Hoe spectacle will honour Plymouth heroes 40 years on from original tribute
Hundreds of volunteers will come together on Plymouth Hoe this summer to spell out the word PEOPLE – a re-creation of exactly the same tribute 40 years ago.
In 1982, Plymouth celebrated the city’s volunteers with a gathering on Plymouth Hoe, where hundreds of people stood together to make the word PEOPLE with their bodies.
In July 2022, artist duo LOW PROFILE are re-creating this commemorative photograph 40 years later, with people who live and work in the city and volunteer their time.
Volunteers are now urgently needed to come forward to take part in the flash mob style event and can register their place now and get more information by completing the short form at ourplymouth.co.uk/people
In July, LOW PROFILE will take a new commemorative aerial photo of everyone standing together to spell the word PEOPLE. The event will recognise, celebrate and honour the significant value of people giving their free time as a gift to others. The artists want as many different people to get involved as possible - from those who help friends, family or strangers, support charity and community groups and cultural or music activities, to those caring for animals and nature, helping to run clubs, or giving their time to emergency services.
It’s a chance to say thank you to everyone who gave their time to support the city when it needed them most during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The confirmed date will be announced to everyone who has signed up in late June along with details about the date and time. On the day, hundreds of volunteers will meet on Plymouth Hoe and get into formation to spell out the word PEOPLE together, which will be captured by aerial photography.
A drone will be used to take the aerial photograph, so the event can only go ahead in dry weather. The event is planned for Sunday 3rd July (with 2 x backup dates agreed with Plymouth City Council in case it needs to be postponed because of rain).
Hannah Rose from LOW PROFILE said: “Bringing volunteers together to make this artwork is an important opportunity to celebrate and tell the story of the massive contribution that people make to Plymouth, by giving their time to benefit others. For us, recreating the PEOPLE photograph from 1982 is a way to celebrate the strength of coming together, camaraderie, resourcefulness, resilience, generosity, loyalty and not giving up.”
Rachel Dobbs from LOW PROFILE added: “42% of Plymouth residents volunteer or help out every year. That’s a huge amount of the population, and has been really evident over the past few years since COVID too. We want to help people get together and celebrate this, and say a giant “Thank You” to everyone involved.”
All the details about the exact dates and times to meet will only be circulated to people who have signed up to take part in PEOPLE - so be sure to register ahead of time!
SIGN UP TO GET INVOLVED:
If you volunteer your time in Plymouth and are interested in taking part, you can sign up to take part at ourplymouth.co.uk/people. All participants will receive a free digital copy of the PEOPLE photograph and a free commemorative badge.
After the event, the image will be installed as a large billboard on the front of the Millennium Building on Union Street this autumn, while the building is being redeveloped (following Nudge Community Builders successful community share offer earlier in the year).
PEOPLE (Plymouth) 2022 is being made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, supported by National Lottery Players; 154 crowdfunder backers and The Gane Trust. The project is being produced by Flock South West CIC and is supported by POP (Plymouth Octopus Project), Our Plymouth, Plymouth Culture, Plymouth City Council, The Box, and Nudge Community Builders.
