PRODUCING
Read on for full details of key projects in my producing portfolio.
VIEWPOINTS BY FESTIVAL OF THRIFT
Producer
VIEWPOINTS by Festival of Thrift was an exciting and ambitious project made up of a series of newly commissioned sculptures, installations and artworks displayed across the Tees Valley in the week of the Festival of Thrift.
In this role, working closely with Festival Director, Stella Hall, and the VIEWPOINTS steering group, made up of representatives from Tees Valley Combined Authority, Palace Arts Gallery in Redcar, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and Navigator North, five new works were commissioned, and one existing work programmed, each responding to the festival's theme of clean air.
These artworks included a wall drawing created using Air-Ink - the first ink made entirely out of air pollution, a lung-cleaning station, a pair of colossal canaries, an extraordinary Green House, pollution-sensing costumes a series of sit spots for mindfully reconnecting with nature and an exhibition displaying the background to each of the works.
The works were displayed at Darlington Indoor Market, Middlesbrough Train Station, TWI Technology Centre in Middlesbrough, Redcar seafront and Palace Arts Gallery in Redcar.
THE WITCHING HOUR
Producer
The Witching Hour was a brand new performance created by Periplum and commissioned by Absolutely Cultured in Hull and Wirral Borough of Culture 2019 for May 2019.
Designed to connect people and inspire imagination, the performance explored stories of local wise women, magical mythical characters and childhood memories from East Park in Hull and Birkenhead Park in Wirral, immersing audiences across the country in a unique and shared experience and weaving a story between the two locations.
Working with Absolutely Cultured in Hull, I led the delivery of this project across the two locations, working closely with the artists and partners.
The Witching Hour featured a community engagement project which took place over two nights to audiences of around 400 in the communities near to the parks. The Witching Hour performances took place over three nights in each park location to a total audience of 18,000 people.
ENCHANTED PARKS
Creative Producer
Enchanted Parks is Gateshead's innovative after-dark arts adventure for everyone. Taking place in midwinter, Enchanted Parks provides an unusual and playful artistic experience for a very broad audience.
Having been part of Enchanted Parks in a number of roles since 2009, I was appointed as Creative Producer for the 2018 event.
In this role I worked with creative writer, Susan Mulholland to develop the written narrative - The House of Lost and Found - into a magical world that the event's audience would immerse themselves in, through a trail of artworks sited along a one-way route through Gateshead’s Saltwell Park after-dark.
I creatively led this project working closely with artists, performers, production, event management, marketing and all departments to create a magical and coherent experience for an audience of 30,000 people over six nights.
Land of Green Ginger
Hull UK City of Culture 2017 - Producer
Land of Green Ginger was Hull 2017’s flagship community engagement project; a citywide project which took the highest quality work into the neighbourhoods outside of the city centre and actively engaged with the previously least engaged residents.
Residents were invtied to immerse themselves in a magical citywide story, inspired by and celebrating the spirit of Hull. Six Acts of Wanton Wonder transformed communities into places of wonder, delight, magic and possibility. In june 2018 the seventh and final Act of Wanton Wonder was delivered to every resident in Hull - a beautifully illustrated storybook delivered to 120,000 households telling the story of Land of Green Ginger through the experiences of people whose lives were touched by the magic of the project.
As Lead Producer of Land of Green Ginger working with Hull Uk City of Culture 2017, I led the on all aspects of the project working with a project team in the delivery of six individual artist projects, the overarching narrative which linked them, and the creation and development of the Land of Green Ginger book.
Land of Green Ginger presented a mixture of high quality large-scale spectacle performances, along with more durational interactive installations in and for the communities located outside of Hull’s city centre.
Land of Green Ginger attracted audiences of 100,000 people through the year, with participation from approximately 1,500 local people.
EAST DURHAM CREATES PROGRAMME
Producer
East Durham creates is a Creative People and Places organisation. In this role I produced three projects as part of the 2016 programme, working on behalf of the programme producers, Forma Arts and Media.
The three projects were:
VoiceOver by Umbrellium
A cutting-edge art project developed by Umbrellium and produced by Forma with local people as part of East Durham Creates. 34 residents in Horden, East Durham volunteered to become VoiceOver Hosts, displaying a Light Antenna on their homes with a Radio Box inside. People were invited to communicate with each other through the radio boxes, and the light antennas on the houses lit up and broadcast live as voices passed through and round the streets.
From Out a Darker Sea by Sō Percussion and Amber Film & Photography Collective
A piece of music and performance created for and inspired by the people of East Durham, commissioned by East Durham Creates and produced by Forma Art.
Four-Piece ensemble, Sō Percussion, are based in Brooklyn, New York. They have gained international recognition for their original compositions, percussion performances and education projects.
The group spent time with local people, worked with students from East Durham College and collaborated with Amber Films on a new work, Song for Billy, which grew out of Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen’s The Coal Coast photographs. This unique event, inspired by the area, combined live music, visual art and film featuring personal memories of the past and hopes for the future.
The Pan Hag Field Kitchen by Gayle Chong Kwan
The Pan Hag Field Kitchen, hosted by artist Gayle Chong Kwan, included traditional craft activities, guided walks of the area and a vote for the region’s favourite pan haggerty recipe, in the first ever Pan Hag Championship.
Pan haggerty, also known as panaculty or panack, is a traditional regional dish made with potatoes, meat and cheese. It was a favourite amongst miners and there are many variations on the recipe.
Local residents voted for their favourite pan haggerty recipe at this event celebrating the North East’s traditional food and crafts which took place on the former Easington Colliery pit site on Saturday 1 October 2016.