Working timetable for Back Lane West

Dear Artists,

I'm temporarily unable to log in to our Shallal Studios website blog which is where i usually post our Back Lane West Schedule so far, so am using this blog for it; 

yet to be.....
Illustration - Jo and Artists
Book edit - Jo and Matt 
Sign Language book research - Demelza 
some of these might be off site
Big Painting Day/s - EY artists, Miles, Barry....
Sharing/s

1 October
so excited for second exploratory light workshop with Pete Freeman
George - music 
Sam - design and movement
Colin - design, making and movement 
Clare - photography
and maybe Kerry T (movement)
Jo - creative director
2
3 Colin, Barry and Eddie expressive painting
4 Alexandra
5 Alexandra 
6 Alexandra 
7 Alexandra ?
8 Jo In 11-2 Illustration R&D Sam and George cancelled ( George at XR - thank you George, Matt also there )
9
10
11
12
13
14 Phoebe and Toby exploring puppetry workshop with ......
15 Phoebe and Toby exploring puppetry -happy to have others come along this week, Sam and George
16 Phoebe and Toby exploring puppetry - Lou exploring animation time tbc
17 Phoebe and Toby exploring puppetry 
     - Colin overflow into studio Big painting with Tina, Sam, Pam, Janice?
18 Phoebe and Toby exploring puppetry
19
20
21 Eddie and Stewart
22 Sam and George, Pete, Star, Jo lighting R&D collaboration again
23
24
25 Colin with Sally and Zoe, Toby? (Jo, Luke, Peter visiting?)
26 Event 3-6 Presentation and showing of Light R&D and discussion
27
28 Kerry J and Mel - springboard from last time expressive abstract painting into...
29 Kerry J and Mel, Sam and George
30 Kerry J and Mel
31 could be free .....could be clearing out ....could be Colin and ....

Culture Declares Emergency 2pm Friday London and a ramble on HOPE

This Friday Shallal Dance Theatre, Out There ( from the Liskeard group) Continuum Dance and Thomas Remnant are dancing! 
Our way to a new future, we HOPE!
HOPE is a much underused word and definitely you don't put it in funding applications: it is too sensitive for that but also maybe too poetic, beautiful ( uncontrollable ) ...you have to be concrete: plan, achieve, aim.Hope maybe to waiting for something to land and actually humble not quite knowing where that will be or how we get there, Providence might provide a better way, one we never planned of, maybe dreamed?
Greta Thunberg and the School Strikes are HOPE and providence, did we ever see a young person standing up and HOPING like this and calling us all to account! and so we hope and dream but also concretely plan to achieve - i have learnt from funding applications! - we need both HOPE and ACTION.

Fantastic to see the 
 National Theatre, Tate and Southbank Centre joined forces for the first time to make their voices heard and make demands on their management for urgent climate action.
and my sons new school's weekly newsletter announces it has  has signed up to the A Green Charter for Cornish schools declaring a Climate Emergency.


i wanted to share this:

Also on Friday at Culture Declares Emergency  2pm at Trafalgar Square.... we can't be there but we have hope and action combined now so we all have to do something....

The Global Climate Strike last Friday was the biggest environmental protest in human history. 4 million young people and adults took to the streets demanding climate justice now.

Here in the UK, arts and culture workers from the National Theatre, Tate and Southbank Centre joined forces for the first time to make their voices heard and make demands on their management for urgent climate action.

Our times are turning.

This Friday, on the day of international Earth Strike and the final day of the Global Climate Strike, the arts and culture sector takes to the streets again. This time to ask 'What Next?' Beyond striking, how can we - together - envision and start building the future we need, for the sake of the planet and all its inhabitants? 

As Oscar Wilde wrote in 1891, "a map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail."

Part of that voyage is not just talking and writing about the future we want - but building it as we go. 

Hear Caroline Lucas MP directly call on all artists to light the way as she reads her own Letter to the Earth. In response to her call there will be a range of speakers from across music, design, poetry, community arts, theatre and environmental campaigning who will share their stories of change and sow the seeds for a regenerative future for all to take part in.

There will be the opportunity to meet others and share your stories, ideas and visions with each other.

