Flybe / November 2018

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14 / Flight Time / NOVEMBER 2018
Take-off
The Kaiser Chiefs explore the boundaries
between art and music this winter in a
unique and experimental exhibition,
When All is Quiet, at York Art Gallery from
14th December-10th March.
Using their position as pop musicians
as a starting point, Kaiser Chiefs have
chosen to rethink sound as a medium,
inviting visitors to join them in exploring
the edges between music, art, creation
and performance.
To do this they have brought together
works by internationally-regarded sound
artists which have resonated with the
band while on their travels and inspired
them to look at sound in new ways. They
have created a silent gig using light and
colour and projected lyrics to create
an immersive environment that offers
visitors a reconfigured experience of a
live music show, and selected a set list
of songs in response to works from York
Art Gallery’s collection that reference
creation, production or performance.
Kaiser Chiefs said: “When York Art
Gallery approached us as a band to
work with their collection, we thought
it sounded like an exciting proposition
and wondered where it could lead. As
we started to look into the archive, the
works seemed to suggest connections
with music beyond the approach of
pairing or translating. We found that
we were thinking about sound in a
wider sense. We are not artists – we are
musicians, and so we’ve chosen to use
Curve, the spectacular,
state-of-the-art theatre in
Leicester, is staging a festive
production of Irving Berlin’s
White Christmas from 6th
December-13th January.
Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai
Foster will reunite with two-
time Olivier Award-winning
choreographer Stephen Mear
to bring a host of new and
familiar faces to Curve’s stage
for the classic winter musical.
Based on the Paramount
Pictures film of the same name
starring Bing Crosby and
Danny Kaye, White Christmas
tells the story of veterans Bob
Wallace and Phil Davis and
their successful song-and-
dance act after the Second
World War. With romance in
mind, the two follow a duo
of beautiful singing sisters en
route for their Christmas show
at a Vermont lodge, which
just happens to be owned by
Bob and Phil’s former Army
commander. Featuring an
instantly-recognisable score
including Blue Skies,
Sisters, Count Your
Blessings and arguably
the most famous
Christmas song of them
all, White Christmas.
Irving Berlin’s
Broadway
sensation is an
enduring tale
of friendship,
camaraderie,
hope and
the pursuit of
happiness, told
through spectacular
dance routines and
some of the greatest
musical theatre songs
ever written.
L E E D S - B R A D F O R D
Art and music
experiment
this opportunity to work with the gallery
to explore sound as a medium – our
medium – and to open that up further
for us and for the viewer/listener. To
stretch ourselves, to explore the edges
between music and art, creation and
performance.”
They added: “We are from the
north, and are always keen to work
in partnership with northern creative
institutions, we need to make the most
of these spaces, they are an asset and
they are ours. We make music that we
hope appeals to people of all ages and
walks of life, we hope to work with York
Art Gallery to create a show with a wide
reach that is both creatively challenging
and generous to us and the viewers/
listeners.”
Jo Killeya, head of public
engagement for York Museums Trust,
said: “As experts in creating music and
performance, Kaiser Chiefs offer us a
distinctly different perspective on the
creative process and a personal insight
into the links between art and sound.
They are masters of pop music and have
explored our collections through the
eyes of musicians, while hand-picking
works by artists who have pushed the
boundaries of what art can sound like.
The “Silent Gig” will be a completely new
and immersive piece of work created
by Kaiser Chiefs and their lighting team
especially for the exhibition.”
E A S T M I D L A N D S
Dreaming of
a white
Christmas…