Opinion Pole
Commissioned for Bloomsbury Festival in Oct 2020
Opinion Pole is a community maypole, with 30 ribbons, each of which have declarations for the future printed on them, gathered from local communities. Through polling the communities’ opinions, the work gives the public a voice, where the Maypole becomes a symbol of intent and aspiration. Declarations on the ribbons range from the environment, race, war, and class to government. Dancing the maypole dance is not about performing, but about taking part and working together, like slow form social action.
Accompanying the maypole is a recording from songwriter and folk dancer Kevin Davidson and RADA Choir, singing two folk songs rooted in protest; Where Have All The Flowers Gone? and We Shall Overcome which take on a new meaning in relation to the context of our times.
Rooted in folk tradition in Britain, maypoles bring people together, which in the context of the unprecedented social separation of 2020, talks about the hope and potential to unite again, whilst at the same time highlighting what people missed in 2020 and 2021
