Feel the love in Leeds this February

Whether you’re going solo or you’re all loved up, there are a few dates that really should be put in your diary this Feb 14th. You may think it’s commercial, it may be your favourite day of the year; whatever camp you fall into, this one’s for you! Move over cupid…

I love Leeds walking tour, 14 February, 2.30 to 4.30pm

Join Rachael Unsworth for a walking tour with a difference this V Day! Taking you to all of her favourite places in Leeds with a view to ramping up your appreciation of the city. This tour includes a trip our much-loved Corn Exchange and is set to be a good’un. You might well meet some interesting folks on the tour too (nudge nudge). Find out more, here.

Leeds Valentine’s Fair, 8 to 18 February

This one has been going as long as we can remember! If you come to Leeds via the motorway during these dates (M621) you’re sure to spot the Valentine’s Fun Fair next to Elland Road Football Stadium. Get your thrills on with a ride or two, eat some candy floss and imagine you’re in your very own romcom montage.

Valentine’s Roller Disco, 15 February, 7.30 to 10.30pm

Another little Corn Exchange mention! Roller Girl Gang is celebrating its first birthday with an extra special roller disco at the Corn Exchange this Feb. Roll it alone or hold hands with your beau as you skate along to tunes from DJ Rae of Key Club fame! How very 80s?!

Macbeth, The Carriageworks, 13 to 16 February

“Is this a dagger which I see before me?” We promised you this round-up wouldn’t all be romantic…and we’ve delivered. See ambition as its very worst in one of the Bard’s greatest plays. Leeds Youth Opera will be bringing all the drama in Giuseppe Verdi’s rendition of Macbeth. You won’t want to miss it!

How will you be spending Valentine’s Day?

During October and November, we hosted a very special project at the Art Hostel. Working in collaboration with artist, Janine Sykes, we were lucky to put on a series of events as part of the Seeding Art Currency programme. One of these events was a guest talk with Joy Hindmoor, the artist responsible for the colourful vinyls which were on the walls of the hostel during the Seeding Art Currency residency.

We caught up with Joy to hear more about her inspirations and her work which explores natural forms, such as seeds, shells and bacteria.

Inspiration

“I have always been inspired by natural patterning within natural forms; the detail is different in every leaf, shell, bacteria and so on. Bacteria is interesting because it’s something that can grow and adapt depending on a range of factors including heat. Within my patterns I like to look at a collection of objects or shapes – this is possible with bacteria and coral. The natural forms I use are all bright and colourful, this is something which is extremely important within my patterns.

“Obviously, I wanted to create something that would be involved with the idea of the ‘Art Hostel’ so I wanted to use the space as much as I could. Using the vinyl allowed me to use the space around me and the space became the inspiration for my pattern. The floor, for example, has loads of interesting marks and spots of old paint on it which created a pattern of some sorts so I decided to go with this and make my pattern in random sections of the area I was presenting in.”

Creating the piece

“The starting point for this piece was partly handmade. I began to sketch and created a quick doodle of a pattern I liked and wanted to expand on. This was then scanned into Adobe Illustrator and edited so the pattern grew and the colours were added. Once this was finished, the pattern was sent to print onto vinyl and shipped.

“When I received it, I was a bit apprehensive about using it because I’ve never used vinyl before but I gave it a go and started cutting out the various sections ready to stick. I had no real plan of where to place each sticker and found myself falling into a creative meditation when fixing them to the wall so I suppose the handmade was also in the installation because that was the creation of the finished product.”

The medium

“When installing I cut and stuck the coloured vinyl pieces on to the walls but I had a lot of spare peel from the vinyl. I collected this in a pile and on reflection found it could demonstrate the contrast in living and dead coral; when a coral reef begins to die the coral changes to bleach white and becomes brittle. I thought that this could demonstrate the amount of unnecessary plastic we waste if I were to create a piece focusing on changes within the environment.

“My work clearly presents seeds portrayed through patterns and how these individually can be formed into a multiple to create a pattern. As well as this I believe that transience is also presented through the use of installation within my work. These can only be a temporary display which is soon to be removed, however this can be recycled to create a fresh piece of work in the future.”

