Finding Middlemarch in Coventry, 2021

乔治·艾略特的小说《米德尔马契》以虚构的考文垂为背景，2021年将迎来150周年纪念；这一年，考文垂成为英国文化之城。该项目将通过2021年在考文垂的创造性合作，重新构想乔治·艾略特对中部地区“省级生活”的激进艺术愿景。以前由PI Livesey领导的AHRC项目有证据表明，公众对艾略特的生活和遗产的兴趣有时会因为她的作品的难度（和长度）而受到阻碍，但这可以通过她的新作品、视觉艺术和以研究为主导的社交媒体活动的创造性参与来克服。该项目将于2021年与考文垂的不同社区合作，重述艾略特的故事和米德尔马契开创性的文学实验，以及生活在小说中城市的人们。该项目将与当地和家族史团体合作，建立一个合作在线展览，通过小说中出现的十几个专业和机构讲述19世纪考文垂的故事。展览研究将与赫伯特博物馆、考文垂档案馆、纽尼顿博物馆和艺术画廊合作，并通过他们的档案和收藏资料进行讲述。这次合作，借鉴了利弗西在文学和公众参与方面的专业知识，将加强这些博物馆正在进行的工作，因为他们正在为与艾略特有关的大量藏品制定新的解释策略。为了让不熟悉艾略特小说的观众重新关注艾略特作为艺术创新者的意义，合作调查员奥尔森将与利弗西对话，研究并执导一部实验性短片。电影《The Roar Which Is…》，将用奥尔森自己的诗意和电影语言来回应艾略特关注生命形式的艺术，否则这些生命形式可能会被忽视。该作品将展示艾略特对当代实践的持续文化影响，并借鉴当代考文垂的自然景观以及博物馆和档案馆合作伙伴的收藏。在奥尔森之前对博物馆藏品的创造性重新诠释和以研究为主导的电影制作声誉的基础上，这部新电影将在合作博物馆放映。它将形成一个有用的模式，长期反思当代艺术在重新解释既定收藏叙事中的地位。该项目的最后一部分将于2021年秋季在考文垂市中心的三个地点进行10场公开演出，将艾略特小说中的场景带入生活。合作伙伴Dash Arts将与考文垂的社区团体一起领导设计研讨会。参与过程将确定当代考文垂小说的关键主题。参与者将有机会参加由考文垂文化城主要合作伙伴华威艺术中心支持的专业制作。Dash成立于2005年，致力于制作、举办活动和参与项目，通过艺术的视角增进不同观众对其他民族和文化的理解。《米德尔马契的场景》将利用艾略特的小说和利弗西的研究，通过参与式的设计和表演，与经常被忽视的英国中部地区展开对话。重点可能会落在小说对公共卫生叙事的兴趣上，以及银行家的力量，探索在一个不断变化的社区中的信任和沟通。

George Eliot's novel Middlemarch, set in a fictional version of the city of Coventry, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2021; the year in which Coventry itself is UK City of Culture. This project will reimagine George Eliot's radical artistic vision of 'provincial life' in the Midlands through creative collaborations in Coventry across 2021. There is evidence from a previous AHRC project led by PI Livesey that public interest in Eliot's life and legacy is sometimes held back by the perceived difficulty (and length) her work, but that this can be overcome through creative engagements with her work in the shape of new writing, the visual arts, and research-led social media campaigns. This project will work with diverse communities in Coventry in 2021 to retell Eliot's story and the ground-breaking literary experiment of Middlemarch, with the people living in the city which it fictionalised. The project will work with local and family history groups to build a collaborative online exhibition, telling the story of 19th century Coventry through a dozen professions and institutions that feature in the novel. The exhibition research will be in partnership with the Herbert Museum and Coventry Archives, and Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery and be told through materials in their archives and collections. This collaboration, drawing on Livesey's expertise in literature and public engagement, will enhance the ongoing work of these museums as they develop a new interpretation strategy for their extensive collections relating to Eliot. In order to draw fresh attention to Eliot's significance as an artistic innovator for audiences unfamiliar with her novels, Co-Investigator Olsen will work in dialogue with Livesey to research and direct an experimental short film. The film, 'Of that Roar Which Is...', will use Olsen's own poetic and filmic language to respond to Eliot's art of attention to life forms that might otherwise go unnoticed. The work will demonstrate Eliot's ongoing cultural influence of contemporary practice and draw on the physical landscape of contemporary Coventry and the collections of museum and archive partners. Building on Olsen's previous creative reinterpretations of museum collections and reputation for research-led film-making, the new film will be shown at partner museums. It will form a useful model for long-term reflections on the place of contemporary arts in reinterpreting the narratives of established collections. The final strand of the project will bring scenes from Eliot's novel to life in three sites in central Coventry during 10 public performances in autumn 2021. Partners Dash Arts will lead devising workshops with community groups in Coventry. The participatory process will identify key themes from the novel for contemporary Coventry. Participants will be offered opportunities to take part in the professional production, supported by Warwick Arts Centre, Principal Partner in Coventry City of Culture. Founded in 2005 Dash, develops productions, events and participation projects that enhance diverse audience's understanding of other peoples and cultures through an artistic lens. 'Scenes from Middlemarch' will use Eliot's novel and Livesey's research to open out conversations with often overlooked middle of Britain through participatory devising and performances. Emphasis is likely to fall on the novel's interest in narratives of public health, and the power of bankers, exploring trust and communication in a changing community.