THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

From September 26, 2014 to September 26, 2015, Sprule embarked upon a one-year performance piece during which she remained within the parish boundary of Fryup and refrained from entering any otherwise inhabited dwelling.  Initially equipped only with a sleeping bag, spare clothes and a small video camera, Sprule subsisted by foraging, stealing and begging, and sought shelter in caves and derelict farm buildings.  She was shot at during an attempt to poach trout, incurring an injury which required a two-day break in the project for hospital treatment.  Sprule’s footage was subsequently manifested in a five-hour movie, Nine Million Rainy Days, that premiered at the 2017 Naples Biennale.  Sprule said the project was inspired by a childhood fascination with vagrants whom she would occasionally encounter in country lanes.

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