Come and be inspired before we join the Strike!

One of my reasons to HOPE is how all ages and those with support needs are considered and included in the Climate action, XR, School strikes etc it is in my hope for the future! and it warms my heart to have everyone on board along with a practice of no blame culture.

PS
Just read....a day later....
 "If it can give one gift, it would not be hope, but courage."
https://www.passionofheart.co.uk/room-of-no-exit/foreword/
foreward to Jamie Morans book.

Greta Thunberg has courage. 

Our new studio is beginning to burgeon full of life - thank you to all the team - and Back Lane West is setting and confirming it's dates..a really busy season, and full on fun on Friday working with Pete and stepping into a bright and beautifully lit unknown as one scales down possibilities and gets very excited. Such a pleasure when people approach us to collaborate to mesh the combined visions and develop something in simplicity and strength, hopefully.

Pete's lights in the corner of the hall at St Erth.

Next penultimate Embodied Space at Liskerett Centre...
Luke took photos at Embodied Space, Trereife House/Gardens
one of my favourites:

Debs, Pep, Justin, Zoe, Colin and Star

a few comments...

A nice part of an email from Lucy 'Lights'
...
I heard Shallal were doing a beautiful performance with the Paraorchestra at Asylum last week. 
I was at Kneehigh barns working with dancer Emily Alden. https://www.kneehigh.co.uk/affection-uniqueness-and-curiosity/
 The Charles Hazelwood & the Paraorchestra team came back Friday evening saying how lovely it was; the nicest show & warmest welcome they'd had since performing in Australia I think he said.
....

Love to all the team

Xxx Lucy

Demelza and I are keen to see Emily's show https://www.emilyalden.com/inmyhead

and so are Lois and Tom who are doing great work which keeps returning to and gaining source and inspiration from Tom's poetry, role on Poetic Places! My new 'to do' list item...

Studio filling up, Back Lane West timetabling in and one more show to go, lots to share! and Shallal 2 show has such potential but i need to get running order sorted now or last week!

Early start, Elephant Queen on Apple tv, lighting, attitude, solar 'little sun' studio and BLW spaces

Up early, autumn time!
and Colin time as 2 'larks', i'm often curious to his timetable start routine as I am to my brothers ( Mark, Elephant Queen see below).
Both often start earlier than i have been.
Loving working on a laptop again and by the light of a solar 'little sun' i can now creep easily around the early morning home without turning lights on and off.
This mornings early admin, I think half of it is i want my family time and my day with some potential for choice and can't accept giving it all to admin... It originally started due to children and their needing me when awake, so computer stuff was 5-7am, but it leaks in and also then is in your head all day?!
Anyway this is a ramble as all much better now most of my admin is creative, people related, thanks to Hennie, Matt and Lou. THANK YOU!

photo by George
When the Moon was calling upon the bay...

So inspired to find this:
Just like Universal design, my heart warms when someone expresses some thing of what i feel...​

I love working with artistic people whose sense of humour is bigger than their egos, and who want the journey to be as good as the destination.

from https://www.cqlighting.co.uk/about-cq-lighting we are hoping to work with dear Lucy Lights ( Gaskell) on our new project 2020.

I'm off on a 'to do' list for planning our next Shallal Dance Theatre project POETIC PLACES and I am enthused and learning so much from our current one Embodied Space.

I just want to do it for years, which we will! - hoping the offer from Kneehigh will come through for Asylum next year. Hope to return to Eden, hope to build a small performance outreach 'paid' group, so we can extend our reach.

"Paid" is a peculiar and difficult one when your income is benefits which it would be for some of our potential performers with support needs....we are researching it..any suggestions welcome.

Excited to work with Pete this Friday, another look at lighting.

Just remembered this so pleased for them and excited the film finally leaves home and more of the public can see it!

Elephant Queen out on Apple TV November 1.

https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2019/09/apple-tv-launches-november-1-featuring-originals-from-the-worlds-greatest-storytellers/

meanwhile our broody hen sits on guinea fowl eggs, thanks to Mark ( my brother )! passing on 7 from their clutch of 30 eggs! will they hatch??