Aspirations

“Currently, I am working as an art technician at a secondary school and I am hoping to start teaching after Easter at the school I am currently working at. In my spare time I’m constantly creating new work and being involved with various projects through East Street Arts.

“My long term aspirations are to hopefully find a studio space somewhere in Leeds where I can take time out of work and my personal life to relax and create. This is something I am still working on and hope to get soon.”

Did you hear Joy’s guest talk? What did you think? Tell us in the comment below.

We’re looking to work with socially motivated people to create the most unique, hospitable  and curious place to stay in Leeds

What’s in it for you?
We know all the best places in Leeds, we are embedded in the independent DIY scene in and are part of the cultural underbelly of the city. But aside from that, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with an artist to create one of our fantastic rooms and you’ll also have your name in lights at our hostel and in our promotions too!

Our new hostel will be based on New York Road in Mabgate and follows the success of our pop-up pilot space which launched on Kirkgate in 2016. Since we opened our doors, we’ve hosted more than 9,000 guests from 115 countries! As with our current little hostel, each room in our new building will be designed by a different artist or collaborative, offering a unique and vibrant place to stay in the city.

Ok, so what do I need to do?
You can find out more about our brand new hostel here and if you want to be part of it, contact Nicola Greenan: nicola@esamail.org.uk or Faye Knowles: faye@esamail.org.uk

As Seeding Art Currency comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on the project and the wonderful events we’ve been lucky to host here at the hostel.
Remember our very first SAC event? It was a spectacle of rhythm and movement by musician and dance artist, Nii Kwartey Owoo. Nii performed ‘The Harvest’, a personal response to the struggle of hunger and sacrifice found in his community. The passionate live performance was followed by a sharing of food.
We caught up with Nii to find out a bit more about his involvement with music and dance, and how he goes about preparing for a performance.

Nii Kwartey Owoo, Leeds by Mary Owoo (2018)

Can you remember your first involvement with dance, drumming or any other form of performance?

“I was less than a year old in my first ever performance and this was with both my mum and dad in a production ‘Miamo Mi’ (keep me safe in your arms), with me being the centre of the performance at the National Theatre of Ghana. I like being told about this performance and other stories that evolved around putting this production together and it makes me strongly believe that I am destined for the stage.

“My earliest memory of drumming is pretending to play the talking drums embossed on the Ghanaian currency by that time, 50 pesewas, producing the sounds with my mouth. At the age of 4, I was playing and dancing at the graduation for the six year olds who had completed kindergarten and were moving on to class one.”

Pesewas Coin

“My family house was, by then, the dance hub for all performing arts artists who have now become big names in West African music, dance and theatre. Growing up and seeing dance and theatre on my doorstep and the constant lingering of music in my head was the most amazing thing to me, especially because I always had a natural interest in becoming a performing artist. Knowing the early beginnings of these great people and their artistic journey motivated me to follow in their footsteps.

“Since then, I knew exactly what I wanted to become.”

Do you have any routines to prepare yourself mentally/physically for a performance?

“Most of my performances are and have been accompanied by stories, imageries, characters and beliefs. When preparing for a performance, I always start to retell the story to myself with music, recalling the voices of elders and people who have told this story to me or are part of it. Along with proverbs, I try to imagine myself in the centre of all of this and once in this state it’s almost as real as it can be in my imagination.”

Nii Kwartey Owoo and Chief Linguist pouring libation at the House of Owooman, Accra, Bright Senanu Agbosu (2018)

“Once I have been there and revisited the story, I can give an accurate artistic account of it. I then try to imagine myself presenting this with all the rehearsals, markers, timelines and body language, in what I call ‘watch me, watching. I show respect and homage to the original characters of these stories handed down to me and with the blessing of my ancestors and permission to retell their stories, I share them with people who did not get to meet the original storytellers. It is important to me that these characters are celebrated for what they left behind.

“Finally, into the present. The audience is waiting. My focus is on the routine. I encourage myself by looking back at a previous performance and the positive feedback from the audience while I stretch and get ready. Everything checked. I want more!”

Your performances are deeply rooted in your own cultural heritage but how did you create ‘The Harvest’ performance?

“The initial idea came from a conversation I had with artist and curator Louise Dwyer on an earlier research she was conducting, through which I got to share the spirituality, symbolism, activities and traditions around the Homowo festival of my Ga tribe in Accra, Ghana.

