Strangers wanted to hold hands with each other in public for "intimate" Doncaster project

Strangers are being sought to hold hands with each other in Doncaster as part of an "intimate" art project.
Could you hold hands with a complete stranger in public?Could you hold hands with a complete stranger in public?
Could you hold hands with a complete stranger in public?

Walking: Holding will be staged in Doncaster on September 3 and 4, with local participants walking hand in hand with each other around parks, streets and alleyways - despite not knowing each other.

A spokesman for the project said: "What does your town look like from someone else’s perspective?

"How intimate can you be with someone you’ve just met?

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"Walking:Holding invites you to walk hand in hand with a series of very different local strangers around nearby streets, parks and alleyways. It is a participatory performance for one audience member at a time, offering a gentle meditation on identity, touch and intimacy in urban public space."

Walking:Holding was first created in Glasgow in 2011 and has since toured extensively across the UK and internationally, working with local participants as performers in each location. A film about the project is being created this summer with support from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

The spokesman added: "With this tour we want to carry out a rich exploration into the experience of diverse identities living in towns across Britain and we are looking for participants who represent a range of genders, sexualities, races, religions, social backgrounds, abilities, appearances, and ages to take part.

"As a participant you would attend a group workshop to explore the project, attend a rehearsal, and then be in the performance for up to 4 days/evenings depending on the location. In the performance you will be stationed at a certain point in the town and walk/sit with each audience member holding their hand for about 5 minutes before passing them onto the next performer and waiting for the next audience member."

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Participants need to be available on August 30 and September 1 for a meeting and rehearsal and for either the full weekend- Saturday 3rd/Sunday 4th September 10-6pm or for one of the two days.

Email [email protected] for more information.