Softly/Tenderly is a participatory art-work exploring the complicated history of gun-making within Birmingham, but, as the name suggests, does so with care.
Hosted in small groups, those that experience the work get to play a part in the creation and manufacturing of a small precious metal object that they then get to keep. A gift or totem to take away, acting (perhaps) as a gentle reminder of some of the better things industrious hands can get up to – many people making together being a nod towards some of Birmingham’s more celebrated workshop industries, such as jewellery and toys.
For those able to engage with the heavier aspects of history, a piece of print accompanies the work illuminating Birmingham’s role in its lesser talked about trade.
Attentive, pleasurable, gentle and bespoke, Softly/Tenderly is – with intention – the very opposite of everything weapons stand for and do.
Credits
Softly/Tenderly is supported by Arts Council England and commissioned by Fierce and performance, possession + automation, a three-year project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Details
Softly/Tenderly runs every hour from 12 pm to 6 pm from Thursday 17 October to Saturday 19 October and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday 20 October. The performance lasts 45 minutes.
Access
This work will involve an invitation to make an item out of metal. This will be managed in a way that is safe for people. Audiences may attend and not make the item, and still enjoy the piece.
This show is currently being made. Please check back closer to the performance date for further access information.
Fierce Says
Gun proofing is a reality of life in Birmingham; every so often, you can hear them firing test ammunition in Digbeth. Softly/Tenderly intervenes in that psychic space, with the possibility of shifting the way we move through the city. Plus, a new work by Sheila Ghelani is always worthy of celebration and notice.