Missing Anna's artistic eye and photos for Instagram. 

https://www.instagram.com/anna__sophronia/?hl=en

However Luke has taken some good photos so might have to pass it on.

Anna was wanting to get to Back Lane West must check in with her.

Time table filling: contact us for spaces in BLW or studio

culture declares emergency, Olafur Elliasson,studio

Culture declares emergency

https://www.iconeye.com/design/news/item/13322-culture-declares-climate-emergency-expands

Olafur Eliasson Retrospective.

If you can't see his show watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaYdmuG_0Rw

one of the most formative art exhibitions i have ever seen, my older children have visited 2 or 3 times! I bought the catalogue and i will be processing it and it will inform my thinking. I'm adding it to coffee and chat it ranks equal alongside last years Mary Oliver's poetry.


 and the cheapest place i have found to buy The little sun online is....
https://ethicalshop.org/little-sun-solar-light.html


Embodied Space
Thank you to Eddie, Karen Harrington and Luke for photos at the weekend.
With film set up by George and photos sent in from Angie.

Shallal Studio
the dream is to have a bustling vibrant studio with artists of different styles, mediums and genres working in the shared space and it's beginning to fill its timetable and to have artists who want to have semi residence, particularly excited and pleased to have trustees Barry and Alexandra interested in this aspect and looking forward to deeper chats about it. 
Tomorrow we have our business meeting there then i have a meeting with Alexandra, and i plan to go in next Monday with George and Eddie.

The Nature of Why, Para Orchestra and Caroline Bowditch ...the concept of Universal Design

Last night 12 of us went to see The Nature of Why
https://www.kneehigh.co.uk/shows/the-nature-of-why/
Thank you to all our friends at Kneehigh what a wonderful gift.
I haven't seen anything that good or engaging since Wolfgang's work!
The joy of being immersed in live music and dancers around you, and so well done, sensitive engaging, including and so much to say about it.
 I had read about Caroline Bowditch the choreographer before and had heard the excitement with which Anna ( Murphy) talked about Charles Heywood and the Para Orchestra..http://paraorchestra.com/

Im just following threads from looking up Caroline's work and have found links to:

Design for All[edit]

The term Design for All (DfA) is used to describe a design philosophy targeting the use of products, services and systems by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation. "Design for All is design for human diversity, social inclusion and equality" (EIDD Stockholm Declaration, 2004). According to the European Commission, it "encourages manufacturers and service providers to produce new technologies for everyone: technologies that are suitable for the elderly and people with disabilities, as much as the teenage techno wizard."^[8] The origin of Design for All^[9] lies in the field of barrier free accessibility for people with disabilities and the broader notion of universal design. 

So great we are on the page and thread we have been following..!

It's what i've been working on in our small way and path.......I visited America when i was 16 and about 21  and was so impressed by beauiful new build accessible public buildings...at that time i had seen nothing similar in the UK.. 

from Caroline Bowditchs page: http://www.disabilityartsinternational.org/artists/profiles/caroline-bowditch/

These workshops will introduce Principles of Universal Design in dance and performance pioneered by Jürg Koch at the University of Washington, Seattle. Instead of a disability specific approach of ‘adapting’ movement to suit individuals, this approach allows everyone in the class to work with the same principles and use them in a way that works for them and allows them to push themselves.

Yay, that is what we have been working on....

And then Tinas birthday her photo is on instagram!

the final dance of The Nature of Why ,the dancer in the centre of the piece chose her as his partner! see instagram for Colin's photo

and thank you to Eden for a great day ....

leave that for another episode.

film of dances by Sapphire Sumpter and the start of a new term - so much going on....

Film by Sapphire Sumpter

Such a lovely serendipitous meeting when Anna and i went to hear Theo Clinkard talk at CAST Helston, https://www.emilyalden.com/mw12events/2019/theo-talk
we met Saffy and Nigel who live in Helston and we knew through home ed many moons ago.
Saffy is currently on a BA at Rambert
https://www.rambertschool.org.uk/degrees/fdba-degree/ and has just sent me a link to her choreography and performance. We were talking about what Shallal Dance Theatre had been doing and my love of Gorecki's 'Sorrowful Songs' and how we used it on the beach at Trebah Gardens ( previous blog photo)

"I attach a link to the video of my piece to Gorecki’s Symphony no.3 and Audiomachine’s Farewell to Earth.
It was chosen to be performed in May by Dance4 and Serendipity as part of a two week long dance festival called Lets Dance International Frontiers, and was shown at the Curve, Leicester."
https://youtu.be/MKtVokpoRgM

Then the final shared information was that she was going to study with someone called Wolfgang in London!
( Wolfgang Stange of Amici my old dance teacher, https://amicidance.org/about/drop2-2)
So pleased for her and look forward to chatting when she is next home in Cornwall.

