Digital Archives | Market Place

Creative Chat ‘n’ Blog – Sally Rose

Posted on June 2021June 2021 by Alice Cramer

Listen to Sally’s podcast episode here.

What has lockdown meant for me?

I will be honest: to begin with, I didn’t miss the frantic journeys to and from the car, arms laden with P.A. equipment, with bags… bags of songbooks, bags of instruments (shakers, foot tambourines, hand bells, boomwhackers), bags of tea (3 kinds of), coffee, milk, squash (2 kinds of) and biscuits (numerous varieties). Then came the realisation that all my future work and income had gone.

Gone!

At first, I tried to continue as best I could – positively – and like so many , I spent time recording videos and posting online. I wanted to continue to reach out to the communities that I had established over the previous 4 years. I wanted them to have something to refer to – a kind of guiding light in the face of growing darkness. Listening to the birdsong in the garden, throughout last summer, I spent wondered for hours thinking about the people who I no longer saw; those with whom I no longer had a physical connection; those whose collective voices had been cruelly silenced by an unknown killer.

Unfortunately, the very nature of my work meant that not everyone could access and interact with online content. This got to me and gradually, I eased back. Sometimes, for no reason at all, I felt the unstoppable, overwhelming urge to weep, tears rolling down my cheeks with the realisation that I could not connect fully with others through the internet. I missed connecting in person: in real time. Several people who attended my groups have lost their lives since last March.

If they do return, my communities will not be as I knew them.

When lockdown eventually lifted last summer, the March Can’t Sing choir met up for several outdoor, Covid 19 secure, singing sessions. On those days, my heart burned as brightly as the summer sun and tears flowed down my cheeks, yet again, as I heard the collective voice soar as one with the buzzing bees overhead. It is something I will never forget!

People sometimes ask me why I lead people who ‘can’t sing’. Well, all I can say is that the very act of singing is a magical thing. Having a focus, having a purpose, connecting, breathing as one, having a go, laughing when things go wrong, being proud of something that you achieve, lifting depression, raising self-esteem, learning to use your body to sing, all brings people together in no other way that I know of… and it is so worth it!

As I reflect, I know that keeping my passion for singing is one thing that I will do. There is a new dawn on the horizon, yet the world on which it will shine is still uncertain. I still have my moments. I only hope that singing will rightly take its place, centre stage and re-unite communities once more.

Written by singer, Sally Rose.

Listen to Sally’s podcast episode here.

Read about Sally and the March Can’t Sing Choir here.

Creative Chat ‘n Blog – Michelle Brace

Posted on June 2021June 2021 by Alice Cramer

Listen to Michelle’s podcast episode here.

Imagination – Connection – Voice

This past year has challenged me to refresh my practice and align with new priorities. The world got into a slower gear but I felt a renewed sense of urgency for my work to be relevant and in some way useful and meaningful. For it to connect.

In ‘the age of isolation’ a priority human need surely has to be connection. We’ve all needed to reach out to others for mutual support. As a solo artist I’ve found working and connecting with communities of like minds online to be a lifeline. Virtual meet-ups, courses and skills sessions have been so valuable in helping me to meet new people, keep up to speed, deepen existing skills and, believe it or not…. get excited about the future!!

A lockdown commission opportunity with Marketplace prompted me to realise an idea which I’d had on my mental shelf for years gathering metaphorical dust. Mantelpiece was about creating a community of voices, displaying treasured objects together – on a digital Mantelpiece – and sharing the stories they told. Mantelpiece – now in a new phase of research & development – was adapted for Marketplace to be a neat little creative conversation starter for online group work. The hope is also that the process of sharing such unique and personal stories helped to promote greater empathy, insight & understanding between the people involved.

I think that living through a pandemic has sharpened everyone’s awareness of the fragility of life. The change in pace we experienced gave us a rare chance to much more fully appreciate its beauty and constantly changing states. In the piece of work I made for The Library Presents at the end of 2020, Let the Leaves Change, I was trying to visually communicate something about the magic of late autumn / winter. With my camera and my homemade light box I got deeply into looking at the incredible and intricate detail, colours and textures appearing in the leaves and in the natural world around me. I thought about the inevitability – Covid or no Covid – of change.. of nature moving with ease and without resistance, from one season to the next.

