An Impossible Timeline
Our roots are in the performing arts having produced a series of strongly visual and often richly musical pieces. Now, having moved beyond theatre, our work is recognised as being at the forefront of participatory events, new media and installations.
2015
|
Codex
A giant illuminated projection book filled with a thousand-and-one fables. This book will tell you a tale full of intriguing, animated images, and can tell any story. |
|
Codex
A giant illuminated projection book filled with a thousand-and-one fables. This book will tell you a tale full of intriguing, animated images, and can tell any story. |
|
Codex
A giant illuminated projection book filled with a thousand-and-one fables. This book will tell you a tale full of intriguing, animated images, and can tell any story. |
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
Talking Heads
Three giant heads speak and sing. Faces of the audience are mapped using 3-D face capture, their mouths animated to put words into their mouths |
|
Wing/Face
Engaging interactive installation for the touring AniMotion exhibition, featuring a fully automated face-recognition camera and rear-projection structure 18 July – 10 October 2015
|
|
FLOI-15
48 hrs of inspiration, creation and fun, a chance for a wide range of Street Arts professionals to gather - for 2015 at 101 Creation Space, Greenham Common, Newbury. |
|
Codex
A giant illuminated projection book filled with a thousand-and-one fables. This book will tell you a tale full of intriguing, animated images, and can tell any story. |
|
6 million plus
Developing education, creative arts and live events exploring the connections between the Holocaust and the experience of persecuted minorities in the world today. |
|
Rogues Gallery
Mixing contemporary local faces with archive portraits of the people in a cranky automated photographic studio. |
2014
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
Cinema Truck Does what it says on the tin. Its a 30 seat Cinema. In a Truck.
As of 2016, no longer available, sorry.
|
|
Codex Notepad
Images mix with selected live and prepared text all written large across the pages of a 3m wide notepad. Audiences watch words rewrite themselves, images develop, and pages turn to reveal new material. |
|
For the Love Of It 14
2 days of inspiration, creation and fun, a chance for a wide range of Street Arts professionals to gather - for 2014 this was in Stoke-on-Trent. |
|
6 million plus
Developing education, creative arts and live events exploring the connections between the Holocaust and the experience of persecuted minorities in the world today. |
|
Rogues Gallery
Mixing contemporary local faces with archive portraits of the people in a cranky automated photographic studio. |
2013
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
6 million plus
Developing education, creative arts and live events exploring the connections between the Holocaust and the experience of persecuted minorities in the world today. |
|
Codex (development)
The CODEX installation is inspired by Illuminated Manuscripts, and like them it combines bespoke words and image, but re-imagined as an open book that lights up in the night sky. |
|
All At Sea
Reg and Bet go on an adventure - creating a unique children's DVD for our Friends at Shabang Inclusive Learning here at the Watershed. |
|
Rogues Gallery
Mixing contemporary local faces with archive portraits of the people in a cranky automated photographic studio. |
|
Silverscreen A vintage looking camera at an outdoor photography station contain face recognition software that takes a short sequence of images. These are combined with other quirky imagery and the resulting live animations are projected onto a large translucent screen. |
|
FLOI-13: 'For the Love Of It'
48 hours of inspiration, creation & fun, a chance for a wide range of Street Arts professionals to Congregate, Speculate and Re-invigorate - this year held at the Collect Project in Bristol. |
2012
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
Wild About Wool Digi-stories
Five short video digi stories for the Wild About Wool installation |
|
Shadow projects
shadow workshops in Leeds and Cowersley |
|
FLOI-12: 'For the Love Of It'
'For the Love Of It' Street Arts gathering weekend in Ulverston |
|
Thornhill Boost
Thornhill Boost event, where the 360 degree technology from Lightweight was used indoors to create an immersive experience |
2011
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
Miss Lockwood: The Lady behind the lens This DVD traces the life and work of a prolific local woman film-maker. Between 1938 and 1994 Miss Lockwood made scores of films that captured the life of the Holme Valley. This limited edition DVD traces her life and work and is packed with moving images of old Holmfirth. |
|
Life In Transition
Multi-channel sound and light based installation drawing on an oral history project documenting the lives of young women who arrived from the South Asian subcontinent to live, study and work in West Yorkshire over the last 25 years. |
|
FLOI-11: 'For the Love Of It'
'For the Love Of It' Street Arts gathering at the Watershed |
|
Lightweight in Wingbeats
Lighght becomes part of the Wingbeats opera - on stage adding atmosphere, visual interest and context to the performance. |
|
Action for Social Justice
DVD |
|
Inside Out
A series of engaging family workshops in Birkby, Huddersfield that were designed to raise participation in creative activities for families with low history of engagement and to develop parents experience in being able to play alongside and together with their children. |
2010
|
LightWeight
A 360˚ projection globe that invites audiences to have their picture mapped into live animations that swarm around the globe alongside movies, audio, graphic effects, pictures, text and even Tweets. |
|
Infinity Disks
A kinetic sculpture made up of spinning disks, together creating a mesmeric and ever moving Moiré optical effect all lit with ‘black-light’ ultraviolet lamps giving it an ethereal glow that intensifies as darkness draws in. |
|
Crucible Talking Benches
Sit on the two benches in the foyer of the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield and they talk to you. Designed by Madani Younis and made by Richard Wincer, we created the reactive electronics that speak the words of Crucible staff when visitors alight on them. |
|
|
Royds Hall Transition Project
Working with the Royds Hall Creative Curriculum group - 25 students looking at the year 6-7 transition programme. This project grew over the year and culminated at the start of the new academic year in September. |
