Conceived by singer and multidisciplinary artist Tim Arnold, What Love Would Want is a living art installation, performance piece and global archive that evolved from his song of the same name. What Love Would Want tours cities across the globe and films loving couples from each city, live in sync with the song. Publicly supported by BBC 6 Music, Kate Bush, Stephen Fry and Amnesty International, the project’s aim is to promote love, diversity and inclusivity.

Productions

SOHO

One song. 26 couples.

A simple idea to accompany Arnold’s song, the project went on to partner with Amnesty UK for their ‘Love Is A Human Right’ campaign, with Arnold performing the song at The Russian Embassy in a petition hand in alongside Sir Ian McKellan.

MANCHESTER

In the first multimedia run of the 10-hour installation at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Arnold filmed couples – open to the public as a living arts installation.

In the second act of the piece, Arnold recorded his song in front of a live audience with legendary dancer  Lindsay Kemp personifying love, and the Manchester Gay and Lesbian Chorus while simultaneously filming what would become the short film.

TORONTO

Re-writing and recording the song in French with Canadian solo artists Ben Pelchat and Alexy Guerer, Arnold repeated the visual recording process with couples from Toronto, including couples from the indigenous Canadian community.

The project originally sparked from a song written by Tim from the perspective of his eight-year-old self, viewing the world through the lens of growing up with same-sex parents. What began as a childhood observation of family diversity evolved into a profound, boundary-pushing celebration of human connection.

Following an extended intermission when global lockdowns paused public gatherings, the project is now entering its next major chapter. As it approaches its landmark 10th anniversary, Tim is exploring the project’s original, unexamined catalyst—his own childhood heritage—while preparing to restart the cameras to capture a new generation of couples.