Share and give things to each other. Make friends with people with sparkly headbands. Make each other laugh. Help each other. Take an interest; ask people what they are doing, if they are ok. Ask a neighbour for sugar. Give a present to a neighbour. Ask for peoples autograph and if they ask why, say “ because you might be famous one day”. Tell people they look like someone famous. Tell people the time for no reason. Listen to each other’s conversations. Follow someone on the pavement. Guess what are other people astrological signs. Be happy. Be nasty just once. Eat MacDonalds. Buy lots of sweets. Eat chocolate for one day all the time. Ask for mince pies in the bakery because it would be nice to have them all year round. Find out what happened to the secret recipe for the humbugs. All have tea at the same time. Try out a new recipe created by the cooking group. Ask for a particular item in shops. Go to one shop at the same time. Carry bags from a shop that doesn’t exist. Be on the phone whenever they go somewhere. Look at their watch all the time. Tie their shoes regularly. Ride bikes. Fall over. Run as fast as they want. Walk along the canal in one direction. Wear odd shoes. Wear colourful clothes. Wear the same colour T-shirt. Wear black. Wear unusual clothes. Wear 60’s clothes. Stop wearing chavy clothes. Stop being judgmental. Hum the same nursery rhyme. Hum the same advert, like Go Compare. Say I’m confused.com. Sing like a little blue bird. Whistle. Clap. Play music. Listen to the same music. Do tap dancing while walking around. Do a belly dance down the high street. Skip. Spin around when they walk. Stand on one leg. Twist themselves about. Do the funky chicken. Start a conga in the streets. Go crazy. Get naked! Act as if they were in a film. Say a sentence from a film, like “Always look on the bright side” from Monty Python. Dress up as a superhero. Dress as if they were from Star Wars. Wear “where’s Wally” outfits and hide. Walk with an umbrella when it is sunny. Wear sunglasses when it is raining. Mime a mime. Make frightening faces. Stop and pose as if they have seen a ghost. Freeze every 5 minutes. Stand still. Curl up on the dirty floor. Crawl around. Play the lying game: lie down in strange places until someone notices, and worries. Start a yarn epidemic. Pick up litter. Stop throwing rubbish and chewing gum on the floor. Clean the street. Dress up the streets. Lean against a wall or a post and look around. Sit and look around. Look at the sky every hour on the hour. Point at something that’s not there but pretend it is there. Stare at something until someone else notices and if they are asked what they are looking at, say “shush, look”. Ask people: “is it true that Prince William is coming to Runcorn?” Point at the Runcorn bridge. Gather on the Runcorn Bridge. Walk across the Runcorn bridge. Ask “how long does it take to walk across the Runcorn bridge?” to make people talk about the bridge, or wonder why people want to walk on Runcorn bridge (there’s a charity race across the bridge every year). Say that they have seen a big animal in the Mersey by the brigde. Say that the bridge is going to be painted orange as part of a new Easy Jet campaign (their planes fly over Runcorn). Ask for directions for a particular location that doesn’t exist anymore or never existed to begin with. Ask for directions for something that’s not there anymore: the whole town. Ask: “Where is Runcorn?” Say “Did you see what happened in such and such street?” Go to places they don’t know. All take a particular bus. Go to the church at the same time. Talk to God. Protest with banners against the doll on the new bridge. Go on top of buildings. Leave notes in the streets about things they’d like to change. Make a wish for Runcorn. Write a song about Runcorn.