Elemental

Simon Chatterton, an Oxford-based independent producer focusing on outdoor arts, music, visual theatre, circus and site specific performance seeks a flexible, independent assistant with proven arts administration and project management skills to support a range of festivals, events and artists projects in the UK and internationally.

For full job description click here.

For more details on applying for this role contact simon@simonchatterton.co.uk

By Helga Henry, General Manager of Fierce Earth Ltd, Producer of Elemental and Chair of Creative Republic.

Inspired by elemental and the exploration of outdoor work, Helga Henry - General Manager of Fierce Earth and Producer of Elemental, produced this article for the Birmingham Post published on the 7th June 2009 - you can find it here!

Ever since 1998, the month of May finds me on the sunny streets of Birmingham, sampling the weird and wonderful delights of the annual Fierce! Festival. And although there is no festival this year, last Friday was no exception.

As part of the 2009 “for one year only” programme, Fierce! and our partners at Ikon Gallery presented the iconoclastic performer, Reverend Billy. Self-styled anti capitalist preacher (he exorcises the tills at Tescos containing “Wall Street funny money”) he gave a blistering free performance in Oozells Square with his funky backing singers, the Gospel Choir of Life After Shopping. Opposite the headquarters of the RBS, his giant quiff quivered to the message that what we spend our money on has an effect on the climate, our jobs and homes, in fact on the whole world.

Hundreds of people gathered to hear the word of the Reverend. Still more happened upon him by chance. From the clapping, cheering, whooping and dancing of the crowd, everyone had a good time.

Art in the streets is uplifting and democratic. There’s the chance that people will stumble upon something to make them laugh, cry or gasp. As an audience gathers, they share reactions, jokes and vantage points. They connect. The critic Lyn Gardner said of The Sultan’s Elephant that this work “turns a million strangers into a community.”

Same in Liverpool’s capital of culture, where grandmothers, toddlers and all ages in between waited for half a day for a good view of La Machine’s giant mechanical Spider as it paraded the streets with its live orchestra perched atop cherry-picker cranes.

Grand artistic gestures funded by public money may seem unnecessarily splashy in the current climate. But everything is relative.

Given the community cohesion this work promotes (it’s been proven that crime reduces during events rather than proliferates) and City promoting media attention it generates, they constitute good value for money. Some previous Fierce! highlights such as the Great Swallow (Benjamin Verdonck’s giant nest on the side of the Rotunda) or the much acclaimed Street pianos (15 pianos in community settings emblazoned with “Play Me, I’m Yours”) were produced for the public money equivalent of two duck houses, a moat and some manure. Or a fraction of 1% of what we’ve spent to bail out a bank like the RBS.

Play Me I’m Yours has, from its Birmingham beginning, has taken place in Sydney, Australia, Sao Paolo, Brazil and is now hogging media attention in London. But the city, and Fierce! had it first. The region has some great unusual spaces to see great performance – check out Soweto Kinch’s Flyover show under the Soho Road on June 13 if you want to discover it for yourself. Great music in a stunning location.

And bring on Birmingham’s spiders and elephants: they do more good than MP’s manure.

Compiled by Theatre Bristol and Kate Hartoch

Infrastructure:

Circomedia, Theatre Bristol (Creative Producer for Circus and Street Arts), CAST, agencies supplying paid work.

Resources:

The Albany Centre, training space at Artspace Lifespace, Desperate Men studio, Circus Maniacs

Funds:

Bristol City Council Key Art Providers, Arts Council England, South West Relevant commissions from Bristol Harbour Festival, The Bristol Do and Theatre Bristol/ Bristol Old Vic.

Ramshacklicious

Bristol Artists making work for outdoor contexts and contemporary circus include:

The Wonder Club, Acrojou, Desperate Men, Tom Marshman, Cirque Bijou, Stickleback Plasticus, Marc Conway, Ramshackiliscious, Invisible Circus, Fair Play, Frenetic Engineering, Above and Beyond, Once Arts and Ceremonies, Bongo Bolero, Luci Gorrell-Barnes, Pickled Image.

Important Festivals:

The Bristol Do, Bristol Harbour Festival, Mayfest, Glastonbury Festival

Strengths:

Needs:

This was sent to elemental by Kate at Theatre Bristol following the elemental event in the South West, to find out more about the South West look at the South West page or click here.

Ali founded Kinetika in 1997, and is creator of the Imagination Our Nation idea, which she has creatively led from conception to delivery to date. Ali has directed and designed all of Kinetika’s productions including Roads To Freedom, Din Shiru, Yemanja and Tiger Out East.

She has worked internationally with WOMAD, The Callaloo Company in Trinidad for the Atlanta Olympics Opening Ceremonies, the Carnival of Human Rights, Johannesburg, the Kumasi Carnival, Ghana and the Solstice Parade, Seattle, Attakkalari Centre of Performing Arts, Bangalore. In Britain she designed 3 winning bands for Notting Hill Carnival in 1998, 1999 and 2004 as well as designing costumes for the opening of the Millennium Dome.