“Working closely together with Louise was key in being able to respond to the theme of the exhibition, whilst also giving an accurate account of the Homowo festival. Reflecting on my own experience of the festival in Ghana over the summer and the years I spent growing up in my community, I combined my traditional knowledge and memories together with rhythms, sounds, movement and words to create this contemporary performance piece. Furthermore, being under some time constraints meant my practice was reactive and I also had to adapt what I wanted to create to the performance space at the Art Hostel.”

Traditional Ceremony at Homowo Festival, GaMashie, Accra, Bright Senanu Agbosu (2018)

How was the performance on the night at Art Hostel?

“We were at the venue the night before the performance putting light, sound and seating in place and also to see how practically the space would work for the performance and the sharing of food. The whole performance had to be reworked to suit the venue, which worked very well in the end.

“The performance was well attended, with an interesting mix of people in the audience: people from the diaspora, visitors to the Art Hostel, Ghanaians, other artists and those working within the arts sector. The Art Hostel staff and volunteers were very helpful and receptive and I would be happy to present work in the space again.”

Nii performing “The Harvest”, The Art Hostel, Leeds, by Mary Owoo (2018)

How important was the sharing of food following the performance?

“The sharing of food was equally as important as the story itself, not only does it give people the opportunity to try the food, but eating from the same plate and bowl is very symbolic as it unifies and brings people together. In the context of the UK where people would normally not eat from the same plate, this part of the event helped bind us together, leaving personal differences aside. You take your share of the food and pass it on with a smile to the next person, trying to identify the ingredients and flavours, turning to the person beside you and saying it tastes good or interesting and ‘oh, I like the sauce’ – it bonds people together.”

Nii performing “The Harvest”, The Art Hostel, Leeds, by Mary Owoo (2018)

“This completed the whole performance and embodied the essence of the Homowo festival, where people come together to ‘hoot at hunger.’ It also gave everyone the chance to have that spiritual contact with all those who lost their lives before the seeds were planted and harvested. It brought everyone closer to my ancestors and not just to see and appreciate the dance piece but to share and dine with my ancestors in ‘hooting at hunger.’”

What are you working on currently?

“My main focus for the new year will be my contemporary choreographic work, as I will be involved in an artist development programme with ACE dance and music, in Birmingham. During this time I will be completing some residencies and creating new work with a range of professional dancers and re-working some of my choreographic pieces, including ‘The Struggle of Man’ and ‘The Harvest’.

“I have several other projects I am currently working on, one longstanding project is an online community radio station in Accra, Radio GaMashie, which provides a platform for young people to learn DJ and broadcasting skills. I also currently teach West African dance at Yorkshire Dance and West African Drumming in Leeds. I will also be teaching on the 24th November 2018, a day of West African Drumming and Dance in North Leeds. You can find out more about it at www.miishe.com.”

Radio GaMashie volunteers, GaMashie, Accra, by Bright Senanu Agbosu (2018)

“The Harvest” was curated by MA Curation Practices course student, Louise Dwyer.

How did you find working with a curator to perform ‘The Harvest’ as part of Seeding Art Currency?

“Louise made clear suggestions throughout the process which was good for me because she questioned my work, trying to make sure the end product communicates well to anyone watching. Working with a curator also helped me to refine what to include in the piece and how to convey my messages through the performance.”

Louise saw Nii perform and lead a group of artists and musicians at the Leeds Library as part of the ‘Island to Island’ exhibition earlier this year. Her interests led her to study how art can cross boundaries and open up storytelling and audience engagement.

“Through my own studies during my MA Curation Practices course, I have become engrossed in the aspect of art in other forms linked to museums and galleries, and have become more aware of the elements in Nii’s work”

Did you see Nii’s performance? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.

We love winter in Leeds. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, there’s lots of events happening across the city for you to get involved with this December. Here’s a little rundown of some of the stuff to see and do (this blog post comes with a warning…some of its content is pretty darn festive!).