This continuously evolving visual mix, produced by Collusion, was created to be back-projected at night into a town centre shop window in Wisbech and the library window in March. It included a layer of leaf drawings and designs made in collaboration with local communities. I really loved the raw quality achieved by mixing hand drawn and coloured leaves with layered filmed clips and I could see the potential for working more in this way….

My most recent piece of work Where Are We Now? was the product of an experimental 8-week programme, ‘Mindful Making’, designed to support adults experiencing mental health difficulties. We used a range of creative activities to explore the idea that if you immerse yourself in the creative moment you can temporarily suspend your worries & fears. Our aim was to create a relaxed, pressure-free environment and offer an open, fun and playful approach to making art. This project got very close to the heart of Unlocked Creative – encouraging people to be courageous and make instinctive decisions about what comes next. If we can let go of pre-conditioned ideas and get into the process of making something we can feel totally liberated & renewed. This is a healing, empowering and adventurous place to be that opens up all kinds of possibilities….!

Written by artist, Michelle Brace.

@mich_unlockedvj

Director, Unlocked Creative CIC | VJ & Digital Artist

Listen to Michelle’s podcast episode here.

Read about Michelle’s Mantelpiece project here.

Creative Chat ‘n Blog – Marian Savill

Posted on June 2021June 2021 by Alice Cramer

Listen to Marian’s podcast episode here.

As we entered lockdown in March 2020, I watched my personal plans for the year fade away with the loss of workshops, events and my first foray into participating in Cambridge Open Studios. I soon realised though that this was an opportunity to reflect on and develop my practice, and to try new ways of creating and delivering.

Lockdown offered me opportunities to explore delivering via video tutorials when Creative People and Places: MarketPlace offered me the chance to make a series of films on art journaling. I have always used recycled materials in my work and sharing ways to create with limited or no specific art materials was an enjoyable experience albeit on a steep learning curve with the video skills element!

Screenshot from Marian Savill's Art Journalling video workshops. Pictured is Marian experimenting on her desk with paint, pens, pencils and collaging in colourful handmade books. — Marian talking about using words in one of her art journaling videos.

Over the summer of 2020, I started to experiment with new techniques, things I’d wanted to try but never found the time for. Some of the many techniques I tried included eco dyeing, making charcoal, natural weaving, anthotypes, and making natural glues and inks. A lot of these techniques have helped me in my ongoing process of greening my arts practice, making it more eco-friendly, and reducing the carbon footprint of my work, materials and processes.

Eco dyeing — Marian experimenting with beetroot ink.

Another joy of lockdown was being able to attend online workshops from across the world which would not have been possible in real life. I learned about different artists, watched lectures on art history and created art in lots of different media including drawing, collage, painting, stitching, and paper folding. I have also had more time to collaborate with artists both in the UK and the USA, working on round robin altered books and collage projects.

Part of a collaborative project with a US based artist.

Lockdown has been difficult in a lot of ways, of course, and I knew making art and being creative would help me through it but I never anticipated that it would offer me so much time and space for creative exploration and learning, open new trains of thought for projects and artwork and allow me to extend my understanding of my practice and processes. Covid-19 has changed many things for me and now the world is inching towards a new normal, I find myself grateful for what the last eighteen months has taught me and given me.

Written by artist, Marian Savill.

Links:

www.mariansavill.co.uk
Instagram: @maz42
Twitter: @mariansavill
Facebook: Marian Savill Mixed Media Artist

Listen to Marian’s podcast episode here.

Read about Marian’s Art Journaling project here.

Creative Chat ‘n’ Blog – Genevieve Rudd

Posted on June 2021June 2021 by Alice Cramer

Listen to Genevieve’s podcast episode here.

On the day I spoke to David, with Marian Savill, it was the one year anniversary of the first Lockdown. Whilst it wasn’t timed to be the start of the blog series, as far as I’m aware (!), it did shape the drift of our conversation. But then again, has anyone been talking or thinking about anything other than COVID-19 for the past year? It has felt completely all encompassing, but the conversation with the three of us reminded me that taking the time for social connection can help put things into perspective.