About Kinetika:

Kinetika has 10 years experience in the design, production and performance of extraordinary shows that retain the essence of carnival whilst telling a story, working as a team of professional artists alongside young people.

Imagination Our Nation

An exploration of our cultural identity, belonging and citizenship over five years using music, dance and outdoor performance; led by Kinetika, working with 5 co-producers and many more delivery partners across the UK.

To book onto Quest please click here.

On Thursday 7th May, ‘elemental’ in the East Midlands took place at the ACE Offices in Nottingham, welcoming the regions officers, Local Authorities, organisations and artists alike.

Starting with an introduction from the regions champion Jayne Quantrill, she laid out the timeline for key developments within the sector up until New Landscapes was published in 2007.

Orit Azaz facilitated the setting of scene asking three questions:

What do we mean by circus and street arts, in the context of outdoor arts?

What are the contexts in which this work is produced and presented?

What structures are needed to support the development of this work?

Frank Wilson, Director of Stockton International Riverside Festival and Event International, was keynote speaker and picked up the regions key themes around commissioning of new work. He detailed his background and the development of Stockton, and Frank has been commissioning for 15 years. He also raised questions about public space:

‘Public arts invokes nightmarish associations of every traffic roundabout decorated with a sculpture, every small square embellished with its own fountain, every blind wall covered with a mural — a crowding of the public space with superfluous pieces of art of dubious value through the zealous engagement of urban planners, city bureaucrats and commission-hungry artists….
The main risk of public art projects is that they become possible only through a series of compromises among the stakeholders and yet, art that is meant to please everyone usually turns into most bland sort of kitsch.’ Dragan Klaic, From Circostrada’s publication ‘Arts in the Urban Space: Contemporary Creation as a Tool’

Frank’s presented in a conversational style encouraging questions and discussion from the delegates. Talking about his commissioning experience and identifying national and international models, but highlighting a common theme from all the events so far that the work in the sector requires: collaboration, communication and a network of advocates outside of the sector. Lyn Gardner’s keynote speech had resonance in the message of Frank’s presentation, quoting her in two sections:

“The Sultan’s Elephants reclaimed the streets as a place where people can play and dream.”

Frank was followed by a session to discuss best practice for commissioners and to possibly contribute to a commissioner’s toolkit to which key themes emerged:

The notes, ideas and possibilities are endless in this emerging region.

Full notes and presentation will be available soon.

Were you at the event? Even if you weren’t please share your thoughts…

La Machine, Liverpool 2008. Photo Matthew Andrews

With outdoor arts at the forefront of our minds we recently attended the ‘Along came a Spider…’ conference on the Wed 6th May at the Bluecoat in Liverpool.

Arriving at 9.30 for the opening there was an air of anticipation about what the day will hold. Helen Marriage and Nicky Webb from Artichoke were introduced by Phil Redmond giving a comprehensive background of their relationship and the set up of the Artichoke pre-Sultan’s Elephant, and the experience of a new commission for Liverpool as Capital of Culture.

Followed by a series of breakout sessions, I chose Weaving a Web which explored the communication strategy for La Machine providing insight into partnerships with local and national media, choices for print and online and the importance of word of mouth (or as it became clear word-of-mobiles).

Outdoor Arts in Context saw Fiona Gasper from Liverpool 08, Stella Hall from Culture10, and Bill Gee from Bill Gee Associates talk about the current context for Outdoor Arts based on their experiences and organisations. Fiona dynamically talked about the importance of the strand of the outdoor work in the Liverpool 08 programme and the importance of one-off spectacles such as La Machine for the Capital of Culture.

Stella drew from her personal experience and looked specifically at her role within Culture10 in Newcastle-Gateshead, giving her approach to programming and funding outdoor work, “fewer, bigger, better” and “Great artists in great locations”, but not forgoing the new cultural economy in recession, urging us to continue to support and encourage innovative and inspirational practice.

Bill Gee, our friend, talked about his experience of producing Inside Out in the beautiful setting of Dorset and linking rural and urban activities, and emphasising the importance of partnerships.

Questions included themes such as artistic quality, the rural agenda, audiences, sustenance and legacy.

The closing plenary saw the introduction of the Impacts08 research by Dr. Beatriz Garcia, the opportunities arising with 2012 and the Paralympics from Bill Morris and Mick Elliot, Director of Culture from DCMS.

It was an interesting day with a range of delegates from peers in the sector, funders and individuals that opened up the processes of bringing the Spider to Liverpool and sharing lessons learned from a new commission with peers, a clear model for best practice.

X.TRAX is an organisation based in Manchester that runs a range of events and projects designed to promote and support the UK street arts and performance sector.

Acrojou 'Dust'

This year the X.Trax showcase will take place on 5th & 7th June 2009 in Manchester.

The X.trax showcase, presented in association with Manchester International Arts, offers a fantastic opportunity for artists, promoters and programmers to see a huge range of outdoor performance whilst networking with colleagues from the UK and overseas.

