I make live participatory work, often in public spaces, and I am interested in creating ‘open rituals’ that invite people to take part in an action that is both individual and communal. I studied Fine Art, and ended up making entirely Live Art during my degree, but continuing my practice after art school I found myself more influenced by ‘socially engaged’ and relational art practice. My blogspot has more of an archive of my practice: natashavicars.blogspot.com

This was my initial proposal for Longhouse: City Dawning would see a group gather outdoors at dawn and welcome the sunrise with applause. While this one action is my vision for the project, it is surrounded by broader interests; the experience of getting up to see daybreak, and a question of what could be individual and communal responses to that. I am interested in the early hours of the day as a time when an individual has a different sense of inhabiting the city he/she lives in – with fewer people around maybe having more sense of freedom or even ownership of the space. I am also interested in Romantic art and see dawn as a time when a person can strongly experience a sense of wonder at nature within an urban environment.

Through gathering. Through applauding. These are simple ways in which choose to act together – and be a community. What would it be like to see the start of a new day together, in this fashion? And what would it be like to experience the place you live in at a time you never normally see it? City Dawning is themed around connections between people – and a group occupation of space.

Aside from the interest in the early hours of the day, I was also influenced by an experience I had in Brazil, in which I was sat out on the beach early one evening and heard applause down the other end of the sands. I assumed that some performance over there must have just finished, and looked to see what was going on, I couldn’t make anything out in particular… but I realised that the applause was spreading up the beach. It was busy with people, and as the clapping, (as well as loud whistling and cheers!) started happening closer to me I realised that every-one was turning to the horizon and applauding the sunset.

It was a truly spectacular sunset, and was framed by the striking ‘sugar loaf’ shaped peaks around the bay in Rio. But I was struck by the act as a group response… not a quiet romantic contemplation as a couple, but an instinct to acknowledge the moment by joining as a group.