A photo of artist Genevieve Rudd smiling with a Waveney & Blyth art trail leaflet.

As an artist, I have lots of ways to keep my mind occupied, but Lockdown has been universally energy sapping. Despite this, the lack of usual habits or access to resources gave way to inventiveness. This is something that chimed with Marian too. Both of us thrifty at the best of times, it was inspiring to hear how she also found new life for unwanted stuff, and how this connected with her wider lifestyle values around veganism and reducing waste.

Lockdown has encouraged more ‘localised’ thinking on the whole – such as doorstep clapping, mutual aid groups and window rainbows – we’ve all been forced to re-consider our relationships to our immediate environment. For many, this has been a suffocating experience, and for others, it has given a sense of freedom from their daily slog. Whatever the situation, it’s brought us all face-to-face with our own domestic reality in very close detail. For me, that detail has shown me the value in simplicity.

Marian was inspiring to talk to; I’d never heard of ‘doodads’, but she has been doing #A100DaysOfDoodads. These mini sculptural pieces are made from tomato puree tubes, scrap fabric, threads, leaves, wire, stones and all sorts of things she found around her home over the past few months! I love this ethos and in my own practice, I have been exploring approaches with foraged, edible and recycled materials, and in turn, making my practice more sustainable. This explorations have predominantly been using Cyanotype and Anthotype photography, using plants and compost from my garden.

‘Soil Circles’ 1 of 6. Cyanotype photographic print made using collected rainwater, home-made compost, recycled paper and sunlight, 5th-6th March 2021. Copyright Genevieve Rudd.

This year has been many things, but one silver lining has been the time spent exploring and treasuring the small overlooked details of life, particularly in relation to the natural world. This year, I’m running an Arts Council England funded project, Yarmouth Springs Eternal, in partnership with original projects; in Great Yarmouth. We’re nurturing relationships with the natural world found in overlooked places through walking and art-making. If there is one thing I’ll keep from this last year, it’s to embrace simplicity, and from Marian, it’s the ‘use what you already have’ mentality!

Written by artist, Genevieve Rudd.

Links:

www.genevieverudd.com
Instagram: @genevieverudd
Twitter: @gruddphoto
Facebook: Genevieve Rudd artist

Listen to Genevieve’s podcast episode here.

Read about Genevieve’s project Lets Take a Walk here.

Art of #CovidChat

Posted on June 2021April 2022 by Colin Stevens

A new MarketPlace/ DMJ Imagery Ltd podcast series

For many creative practitioners, the Lockdown period during 2020 and 2021 was both a stressful challenge and a opportunity for experimentation and learning. Inevitably, this has raised questions about what we do, how we do it and most importantly, why we do what we do.

In the Art of #CovidChat, Chatteris based filmmaker and podcast producer, David Johnson (DMJ Imagery) had the idea of hosting ‘creative conversations’ with artists from our Inkling and Connect micro-commissions.

_{Pictured is a photo of David Johnson (DMJ Imagery) with his camera.}

David wanted to explore how artists have coped with transferring their skills and practice to online workshops, digital technology and downloadable resources. He also wanted to discuss how they managed to continue the creative sharing process despite not being able to be in the same physical space as workshop participants.

The podcasts include a great line-up of artists discussing music, writing, digital technology, fine art and performance.

The creative conversations launched on podcast platforms early this summer. Listen to them below.

Listen to the podcast series below:

Episode 1

Read the transcript of Episode 1 here.

_{This episode David Johnson interviews artists Genevieve Rudd and Marian Savill. The topic for this episode is Mixed Media Arts. They discuss:-}

_{Permission to be an artist}
_{Cyanotype & anthotype}
_{The changing of art materials and the impact of recycling}

Read Genevieve’s blog post here.

Read Marian’s blog post here.

Episode 2

Read the transcript for Episode 2 here.

_{David Johnson interviews poet and writer Leanne Moden and writer Belona Greenwood}. _{The topic for this episode is Poetry and Written Word.} _{They discuss:-}

_{Initial process to start writing}
_{The effects of lockdown}
_{Learning new skills during the last year}

_{The challenge:}

_{To write a short poem}
_{Short story about a stone}

Read Leanne’s blog post here.