2009 Performance highlights Include:

Walk the Plank - Le Jardin Flambee

For anyone involved in outdoor performance this is an essential opportunity to see new work and network with others in the sector www.xtrax.org.uk

Boni 'Insitu'

Free registration for ISAN members

THE X.TRAX VIRTUAL SHOWCASE

Xtrax hosts the only FREE online virtual showcase of street artists and promoters. It features:

Oko Sokolo 'Living Room'. Photo: Gerard Wijnands

Ajay Chabbra was a Guest Speaker at the London Vision event which hosted ‘elemental’ for the region at the London Offices of Arts Council England.

About Ajay Chhabra, Director of Nutkhut

Ajay Chhabra is an actor and director whose work can be seen outdoors in public spaces, inside theatres, on television and film and on radio.

He is a director of his own company, nutkhut (mischievous), a leading London-based creative organisation working nationally and internationally which combines theatre, dance, music, circus and film, to create imaginative, witty and visually stunning performances and installations with a popular appeal. He completed an Arts Council Directors Bursary with physical theatre specialist David Glass and has worked with designer Keith Khan, comedy director Cal McCrystal and live art wiz Tatsuo Miyajima.

He made his debut as an actor in Untouchable in 1989 (Riverside Studios); He played Sidney in Kafka’s Dick (not as writer Alan Bennett, expected!) and made his West End debut in Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink. For television he has appeared as India’s first Prime Minister and is familiar as the demented and stingy café shop owner, Anil, in the children’s cult classic, The Basil Brush Show. His many film credits include Anita and Me and a guest appearance in ‘Bend it Like Beckam’. He has worked on BBC Radio 3 and 4, including The Archers (as a visiting vicar!) and their Schools Radio programme, Come to Kochi, which he presented from Kerala, India.

Ajay is of Indo-Fijian heritage and was born in London and raised in Kent. He trained as an Hotelier in the UK and Austria before embarking on a career in the arts. He studied Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London and Hotel Management at the University of North London, completing his training in Austria. He has worked in all aspects of the Hotel Industry, ranging from international chains to boutique hotels.

Current Projects include a new television series for the BBC ‘Planet Ajay”, development of Birmingham Town Hall’s 175th Anniversary with mass dance participation and a ‘Stilts and Character Training Scheme’ involving young people form all the Olympic boroughs in London.

He is a board director and trustee of Visiting Arts and founder chair of the European Mela Network.

Here is a couple of bulletpoints about Ajay’s presentation:

Were you at the London event? Have you seen Nutkhut’s work?

Please use this posts or any related posts to make comments generally or about the event, speakers and themes that emerged…make it a place for discussion!

By Jayne Quantrill, Arts Council England (East Midlands): Assistant Officer, Theatre and Music and Regional Champion.

While the East Midlands has not traditionally been seen as a focal point for outdoor performance, over the last few years there have been a few events and initiatives that have aimed to change that perspective,

Local Authorities are essential partners in the development of street arts, in many cases driving much of the activity within this sector and that is true here in the East Midlands

While other East Midlands events have demonstrated a commitment to programming outdoor performance:

Arts Council East Midlands commitment to outdoor performance has helped regional artists to develop new work and supported regional festivals to attract people to outdoor arts events and brought the wonder of outdoor arts to the wider public

There is still a fair way to go before the East Midlands can boast the infrastructure of other regions, but there are some jewels in the crown both established and emerging - some of those Regional Artists, Companies and Festivals involved in outdoor work are as follows: (Full details are available here)

And further exciting developments are still to come…Watch this space for the new “SO” festival. East Lindsey District Council and Arts Council England are at the planning stage of developing a major regular festival for Skegness on the East Coast of Lincolnshire which aims to include outdoor performances – street Theatre & large scale processions, as one of 3 planned strands of activity for the event. So2009 will be staged as a single days worth of activity on July 25th acting as a taster for the full festival event starting in 2010 (So2010) and occurring as a biennale thereafter.

An extended version of this overview is available in pdf format here.

By Nell Bailey, Assistant Officer Theatre & Regional Champion.

Outdoor work has grown in stature and importance in the West Midlands over the past few years. Our smaller outdoor festivals have, with Arts Council support and the enthusiasm and skill of the people driving the projects, developed and grown in both artistic quality and audience numbers. Some examples of this are as follows:-

Shrewsbury International Street Festival draws huge crowds by programming some of the top national and international audiences.

Dynamics Bi-annual puppetry festival also draws interesting International companies into the regions to diverse venues with new audiences.

Last year the International Mask festival was for the first time leading the field nationally with a fascinating programme of mask work and workshops again encourage both local and national companies to work together.

Playbox’s planned new outdoor space the big top will bring a different audience a new experience to Warwickshire and enable the company to explore new work in a new setting.

The region continues to grow and be enlivened by new work and new passions. When exciting work is to be seen people will come to watch

All these events have been or still are being funded through Grants for the Arts and are the culmination of years of work and research proving that from little acorns large oaks can grow!

To view the invite to the West Midlands event please click here or visit the West Midlands page.