Sing Us A Love Song!
Find the campervan-recording studio on 8th February outside Gloucester Guildhall to add a love song to the collection! All voices are welcome.
Oh Europa is a labour of love; a project that spans a continent and cuts straight to the heart.
Since 2018, artists Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse (who work together under the name Action Hero) have been travelling through Europe, asking strangers to sing a love song. They have recorded the voices of more than a thousand people, singing about love in 49 different languages. They have travelled over 50,000km through 34 European countries, living and working in their motorhome which doubles as a mobile recording studio.
Gemma & James invite you to add your voice to this extraordinary archive of love songs from across Europe. They will be collecting love songs from the people of Gloucester inside their campervan-recording studio, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Your love songs – alongside a few others from the journey - will be used to create a special Valentine’s broadcast, emailed direct to you (or your loved one!) on 14th February.
“It might be the ultimate parting gift. The whole endeavour is a kind of grand improbable act…Action Hero have, in a sense, changed Europe’” -The Independent
“They discovered what connects us with the rest of the continent – and the magic in love songs. A paean to love.” - Positive news
“a kind of sentimental archive of the continent, discovering its intimate connections…a restorative map based on relationships between people, instead of the borders that separate them” - El Pais
“Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse wanted to find something that crossed the divide. It’s a generous piece. There’s something extremely buoyant about such a brief encounter frozen for ever” ★★★★ - Guardian
Credits:
Co-produced with Farnham Maltings (UK). Co-commissioned by Transform (UK) Farnham Maltings (UK) and Matchbox (DE). Supported by Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio, European Cultural Foundation and British Council.
Cast and Crew Credits
Created and performed by Gemma Paintin & James Stenhouse
Dramaturgy: David Williams
Graphic Design: Actually Studio & Pirrip press
Sat 8 Feb 2025
Tickets: Free Event
Time: 11am - 3pm