Vital Signs is a one-off performance which examines the interconnectedness of Durham Castle and its inhabitants. The piece consists of four musicians using medieval percussion instruments to play a musical score created from data gathered from Durham Castle's conservation and monitoring systems. Working with percussionist Brendan Murphy, Jo Coupe has transformed information on temperature, humidity, and light levels in the castle as well as numbers of visitors and postal deliveries into a suite of compositions, which aim to reveal the rhythms and patterns of human presence in the building.
A sound installation based on a recording of Vital Signs will be installed in the Norman Chapel at Durham Castle from 14 November www.dur.ac.uk/durham.castle/whatson/
After the performance there will be a drinks reception and informal Q&A with the artist Jo Coupe, the musicians and the Curator of Durham Castle.
This commission is part of Meeting Point, a year-long project led by contemporary art specialists Arts&Heritage. Leading UK and international artists have partnered with nine museums in the North East and Yorkshire to produce new artworks inspired by the museums and their collections. Funded by Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund, Meeting Point presents artworks in unexpected places and supports small and medium scale museums to commission artists, who will create a piece of work in response to the venue.
Workplace Gallery is a contemporary art gallery run by artists.
Based in Gateshead UK, Workplace Gallery represents a portfolio of emerging and established artists through the gallery programme, curatorial projects and international art fairs.