Respond and Reinvent
RESPOND AND REINVENT
October 2021
Nominated by Sud Basu, with MAYK, The Albany / Lewisham Borough of Culture and Leeds 2023
Simon Chatterton approached Sud Basu, a creative producer, to ask him to nominate artists to the Seedbed programme. Sud developed the concept further , coming up with the project Respond and Reinvent that involved six companies, all in residence at 101 at the same time.
As with other Seedbed residencies they received the full range of 101 support and a paid bursary. They also benefited from a programme of talks (optional to attend) that reflected the themes of the programme.
None of the artists involved had previously been to 101, and they were deliberately drawn from across the country to mix up artists who did not necessarily know each other beforehand. They were all offered mentoring support and encouraged to share ideas both through the response to the talks and through informal discussions over shared meals.
The call out set the scene for what the project aimed to explore:
2020 has shown a spotlight on inequality, on structural and global issues and the need for real change in society. Through this week-long residency we are keen to explore how issue-based work -exploring climate or social justice - might be supported to develop as we emerge from COVID 19 restrictions. We also would like to see how multidisciplinary collaborative experiences (including those with digital elements) might emerge in work created for the public realm.
In addressing these issues, the aim was also to focus on those voices which are not always heard.
The Artists Included
Nominated by Leeds 2023:
Ellie Harrison: the culmination of her Grief Series, planning a festival inspired by the Day of the Dead, working with designer Bethany Wells and long-term producing collaborator, Anna Turzynski.
Pauline Mayers: the next iteration of her Stately Homes Project, a body of work through which she investigates her practice in relation to public realm and site-responsive working – particularly when working in heritage locations and sites of disturbance (i.e. buildings built with the profits from the enslavement period). Working with director and producer of public participatory work, Jason Hird, of the Institute of Crazy Dancing.
Nominated by MAYK
Aidan Moesby: an artist curator working at the intersection of art, health and technology with a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing including the wider contexts of disability and diversity. For this residency he worked with theatre maker Daniel Bye, developing a new large-scale, multi modal project to be set in a swimming pool.
Nominated by The Albany/Lewisham London Borough of Culture
Sivan Rubinstein: choreographer, to develop her participatory, promenade work No Land B, working with sculptor Caroline Mackenzie, and two dancers
Jennifer Irons: choreographer, director, performer working with multi-disciplinary artist Zach Walker, to research, test and develop the most impactful method of combining live movement, projection mapping, immersive soundtrack and augmented reality content for outdoor performance that also is accessible, environmentally sustainable and affordable.
Respond and Reinvent took place in October 2021. Reflection with the artists at the end of week showed that everyone felt they had made progress, that they had moved on with their work. The experience of being at 101 was unknown to them beforehand and they welcomed the total immersion that it provided, with all the support that allowed them to develop in sometimes unexpected directions. It ran for 7 days which was a long period with a big cohort of artists. It was an intense experience – by mid-week the sparks were flying and at times it felt like a controlled frenzy.
There was some debate about how much information they needed in advance with differing views on this. The main learning point was to pace things better for people with access needs, to make sure that the experience was fruitful rather than overwhelming. Some of the artists reported that the residency had been a game changer for them – for example Pauline Mayers decided to work with giant puppets in her project, which she has not done previously.