New favourite review! for Connecting forms Tate St Ives

Tate St Ives commmission for their Winter Festival, 'Together for Change'

 we created 'Connecting Forms'

It's been quite epic and fast and we have loved it.

for the company, 1 R&D day and then only 2 visits dancing in space with art workshops.

On the first performance i was handed a hand written piece of paper with one of our favourite reviews.

When we transferred to a charity and i had to explain what we did and self promote Shallal etc i baulked at it, however we found one way around it which is as often as possible use other peoples reviews so...

thank you for this one:

"Shallal- Beautiful, truthful and very moving, this didn't feel like a 'labelled inclusive performance'

it was grace and expression on the deepest human level, almost spiritual. Totally absorbing."

So we created 'Connecting Forms'

Music live and original with collected soundscape, thanks to Matt Thomason!

Barbara Hepworths recorded voice and Jillys collated sayings of Barbara Hepworth, Debs' evocative poem

All is Spontaneous response/Open Improvisation performance. Please note we do not know what we are doing till we do it, (only one suggestion for Jilly's word and one solo) everything else is totally devised in the moment!

They are impressive - they practice this approach to working together!

and oh we love cross art form work! thank you to Anna for introducing us to this particular gestural style on the paper, we want to do more.

We were pleased with how the collaborative banners turned out - thank you all!

Bobby is commissioned to make a film  from it all - we saw a short extract -beautiful 

and Steve Tanner was there also recording film and photos for the Tate, so we await all these with joy!

We will take away the 4 new collaborative drawings we created and work on them.

Thank you to George for recording some simple phone interviews for Lou and evaluation

I woke up yesterday with ideas for new art pieces project and Anna says she is interested in backdrops and Bunny and Hannah have joined us bringing their skills.

Well done and thank you to all the dancers /artists/performers - always a privelige to work together

and last of all what a space Porthmeor Beach behind us in light, shade and waves and a strange but wonderfully curved gallery with audience above and to the sides - always worth a visit Gallery 8!

Passing on Passmore at Blackwater Village Hall

What a joyous thing to do, like so much of what we plan the back ground co-ordination is tough, but the result of some Shallal dance Theatre performers and a wide age range ( 2-93 ), of 24 local audience  were a winning combination.

It felt a nice round off to a wonderful bicentennial season of Passmore Puppets and pop ups which started at The Ladder in March. Also celebrating Dean's recent Heritage award!

Blackwater Village Hall is a little gem.   http://www.blackwatervillagehall.net/ and we hope to return whenever we can.

So we 'hang up' up our puppets and await what comes next.

Next this time was immediately plunging into our Tate St Ives commission the following 2 days read next blog!

many thanks to Bobby for this poster,
it's wonderful to see her marketing and communications skills
so easily enhance all we do!

Congratulations to Dean Evans for Cornwall Heritage Award!

more info 

https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/cornish-heritage-champions-honoured-at-annual-awards/

https://www.facebook.com/TheCornwallHeritageTrust

Want to share this wonderful letter of support 

for recommending Dean for this award

written by

Jo Lumber,
Associate Artist Shallal Dance Theatre.

How many people have seen the words 'Passmore Edwards Free Library', carved in granite above the doors of Cornwall's public libraries? And how many people have fleetingly wondered who that was and what it meant?

Dean Evans has enlightened the county about ordinary Blackwater boy turned philanthropist, John Passmore Edwards.
Dean's fascination and enthusiasm for bringing the achievements of this man into public conscience has both widened knowledge and brought people together.

Dean's selfless engagement has been extensive; he's researched John Passmore Edwards and written the book 'Funding The Ladder', he's helped fundraise for the restoration of Blackwater village hall, he's given numerous talks about his chosen topic. And is helping to give John Passmore Edwards the recognition he deserves; a man who used his money to enhance the lives of ordinary people through access to learning and enjoyment via free public libraries, and healthcare and support by funding convalescence homes and hospitals.

I met Dean several years ago when he first gave a talk for Shallal Dance Theatre. As an inclusive company we have a wide range of people with differing needs. Dean shared his knowledge with enthusiasm and warmth, in understandable language, with photographs and pictures to support his talk. Dean came across as a kind, gentle person, with great communication skills. Shallal created a performance entitled 'Ladders and Footprints' (using words from

Passmore Edwards quotes) in 2017. Initially a 'site specific' piece for Falmouth Library it went on to be performed in numerous places including
St Austell Library, Blackwater village hall, St Agnes Library, AMATA at Tremough campus, plus extracts at Hall For Cornwall.




