What is the place for the artists voice?

 What is the place for the artists voice?

many times in Shallal the people we know and work with carry really hard times of pain and distress, this is part of the human condition, no-one is exempt from it...but those who are more vulnerable, have less advocacy, maybe strained support and care often suffer intensely and are unheard.

What is the artists voice? we are not managers, organisers, administrators, policy makers etc ( some have both skills, are bilingual, but many of us aren't )what is the point of the artist: shouting, making a noise, asking questions, sitting in protest,  saying this is not ok, things need to change, is it shouting into the wind...?

I think there is a place and need for all of us and the artists voice is often like an early warning system the people who are more vulnerable, hyper sensitive, outsiders, alternatives, are often 'the canary in the mine' the ones who point out what the managers and others need to know is coming, is rumbling on the edges and about to rock or shake the whole.

We can't advocate but we can try to show, we can't argue but we can be here, we can be here showing and sharing, art, community and care for each other within the safer walls of art, creativity, we can make spaces of apprecitation for each others gifts, collaboration and as JJ reminded me Fun! we can have fun together, nor ignoring the pain and the suffering, but not saying it is everything, there is always more and there is always beauty care even in the darkest hours, so heres to artists as a voice and space in our society and community.

Just been listening to Beirut 

Just reminded of Sammy's new album do listen to it a powerful voice 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5KdnHd1Vy78C0O4G38cZ05?si=aabf9a972b4e4ebb

Eddie is working on Better Together portraits

1m sq canvases are being completed 

JJ Interviewed me for a mental health podcast - thank you i always learn form conversations

Nick kindly listened to me this morning - he is our trustee safeguarding support - which is where a lot of the above thoughts sprang from.

Deeply moved as ever remembering Wolfgang and enjoyed the edit that Amici made from our podcast

https://amicidance.org/our-story-podcasts?890

CDE 

https://www.culturedeclares.org/cleaning-up-your-funding/

Music/credits from Shallal 2 - Among the Waterlilies

Music from Shallal 2 

Among the Waterlilies

Alone in Kyoto - Air

Fish - Mr Scruff

Ponds - Biggi Hilmars

River Flows In You - Yiruma

A Japanese in Paris - Matthias Duplessy

Dancers

Becky, Hannah, Jo, Kirstie, Maddie, Miles and Will

words by Jo Lumber 

makaton by Will

All dances are spontaneous choreography/open improvisation ie. created in the moment by the dancers

creative director - Jo W

Thank you to 

Associate artists - Jo L and Hannah

Admin and more - Henny Boex

Families and friends, supporters, trustees and the Tolmen Centre, especially Sally and Rosie

Artwork - Helen

Thank you to Therese

Writing and ...

 Back here!

Just to copy and paste lots of words...

I've been asked to have 4.5K words by end of July, for a chapter of a book by Caroline Frizell.  https://www.gold.ac.uk/mind-body-society/people/frizell-caroline/

It is always surprisingly nice to reflect, and most of my life in work is watching and reflecting ( and being bossy ) and the joy of such lovely people and such creativity.

So i wrote something this morning but rereading it i probably wrote it better somewhere else, so i am very grateful for this blog as somewhere i dumped many musings over the years, and i can come back to.

2K words already via copy and paste

My brother has written a draft book recently and i thought i might ask his help and our chairperson and acting admin Henny Boex is also a great wordsmith, but i think i might just ask Caroline to unravel it into some sense.

I often say i'm reasonable/good at the first 80% but not a finisher, thank you to everyone who helps me tidy things up!

We have two short shows coming up which are more structured than i like to do these days, due to the venue and situation. So that is quietly challenging.

5 -6 dancers holding 20 minutes in Shallal2 and up to 20 dancers holding 10-15 minutes plus words in Shallal Dance Theatre.

https://newlynartgallery.co.uk/activities/passmore-edwards-birthday-celebration-event/

The pressure is to enable people to be seen at their best, they are good, can i do them justice by the creative decisions i make re music etc

They make ongoing creative conversations and decisions in their performing and it was a joy to hear some someone in the session audience recognise and appreciate that recently.

