Aisle have egg 'n' chips

October 4, 2002

The Diary despairs over academic standards. It has received a report that the renewal of two students' wedding vows will contribute towards their PhDs in the name of performance art.

While performance art quite interests The Diary, whether the following equates to a PhD chapter is questionable.

Bob Whalley (real name Joanne) and Lee Miller, both 29, were "remarried" by a Church of England vicar at the Roadchef Sandbach Services in Cheshire.

The ceremony was described as a "site-specific performance that seeks to combine the excitement of weddings with the mundanity of the M6".

The couple recreated their original wedding with echoes of a stately home tour - including a walk around the site, visiting shops, toilets, petrol pumps and recounting the history of the services. The ceremony formed part of the couple's PhD in contemporary art, which is being conducted in their joint names.

Robin Nelson, head of contemporary arts at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "It is the fact that this is a genuine emotional event in their lives, which raises this peculiar performance above the comic into a serious piece of artistry."

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