With 2023 being John Passmore Edwards' bicentenary year Shallal has continued the partnership with Dean. And we've gone big! The larger than life puppets of Mr and Mrs Passmore Edwards have been visiting towns throughout Cornwall, meeting folk with an oversized wave or handshake, whilst sharing the knowledge of this special Cornish couple. The puppets opened the 'The Ladder' in Redruth, a former Passmore Edwards free library now currently being restored and repurposed as a creative, community space. With banners created to share Passmore Edwards quotes and achievements, they then lead the procession and book chain to the current Redruth library.

They visited Falmouth Library for a community talk and afternoon cream tea. They joined the Mazey Day celebrations in Penzance, helped plant a commemorative tree at Newlyn Art Gallery (another Passmore Edwards building). They met people at Trevithick Day in Camborne and Murdoch Day in Redruth.

They even made it on to BBC Spotlight on what would have been John's 200th birthday!
All of this stemmed from our initial engagement with Dean. We have written poetry, monologues and song lyrics. We have created artwork, physical comedy, poignant dance and movement, all connecting to the life and work of John Passmore Edwards. We have gained knowledge and enjoyed the process of interpretation, sharing with our audiences and people at events in the streets of Cornwall.




I sometimes wonder what would happen if John Passmore Edwards and Dean had the opportunity to meet. I imagine they might both be overwhelmed by each others achievements. John, grateful for having his beliefs and ethos brought to attention at this present time, encouraging people to think about compassion in an ever challenging world.

Dean, perhaps a bit 'fan struck', thrilled to meet a real life hero and excited to tell him about how he's keeping his name alive, not just carved in stone but in spoken communication.
Two men who, in different times and different ways, are on the same page.

So I'd like to celebrate Dean Evans, for his continued enthusiasm in celebrating Cornish philanthropist John Passmore Edwards, whilst bringing people together to learn, enjoy and engage.

Improvisation quote: Margaret Beale...& in house training

 So much going on is a normal phrase this term so...Janice sent me a link to Margaret  Beale some weeks ago and i've only just visited it

"The art of improvisation in performance is like surfing. You must jump in without hesitation and keep swimming. You must meet each new wave, the constant “now” over and over, afresh. Sometimes you shape it.  Sometimes it shapes you. Sometimes you are lost in it. Sometimes you are exultantly, found. But, at the end of the ride, something authentic, alive, and arresting in its immediacy has been created and leaves its smoky, indelible trail on the consciousness. The process has become the performance and the performance has revealed the process that is improvisation."

https://dancingwithoutsteps.com/

Along with starting our in-house training:

Thank you to the Tate, Sketchbooks, new podcast and some links

 What do we do with art when the world goes through such global challenges?...

I was sorting my emails and came upon this link http://www.auroralevinsmorales.com/blog/vahavta

"Aurora Levins Morales is a disabled and chronically ill, community supported  writer, historian, artist and activist. It takes a village to keep her blogs coming." 

suggested from The Common Cause Foundation.

Global is important - local is always good, 2 sides of the same coin.

We all need a village, a community.

New podcast now out - a joy to talk to and learn from Heather Ackroyd. I have a list of initiatives she talked about - as i was checking the captions.

Passing on Passmore Podcast no 9 https://youtu.be/WdE_4cdA9x8

I started this blog to be grateful for a wonderful day at the Tate St Ives yesterday, in our closing circle - we thanked George and Cassie our hosts.

What a joy to be meeted, greeted, cared for and fed, commissioned to create exciting new responses to Single Form by Barbara Hepworth. Working with composer Matt Thomson, Bobby being commisssioned to make a short film - the R&D one was wonderful so bring on the finished product - and the fun of seeing dear Steve Tanner lying on the floor photographing.

So open improv spontaneous response performance and art and movement mark making a glorious mix - my happy art space and made me smile...thank you to all artists involved. Debs is researching and gallery 8 must be one of the most stunning views and art spaces to work in - a little narrow ( for dance) but not complaining with the sea outside on to St Ives sand, glorious colours, the day turned form stormy grey ( the end of storm Ceiran)  to sunshine.

snapshot

There are so many important initiative to follow: 

after reading and watching Just Mercy https://eji.org/bryan-stevenson/

The Equal Justice Initiative works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality.

I realise this blog jumps around and my menopausal brain is that and i haven't time to polish this so here it is raw scribblings and hope some makes some sense and some seeds fall.

Wishing you a blessed day.

Sketchbooks today at The Ladder...

"Shallal's relationship with Back Lane West is one of our most fruitful and longstanding.

 "Shallal's relationship with Back Lane West is one of our most fruitful and longstanding.

It came through friendship and a chance conversation, as many of the best things do!

