Bring the Happy

An ongoing project created by Invisible Flock in collaboration with us. 2010 onwards. More at http://www.invisibleflock.co.uk/bringthehappy/

This is an amazing thing. Probably the best thing we’ll ever have the privilege to be part of. Now over to Invisible Flock to explain it more fully:

Bring the Happy is an ongoing large scale project about happiness, at the heart of it is an attempt to map the moments and memories of happiness of the UK and beyond.

We will be taking over empty shop units throughout the country and filling them with giant maps of our host cities.
We will be asking you to come and visit us and leave us a moment or memory of happiness that has taken place anywhere in your city, telling us:
what it was – where it took place – and how happy it made you on a scale of 1-10

Each memory is then marked onto the map with its own 3D rod, the height of which is based on the 1-10 rating.

Bring the Happy originally took place for two months in Leeds back in 2010, when we took up residence in an empty shop in the Light Shopping Centre before later moving to Leeds’ Kirkgate Market.

What emerged was not simply stories about happiness or wellbeing, but a portrait of the city, the lives entwined within it; first loves, lifetime regrets, personal and political grievances, births, marriages, deaths, drunken nights, wartime stories, snow stories, market stories, dances, chance encounters, life changing moments and buildings long gone and more often than not memories that spoke of home.

We were overwhelmed by what had been collected and left on the map.

We worked with the Leeds based Hope and Social to take the stories and turn them into a huge and raucous celebratory musical performance. Somewhere between a wedding and a wake Bring the Happy Live attempts an extravagant portrait of happiness, as the 1000’s of memories collected are retold in all of their beautiful, sometimes tragic, sometimes ridiculous and occasionally mundane glory.

Bring on the happy belongs to all the people who have participated in it.

You can also add your memory to the project from anywhere in the world using the digital map at http://www.invisibleflock.co.uk/bringthehappy/

Bring the Happy is supported by
Arts Council England

More from the blog: What the f*ck is Bring the Happy?