'And The Stars Down So Close' - An audio walk by Stacy Makishi and Co

"And the Stars Down So Close" - An audio walk and installation by Stacy Makishi and Company

29 September 2012, beginning 6:30pm at Unity and ending at Newington Green Unitarian Church.

Artists Stacy Makishi, Vick Ryder, Lisa Asagi and Will Munro take audiences on an audio walk through the streets of Islington, filled with hope, grit and stardust. The walk begins at the New Unity Unitarian Church on Upper Street, Islington and culminates under a giant mirror ball in Newington Green. Placing the audience at the heart of the story, this event will immerse and transform; transfix and delight.

"And the stars down so close, and sadness and pleasure so close together, really the same thing… The stars are close and dear, and everything’s holy - everything, even me.’ John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath

And the Stars Down So Close draws inspiration from John Steinbeck’s prophetic Pulitzer Prize winning novel, set during the Great Depression. Scarcity and hard times drove people out of the dust of their existence to go on a pilgrimage towards a better life. This story is still relevant today. Now more than ever, people are desperate to find a shard of hope, joy, fulfillment and meaning. And The Stars Down So Close wishes to shine some light in dark times, and to lighten the load for those who are weary.

The duration of the entire experience, including audio walk, is 60 minutes and is open to audiences on a drop-in basis between 6.30pm and 10pm. The audio walk will be downloadable on the New Unity website from 26th September 2012.

Please download the Audio walk in advance at new-unity.org/ from 26/9/12

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Stacy Makishi : Lead Artist

Stacy Makishi is a transplant from Hawaii, who found paradise in Dalston, East London in 1994. She began as a stand up comic at the Comedy Store and now works in diverse disciplines such as live art, performance poetry, theatre, film and visual art. Perhaps it is because the work has grown out of so many genres and media that it’s hard to pigeonhole. It is as complex as it is accessible; humorous as it is challenging; visual as it is literate. Also a workshop leader and mentor of international reknown, Makishi often opens her making processes to the public through creative workshops alongside performances.

Makishi’s work has a way of transforming the mundane into the radiant, where everyday people speak their innermost thoughts and where we as an audience experience truthful human moments that at times approach the surreal.
Joshua Sofaer

Recent works include Body Pods – Skin, a commission by Fuel, the Roundhouse & UCL Ear Institute and Wellcome Trust (released in Sept 2012).

Other recent works include Love Letters to Francis, a film made in collaboration with Nick Parish and inspired by the works of Francis Bacon, commissioned by TATE Britain and B3 Media. In 2010 Makishi was also commissioned by guest curator Martine Rouleau to create a performance inside Miroslaw Balka's epic sculptural installation How it Is at TATE Modern. In the same year, Makishi was commissioned to make work for “…Louder than Bombs”: Art, Action & Activism, curated by the Stanley Picker Gallery and Live Art Development Agency.

Stacy Makishi has been awarded an ICA Attached Artist Award, Millennium Fellowship Award, One to One Artist Bursary with Live Art Development Agency, Artsadmin Artists' Bursary, the Franklin Furnace Award and has received several project grants through Arts Council England. Stacy Makishi is an Artsadmin associate artist and a Chelsea Theatre Associate Artist.