Oliver Raymond Barker had a residency at BLW and i rolled along to it with my family as supportive friends. I had a conversation with Jane and Patrick Lowry who said, "We'd really like the community in," and I remember literally nearly jumping up and down, clapping my hands and saying " We can get the community in. We'd love to do a residency, it's just what we have been looking for!"

Since then a decade ago, I don't think we have missed a year and nearly every day of all our residency diaries has been packed, funded or unfunded, solo artists, visiting artists, community groups, bizarre collaborations, poetry, music, film , sound, painted walls, pop ups, performances, sharings, talks, zoom sessions, light installations and always Jane and Patrick visiting, supportive, appreciative.

Thank you. It's a glorious neutral space, a wonderful opportunity and here's to more! 

The work done here has led to a Porthmeor Studios residency and Shallal Studios and into performances and exhibitions, degrees and memories and sheer fun of the creative process, celebrated by all levels and ages a chance to come together for longer with an open brief and enjoy discovery.

you can see some of our recent work on:....https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy9HmvUPnsE/

work in progress Anna Willis

Refllection on recent events

Today saw the culmination of a lot of planning and collaboration for two small but significant Shallal Dance Theatre events.

Saturdays procession with Make and Mends and todays 10 min performance at The Ladder for a visit from the HRH Duchess of Gloucester, who stayed to chat with everyone immediately after the performance.

Dean Evans greeted her with some Passmore words and Jo L was there story telling ( for Writers block ) to a room full of under 5's and parents, so it felt a 'family affair' with tea and cake afterwards. Thank you to Felix and Josh for inviting us, it's inspiring to see The Ladder develop and open up more and more.

I have heard many good comments from the dance performed in response to Janets paintings and Amys soundscape, on Saturday at Back Lane West, congratulations to Becky, Anna, Miles and Zoe.  We work to give dance artists autonomy and confidence in their style, process and collaborations and it works, as shown by how well they did and the wonderful feedback from the audience. 

 Since the pandemic the cross over between groups which Zoom enabled and the relative availability of Shallal artists has meant we sometimes feel more like a loose collective,  today the feedback was how much joy and freedom people can feel from the performers even from a short performance, we are like a family and are a strong community. This always requires work, it is never something you can take for granted, and we need the special 'holding' understanding of each persons unique needs, but once our vulnerabilities are accepted/held then wonderful things can happen, in the creative space/moment.

Eddie and Zoe represent many of the sides and talents in Shallal and were there today, with Demelza signing the Lighthouse poem, Star and Colin in the puppets, Debs, and Jilly dancing  and Kerry T speaking her moving Silent Voice of Nature poem, which we ended with.

We managed to mention Signing needing to be taught in schools from early years onwards, and What  would Passmore do now?, some of our favourite topics!

Also playgrounds for people with disabilities might be a new one, Debs mentioned it today and i know Stewart worked on one in London. We might join it up with our research and Situated Action thinking, ' play ' is vital. Toilets that's another topic and oh so many!

Very nice to be asked on Creative Communities Advisory group, going in with Universal Design, Equity, Access, Culture Declares Emergency, Doughnut Economics, circular sustainable approaches and global crisis responses hats on!!

Podcast 8 out now 

Back Lane West Sharing on Saturday 1-4pm, Anna and I will be there with coffee and cake do drop in to have a chat and see the range of art produced.

HRH Duchess of Gloucester with everyone
Jilly, Andy - supporting Eddie -, Eddie, Star hidden, Duchess of Gloucester,
Ruby, Debs, Colin, Zoe and Demelza

Dean with Amanda from Writers Block,
 who have their installation at The Ladder

Josh and Dean
Passmore bust inbetween

procession paused outside Make and Mends

Debs at Back Lane West - photo George

Joseph’s Fancy Landscapes Crazy Cows exhibition price list

 Joseph’s Fancy Landscapes Crazy Cows

Exhibition by Joseph Wheeler 

Proper Job Cafe, County Hall Truro

Farmers Fields 

  Acrylic on canvas £35

Tehidy Woods 

  Acrylic on canvas £40

Hayle Beach

    Oils and acrylic mix £85

Small landscape 

    Acrylic on canvas £35

Landscape 

   Acrylic on canvas £40

Chocolate and cream cow. 

