Sisters push off!
The railway platform at Hawes was the perfect length to sing the first verse of Daisy Daisy (the infamous song written for the beautiful Daisy Bell). Sisters Rachel and Katherine Welford took to the saddle/s and were naturals. The push off is important, as you need speed and power to maintain balance with the extra weight on the back, once the second set of pedals gain momentum its full steam ahead.
Queen of the Mountain?
120 years ago Frances E Willard, a thrill seeking American woman in her 50’s, learned to ride a bicycle. A Wheel Within a Wheel a book about her experience was published in 1895. She called her steed Gladys because she gladdened her heart and wrote: “…failure was from a wobbling will rather than a wobbling wheel…” In the Dales this Easter I also experienced a new sensation, learning to ride my ...
Happy 75th Birthday Sir Alan!
I have had the honour of working with Alan Ayckbourn since the 90's so a big Happy Birthday Sir! One of my favourite design commissions was 'Dear Uncle', his 75th play, the world premier of his adaptation of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2011. Set in the Lake District in the 30's at every performance I saw - and I saw quite a few - the last act made me weep. Beautifully directed and beautifully acted, a ...
Falkirk In the First World War
It has been a pleasure working with 31 primary school students in response to a photo album in the archive at Callendar House. The photographs of former pupils were collected by Mr Mather, the former headmaster of their school, Laurieston Primary, from 1914 -1918. The students used 6 photographs of 9 heroes to explore the local archives finding out about their journey to the front and their exploits during the war. Following story telling ...
XO Scotland Creative Lab Fun
A fantastic week thanks to @FactionNorth and @xolabs with a fantastic mix of fellow collaborators from across Scotland. Working together on transmedia storytelling we created teams to build innovative creative projects with playful content across platforms to delight audiences. Above all it was great fun! Hoping to get the chance to go on the Development Lab in Dundee.
A whistle blows…
A powerful moment @NPGLondon yesterday when curator Paul Moorhouse blew his 1916 field whistle and a lecture theatre packed with young men and women from the length and breadth of Great Britain fell silent. www.npg.org.uk/nationalmemory
Arrivals and Departures
Ayckbourn on Tour Having designed the world premier of Sir Alan’s play Arrivals and Departures and his revival Time of My Life at the Stephen Joseph Theatre last summer the proscenium tour is now in full swing! It was a design challenge taking a show from ' The Round' to a variety of proscenium theatres and the Ayckbourn Company has done us all proud.
National Memory – Local Stories
Meeting up with fellow artists from Firrhill High School to show our work and discuss National Memory- Local Stories @NPGLondon, a project funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation. An exciting opportunity to share the stories we discovered @NtlMuseumsScot with artists from around Great Britain.
Viva Cyclista!
Daisy Daisy - Bicycles, Bifurcation and the Yorkshire Gene Pool is gathering momentum. This art commission for The Dales Countryside Museum is a celebration of the bicycle in Yorkshire. An exhibition of recycled and recovered bicycle seats accompanied by my short film will start in Hawes in June as Grand Depart fever hits Yorkshire. Wonderful archive photos are being dusted off and new ones brought in. Postcards are now out asking ...