Read Bel’s blog post here.

Episode 3

Read the transcript for Episode 3 here.

_{This episode, David Johnson interviews environmental artist Kaitlin Ferguson and publisher and illustrator Ric Savage. The topic for this episode is Use of Video in Art Projects. They discuss: –}

_{How they learned to create videos}
_{Their experiences of using videos in their work}
_{Missing the audience engagement}

_{The challenge:}

_{Record the changes of nature using video}
_{Capture something about you}
_{Additional challenge – Film a one-minute elevator pitch}

Read Kaitlin’s blog post here.

Read Ric’s blog post here.

Episode 4

Read the transcript for Episode 4 here.

_{This episode, David Johnson interviews singer/ music leader Sally Rose and artist Michelle Brace.} _{The topic for this episode is Music and Technology.} _{They discuss:-}

_{What is VJ-ing?}
_{Music and Mental Health}
_{Folk music in the Fenland area}

_{The challenge:}

_{Go for a walk and listen to the rhythm of your feet as you move}
_{Get two images – patterns/textures and digitally blend them or collage them.}

Read Sally’s blog post here.

Read Michelle’s blog post here.

To stay up to date with all our project news sign up for our newsletter.

The Story of Molly Whuppie with Marion Leeper

Posted on May 2021September 2021 by Colin Stevens

_{A photo of Marion in a glittering tent telling a story to four small children.}

Marion answered our Inkling & Connect call-out last year with a problem she wanted to try and solve.

The problem? How could Marion take the interactive fun and learning from a playgroup setting and transfer it to the flat screen of Zoom and YouTube?

It was certainly a challenge and we were keen to support Marion. Take a look at the first part of her Molly Whuppie story.

As she says about her first video story:

“The Bridge of One Hair that I’ve had to cross, was the big move to telling stories online. Live storytelling in the early years is a conversation. Young children respond to stories with their whole bodies: not just joining in with actions and rhymes, but pointing, laughing, moving the props around, deciding how the characters are feeling and what they had for breakfast.

I had to take a leaf out of Mollie Whuppie’s book, and make a virtue of a small screen.“

_{A photo of Marion’s makeshift set at home using household objects.}

Marion persevered, tried out techniques and collaborated to bring in film skills.

“I struggled to learn so many things – lighting, set-building, framing. Then my film-buddy and mentor, Inés Alvarez Villa, came on the scene. Working remotely, she patiently taught me how to focus a shot, film close-up sequences of props and many other skills.”

You can read about Marion’s experience in her recent blog here.

If you are interested in finding out more about the use of storytelling in Early Years learning contact Marion via her website.

Here are the rest of the Molly Whuppie adventure series.

To stay up to date with all our project news sign up for our newsletter.

Evaluation Case Study: Creative Collective and Mantelpiece

Posted on April 2021April 2021 by Alice Cramer

This case study is part of our project evaluation for 2019/2020

We brought together a group of volunteers from communities in the local areas we work with. Known as the Creative Collective, they have worked with us over the last year to co-commission creative practitioners and plan arts activity in their towns and across the area. They got involved when we changed our programmes in response to Covid-19 helping us in decision-making for our micro-commission programme.

For one of the commissions, we wanted the group to have the chance to be participants too. They chose Mantelpiece by artist Michelle Brace. The project explored our connections with objects and their personal significance through recordings of each person telling the story of their object. Michelle encouraged the group to consider the meaning and memories behind their chosen objects and they worked together to learn and share digital skills needed for their recordings.

Download the full Creative Collective and Mantelpiece case study here.

Read the full 2019/20 evaluation report here.

An excerpt from the case study:

The Creative Collective directly builds on work developed in Phase 1 to give opportunities for local voice to feed into MarketPlace programming. The group had newly formed at the end of Phase 2 Year 1 and had begun joint planning a new programme of activity to roll out across the seven towns.

This year the Creative Collective has been integral in the commissioning process, user testing potential roll-out projects and matching artist ideas with relevant communities. The MarketPlace team identified a commission with the potential for cross-generational roll out across the towns. In discussion with the Creative Collective, they selected the commission as one they would participate in themselves.

