Arts Council R&D Application
1/ Samples of Previous Work
1.1- Fair Winds & Following Seas
1.2 - RE:Score
2 / Concept Idea for R&D
2.1 - Logo/Brand ideas
2.2 - Presentation Testing ideas
3 / Potential Practitioners
1 / SAMPLES OF PREVIOUS WORK
Immersive, outdoor, spatial audio experience
Fair Winds & Following Seas is a FREE immersive headphone audio experience which connects you to your surroundings in a completely unique way.
Part of a series of walks through 2025, this project starts at Freedom Festival with its pilot walk titled ‘Leave Your Mark’.
Downloaded to your very own smart device and delivered through headphones, this outdoor walk engages you with the path you walk.
Presented in spatial sound and using GPS to create seamless transitions of original music, poetry and sound mapped audio, walk at your own pace whilst exploring your own imagination.
Blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds and allowing you the time to reflect with your own thoughts, Fair Winds & Following Seas will immerse you in music and playful sounds of the environment whilst encouraging you to look at the seemingly simple world around you.
Accesible route available.
“Mesmerising and contemplative portrait of the river hull. So great to be able to connect with Hull more. A proper treat to wander around the forgotten bits with your ears full of magic.”
In partnership with
RE:Discovered
RE:Imagined
RE:Interpreted
Re:Created
Commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust and originally presented at The Awakening March 2022, its initial concept was to connect the past, present and future together as part of an outdoor cinema experience. Using some of Hull’s beautiful buildings as a backdrop to project onto, RE:SCORE allowed the audience to connect these spaces with warm, nostalgic footage from the past alongside a brand new bespoke musical soundtrack.
Produced by The Broken Orchestra and in association with British Film Institute, Film Hub North and Yorkshire Film Archive, RE:SCORE is the coming together of a diverse range of musical artists, to create original compositions that sit alongside culturally important archive films. What is achieved can be enjoyed as a stand alone, part of a larger collection or be displayed and projected as part of a festival, commission or larger event for a truly unique, romantic and sentimental experience for the audience.
Breathing new life into old film
RE:SCORE shines a light on forgotten archive film footage while showcasing new work from a diverse collective of independent musical artists.
Artist: LIFE
'A Family Affair' 1960 - Music by LIFE
Artist: LAW HOLT
'Springtime in an English Village' 1944 - Music by LAW HOLT & TIMOTHY LONDON
Artist: THE BROKEN ORCHESTRA
'From Morn Till Midnight' 1932 - Music by THE BROKEN ORCHESTRA
In partnership with
2 / CONCEPT IDEA FOR R&D
To give a sense of what this project could look like…
Created, staged and documented as part of our application for Arts Council RnD support, we wanted to produce something that gives an insight into our initial thoughts.
Working to the principle of a sit down, indoor experience, we set out to capture atmosphere with a sense of isolation. Old furniture sits in an empty warehouse space. Designed to hint at a familiar, comfortable space but with a sense of presentiment, you can question the reality of the set.
Branding and logo ideas share a feeling of history or nostalgia, with a hint of a ritualistic action. A stamp element offers an action of contract binding that gives a sense of potential fidelity.
3 / POTENTIAL PRACTITIONERS
In partnership with
Freedom Festival began in 2007 and prides itself on presenting in public space, extraordinary artistic programmes rooted in the thematic exploration of democracy, freedom and human rights. Outside of our festival programmes, they are committed to talent development and innovative participatory projects with a focus on work that raises awareness of relevant social issues in local communities.
They are committed to helping this project with assistance in space for testing, access to various communities and audience members.
IN-SITU Network is the European platform for artistic creation in public space. It is led by Lieux publics, European and national centre for artistic creation in public space, located in Marseille (FR).
With access to resources, artist input and longer term contacts for touring, they are committed to helping us establish and develop this work.
University of Hull is the European platform for artistic creation in public space. It is led by Lieux publics, European and national centre for artistic creation in public space, located in Marseille (FR).
