St. Louis isn't really known for being a town of whiners, but there are always situations that call for some ol' fashioned bitching and moaning. For example, why is it taking forEVER for spring to get here??!! Wainwright's out for the season? Are you kidding me??!! Peter Kinder's spending the taxpayers' money where??!!!
Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!
With so much grousing these days, we might as well put it to good use. That's why, from April 7 to 17, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis will be taking up complaints from frustrated residents and then translating them into music -- that's right, music -- to be performed live June 16 at the museum by the St. Louis Complaint Choir.
"The St. Louis Complaint Choir?" you ask. "Who the heck are they?"
Well, you, for starters. Since these are your complaints, the organizers felt you should be invited into their harmonic grousing group. "Everyone has complaints; we're just turning them into art," museum rep Allyson Pittman tells Daily RFT. Just imagine the catharsis of bickering about your in-laws at the top of your lungs, for all to hear!
To submit a complaint for the kvetching chorale, you can stop by the museum (3750 Washington Boulevard), write down your beef and drop it in a box. (Cool side note: By electing this option, you'll instantly become part of a live exhibition. "That's part of the art -- to come in and complain," says Pittman. "It's an interactive type of exhibition.")
Otherwise, you can email your grievances to [email protected] (don't forget to write "complaints" in the subject line) or visit the museum's Facebook page.
If you'd like to participate as a singer, send an email to the same address and put "singer" in the subject line. Rehearsals will take place in May and June, under the baton of Merry Keller, artistic director of the St. Louis County Community Chorus.
The Complaint Choir is a creation by Finnish artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen. The experiment has been reproduced in several other cities worldwide. For more information visit www.camstl.org.
