Bill Drummond begins 12-year world tour at Eastside Projects, Birmingham

Bill Drummond raft bed with daffodils
An exhibition has opened in Birmingham which is then going on the longest-ever art world tour, ending back in Birmingham on 28 April 2025 – if the artist does not die beforehand, as the publicity materials dryly state.
Bill Drummond is 60, and his name to me and others of a certain age will always be synonymous with a bunch of KLF hit records of the late 1980s and early 1990s, 3am Eternal, Justified and Ancient and others from The White Room, classics of their time.
But Drummond’s life since then has become almost an eternal art performance, and this exhibition which stays in Birmingham until June 14 will see him taking part in many strange acts involving people around the city.


He arrived in Birmingham on a raft made from what was described as his bed, but looked like a fairly rough wooden frame. He then created a sculpture of 400 bunches of daffodils under Spaghetti junction and carried 40 bunches to the town hall, where he gave them away to complete strangers.
The exhibition opening at the Eastside Projects gallery in Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham, was a strange affair. It strikes me that Drummond is very keen on exercising control.
He decided that from January 2012 he was only going to do 25 more interviews for 25 different publications, with the journalists only allowed to ask four questions each – this is in the rest of his life, so no interviews at the opening, though he was happily chatting to many people.
He also wrote his own piece for the Birmingham Post explaining his interest in the city and in Spaghetti Junction in particular.
At the opening he clambered on to his work desk, in the middle of the exhibition, to welcome everyone and thank them from coming – and didn’t start until the last person had been dragged out of the bar to hear him!
Another item in the exhibition is a screen with Drummond giving his 60-second opinion on various topics which he’s been asked to appear on TV to talk about but has refused – again showing him controlling what he can say without any awkward questions. Though the films are quite entertaining.
The exhibition’s most striking part is the huge house of cards made up of his paintings – more realistically placards of one or more words, painted Bob and Roberta-Smith style – which is as high as the ceiling in this large industrial space.
The 25 Paintings describe the acts he will be carrying out while in Birmingham, and then in other cities around the world while the tour progresses, including Berlin, Guangzhou, Memphis, Kolkata and Port-au-Prince. At the opening while asking people not to knock it over, he said he couldn’t wait for it to be in another venue where he could do just that.
His workdesk has been set up in the gallery, and one wall shows more paintings, and The 60 Posters explain aspects of his life, past work and plans for this world tour.
Local residents can look forward to being cooked soup, as well as cakes, and being able to borrow his boots to walk a mile, and may already have heard him around the city in the guise of The Man Who Blows His Horn and The Man Who Bangs His Drum.
He will also be working in the gallery, painting or knitting squares, on various dates during the exhibition where visitors will be able to meet him and talk to him about his work – details on his website here http://www.penkilnburn.com/events/events.php
It’s Conceptual stuff with a capital C, and my companion at the opening felt the influence of Yoko Ono, or at least a similarity with her work. However, it’s also quite good fun, so dip in, go see it and become part of the work.

3,824 comments

  1. I seldom drop responses, but after reading a few
    of the comments on Bill Drummond begins 12-year world tour at Eastside
    Projects, Birmingham – Coventry Telegraph – Private View.
    I actually do have 2 questions for you if it’s okay.
    Is it just me or do a few of these remarks look like they are left by brain dead individuals?
    😛 And, if you are writing at other online social sites,
    I would like to follow you. Would you list of all of all your social networking sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

    Like

  2. Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to
    my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear
    and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
    She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally
    off topic but I had to tell someone!

    Like

  3. They are saying that people with heart-shaped faces (or even more candidly put,
    with wide foreheads and narrow chins) can merely put on cats-eye frames.
    Do you think Hello Kitty would be churning one out soon. According to fashion experts, this is the right time
    to buy designer sunglasses at affordable prices.

    Like

  4. There are loads of hacking programs that are available online and
    you need to select the best among them. Congratulations to the Lexus Eco Challenge team of Byron Center West Middle School.
    As if existence and existence is intending on and began from
    a cig.

    Like

  5. With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of
    plagorism or copyright violation? My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it looks
    like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement.
    Do you know any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d really
    appreciate it.

    Like

  6. Brunch parties are a terrific way to celebrate with your friends and family without the exhaustion of
    late night parties. Till some time ago the cookery shows on television were monotonous where the
    format was simple – presentable chefs and cooking experts would conduct cooking classes in studio kitchen.
    But where do you go to when you get hungry in the morning.

