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United Kingdom » Tribes
Magpie - Student project
Magpie: Black and White Army. These forms were designed for a Carnival, this piece was a contribution to a larger promenade that celebrated the first Caribbean Carnival in London, these festivities which went on to become the Notting Hill Carnival. Approaching from a personal angle, Rachel has referenced her home, and is a celebration of her origin. Magpie is a reference to the people of Newcastle upon Tyne, and aims to explore the relationship between a football team; its supporters and a place. Using the uniform and the chants from her hometown of Newcastle, this piece has been devised to reconsider the faith that surrounds football. Newcastle is famous for its football and its accent and its people are proud of their identity, they are joined by their voices and their memories. The Newcastle strip is black and white and people sing loudly in it. The costumes examine the power people feel when wearing a strip, how can a piece of clothing be imbued with a feeling. The people of Newcastle adore their team and their strip, as though the strip has become a tribal paint and the chants have become the folk music- like yarns from the past, they are known to them, they are sung and they symbolize unification. Conforming through their voices and clothing, Magpie addresses the power of a mass; its power and its threat. Inspired by sportswear and branding, it considers how people can unify. Magpie takes the everyday activity of football and compares it to a mystical spectacle.