Onwards and upwards...

a joy to be making work on the themes of Helens artwork and her first invited solo show!

We are embracing more Makaton now as we have three dancers who enjoy using it and Becca has offered us help...had such a good chat with her recently https://www.artcentrepenryn.org/woc-rebecca-hulbert

maybe we will do a podcast?

Art work comes on a pace in the studio, lots of good plans for exhibitions and sharings, and Shallal Dance Theatre artists are working large 1m plus canvases. It's been a joy to background support in the Wednesday group run by Amy.

Many of the community groups are growing especially Friends and Dancing now approx 30 participants!

so much of this is due to the security of 3 year funding as well as the friendly facilitators and participants - thank you to Henry Smith Foundation https://supportingcommunities.org/funding-news-1/2025/8/5/henry-smith-foundation-launches-new-together-we-begin-fund

Today was St Pirans Day and in true Cornish fashion the event this Saturday 7 March Open View exhibition and Shallal 2 dance (see posters above) has tea, coffee and cake - thank you to Becky and Maddie and Julie and Annie for offering to help serve this and 

the event at Newlyn Art Gallery on Friday 27th March has free cream teas, first come first served ...so...

nearly finished this ramble and chocolate cake made for Colin and Alisha, who had birthdays this week.

Shallal Dance Theatre eat lunch together ( in a square /circle not on separate tables) and i remember reading that two basic childhood securities are eating around the table with loving family, makes sense.

Eddie's doing some wonderful double portraits hope to share some soon.

Less is More

Less is more.

a ramble about less posting and internet use and thanks to three people who inspired me

card from John Miller - on the death of Peter's father

Christmas card 'Morning .. Mounts Bay' from John Miller

 I was winding down to Christmas, sitting, reflecting for a few moments in the midst of a fairly busy life and household. I don't seek to be busy and am by nature an erratic dreamer...

Less is more.

I have enjoyed blogging somewhere to express ideas share thoughts...it all started by going into ask how to raise funds for Shallal being so green unaware they later told me they all laughed when i left!

Anyway many people know that i say, i now know the map/landscape of funding, but i'm not the best one to drive you there.

They recommended i blog as the background connections and creativity could then be seen - by funders

So, that expanded into social media - I love the connection to other artists work through instagram etc

But i fear we are sinking in it, as we are now in a sea of plastic, it has all the same, if not scarier feelings, single use plastic washed up on the shores of pretty beaches, tidelines full of it in childhood, it felt so wrong, and our use of the internet can be brilliant and helpful and or also often so wrong.

So less is more, i'm getting older ( aren't we all ) 63 soon. I'm so grateful for my life and for being given this work: 

knowing Wolfgang Stange - such heart and beauty and truth ( a yard stick to measure much of life by ) and such a story teller, in London, 

meeting John Miller, Sancreed, Cornwall, on my journey back to Christianity, ( my now husband Peter lived in a chalet in their garden) an entertainer, story teller, artist, soul friend to so many 

and last of all, he is still our priest, Father Benedict Ramsden, story teller, father of 8 and with a household/family which became an extraordinary community still going, he is 87.

So less posting, blogging etc more time for the one thing needful, we hope.

Thanks for reading.

Prayers for Peace and Joy, Now and Always.

Let's keep our eyes on those who are vulnerable, we all are, let's keep looking out for each other and our whole community which includes of course this glorious planet and all who abide here, the whole of creation, interconnected deeper than we know.

