Name: Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union (23 - 29 August)
Start: 2021-08-23T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2021-08-29
Location: Burns Monument

Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union (23 - 29 August)

Founded in 2004, Edinburgh Art Festival is the platform for the visual arts at the heart of Edinburgh’s August festivals, bringing together the capital’s leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces in a city-wide celebration of the very best in visual art.Each year, the Festival features leading international and UK artists alongside the best emerging talent, major survey exhibitions of historic figures, and a special programme of newly commissioned artworks that respond to public and historic sites in the city.The vast majority of the festival is free to attend.

Edinburgh Art Festival

Newly commissioned sound installation sited in The Burns Monument responding to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK departure from the EU

Burns Monument

Emeka Ogboh’s (b. 1975, Nigeria) newly commissioned sound installation sited in Edinburgh’s Burns Monument is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the U.K.’s departure from the European Union. The sound installation features the recorded voices of citizens from each nation state of the European Union, singing Auld Lang Syne – a song which has come to represent solidarity, friendship and open doors – in their mother tongue. The resulting polyphonic choir affects a complex interweaving of language, syntax, cadence and rhythm. Auld Lang Syne was chosen by what German MEP Terry Reintke calls a “EU-UK friendship group” to be sung in the European Parliament on the 29th January 2020, after members voted on the final withdrawal agreement and bid farewell to the U.K. Moved by this experience, Ogboh has created the work at a time when the post-Brexit reality is still far from resolved – the contradictions, hopes and harmonies that underscore the political concerns of the process are played out by Ogboh in the work. The participating singers are EU citizens living in the UK who, unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum, were effectively silenced on the day that the UK chose to leave the EU.Co-commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival and Talbot Rice Gallery, as part of Edinburgh College of Art. Supported by the PLACE Programme, a partnership between Edinburgh Festivals, Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland. With additional support from Goethe-Institut Glasgow, ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Edinburgh College of Art and Museums and Galleries Edinburgh.

Visitor InformationOpening times: 29 July – 29 August Daily, 10am – 5pmAccessibilityThe Burns Monument is located up a steep cobbled slope, with the interior accessed via a small set of steps. Though a ramp can be provided for visitors with limited mobility, the width between the pillars in this historic site are only 80cm. The venue is therefore not fully accessible to visitors in wheelchairs.ToiletsThere are no toilet facilities at this venue, the closest ones are at Waverley Train Station.StaffThe venue is staffed by Edinburgh Art Festival Information Assistants who are happy to provide visitors with information about the work.

Visiting SafelyAll our festival venues will be following the latest Scottish Government Covid guidelines to ensure visitor safety, and we will be keeping our website regularly updated on what audiences can expect during their visit.Please check the individual requirements of each venue before visiting, wear a mask when advised, and maintain physical distance.

Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union (23 - 29 August)

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Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union (23 - 29 August)

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