Mantelpiece

Mantelpiece is a project in which groups share stories associated with objects to create a collective digital portrait of who they are to accompany their oral stories.

It has a very clear simple structure – set a group a brief to choose an object in their home and to share why it’s important, what it says about who you are, and a memory associated with it. In the sharing of the story, it gets recorded. Each object is photographed and composited into a group shot around mantelpiece, a place known for showing prized possessions.

_{Pictured: Left: The final image of the groups items in pride of place on the mantelpiece. Right: Screenshot of the audio files of the group telling the stories behind their chosen object.}

Download the full Creative Collective and Mantelpiece case study here.

Read more about the Mantelpiece project with Michelle Brace here.

Evaluation Case Study: Tea and Tasters and Going Digital

Posted on April 2021May 2022 by Alice Cramer

This case study is part of our project evaluation for 2019/2020.

We’ve worked with Shelby, owner of the lovely Barleycorn Cafe in Mildenhall on creative projects over the last few years. Before the pandemic, we were running a series of taster sessions with local Meet Up Mondays group and creative practitioners from the region. The group enjoyed the activities and the company, feeling less isolated and more connected.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything and we had to stop the live programme. To keep something going, we worked with The Barleycorn and artist Marian Savill during the first lockdown to create a series of ‘make along’ videos about Art Journaling.

Find out the difference this project has made and the challenges of delivering online as we all adjusted to doing more things digitally.

Download the full Tea and Tasters and Going Digital case study here.

Read the full 2019/20 evaluation report here.

An excerpt from the case study:

The Barleycorn Cafe in Mildenhall is only three years old, but has become a hub in the community. They decided to start a Meet-up Monday group, hoping to tackle loneliness and isolation by offering a free cuppa and a place to chat and meet people. Working with owner Shelby and a group of regular Meet Up Monday members a taster arts programme was established to reach new audiences, create new art opportunities locally and increase well-being.

Tea and Tasters

A series of taster workshops were delivered with different artists for the group to choose one they would like to work with the longer term.

These workshops included:

creative journalling
singing
printmaking
ceramics
expressive drawing

A photo from one of the taster workshops. For this workshop, the group were trying singing with singing teacher, Sally Rose. In this photo Sally is grinning while sat on a chair with a little guitar.

A photo from one of the taster workshops. For this workshop, the group were trying pottery. In this photo, Clare the artist is showing a member of the group how to throw a pot on a potters wheel.

_{Pictured: Three photos from the taster workshops. Left: For this workshop, the group were trying singing with singing teacher, Sally Rose.} _{Sally is grinning while sat on a chair with a little guitar. Middle: The group were trying pottery. In this photo, Clare the artist is showing a member of the group how to throw a pot on a potters wheel. Right: The group were trying screenprinting. In the photo the group are sitting and standing around a large long table, with rollers, paint and printing stamps scattered on the table.}

_{Graphic showing participation and audience numbers. Participants: 14, Engagements: 50, Artists: 5.}

The group decided to pursue additional singing sessions alongside holding a longer creative journaling project using a democratic vote.

The plans for additional journaling workshops were curtailed by the pandemic. This resulted in a commission for mixed media artist Marian Savill to produce four online tutorials to journal from home, using resources you would find around the house.

Extending the commission in this way was a means of continuing to maintain the group’s connectivity. As well as to manage further isolation for this vulnerable group and transition activity into digital outputs in a meaningful way.

A photo from one of the taster workshops. For this workshop, the group were trying pastels. In this photo, a large piece of paper has been covered in drawings in pastel, including images of coffee cups, flowers and words like "sun" and "hope".

A photo from one of the taster workshops. For this workshop, the group were trying art journalling. In this photo, a table is covered in magazines and collages.

_{Pictured: Two photos from the taster workshops. Left: The group were trying pastels. In this photo, a large piece of paper has been covered in drawings in pastel, including images of coffee cups, flowers and words like “sun” and “hope”. Right: The group were trying art journaling. In this photo, a table is covered in magazines and collages.}

Art Journaling with Marian Savill

Screenshot from Marian Savill's Art Journalling video workshops. Pictured is the opening image for Marian's workshop. It reads "Art Journaling with Marian Savill" in collaged letters.

