Acts of Memory 2005 – 2010

Monica Ross and Live Art Development Agency, 2 x PAL-DVD, 120 minutes

ISBN 978-0-9561432-2-6

This double DVD is a selected document of the recitations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marks a half way point in the artist’s project; the Anniversary series, which began in response to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by police in London in July 2005. Ross’s aim is to realise sixty solo, collective and multi-lingual recitations in alliance with different communities, organisations and campaigns associated with human rights.

The intention of the DVD is to continue the processes of memorising and repeating rights. Video extracts from different recitations are offered as examples for imagining the potential for developing and presenting new and further recitations by other people, both with the artist and as independent initiatives. Towards this, the DVDs include: a video introduction by the artist; video and stills of more than 200 people reciting Articles in 30 languages in contexts from the House of Commons to Brighton Seafront; an entire recitation of the Declaration’s Preamble and 30 Articles by 54 artists in 17 languages at Beaconsfield in 2009.