Oh Europa is a collection of works by Action Hero that span a continent and seek to re-imagine the ways in which we think about Europe, and how we continue to share this space together.

Action Hero have been travelling across Europe in their motorhome, asking strangers to sing a love song. Beginning their journey in April 2018, the artists have now travelled over 50,000km through 35 European countries, all the while living and working in their van. So far they have recorded over 1200 love songs, all recorded inside their van and sung by people they’ve met as they are travelling. The songs are about being in love but also falling out of love: about heartbreak, joy and hope.

This ever-evolving archive of love songs is broadcasting 24/7 from a network of “beacons” placed by the artists on the borders and edge-spaces across Europe. Situated on invisible boundaries, margins, cultural junctures and geological egdelands, the love songs will play forever in these special locations, audible to anyone who visits and tunes in.

The locations of the “beacons” can be seen on the map below, along with video taken from the site. If you want to listen to the love songs, you just need to visit a beacon. The Oh Europa app, which is available for both iOS and Android, will help you find the nearest “beacon” to you, and will tune in to the love songs automatically when you arrive in the location.

As a result of the journey, Action Hero have created RadiOh Europa, a live “radio show” playing love songs sung by people from across Europe which invites the audience to join an act of collective listening over the course of 8 hours. Audiences can tune in online or join the performance in person. Gemma & James have also created Postcards From The Edge, a micro-installation inside their van using video from the project with an accompanying book.

To add your voice to the love songs collection (all voices are welcome!), to hear RadiOh Europa or to see Postcards From The Edge, check out our tour dates below.  Or look out for the van across Europe….

For more about Action Hero and our other work, visit www.actionhero.org.uk

BEACON LOCATIONS

There are currently 43 active beacons broadcasting love songs across Europe. Click on a beacon to find out more about the location and see video from the site.

SING US A SONG

we're travelling around Europe in our motorhome collecting love songs. Come and find us and sing us a song. It can be any love song and you don't have to be a singer!

RADIOH EUROPA

RadiOh Europa is a deep listening experience. Sitting together, gathered around radios, audiences can hear the love songs we've recorded to-date. See below for dates.

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE

Postcards from the edge is a micro-exhibition inside our motorhome using video and an atlas of the Oh Europa beacons to re-imagine our relationship to Europe

FIND A BEACON

Click here to download the Oh Europa App and find your closest beacon where the love songs are playing 24/7.

PODCASTS

Click here to hear our Oh Europa podcasts. Small collections of love songs and stories recorded on our travels

TOURING 2018 - 2021

Matchbox 
Neustadt, Germany – May 18
Latitudes Contemporaine 
Lille, France – Jun 18
Vooruit 
Ghent, Belgium – Jun 18
Ördögkatlan Festival
Kisharsańy, Hungary – Jul 18
SNFCC
Athens, Greece – Aug 18
Interdisciplinarte
Terni, Italy – Aug 18
Matchbox
Hambach, Germany – Sep 18
Anti Festival
Kuopio, Finland – Sep 18
Grand Theater
Gröningen, Netherlands – Sep 18
Bucharest International Theater Platform
Bucharest, Romania – Oct 18
Bristol Old Vic Ferment
Bristol, UK – Oct 18

Conde Duque
Madrid, Spain – Mar 19
Transform
Leeds, UK – May 19
Fondation Cartier
Paris, FR – May 19
Les Grands Voisins
Paris, FR – May 19
Salisbury International Arts Festival
Salisbury, UK – Jun 19
Greenwich and Docklands festival
London, UK – Jun 19
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival
Hebden Bridge, UK – Jun 19
Les Tombees de la Nuit
Rennes, FR – Jul 19
Museum of Broken Relationships
Zagreb, HR – Jul 19

ACCA
Brighton, UK – Mar 20
GIFT at BALTIC
Gateshead, UK – May 20
Mayfest at The Island
Bristol, UK – May 20
Carlow Arts Festival
Carlow, IE – Jun 20
RSC
Stratford, UK  – Jun 20
Far Festival
Nyon, Switzerland – Aug 20
Teatri ODA
Priśtina, Kosovo – Sep 20

Eden Court
Inverness, UK  – Aug 21
MAYK
Bristol, UK- Sep-Oct 21
The Place
Bedford, UK – Oct 21

2018 JOURNEY

In 2018 we travelled non-stop for 6 months (26 weeks) in our motorhome. We visited 33 European countries and drove 31598km to record strangers singing love songs. Here’s a timeline of the journey we took!

Route
1
UK Ireland 2729km
2
Spain Portugal 4318km
3
Portugal Spain 6120km
4
Spain France Switzerland 7307km
5
Switzerland France Luxembourg Germany 8205km
6
Germany Austria 8948km
7
Austria Germany Belgium Netherlands 10661km
8
Belgium France 10808km
9
France Belgium 11190km
10
Belgium Netherlands Germany Denmark 12299km
11
Denmark Sweden Finland Norway 14830km
12
Norway Finland 16888km
13
Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland 18435km
14
Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Austria Slovenia 19691km
15
Slovenia Croatia Hungary 20280km
16
Hungary Croatia Serbia FYROM 21197km
17
FYROM Greece 22126km
18
Greece 22435km
19
Greece Italy 23195km
20
Italy Switzerland 23901km
21
Switzerland Germany 24458km
22
Germany Finland 25296km
23
Finland 25709km
24
Finland Netherlands Germany Czech republic Slovakia 27704km
25
Slovakia Hungary Romania 28917km
26
Romania Hungary Austria Germany Belgium France UK 31598km
Route Mobile
1
UK Ireland 2729km
2
Spain Portugal 4318km
3
Portugal Spain 6120km
4
Spain France Switzerland 7307km
5
Switzerland France Luxembourg Germany 8205km
6
Germany Austria 8948km
7
Austria Germany Netherlands Belgium 10661km
8
Belgium France 10808km
9
France Belgium 11190km
10
Belgium Netherlands Germany Denmark 12299km
11
Denmark Sweden Finland Norway 14830km
12
Norway Finland 16888km
13
Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland 18435km
14
Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Austria Slovenia 19691km
15
Slovenia Croatia Hungary 20280km
16
Hungary Croatia Serbia FYROM 21197km
17
FYROM Greece 22126km
18
Greece 22435km
19
Greece Italy 23195km
20
Italy Switzerland 23901km
21
Switzerland Germany 24458km
22
Germany Finland 25296km
23
Finland 25709km
24
Finland Netherlands Germany Czech Republic Slovakia 27704km
25
Slovakia Hungary Romania 28917km
26
Romania Hungary Austria Germany Belgium France UK 31598km