THANK YOU

Wolfgang

https://www.onedanceuk.org/news/wolfgang-stange-1947-2024-choreographer-founder-and-director-of-amici-dance-theatre-company

Father Benedict

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/1-april/comment/columnists/angela-tilby-another-side-of-russian-orthodoxy

https://www.comae.org.uk/about-us/our-story/

John Miller

A character of tremendous warmth and humility, John Miller touched the hearts of many, making friends with people from all walks of life. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/art/2005_stories/john_miller.shtml

In the funeral address for John Miller, in Penzance, in August 2002, David Cornwall said that a line of books could not cover the lives his very old and dear friend had led. Incarnations of the deceased had run to special soldier, restauranteur, actor, antiques dealer and architect: but “always, eternally, artist”.

The Cornwell/Le Carré eulogy insisted that a string of biographical volumes aiming to do justice to his late great friend would not include a single dishonourable page. And he concluded:  “We shall never know a better man than John Miller – or a happier one.”

Dame Stephanie, John O'Brien and Happy Christmas

 There is much talk of neuro divergence and then sometimes murmurs of over diagnosing but i haven't met anyone yet who isn't released and helped by knowing and I always mentally thank Dame Stephanie, for her remarkable generousity and heart. Listening to a radio programme with her talking about her son, her breakdown, her philanthropy, was a memorable life experience and i even wrote to her! 

So thank you to all the research she funded, we now know so much more, can support people so much better, can alter and adapt environments and our behaviour and responses to enable people with that sensitivity to participate more easily and fully in society and community.

https://www.steveshirley.com/philanthropy/

She died this August aged 91.

While we are thanking people and their inspiration Nick Fripp our trustee recommended John O'Brien

https://citizen-network.org/about/people/john-obrien

https://citizen-network.org/library/seeing-beyond-the-institution.html

“People are not problems to be solved, but mysteries to inspire wonder.”  

Haopy Christmas and New Year

by Erin

Shallal Studios

It seems i could start each blog with, "there's so much going on" and i just wrote to a friend saying i don't update this blog as much as i used to.

It has and does serve as a good diary/reminder and place to air more detail/opinion at times...

so in pictures...last week...in our external world (as so much goes on each week in just the ongoing sessions and groups!)

hung this exhibition

look forward to 

printed set of 4 donkey postcards by Amy Lawrence

went to

 Shallal artists sold over £200 of original art work to support Flicka

 thank to all, especially Helen and Theresa a phenomenal team of unofficial ambassadors for Shallal at work i watched them in action in awe! and tried to pick up some skills...

Published our newsletter and did BSL with Jan

and from that ...sending off our new book 

which will be on sale at Krowji Open Studios 

Time runs on and so much as i like to chat away i hope this will do for now,

 and do follow our instagram for more images and updates

www.instagram.com/shallalarts

and we have a new podcast,  

Lots to be said on exploring this, and ensuring legacy of what we do,

 especially in creative process and dance improvisation performance and authentic movement and and and ....

and some more podcasts brewing in the background, as we do ground work planning towards a new project. 'Better Together'

Have a good day! the sun is rising in Cornwall, a beautiful deep autumn, early winter, soft flame sky with no wind

oh and large canvases being painted by some Shallal (dance theatre) artists on Friday afternoons - exciting!

'Old and New' Private View Eddie Callis and Kyle Coleman

 

Looking forward to the Private View 2-4 this Friday

At our favourite venue Proper Job Cafe, Krowji, delicious affordable food, friendly supportive people, and large wonderful walls which can hold a range of art work, this time we are hanging two large banners

The event will have background music of recordings of Eddie and Kyles tunes, both are amazing musicians. They are multi art form artists, creatives and good friends.

Both come to a range of Shallal activities including Shallal Dance Theatre, Shallal 2, the Studio and residencies.

'Old and New'
this exhibition shows old and new work by Kyle Coleman and Eddie Callis, two great friends who are both artists and musicians that work with Shallal.
It is the third in our series 'Better Together."
Most of the work is for sale.

🌞Private view 2-4pm Friday 10th October🌞

Weekdays October 9-4
@thegrowboxcafe
@krowji_

Thank you to all who helped especially:
@tonyminnion @curbishleycolin @jacqui.callis @anna__sophronia @thegrowboxcafe

More artists info and price list coming soon!