Finnish Artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kotcha-Kalleinen decided to to transform the energy people put in to complaining to create Complaints Choirs.
As part of our forthcoming Encounters, journeys through language and landscape event this summer, Fermynwoods Contemporary Art are commissioning musician Paula Boulton to create a complaints choir for the event.
As well as forming the choir, Paula will be collecting complaints to turn them into two pieces which will be performed at the opening of Encounters.
One will focus on rural and urban landscape related issues, and one on more general personal complaints.
To submit your complaints please
use the comments form below.
For further information please contact Paula via email at positivepaula2@aol.co.uk
Fermynwoods Contemporary Art via info@fermynwoods.co.uk
Or for more background information about this ongoing international project please visit www.complaintschoir.org
Sudborough Green
I would like to complain about the increasing privatisation of public space and the commodification of the natural world.
I would like to complain about the decline of our High Streets. I want to complain about the bickering of who has the best shopping centre when in reality they are all turning into a clone of one another where all individuality is lost.
I would like to complain about Tesco.
I would like to complain about how we are all in this together but some of us are in it more than others.
I would like to complain that when bankers bonuses are threatened, bankers threaten to move their businesses out of the country and the government actively changes the law to make banks and corporations more powerful. But when public sector workers talk about striking they are labelled militant trouble makers and the government actively changes the law to make unions less powerful.
I would like to complain about the endless pursuit of growth.
I would like to complain that the cows I meet when running are too inquisitive.
My pension contributions are going up by 50% and I can’t retire until I’m 68
Nintendo Wii is a conspiracy
Meat is so expensive
OFSTED are useless
Tony Blair is a criminal
My boyfriend doesn’t clean the bathroom
What about Mugabe?
I don’t like the way horses look at me
Rockingham Speedway ruins where I live
My complaints:
Flytippers ruining the beautiful countryside.
Drivers doing 40 miles an hour in a 60 zone, usually along quiet, bendy country lanes that are fab to drive at the speed limit.
Not enough hours in the day
Everything always takes longer than I think it will take
Train fares are much too high
Stop testing on animals!
There are too many houses on nice fields.
There are too many main roads.
Rubbish is just dumped in beautiful countryside.
Trees shouldn’t be cut down.
There is not enough discipline in school.
There are too many spiders.
It annoys me when people ruin and vandalise local areas like parks, so it makes younger people scared to go in, and it makes me uncomfortable when teenagers are round children’s parks and smoke and swear.
There is not enough chocolate to go around.
Brothers are so annoying.
Lollypop wrappers are too hard to get off.
I don’t like that people are alway spying on you.
Pigs should taste like bacon and sausages without being cooked.
I want to complain about my brother because he’s irritating and he plays with my Dr Who and Star Wars figures without my permission.
No more school!
I don’t like my parents.
You can never park down my road, we always have to park in the next road.
The doctors is on top of a very steep hill.
They should stop building houses because there’s not enough schools to educate any new children in Burton Latimer.
There are too many takeaways in Burton Latimer.
I don’t want my retirement age to go up.
I want to complain about bonfires on washing day.
Stop saying Nibbles at a meeting Nibbles is the name of a Hamster
Why do single people have to pay extra when staying in hotel/b&b/holiday accommodation or even for package holidays abroad? Its just pure discrimination and unfairness towards single people. Its as if this country/society/whatever expects everyone to have an additional person to complete them and no-one can go anywhere without one! Wonder how long it will be before we are taxed for daring to be single… or is that already happening… wouldn’t be surprised. This kind of discrimination makes me see red and costs me more for the privilege!!
I don’t like the word ‘meal’
I don’t like the way we seem to be expected to put up with bad service in shops and cafés and restaurants… some places are so bad it’s almost funny (but I’d still complain despite being entertained)
I don’t like it when I have to turn lights on during the day because the sky is so grey
I don’t like having to work out more and eat even less just to stay the same shape, because I’m getting older
I don’t like it when things go wrong in the kitchen or when I spill something, it gives me the rage
I don’t like having to clear up cat sick
I don’t like that the chaise section of my corner sofa is harder and higher than the other bit and, more particularly, that I didn’t complain about it at the time and now it’s too late
I don’t like Safari much
I don’t like adverts, especially on local radio