With access to resources, artist input and longer term contacts for touring, they are committed to helping us establish and develop this work.
Accessibility Experts
Elephant in The Room run Disability, Equality and Communication Workshops in partnership with the Art, Culture and Music organisations to raise awareness in Disabled (Hidden and Visible), Deaf, Neurodiverse, Chronic Illness and Mental Health communities in the UK.
They will offer us key advice and guidance across various aspects of this project that will make testing and the final experience/presentation accessible whilst also teaching us for future work.
Anna Farley is an autistic artist and accessibility specialist based in London and has made it her mission to bring art to people of all abilities.
Her expertise will fundamental in challenging our design process of the experience. Testing and develop a working prototype, Anna will also be covering accessibility for everyone involved during the RnD period as well as offering long term education as we tour.
Artists / Writers
Lady Paradox is lyricist, poet and creative practitioner known for her introspective storytelling. With a long legacy of releasing music and albums, Rebekah has just recently returned from a tour of China.
Selected for this RnD project due to her honest writing style and her smooth delivery over emotive music , Rebekah has a maturity to her words which will really resonate with this subject matter. As a writer, she has stated to us that this research & development period would be hugely inspiring for her on this subject matter
Testament is an acclaimed writer, rapper, playwright, composer and presenter. He has had spoken word performances on BBC and in 2019 he was Channel 4 writer in Residence at Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester. He has worked with a diverse range of people from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Grammy winner Corinne Bailey Rae, Ray Parker Jnr, jazz legends Joe Lovano and Jean Toussaint, Mercury nominee Soweto Kinch. Work as a poet coach includes BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1xtra. He has given talks for several universities and two of his plays are studied at degree level.
Not working with Andy Brooks before, we are excited to begin and undertake this creative partnership during an RnD period. Bringing immense experience and expertise, Andy is likely to bring a fascinating and experimental style to the writing and recording.
TinB is a spoken word and electronic artist. He was previously selected as BBC 6 Music track of the year and has a prolific rate of releasing music.
Selected due to his thought-provoking writing style and soft spoken delivery, TinB offers a collaborative approach that will benefit the project long term. Often armed with ideas, easy to work with but also seeing a situation from a different angle, he is a great addition for content creating under a different perspective.
Visual Artists
Octovision Media traditionally is an experienced visual film and drone service for commercial clients.
Christopher Fenton who runs the company has a creative background and an interest in the project. Looking at the skills and knowledge he possesses, he is keen to see what a collaboration with a project like this can lead to on this subject matter. The idea of using drones is something we have wanted to test in previous works we have done.
Zivarna Murphy is academically trained as an anthropologist and is now a researcher. Her artistic practice in paintings and ceramics is built upon life long passion for making. Taking inspiration from the erosion of cliffs which shape-shift with layers of history, Zivarna see’s the loss of cliffs as a metaphor for human loss within her designs.
In her job as a researcher, Zivarna is interested in the social aspects of body and organ donation. Thinking a lot about death in her work and how the loss of loved ones is very human, yet uniquely crushing and eroding experience is echoed in the erosion and loss of landscape around us all.
Staging / Theatre Experts
Gordon Meredith is a writer, actor, designer and interpretive planner with a unique blend of experience spanning many years across the disciplines of theatre and museums.
Having trained in exhibition, museum and theatre design, he spent more than 25 years as an interpretive planning and design consultant before moving into theatre, where he now works extensively as a writer and actor.
He combines his passion for history and theatre by writing (and sometimes performing in) a range of performance-related heritage projects, including Folk Theatre, Audio-visuals, and Living History.
Middle Child are a writing theatre company which formed in 2011 with a distinctive aim of bringing people together for unforgettable experiences which are full of big ideas.
Working towards a fair and equitable world where anyone’s story can be told and heard, they also commission ‘the writers of tomorrow’ to tell untold stories that make sense of the world today.
Comfortable with work in progress and RnD projects, this award winning team offer extensive expertise in theatre production and staging.
