New App inspires Shallal Dance Theatre performance at Penlee House this Friday 21st.
The last few months has seen the testing of a new heritage app developed by West
Cornwall media social enterprise, awen productions CIC, with different groups of people.
Walkabout West Cornwall app, now in its final stages of testing, explores approx. 5,000
years of social history locating the fine art and other artifacts of Penlee House Gallery
and Museum within the local landscape. Shallal Dance Theatre company have been
one of the groups who have thoroughly enjoyed immersing themselves in new app
technology as it brought the surrounding environment and objects to life. They have
visited the collection at Penlee House where director Louise Connell gave them a special
view of ‘Among the Missing’, a powerful and evocative painting by Walter Langley,
which forms the springboard for a new dance piece. The app also inspired Shallal to
get out and about to Newlyn Bridge, near where they rehearse, to see where Harold
Harvey painted his version of the bridge in 1906. ‘The Breadwinners’, the iconic ‘The
Rain it Raineth’, The Mermaid’s Chair at Zennor, and a photograph of the Breaches buoy
also inform and provide the catalyst for this new series of work by Shallal which will be
performed at Penlee on Friday 21st between 11am and 11.30am.
Joe Willis, Creative Director of Shallal says, “We are delighted to be involved in this
project and look forward to sharing the work with a wider audience. I was surprised by
the interest and passion everyone in the company brought to the work from the myriad
of images and information to choose from on the marvellous app. We have really enjoyed
discovering and on the way everyone has learnt more about the art, culture and the
environment of our home/area."
Joining Shallal is local musician George Bradley-Peers, whose wonderful and evocative
improvisations form the backbone to the work, all spontaneously improvised to the event,
the short performances contain a range of humour, style and emotion.
Barbara Santi, director of awen productions, “As well as this innovative way of testing
our app we have been to Mounts Bay School where students from the Arts Award group
have been making short films about local history as a response to using Walkabout West
Cornwall app as an educational resource.” The short films will also be on display at
Penlee on the 21st.
Walkabout West Cornwall app will be available to the public for free in the new year. For
more information go to www.awen.org.uk.
awen productions CIC is a community interest company based in Cornwall. It is a
production company with a strong social agenda. Barbara Santi is a founder director.