34 Boar Lane – Inflatable Architectures and The Tool Emporium
Okay, we’re gonna do a shameless little East Street Arts plug here, but we promise it’ll be worth it. There’s a series of awesome events happening at 34 Boar Lane, the ground floor space just close to the train station. See some giant inflatable architectures from Leeds Art University on Friday 7 December (10am to 3pm) or check out an exhibition about the old tool emporium from Leeds Beckett students on Friday 14 December (5-6pm). Click here to find out more!

Thor’s Tipi at Victoria Gardens
It’s baaaack!! A beautifully comfy cosy pop-up tipi bar. Thor’s Tipi is hygge central with log fires, fairy lights and festivity in the form of mulled wine and hot cider. We’d recommend a walk around the Christmas markets (see more below) followed by a stop off here. It’s in place right through until Monday 31 December. It really is a winter winner!
www.thorstipi.com/leeds

Printer Wonderland featuring Christmas Cards by Ben Denning
Our good friends at Leeds Print Workshop is bringing back its Printer Wonderland (see what they did there?) this festive season. Showcasing the work of its members, you can pick up some fantastic prints from Wednesday 5 to Sunday 23 December – we know, just in time for the big day **wink**!

AND NOT ONLY THAT (!!!) Ben Denning is joining the merry Print Workshop brood for an extra special exhibition and publication launch. Since the early 1990s, Ben has created a new Christmas card print each and every year and he’s now showcasing them all in one spectacular extravaganza …good on you, Ben! You can see all of the cards in all of their glory throughout the dates mentioned above or head across for the launch of his Christmas Card publication on the 5th! You’ll even be able to buy yourself a copy. Ben’s being supported by East Street Arts too…whoop! Find out more, here.

Leeds Christkindl Market, Millennium Square
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted we hinted at this one earlier in this post…but we couldn’t have put together a December what’s on round up without including this little ditty. Claiming to be one of the most established German Christmas Markets in the UK (nice!), expect wooden stalls, festive greenery and more fairy lights that you can shake a bratwurst at! Millennium Square is absolutely transformed by this treat and becomes the perfect place to enjoy the winter festivities. Head there before Saturday 22 December to boost those wintery vibes!

MorMor at Sheaf Street
Right, this one isn’t really that festive at all (thumbs down) BUUUUUT, it’s certainly blinking well delicious. MorMor is doing a lovely little takeover at Sheaf Street every Thursday, Friday and Saturday right up until the end of January. Share with your best buddies or enjoy some time on your own away from the December chaos with large and small plates of street food on offer. Inspired the cuisines of the Middle East, North Africa and the Med, it’s the very best spot to get fed this winter (thumbs up).
www.sheafst.com

Cinderella Rock ‘n’ Roll panto
We promise this one isn’t just for families! The City Varieties’ panto is simply fantastic and should become an annual tradition. An evening of music, dancing and “he’s behind you” fun – this one is good for everyone! If you’re staying at the hostel this December, we’d recommend you book your tickets in advance as this one fills up fast. The gorgeous venue is really worth it – you’ll think you’ve stepped back in time. You have until 13 Jan to catch it.
www.cityvarieties.co.uk

#Kirklate Christmas Party
Right up our street, literally! Head across the road to Kirkgate Indoor Market on Thursday 6 December for its uber festive #Kirklate Christmas Party! Any event with a hashtag for a name gets us going! From 7-9pm there’ll be live music, good food, cocktails and wait for it…close up magic!!! Awesome!
www.leeds.gov.uk/leedsmarkets

The Snowman and Nutcracker live at Leeds Town Hall
Finally, finally, finally…this one is pretty sensational. Leeds Town Hall is set to play host to the orchestra of Opera North on Sunday 16 December for a live rendition of The Snowman during a screening of the animation. There will also be an extra special performance of The Nutcracker! Book your tickets, here.

What have we missed? How will you be spending your December?

Image credit: diana lindhardt / The I of Sisters Academy

To reflect on Gry Worre Hallberg’s involvement in our Seeding Art Currency project, we must begin with a quote from Joseph Campbell:
“You can tell what’s informing a society by what the tallest building is. When you approach a medieval town, the cathedral is the tallest thing in the place. When you approach an eighteenth-centre town, it is a political palace that’s the tallest thing in the place. And when you approach a modern city, the tallest places are the office buildings, the centre of economic life.” (The Power of Myth with Bill Moyer, 1988).