Below our new poster for Embodied Space.

It has been a pleasure having meetings with Lou and Phoebe towards the Studio and to stand in for Debs at Express Yourself this week, such an enjoyable creative group. Barry is back from summer travels so we plan to have supper soon to chat over Studio and life!

Oli has given us a belfast sink and Colin will build a structure, then the studio is all ready to go.

Look out for Fun Palace Krowji 5 October and Open Studios as times to visit!

Saturday 5^th October 10am-1pm  annual Fun Palace at Krowji event.

Krowji Christmas Open Studios will take place on 29^th November – 1^st December, starting at 5pm on Friday 29^th and continuing over the Saturday & Sunday daytimes.

Do follow our instagram for regular visual updates on projects and behind the scenes Shallal stories.

https://www.instagram.com/shallalarts/

Shallal 2's rehearsal just determining the music for their show, which is also on Saturday 5 October, was reassuring and inspiring, with so much on these 2 weeks, its been great to return to the actual work - not just planning - and see the standard of work and peoples creativity.

At the end of the Liskeard group yesterday Thomas ( Remnant) and Lois ( Taylor) were able to show their duet to his mother, who can't make the show on the 27th, another inspiring and beautiful piece. Their movement qualities are so compatible and comfortable together.

On a behind the scenes note i hope to travel by train to Liskeard in the future as i love my day out there but don't enjoy the drive home and it's not very green, and up until this term i have often given lifts.

As usual this blog is part to share information and part distraction, this time from finally clearing out last photos of the imac so Anna can take it to London with her for her art degree. She leaves tomorrow, we drive up together - part of why i'm sooo busy for 2 weeks!

I am about to trial using the Shallal macbook, it initially felt a bit confined to downsize! but i am now excited to use something light weight and portable again, and we have internet at our new spaces - a mixed blessing but - should help!

Finally Back Lane West timetable being consolidated and out soon!

Good to start the new year with so many wonderful creative projects and people involved and now just have to fund the rent for our Krowji Studio after November....

Notes from CPD with Harry Theaker re Embodied Space

Harry's feedback conversation

Colin and I gathered around a computer, with our mobile mobile phones to ascertain how to have the best conversation with Harry miles away 'up north.'
It took a while to find a time, but it was so worth it, 
we tend to just do and unconsciously, intuitively agree so it's good to see the differences and give time to look at the fine things, the subtleties and learn from each others perspective and reflection.

Notes from CPD mentoring by Harry Theatre with Jo and Colin July 2019

Tons of stuff

A sense of an invitation with something thats like a little bit rare..unique opportunity to play with others “ playful space”

Unfolding possibilities, potential locating oneself in that context as life generally not like that

People present without judgment in their uniqueness poetry

“Process as Performance”

..not relying on overly defining

Love working with loose structures

“richly energised space”

”really powerful”

( who gets the mic? which voice do you follow)

Energising present 

Not known 

Reset  the Space

Jo - How would you describe it?

“Completely indescribable. See it for yourself”

Hallmarks

How much sensitivity people have for each other

How much care,

 as well as carefreeness

….something we don’t often see

…( perform, care world around us)

..love in the room

‘positive regard’

Everybody shining

no-one over influencing

Zero Balancing -

present, get out the way enough

Safe Surprises

With it challenges events, predicaments

‘a live space’

Takes you into a heart space

…including conversation in the performance

Narrator to the audience ( Colin has done with Daniela etc)

Audience conversation

Starting with bang and letting it deconstruct

Playing with Dynamics

- discussion re improv ideas in rehearsal/practice time

Positive collaboration