Mentors
Yana + Davina make social practice artwork, creating ambitious public artworks that respond to site, context and audience. Using formats from within popular culture to make works which are accessible and playful, their issue based work is wide ranging, from geo-politics to lessons on love, from knowledge production to mental health. Rooting work in the everyday, they use a lightness of touch and humour to make works that are both poetic and universal.
They’ve created artworks for multiple world leading art venues and public organisations such as Tate Modern and Tate Britain, Venice Biennale and BAM (New York). Selected as mentors, we will be guided and lean how we carefully bring together this type of work and how we present such a meaningful and impactful subject matter.
Mikey Martins has worked in the arts festival industry for more than two decades, across Europe, Canada and Australia. He has worked on numerous high-profile national and international cultural events and organisations and is on the steering group for the IN SITU network, is the chair of Cultural Collisions Hull, a board member of Surge (formerly Conflux) in Scotland.
Mikey is passionate about taking art into public space and sees this project as a powerful change making and transformative experience. His expertise will be valuable in the RnD period and also how the project shapes longer term.
Helen Wells is a freelance producer who is currently working and producing for Bradford City of Culture 2025 . Part of a team delivering 1,000 shows, exhibitions and events over 12 unforgettable months of creativity, culture and the arts across Bradford District, Helen also has a long history of programming and event production across a long list of national festivals and events.
Offering a vast history of expertise and knowledge on highly valued productions at events, Helen will bring a tactile and experienced awareness on how this project presents itself during RnD but also how it shapes for the future as we approach festivals and organisations for touring.
RnD Organisations
M. Garton & Sons is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and has been run by the Garton Family since 1888. With multiple branches and a real sense of servicing local community, we want to understand the service they offer under extreme and difficult circumstances.
With a large team offering a vast collection of experience, we intend to learn the industry of death through the stages. Understanding the approach of dealing with people who are grieving, but operating on a professional, business manner, we want to look in detail the psychology behind this from communicating with people to how they design spaces.
Humber Wellbeing Hub provides a supportive environment promoting mental wellness and providing assistance to individuals experiencing psychological distress, emotional challenges and/or suicidal thoughts.
Providing a range of groups and activities that support individuals with their emotional and physical well-being, they also offer a service focusing on raising awareness, reducing stigma, and educating the public about suicide risk factors and prevention strategies. Its ultimate goal is to offer hope, support, and resources to prevent suicides and promote mental wellness.
Our intention is to educate ourselves on the presentation of our work and remove any possible triggers around the sensitive subject of death.
Blossom is a compassionate, non-judgmental service supporting children, young people, and adults who are self-harming or at risk of suicide. Rooted in lived experience and professional expertise, Blossom offers a safe space to explore painful emotions, reduce isolation, and build hope.
Through a mix of 1-to-1 support, group sessions, therapeutic activities, and wellbeing-focused workshops, they empower individuals to understand their experiences, develop healthier coping strategies, and reconnect with life.
Our intention is to learn what advice and support we can offer should anyone require it. This training will go deep into the project long term.
Death Cafe is an event where people drink tea, eat cake and discuss death in a relaxed atmosphere. With group directed discussion with no agenda, objectives or themes, it is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session that can talk about death and everything connected to this topic. People coming together (often strangers) its loose aim is to ‘increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.
We aim to learn from this organisation as well as produce Death Cafe in the areas we perform RnD and later tour.
Pegasos is a non-profit organisation that is based in Basel, Switzerland. They believe that it is the human right of every rational adult of sound mind, regardless of state of health, to choose the manner and timing of their death.
Offering applications for an actual request for a Voluntary Assisted Death (VAD), we see a rich learning and understanding process around the psychology of people dealing with others who wish is to control and decide the circumstances of their death. Also the process of handling people with this mindset and if they have a scripted set of circumstances with people getting things in order.
We are also interested in there is records of people who have passed who have left details for after their death, what did they choose to leave behind?