–SHORT LISTED, AMNESTY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AWARD EDINBURGH FRINGE 2015–
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“…a gloriously messy collision of activism and art.”
The Herald
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“Beautifully convulsive mixture of contempt, anger, opinion, passion and hope.”
The Scotsman
In your home-town a symbol of equality, justice and freedom has been destroyed; a piece of art that stood for everything you know to be right. Its destruction makes way for a privately-guarded shopping centre.
What do you do?
If you are Mr and Mrs Clark you fight back.
Smash It Up is a direct response to the destruction of the Chartist Mural in Newport.
But this is not merely about the loss of this popular piece of public art. What has replaced the public land where the mural stood is a private shopping centre with rules and regulations, suppressing free expression.
Smash It Up is a dynamic exhibition, a performance lecture, and a revolutionary dance theatre show with documentary and short film. It explores the history of the systematic destruction of public art – your art.
Mr and Mrs Clark work with the artists Bosch to create an exhibition, a performance lecture, a dance theatre show with documentary and short film. Smash It Up has become a campaign, a series of public performances and an Amnesty International nominated show.
What the critics said
“If everyone had as much guts and intensity as Mr and Mrs Clark did, the world would be a better and much more enjoyable place.” Kaitlin Wray, Young Critics
“A brilliant, energising and entertaining production. It should be compulsory viewing.” Helen Joy, 3rd Act Critics.
“The beauty of Smash It Up is that it makes you wake up and think and calls you to action without ever telling you what to think or do.” Jacqui Onions, Reviews Hub
“A masterpiece of epic theatre that would impress even Brecht himself.” Chairwomanmeow, Blog
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