_{Pictured: The opening image for Marian’s workshop. It reads “Art Journaling with Marian Savill” in collaged letters.}

Initially the commission was developed as an experience for the Meet Up Mondays group to continue their journlling activity with Marian, during the first national lockdown through April – May 2020.

Marian was commissioned to make a series of four workshop tutorials and an introductory promo video. The tutorials cover how to make a book, creating backgrounds, adding text and embellishing your journal.

To mirror in-person experiences, the videos were launched weekly, on a Monday at 10am, within a Facebook event on the CPP MarketPlace account and the Barleycorn Facebook page.

_{Pictured: Graphic showing participation and audience numbers. Event Attendees: 11, Views: 319, Videos: 5.}

_{Pictured: Two screenshots from Marian Savill’s Art Journalling workshops. In the images Marian experiments on her desk with paint, wax crayons and collaging in colourful handmade books.}

Download the full Tea and Tasters and Going Digital case study here.

Read more about one of the online taster sessions Art Journaling with Marian Savill and the Barleycorn cafe here.

Evaluation Case Study: New Skills for New Ways of Working

Posted on March 2021March 2024 by Alice Cramer

This case study is part of our project evaluation 2019/2020

In this case study we’re looking at the ways we responded to the pandemic as a team, how we reviewed and changed our ways of working. Unlike many arts organisations who had to close venues, the Creative People and Places national programme continued working with local communities throughout the lockdowns of 2020, but we had to approach things differently, change quickly and respond sensitively. This was a situation beyond all of our experience.

The impact of Covid-19 and national lockdown restrictions on local communities, artists and organisations meant that new ways of working, supporting creative practitioners and communities was a priority.

This case study looks at the ways we changed our artist commission support and skills development and the difference this made from participant feedback.

Download the full New Skills for New Ways of Working case study here.

Read the full 2019/20 evaluation report here.

An excerpt from the case study:

Creative Conversations in Isolation Impact on Artists

The MarketPlace team amongst their CPP colleagues recognised a need to provide opportunities for local audiences to engage in creative and cultural opportunities during the first national lockdown. They also identified a need to be an integral part in supporting the local arts economy and freelance artists in a meaningful way for their communities whilst honouring their artistic ideas.

Marketplace developed the ‘Creative Conversation in Isolation‘ two-tiered commission. Artists were invited to submit ideas that could then be funded as an ‘Inkling’. These would be developed into a working project idea after an advice surgery session with the MarketPlace team.

This enabled artists to gain direct support and insight to make their ideas audience focused with their time being valued financially. Upon approval of their delivery plan submission, the project would be funded at the ‘Connect’ level to engage communities in the activity.

Of the 19 projects commissioned this year, seven were commissioned directly at Connect level as their project plan was fully formed. Ten of the projects have moved from Inkling to Connect and two projects are still in the Inkling development phase.

Graphic showing participation and audience numbers.
**Arts Commissions:** 19, **Participants:** 40, **Training:** 1

The commissioned artists reflected upon the impact of the commission on their current employment, stability and new ways of working. This commission, alongside a measuring digital impact training day enables the development of local capacity to grow at the same time as the audience appetite for this type of cultural content.

In this short video, Creative Agent Ali reflects on the Connect and Inkling projects commissioned by MarketPlace during lockdown.

In this short video, Creative Agent Colin reflects on the importance of creating during the pandemic in 2020.

Download the full New Skills for New Ways of Working case study here.

You can also read about our work and other Creative People and Places projects in the national programme’s case study ‘Working With Artists Through Lockdown’.

What has lockdown meant for me?

Written by singer, Sally Rose.

Written by artist, Michelle Brace.

Written by artist, Marian Savill.

Written by artist, Genevieve Rudd.

A new MarketPlace/ DMJ Imagery Ltd podcast series

Listen to the podcast series below:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

An excerpt from the case study:

Mantelpiece

An excerpt from the case study:

Tea and Tasters

Art Journaling with Marian Savill

Subscribe