Performance: Minimum Monument

Minimum Monument by Néle Azevedo 

Birmingham Hippodrome is delighted to present Minimum Monument, a major exhibition by the award winning Brazilian artist Néle Azevedo.

Minimum Monument is a poignant and moving display featuring 5,000 figures made out of ice. Members of the public will be invited to place the beautifully crafted sculptures on the steps of the city’s Chamberlain Square where they can watch as the sea of ice figures melt.

Since 2002, Azevedo, an internationally acclaimed artist living and working in São Paulo, Brazil, has been making interventions with the Minimum Monument project in cities including  São Paulo, Havana, Tokyo, Kyoto, Paris, Berlin, Porto and Florence.  The British premiere in Birmingham features the largest ever number of ice sculptures Néle has produced and is part of Birmingham City Council’s World War One Commemorations.

Néle Azevedo says “Hundreds of ice sculptures are taken to central places of cities and with help from the passers-by they are left to melt. The sculptures are tiny men and women, 20 cm tall, placed on stairways. The urban intervention is called ´Minimum Monument`, because its meaning is tied up to the concept of the monument.”

She continues “The invitation from Birmingham refers to the commemoration of World War One and in the celebration of the common man which is close to the original concept of the work.”

Paul Kaynes, Creative Programme Director Birmingham Hippodrome said “We are extremely delighted that Néle accepted our invitation to bring her famous exhibition to Great Britain for the first time, contributing to Birmingham’s events commemorating WW1. Watching the figures melt, and on such a vast scale, will undoubtedly effect people in many different ways – the city will not have seen an exhibition like it.”

Néle Azevedo will arrive in Birmingham in July where she will be carving the sculptures ahead of the exhibition on 2 August.

For anyone interested in supporting Néle Azevedo and making this exciting project into a reality, Birmingham Hippodrome is offering opportunities for volunteering.  Applicants must be over 18.  For more information please contact zaraharris@birminghamhippodrome.com

Minimum Monument will take place on Saturday 2 August from 1pm-4pm on the steps of Chamberlain Square, Birmingham and is a FREE event.

Minimum Monument is funded by Arts Council England, Birmingham Hippodrome and William A Cadbury Charitable Trust.