About this project

The Apology Line is an art project that was set up by Will Bridges and James Lees and launched right across the UK. Posters, flyers and press articles invited the nation to call a freephone telephone number and leave an anonymous apology for whatever was weighing on their mind. The public responded in their hundreds each and every week.

From tragic stories of regret, love and hate, through to laugh out loud comments on society, the British public opened up, liberated by the anonymity of the answer machine.

With this funding we want to set up and promote The Apology Line in America in order to collect messages from people all over the country. We shall then look to create an exhibition and installation that we hope will eventually tour the country.

The idea actually originated from an American artist called Allan Bridge. In 1980 he set up the Apology Project - a telephone line in New York offering people to ring and leave their apologies and listen to others. Unfortunately the project ended when Allan tragically passed away in an accident in 1995. We thought the idea behind the project was just too fascinating to not continue so decided to create and launch our own version. We now want to 'bring it back home' and launch it across the US. Hopefully this will be a fitting tribute to Allan as we know he was keen for people to continue the project.

- UK APOLOGY LINE MESSAGES -

“I’m sorry I stole chocolates from my brother when we were very young. I’m sorry that I was jealous of him when my mother took him on holiday without me. I’m sorry that I um, I cheated on my fiancé. I’m sorry that I took drugs when I promised him I would stop. I’m sorry that my… that I found my mother unconscious when she tried to kill herself. I’m sorry that I did not protect my brother.”

“I’m sorry for having an affair with a man who’s married and has two children because my boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to spend more time with me. And thinks that his work is more important than me. I’m sorry that I’ve wasted so much love on my boyfriend”

“I would like to apologise to my daughter who is twenty-seven now. For the fact that I always resented having a daughter. I wanted a son. And I wasn’t a very nice mother to her. I told her I’m sorry. Things in her childhood… I have never told her the real reason because I think it would hurt her too much. I just want to say sorry. I don’t want her to know it was me, I think that would be too
painful for her. I love her very much. Thank you.”

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Project By

William Bridges

London, United Kingdom

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Will started out in the film industry as a runner for the post-production house MPC in Soho, London. He quickly moved on to become a Producer/Director for an IP production company developing formats and documentaries for broadcast on network channels and internet streaming. His decision to go freelance to work on more personal film, documentary and art projects soon paid off with the success of his first independent production The Apology Line, an experimental art project that eventually became a short documentary he devised and shot with colleague and fellow film maker James Lees. The film went on to win a number of awards on the festival circuit including Prix UIP Best European Short Film at the Cork International Film Festival, and was shown at Cannes and Sundance 08. Since then he has worked on various short film and documentary projects that have ranged from Channel 4’s 3-minute wonder series and the BBC’s New Music Shorts scheme. He has just completed his first fiction short film as a writer/director, it was funded by the UK Film Council and will be screened at various film festivals through 2009/10.