Les Petroleuses with support from Sophie Cooper

Event information

Les Petroleuses are Sheffield and Wales-based artists and improvising ‘arsonists’ Lyn Hodnett and Gillian Whiteley, who have practised and performed independently and together in various collaborations for many years. Their duo is named after the women who played a vital role in the Paris Commune of 1871, many of whom were executed, imprisoned or deported to remote islands. Apart from being a kind of homage to les petroleuses and
other strong women of classical myths and legends, the idea of being musical ‘arsonists’ – playing with fire, ripping up and incendiarising conventions – appeals to them. Previous performances (eg The Vortex, Dalston and Everybody Arts Halifax in 2025) have incorporated video, shadow puppetry, large-scale drawing, painting, processions and bonfires.
At Bishopshouse, Les Petroleuses will create a site-specific improvised performance to ‘speak back’ to the array of ritualistic graffiti and anti-witchcraft scratch marks. They will kindle the flames, visually, vocally and on assorted instruments including foot-pump chapel harmonium, cello, viola, flugelhorn, hurdy-gurdy, accordions, shruti box as well as scissors,
paper, stone, ink, graphite, cutlery, pestel and mortar, things that jangle, assorted objects and other stuff…be warned, they aim to warm the cockles and fan the flames…so if you can’t stand the heat…

For more on Les Petroleuses see http://bricolagekitchen.com/les-petroleuses/