Local men aged 16-24 are invited to be part of a new immersive, choral experience devised by composer and artist Verity Standen. REFRAIN explores the stories of conscientious objection with a professional ensemble and local male singers.

Newhaven Fort is the last of a long series of defences built on the cliffs overlooking Seaford Bay. During the First World War the Fort became a part of larger defences, linking with Seaford – the site of a work camp that now lies buried underneath the town. The North Camp at Seaford housed a number of conscientious objectors, firstly before their deportation to Northern France, and subsequently for those who refused to fight and were put to work on the road improvements between Seaford and Newhaven.

Singers are being recruited for the project via refrain.online  or by contacting Nancy Gillio-Terry on ngterry@john-lewis.com with any questions. Those who would like to take part do not have to be professional and can come from any sort of musical background or otherwise.

The project will also take place this summer in Yorkshire and Merseyside. 

Verity Standen said: “I am thrilled to be working with such a diverse range of voices - men drawn from all walks of life. I try to leave room for the performers to make the music their own within the compositions I’m writing. I expect the piece to sound and feel totally different in each location, as it will be shaped by the local singers, the architecture and history of each site, and each audience who will explore it in a different way.”

We are pleased to announce our Spring 2017 programme. A curated series of events across contemporary performance, dance, installation, music, live art, debate and film is planned, as well as a series of special partnerships and commissions, working with both local and international artists. 

Programme highlights include:

Stockhausen Festival (30 Jan- 4 Feb) at ACCA. ACCA will present a series of contemporary classical concerts (Elaine Chew, Joseph Houston), an evening of film and a large-scale kinetic installation by Ray Lee, all in celebration of 20^th century composer and electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen. ACCA will present Lee’s Siren, 29 metal tripods of whirling, spinning, mechanical movement, electronic sound and light.

Gob Squad (7-9 Feb). Berlin and UK-based theatre makers Gob Squad bring their unique blend of ‘tender, exciting and dangerous’ work to Brighton, presenting two works: We Are Gob Squad and So Are You (7 Feb) and War and Peace (9 Feb). The former, using text, video archive and soundtrack takes the audience through a telling of the collective processes, big ideas and vivid memories shared by Gob Squad throughout almost 20 years of working together. War and Peace, meanwhile, is a playful and improvised, reflection of Tolstoy’s classic in the company’s unique blend of avant-garde theatre, known by those who have experienced it and loved it as an ‘explosion’ of the original early 19^th century text.

SICK! Festival at ACCA (20-25 March). Award-winning multi-disciplinary SICK! Festival returns to Brighton with a six-day programme featuring theatre, dance, film and public art from around the world, alongside a series of fascinating debates and talks. SICK! Festival explores the most turbulent experiences of living in the world today and embraces the multitude of identities, histories and social conditions that shape us. The festival takes place at ACCA and across the University of Sussex’s Falmer Campus and includes a public participatory art project by American artist Candy Chang asking people to contemplate on life, death and personal aspirations in Library Square at the University of Sussex. Meanwhile, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, in #negrophobia, examines the erotic fear associated with Black bodies inside the context of the contemporary American project. Claire Cunningham brings Guide God to ACCA, where Claire goes on a perilous quest to explore how the major world faiths view deafness and disability in this witty and illuminating show.

ACCA have co-commissioned a new work for Spring 2017 by interdisciplinary artist Sheila Ghelani. Sulphur (4 April), a poetic and choreographic ensemble performance, considers the history and mythology of the element, its role within industry and climate change and its existence within our own bodies. The piece also combines video by John Hunter, lighting design by Martin Langthorne and an experimental sound score.

Also this season, ACCA will host Forest Fringe founder Deborah Pearson, who presents HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY (4 March), a live documentary exploring the history of a cinema, a football star and a family. Pearson explores the connect and disconnect between the personal and the political while projecting the entirety of a Hungarian film that was meant to be premiered on the day the Budapest Uprising started.

Families can visit ACCA during the Easter holidays. Lone Twin’s interactive experience for children – Beastie - comes to ACCA for the Spring break (10-12 April). It’s an innovative participatory performance for those aged 6 – 10.

Laura McDermott, Creative Director, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, said: “We received such a warm reception for our Autumn season and we’re really excited to continue building on that with new partnerships and wonderful experiences for our audiences. This season we’re particularly proud of our partnership with SICK! Festival, bringing you world class international performances, installations and panel discussions. The rest of the programme is also packed with truly diverse and unique art - from kinetic sculptures, to performances on headphones to an interactive adventure for kids. We look forward to welcoming you back - or for your first visit -  with us this Spring.”

Keep your eyes on this page to find out more about our venue, our vision and what you can do, see and experience here with us.