Anne Bean and Paul Burwell worked with others in various collaborations at the London Musicians Collective. In an evening put together by Paul called How to Explain Music to a Dead Critic, 1980 he dressed up as each of Sylvia Hallett, Anne Bean, Max Eastley, Sarah Hopkins, Stephen Cripps and a version of himself for the poster, whilst a variety of events, suggested by each, were undertaken as unison pieces.
In an event called Beat Week, 1981, at LMC. Anne Bean, Paul Burwell, Cris Cheek, Bob Cobbing, Stephen Cripps and Carlyle Reedy, worked together in six actions, suggested by each one, in an evening called ‘He located a Lesbian named Marian who lived in the Village and said she was a Poetess.’ Bob Cobbing asked everyone to simultaneously read a text of his numerous re-arrangements of these words and each artist made works referencing the Beat generation
Paul Burwell wrote as programme notes for an event at LMC, 1982:
The first performance of an unpublished play, written in1929 but set sometime in the present.
It concerns an evening in the lives of an accident prone fireman, a cab-driver and an unemployed strip club manager brought together by a series of chance events gradually becoming aware of the major themes of Contemporary Art.
These themes are represented by Feminism, Political Message, Collectivism, Minimalism, Structuralism, Drip-Painting, Technology, New Wave, Improvisation, Punk Art, Community Fringe Theatre and Performance Art.
The evening ruthlessly dissects, analyses and exposes their complete inability to come to grips with these issues or with the tragedy of each others' lives.
Performed by Anne Bean, Steve Cripps, Paul Burwell
Anne Bean suggested calling their genre Depressionism, writing ‘our work has no meaning. It comes from a deep sense of nihilistic blackness which is totally liberating and makes everything stirring and bracing. I believe in nothing. I think everything is possible. I believe in nothing but miracles’
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