Dominoes
Dominoes takes as its starting point the simplest of ideas… a line of dominoes. Thousands of breezeblocks are used to create a moving sculpture which runs across the city, unfolding over the course of the day.
On streets, through parks, buildings and even on water, occasionally disappearing and then resurfacing, sometimes pausing for sculptural performances, the domino line threads its way through historical and everyday parts of the city, linking its diverse communities in a symbolic as well as physical chain of cause and effect.
Creating a celebration across the whole city, Dominoes transforms its rhythm for one special day. The project has the power to bring communities together through participation and engagement – hundreds of volunteers and audience members gather together to make this exceptional and unique event.
Dominoes takes a simple concept and uses it to create an alternative vision of the city, counterpointing, complementing and playing with the architecture, and for a brief moment reclaiming the city streets for the inhabitants and the public.
Directed by Julian Maynard Smith
Produced by: ArtsAdmin
Commissioned by: Create09 Festival, London 2009, linking the five boroughs hosting the 2012 Olympic Games
"I've never seen Melbourne so happy", member of the public, Melbourne
“It was exciting and madness at the same time, making it a very memorable event, also it was incredible the amount of people who were involved and as one of the volunteers I want to thank everyone for a rather unique Sunday.”, participant, London
“It was exciting and madness at the same time, making it a very memorable event, also it was incredible the amount of people who were involved and as one of the volunteers I want to thank everyone for a rather unique Sunday.”, participant, London
"People are still talking about it, and the project really made an impact on a lot of people. I think we’ve never reached such a diverse group of people with a project." KIT, Copenhagen
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Commissioned by: Create09 Festival, London 2009, linking the five boroughs hosting the 2012 Olympic GamesProduced by: Ania Obolewicz for ArtsAdmin
London - Create09 Festival, East and South London, 26th July 2009
Dijon - Festival Diese & Entre Cour et Jardins, 15th July 2010
Ljubljana - Bunker, Festival Madli Levi, 19th August 2011
Helsinki Festival 2012 - Night of the Arts, 23rd August 2012
Bailleul, France & Poperinge, Belgium - Festival Nord Magnetic, 17th May 2013
Copenhagen - Metropolis Festival, KIT, 1st August 2013
Coventry - Coventry Mysteries Festival, Monday 26th May 2014
Mulhouse - Scènes de rue, Saturday 19th July 2014
Marseille - Lieux Publics, Sunday 28th September 2014
Mons - European Capital of Culture 2015, Thursday 14 May 2015
Rennes - Les Tombées de la Nuit, Sunday 5 July 2015
Stockholm Festival, Saturday 15 August 2015
Cluj, Romania, - Saturday 26th September 2015
Melbourne - Arts Centre Melbourne, Saturday 6th February 2016
Rotterdam - Festival de Keuze, Sunday 20th March 2016
Milton Keynes - MK International Festival, Saturday 16th July 2016
London - London's Burning, Saturday 3rd September 2016
Bordeaux - Festival International des Arts de Bordeaux Métropole, Saturday, 1st October 2016 (Saint-Médard) and Sunday 2nd October 2016
ZAT Festival - Montpelier, Saturday 14th April 2018
Hull - Absolutely Cultured, Saturday 11th August 2018
Gent - Festival van de Architectuur, Saturday 21 September 2019
Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Friday 13th May 2022
Newbury - Corn Exchange, Saturday 25th June 2022
Malta Festival, Poznan, Saturday 7th September 2024
Toronto - The Bentway, Sunday 22nd September 2024
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Dominoes is a site-specific installation, a moving sculpture with possible performative elements, which can be recreated and adapted for different cities and contexts.
Winner of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch CREATE09 Art Award, Dominoes was originally created in London on 26 July 2009, linking the five ‘host boroughs’ for the 2012 Olympics. It was then re-created in many different scales :• 750 metres in the medieval streets of DIJON, France for the opening of Diese festival on the invitation of Entre Cour et Jardins in July 2010. The domino line went through the historic streets of Dijon, enter into private courts and public buildings, leading up to the opening concert of the summer festival.
• 1km and a live screening for the opening of Mladi Levi Festival produced by Bunker in LJUBLJANA in August 2011, creating a moving and unique sharing moment for local residents, audience members and artists (see video).
• 4km live run and a film linking different areas in HELSINKI for the Night of the Arts in August 2012 produced by Helsinki Festival, the longest version with 10,000 blocks (see film).
• A double bill joining 2 towns on each side of the French and Belgium border, BAILLEUL and POPERINGE, launching the new Biennale Nord Magnétic in May 2013.
• 3km live run and a film linking other features of COPENHAGEN for the opening of Metropolis festival, produced by KIT, in August 2013, featuring the variety of architecture and neighbourhoods of Copenhagen, passing its way in and out houses, passages, churches and even the Court (see film on the link on the right, and Flickr).
• 1570m run in the modern and medieval city of COVENTRY for Coventry Mysteries Festival, in May 2014. The route wandered through all the architectural and social variations of the city to finish in the iconic Cathedral ruins. “ It was great to see the cultural diversity of the city, the people, eyes glowing, chasing after the dominoes, clapping and whooping all together. Lots of smiling and actually.... I think there was a clear sense of pride at the event happening in Coventry.” Participant in Coventry
DOMINOES is a site specific project which can be re-created in different contexts.