    Like

  7. The battery can be charged by connecting the controller to the Play – Station 3 via the uncomplicated micro – USB
    cable provided with the gamepad. If you, however, are confident
    that you can pull off in a specific niche affiliate marketing industry, then you can do it on your own. Replay, and pause
    as you normally would on any disc player.

    Like

  8. Hello are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but
    I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any coding knowledge to make your own blog?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

    Like

  9. Link exchange is nothing else however it is simply placing the other person’s web site link on your page
    at proper place and other person will also do same in favor of you.
    instagram Not any Pass word and also With no Adhering to.
    instagram, find the package deal that will best fits your wants.

    Like

  10. s compact form factor, comprehensive feature set, and onboard controls allow you
    to manipulate content on the life never leaving the
    mixer direct surface. m ready to read my vows from an i – Pad just yet,
    it certainly is one of the more unexpected places that we.
    DJ Software program Compatibility and MIDI Control
    – With more of at this time’s DJs using different DJ software program for.

    Like

  11. Having read this I believed it was extremely enlightening.
    I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this informative article
    together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time
    both reading and leaving comments. But so what,
    it was still worth it!

    Like

  12. You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the
    article you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to
    mention how they believe. All the time go after your heart.

    Like

  13. ӏn the event yoս ѡere familiar with certaіn a couple of-paǥe wwords which may hɑve high value wοrds for example tѡo-notice senences աhich iѕ focus
    on Okay (KA, KI), yoou may tɦеn have tɦe ability tߋ contract tҺis method located inn аnɗ put it over a top quality square and in so doiոg doubling ɑs wwell аs tripling the rating.
    Ύօu mihht be midway tο completing thiis particular perr day NYT crossword biggver picture ոevertheless
    tied tߋ ɑn idea. Ӏt has ɑ look for package
    aѕ ԝell ass a laгge phrase financial institution.

    Like

  14. Its such as you learn my mind! You appear to understand
    a lot about this, like you wrote the e-book in it
    or something. I think that you can do with a few % to power the message house a bit, however other
    than that, that is magnificent blog. A great read.
    I will certainly be back.payday loans
    [url=http://www.www.se-so-tec.co.uk/]payday loans[/url]

    Like

  15. What you typed made a bunch of sense. But, what about this?
    suppose you were to write a killer title? I am not saying your content
    is not good., but what if you added a headline that makes people desire more?
    I mean Bill Drummond begins 12-year world tour at Eastside
    Projects, Birmingham – Coventry Telegraph – Private View is a little boring.
    You ought to peek at Yahoo’s home page and note how they create news headlines to grab viewers to open the links.
    You might try adding a video or a picture or two to grab readers excited about what you’ve got to say.
    Just my opinion, it might bring your website a little bit more interesting.

    Like

  16. Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask.
    Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest
    writing a blog post or vice-versa? My website goes over a lot of
    the same subjects as yours and I believe we
    could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested
    feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Awesome blog by the way!

    Like

  17. Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that
    it is truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels.
    I’ll appreciate if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

    Like

  18. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was
    curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
    I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% certain. Any tips or
    advice would be greatly appreciated. Appreciate it

    Like

  19. This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep a reader amused.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start
    my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really enjoyed
    what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

    Like

  20. This unique feature will detect your physical motion and incorporate your motion in the game.
    You are able to customize the body that enables you to change or take away components
    based on your personal preference. Of course, it doesn’t demand you to become a pro gamer to beat your enemy.

    Like

  21. Avoid exercise injury: as you play table tennis, if your wrist, elbow, shoulder and waist use too large power, you will easy
    to cause wrist tendon traction excesses and around the shoulder tenosynovitis.
    You will remove any of the impurities from
    the copy. Even after you close the Facebook window or log
    out, you may notice hundreds of other sites still list you as logged
    in to Facebook.

    Like

  22. Hello There. I discovered your blog the usage of msn. That
    is a very smartly written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and come
    back to read more of your useful info. Thank you for the post.
    I will certainly comeback.

    Like

  23. The DVR enabled DISH receivers allow you to record the episodes for later
    references. They can give step-by-step planting instructions, such as:
    plant positioning; how much sun; and seasonal planting times.
    There are lots of available garden decorations that we can use to beautify our garden.

    Like

  24. I don’t even understand how I stopped up here, however I thought this submit used to be good.
    I do not recognize who you are however certainly you’re going to a
    famous blogger in the event you are not already.
    Cheers!

    Like

  25. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this fantastic blog!
    I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to new updates and will talk about this website
    with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    Like

Leave a reply to easy brunch appetizers Cancel reply