Action Relay is a collaboration between The NewBridge Project and Wunderbar, launching as part of Wunderbar Festival 2011. Throughout the exhibition, NewBridge Space will host  week-long residencies for seven artists or artist groups. During their week each artist will develop new work to be performed in a series of one-off evening events.

Following each performance, all the equipment and props used will be left in the gallery for subsequent artists to interact and work with. The show will evolve as an ad-hoc and multidisciplinirary series, engaging artists and viewers with a progression of immediate reactions to events held in previous weeks. 

The first in the series of performances brings Birmingham based artists Andy Ingamells and Jessica Cooper to perform Piano Recital, first performed at Birmingham Conservatoire earlier this year.

Andy Ingamells and Jessica Cooper met in 2009 whilst studying in Birmingham and began working together soon after. In June 2010 they introduced the Birmingham public to a new golden age of cabaret with their debut performance ‘Gold is nice’ at The Waterhall Gallery, complete with golden piano and golden wine. Despite their popularity Andy and Jessica decided that a change of direction was necessary if they were to be taking seriously by the cultural elite.

So following a 10 month hiatus they presented ‘Piano Recital’ at Birmingham Conservatoire, using their golden piano to perform Experimental Music Gold in a one-off performance which resulted in the piano’s complete destruction. However following meticulous restoration work, Andy and Jessica are now able to take ‘Piano Recital’ on tour to Newcastle, proving that, like gold, they’re indestructible.

Photo courtesy of James Otto