    Not for sale

Feeling Blue 

    Pens £15

Heart Cow 

    Pens 

    Unframed £15 Framed £40

Cow Love 

      Pens

      Unframed £20 Framed £40

Vanilla and Mango Cow £100

Fat and skinny cow

    Oils on canvas £100

Tough cow

      Acrylic on canvas £120

Tubby miniature cow 

     Acrylic £30

 Wonky Cow

    Oils on canvas £210

Payment:

Shallal Donate button https://shallal.org/donate 

Please text or whats app to let us know or to arrange BACS  07505 983710

Zoom art and news

 Still getting joy from seeing Art and Dancing on Zoom

blogging this as i tidy my laptop and think of tomorrows zoom session

It's easier to capture art, we show our work beginning and end of our session, we have themes, if we want to or not, freedom.

2 weeks ago

2 years ago!

Since then we have had:
 one themed online exhibition Hands,
one group exhibition SOIL,
2 illustrated stories on you tube
and now Josephs second showing of his solo exhibition - see previous blog!

We skip around styles, exercises and music choices in Dance,
playfully interacting with each other via the screen or happily in our own 'dream.'

We hope to reach out to more people now we have Bobby onboard advertising and spreading the word.


NEWS
So much on; Congratulations to the Studios for a great Zine launch with more opportunities to print posters with Redruth Press on Saturday at The Ladder.
Friday Shallal Dance Theatre skipped in and out of the rain, to film and research and feel the pulse of the Barbara Hepworth sculptures in the garden and draw in the afternoon, we will be back again soon
for more R&D with composer Matt Thomason.
Many thanks to the Tate who were fantastic hosts.

This Saturday sees Flamm and Make and Mends procession in Redruth!

Thanks again to Bobby, we now enjoy a diary showing all we do, we hope to share some of it publicly soon, so you can follow us more easily.

Behind the scenes exciting training to be planned and delivered by us and guests,
and
Situated Action, Improvisation and Play - flying around in emails with Jamie Moran with hopes for a podcast in the new year.

Tomorrow a podcast with new trustee Elizabeth Tomos,
touching on education, XR and other areas of interest
which leads me back to tidying my laptop to make storage for it!

BLW is on,
 a great day had by George, Steve and Debs,
short surprise film and walls to be cleaned.

Joseph’s Fancy Landscapes Crazy Cows at Proper Job Cafe, County Hall, Truro

Good news that Joseph's exhibition is on tour! next stop the Proper Job cafe at County Hall.

https://planetradio.co.uk/pirate-fm/local/news/proper-job-project-cornwall/

Anna and I are installing it tomorrow...

not sure how long it will be up for!

Joseph’s Fancy Landscapes Crazy Cows

Paintings by Joseph Wheeler. 

Joseph is 29 and lives in St Ives. He wants to say that he has a learning disability and autism. He has a love of cows and a joy in the landscape surrounding him which translate into wonderful vibrant colourful and, often quirky, art work.

Joseph has been involved in Shallal (an arts charity ww.shallal.org ) as a visual artist, dancer and performer for 10 years. Since the pandemic Joseph has worked remotely from home, with Shallal’s weekly zoom sessions ‘Dance and Art Connection,’ which makes this exhibition and the opportunity for his work to be seen even more special.

Previous exhibitions

Fancy Landscapes Crazy Cows solo exhibition at Dark Pony Coffee Falmouth 2022

In Your Hands, ‘Foraging Nectar,’ Shallal with Arinda Daphine at Newlyn Art Gallery 2021

Small Picture Show at Newlyn Church Hall 2018

Grateful thanks to Lizzie Dennison for support and connections, to the Proper Job Cafe, and to Clive Gaylard and Cornwall Council, for this opportunity to show Joseph’s work to a wider audience, and Anna Willis Shallal’s artist in residence for curation.

Some of the paintings are for sale, please message Jo at admin@shallal.org for prices and information.                                                 www.shallal.org

Back Lane West 2023! yay and some news

 Back Lane West Residency - a favourite time!

draft copy to share and a few thoughts 

and a few spaces left in the diary for artists ...so do contact me

Shallal is excited to be back!

" Back Lane West residency is always a highlight of my year" Jo Willis creative director

A chance to explore and deepen our processes, collaborations and opportunities. To immerse ourselves in cross art forms and collaborations.

To have more time to explore and 'play.'

This year we are pleased to be part of Flamm with Rise and Fall showcasing Janet Hollands vibrant work, with film, music and dance inspired by and surrounding it.

Saturday 26 October 12-6pm https://flamm.creativekernow.org.uk/event/rise-and-fall-shallal-artists/ 

with dancers 1-1.30pm

With residency artist Anna Willis https://www.instagram.com/anna__sophronia/?hl=en*

we are researching artistic relationships, process and materials for our Tate St Ives Winter Festival commission, which has come from explorations from our 2022  residency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Vqu-AjK2s

We are enabling solo artists to have more studio time ie: Bobby Johnson ( who has a St Ives School of Painting Emerging Artists bursary Porthmeor Programme online)

Along with so much more and we hope the '50 Coats' will get an airing!

