Reasons To Be Cheerful In Europe
David Byrne presenting his Reasons To Be Cheerful at the Copenhagen Main Library, January 22, 2018.
I’m doing a series of short introductory talks as part of my continuing Reasons To Be Cheerful project. I also have new record coming out soon… and a live show I’m very excited about. The Cheerful project informs those I would like to think.
Design by Ben Tousley. Image © 2018 Estate of Purvis Young / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Briefly, here’s what this project is—I began to look for encouraging things that are happening anywhere in the world, and if they have been tested, if they have been proven to work, if they can be transferred and adopted in other places, if they can scale up—then, I thought to myself, why not hold them up for consideration, and also invite others to add to this project. There are actually a LOT of encouraging things going on around the world—they’ve given me hope, they’re a kind of therapy, given what’s happening in the world, and I’d like to share them.
Some of them are naturally about music and performance, but many are about innovations in energy, transportation, education, health... and a lot more.
It will be an ongoing online project that is an continuation and extension of some writing and talks I’ve done recently. The project will be cross-platform—some elements may appear on social media, some on a website and some might manifest as a recording or performance. I’ve done these talks at BRIC Arts Center in Fort Greene in April, at IdeasCity in connection with the New Museum and most recently at The New School on 12th St. Now I’m hoping to bring the idea to a wider audience.
I am doing a series of these in Europe. These can’t cover everything but are essentially introductions to the idea. The events are FREE and seating is limited. Here are the dates, and ticket information for each talk will be available soon.
1/22/18 at Copenhagen Main Library, 8 PM
1/24/18 at The Venue Berlin, 8 PM
1/26/18 at Fondazione Prada, Milan, 7 PM
1/28/18 at De Balie, Amsterdam, 8 PM
1/30/18 at Sackler Space at The Roundhouse, London, 8 PM
Hope to see you there.
David Byrne
NYC
(This program is organized by Todomundo / Nonesuch Records.)