Gry established the Copenhagen-based performance group and movement, Sisters Hope with her poetic twin sister, Anna Lawaetz in 2007 in response to this concept; art is the only system which is yet to inform society. Through immersive research and development, the poetic twins are exploring and unfolding their vision for a sensuous society – a world where art and the aesthetic is valued above all else.

Gry said: “The aesthetic has been under-prioritised. We are interested in exploring a potential future world, one where art and the aesthetic is dominant. This goes back to when I was child; I’ve always felt the value of creating and that of the aesthetic.”

The group is conducting their research through the large-scale Nordic project, Sisters Academy, which embodies sensuous society performances in educational settings. Having established their own sensuous learning performance method, Sisters Hope invite participants to call on their inner potential – their poetic-self – and to document their experiences of doing so.

Gry said, “The poetic self is not a character but the secret inner life which is within all of us. It is not something we can explore in everyday life, our surroundings don’t support it. So through our poetic self exercise, we firstly encourage people to identify, then externalise and give that poetic self an image and then step three is learning to relate to others.”

With Sisters Academy, the movement is opening up sensuous learning through two concepts.

The Boarding School – Sisters Hope establish immersive boarding schools in art galleries and organisations for 24 hours, installing bunk beds and leading classes. Anybody can enrol, but those who do must manifest their poetic self for the duration of the performance.

The Takeover – Carried out in real secondary schools. This is a large-scale performance for the duration of two weeks, but which requires months of preparation. During the takeover, Sisters Hope does just that, the head teacher leaves the school and the performance takes over. The teachers are trained to manifest and for those entire two weeks, the school operates within the sensuous performance method.

Each participant documents their experience within a dedicated notebook that in turn becomes part of the Sisters’ wider archive of research.

What happens when people manifest?

“A deep longing is often opened up within people when they manifest. They begin to experience the value of being present in the world; a world that is more innovative and empathetic. It is as though you were previously walking through life with an arm cut off and you just didn’t notice. Manifesting makes you realise what you were missing and you feel home.

But, how do those who have experienced this go back into their everyday lives?
“We have an anchoring technique called an ‘exist ritual’ which happens at the end of each exercise and performance. You don’t leave you poetic self behind; it follows you. At any given time, its shape can be evoked. This is why we make the poetic self exercise available publicly.

“There are still many unanswered questions. The sensuous society is not utopian. There is no monetary system. The performances are an opportunity to explore this and experiment. What is life like when it is based around the sensuous and the poetic?”

What’s next for Sisters Hope?

To date, the Sisters have concentrated their work in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway and Greenland, due to the progressive nature of the education system in these countries. They are now exploring how they can broaden their research into a wider network of countries.

“What we are exploring is fulfilling a global need. Although it is anchored in Europe, it is relevant globally. We are beginning to explore how we can work towards larger manifestations in the UK. This is what brought us to the Art Hostel. I met Janine following a presentation I delivered in Liverpool, and she invited me here seeing the connection between our work and Seeding Art Currency.

“We have people from all walks of life coming to take part in our boarding schools. It is not always those who are already engaged with art. We’ve had some strong reactions and you can never predict who will react in which way. There is often a fear of the unknown and some people who do not respond well to the sensuous world. On the whole, we’ve seen deep and valuable experiences.”

Reflecting on Seeding a Sensuous Society, Janine Sykes said:
“Gry Worre Hallberg brought, for a transient moment, an alternative vision of society; a sensuous society. This idea was shared at the most recent event of Seeding Art Currency and can only be likened to a hurricane or some other awesome phenomena.

“Gry’s commitment to sharing this vision of an alternative sensuous society is admirable, and certainly touched and energised those who were present at the Art Hostel on 31st October. After this ‘taster’ we are left with a hunger for Sisters Hope to return to Leeds, next time in full manifestation.”

Gry sees her work exploring the sensuous as a precursor to a more sustainable society. How does the sensuous support the path towards a more sustainable future? All of this work is forming part of Gry’s PhD, which she will complete in 2020. To find out more about Gry and the work of Sisters Hope, go to: sistershope.dk

Did you come along to Seeding a Sensuous Society at the Art Hostel last month? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.