We aim to have a Sharing during the weekend of 28/29 October, times tbc. 

* Anna has been involved on our BLW residencies since they started and epitomises the cross art form blended creative approach, my words not hers. As her mum i have to be careful what i say!! 

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

so Congratulations to her for surviving the seas of a Fine Art degree and we are pleased to share sometime with her on projects she has inspired by her practice and inspiration.

Also fantastic to be meeting with Laura Menzies today who was involved in our first residency and whose inspiration it was for us to apply for a residency at Porthmeor Studios, which was an important milestone in the development of Shallal Studios.

Lou who wrote a successful bid for that Porthmeor Studios residency went onto to develop the Studios has also made a film for Rise and Fall,  Colour in the Air.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm3-J0Z845Y

Looking forward to 

'In this Together' exhibition and also Gaia!

We have enjoyed working with Make and Mends and creating a RELEVANT banner, in these times everything has to have relevance to answers and solutions and awareness raising.

On another personal note my brother Mark Deeble, who i interviewed on Passing on Passmore Podcast 1, https://youtu.be/tKj-KT0GymA?si=gMGeA43-_A0lgreH

has just received, with his wife Vicky Stone, a Legacy Award for their work from Jackson Wild film festival 

https://www.jacksonwild.org/legacy-award.html

and within work/art family my inspiration Wolfgang Stange was awarded an honourary doctorate from Roehampton University

 "A good teacher is not a person who passes all the tests, but one who shows humility and is willing to learn from their students"

Whilst truly celebrating these moments and thankfulness for peoples generous creativity, and life times contributions. I hope Wolfgang gets more recognition!

Shallal never has, and i hope never will, give out certificates, accreditation or awards, we are about life long involvement in the creative process, collaboration, access, equity, community and learning from our own starting points, the sheer joy of it all!

Last thing so enjoyed chatting with architect Adam and Hannah, so glad to see Access Equity at the beginning of conversations https://adamkhan.co.uk/

and Arts Lab have put in a sustainability on their latest application form: What measures might you put in place when planning and delivering your project that promote environmental sustainability? E.g. materials, travel

Universal Design and Sustainability in the heart of it all, we need to see the change!

News past and present

 I realise i haven't posted for sometime especially over the summer, such a busy wonderful time.

from this year ...Shallal were pleased to work again with Arts Lab and return to Double Trees School 

https://youtu.be/WV1FzKp7i0k?si=rr6rcVRam8O__r6N

So many outings and when we returned on Saturday the Shallal Chill Out tent with Janice ( its creator)  and Demelza was at Watergate Bay https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/events/arts-on-the-beach/

along with the Mr and Mrs Passmore Puppets invited to the St Ives September Festival 

https://www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk/...

while i was at an equally wonderful event a friends wedding! https://www.instagram.com/p/CxBNei1IY6y/

so now Shallal expands and i can step back a little, especially with the exciting news of the role of marketing and communications going to Bobby Johnson who is already doing great things for us, 

before anyone was in this role i felt pressure to provide images and information, a joy but not a skill of mine! so am grateful for Phoebe and Lou in the Studios seeing the need and helping us recruit for the role

we also returned to celebrate Summer birthdays especially Katherines 80th, with a Performance Party, i think we might do these in the future for 'grand' events! a chance to see other skills and talents of those we know and love! and invite in friends and family.

poster by Eddie and Toby

Tina as Mrs Passmore

                                              

                                             https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxVG_ZrIexn/

This week Anna and I visit The Tate St Ives for an R&D towards Shallal Dance Theatre's  commission for their November weekend, we are looking forward to it, working with Mat Thomason, music https://www.matthewthomasonmusic.co.uk/ and Bobby Johnson, film

inspired by Barbara Hepworth who loved 'the human figure in the landscape' and interconnectedness

https://www.tate.org.uk/research/tate-papers/20/figure-and-landscape-barbara-hepworths-phenomenology-of-perception

The Puppets also have a nearly the last 'swan song' outing at The Ladder, Redruth in October, thanks to Felix and Josh for the invitation. 

Bobby has made us shared calendar which will also relieve a lot of my communications time, so more time for art and less background jobs not within my skill set - hurray!

so much to tell this term...which includes visiting theatre show and workshop, Flamm https://flamm.creativekernow.org.uk/about/, Back Lane West Residency, Tate St Ives, Make and Mend at Kresen Kernow.... and more....hope to see you somewhere

Many thanks to everyone in Shallal and welcome to those yet to join us!