|
Spaces and Places
Free creative family workshops at Huddersfield Art Gallery and Birkby Community Centre exploring living space through a range of hands-on arts workshops. |
|
Kirklees Creative Summit
Delivering this keynote presentation about human creativity at the Kirklees Creative Summit event. |
|
Food For Thought
A video celebrating the six meals held at different locations in Kirklees where the participants, including survivors, remember the Holocaust and more recent genocides. |
|
For The Love Of It
A Northern Street Arts get-together, held at the Watershed in January 2010, provided a chance to congregate, speculate and re-invigorate; catch up with old friends and make new ones. |
2009
|
Creative Partnerships
Work with two high schools in Bradford and three primary schools in Kirklees to improve engagement and creative learning of pupils. |
|
LightWeight
An inflated 4-metre diameter translucent sphere filled with intense coloured light, projected images, animations and shadowy figures gliding around the surface. The shadows tell a 360 degree story viewed by the spectators outside to music from hidden speakers. |
|
Food For Thought
Six different meals had twelve guests each. A survivor of the Holocaust and someone affected by more recent persecution suggested the recipes at each one, and they spoke before inviting discussion about how to create a culture of tolerance and hope. |
|
Crunch Video
Two-day film-making training courses at the Watershed exploring creative film-making and non-linear video editing techniques and aimed at both adults and young people. |
|
Sun Earth Moon
Ultra-violet hats representing the solar system constructed and performed with by Newsome Junior school. |
|
ChromaLab
A hands on exploration of colour and light during a rich half-day workshop suitable for both schools and community groups. Sessions include: The colour wheel; Colour mixing; Creating colour imagery, An immersive exploration in the ChromaVan. |
2005-2008: Education & developmental
Regeneration, consultation and education work. Embracing participatory practice through the development of new forms appropriate to a range of different contexts.
2008
|
ChromaVan
Soak in pure colour - witness the curious perception effects that surprise and mesmerise all who enter “a joy to the soul - loved it” |
|
The ChromaVan
An innovative project exploring the links between colour and emotion in a specially adapted touring caravan. Vivid colour projecting lights give participants an intense but intimate light experience, bathing them in pure colour. “…a joy to the soul ..loved it!’. Cleckheaton, Stockton-on-Tees, Utrecht, Liverpool, Holmfirth. |
|
Double Portraits
A film exploring a creative dialogue between a series of real holocaust and genocide survivors - presented as part of the ‘6 million +’ exhibition for two weeks in Mall 5 of Brent Cross shopping centre, North London and also Rippon Cathedral. |
|
The Insecurity Men
A short play on the subject of paranoia, written in body language and performed by androids. Three robots run on a Moebius Loop behaviour programme affected by the presence of strangers, and they are starting to mistrust each other. Made in collaboration with Forkbeard Fantasy. |
|
Challenge Ident
This is Creativity…This is Challenge College. A 60 second movie ‘Ident’ for the school promoting and celebrating creativity in learning, launched with a detailed multimedia review of its Creative Partnerships work. |
|
The Cage
Drama based on accounts from modern day child slaves, sex slaves and forced soldiers living in Britain today. This excerpt from a previously developed performance in Hull was performed at the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Huddersfield. |
|
Our Sporting Greats in Exhibition
Exhibition of this DVD film that reveals the achievements of some of the world-class sporting heroes who are from Kirklees. We see their struggle, witness their glory and learn about the human side of reaching the top. |
2007
|
Our Sporting Greats
Filming the life story and achievements of seven local sporting heroes with a presentation in Huddersfield made as part of the local run up to the 2012 Olympics. |
|
The Paranoids
An interactive animatronics robot exhibits symptoms of paranoia when people step near, for an exhibition in Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter. Devised in collaboration with Forkbeard Fantasy. |
|
Bud And Blossom
A video focusing on the creative activities undertaken by a group of young people suffering a serious deaf-blindness condition over a participatory arts weekend run by Shabang Theatre Adventures in collaboration with Sense North. |
|
Dhoom
A Creative Partnerships project working with 160 Year 7 pupils at Challenge College in Bradford over two weeks to create a short new music video piece inspired by the theatre production ‘Bollywood Jane. |
|
Dudey Movie Kabinet
A unique mobile display cabinet housed in the carcass of an ex-arcade machine presents an original short film inspired by the pioneering films made in Holmfirth in the 1890’s. |
|
Refresh Berry Brow
Berry Brow flats are two troubled blocks in Huddersfield that house mostly young people including asylum seekers, ex-homeless and ex-prison inmates. The flats are unpopular and are visually unappealing. This project aimed to address both these issues and help build a better outlook. |
|
The Cage
A student installation and performance in Hull based on forced labour and child slavery experienced in Britain today. Intensive creation periods with 5 different groups of 17-18 year olds focussing on drama, dance and media, leading to a performance installation with projections by a cast of around 70. |
2006
|
Witches Walk
Helping develop Oldham College student’s street style performances as part of this large public Halloween event with Pif-Paf. |
|
Dudey Movie
Forming a group of local teenagers to research and produce a unique video inspired by the film making ideas pioneered in Holmfirth over 100 years ago. Together we made an original short film introducing and updating the original material. |
|
ELHI
Video documenting the international European Leaders in Healthcare Improvement training programme final event in Cambridge. |
|
Bridlington Projections
Work with students from two high schools in Bridlington to consider urban development issues, deliver training and create digital images of future visions for the area. Presented as an urban projection as part of the town centre festival, and also to the Town Management team. |
2005
|
The ChromaVan
Vivid colour projecting light sources enhance the perceptions of participants who experience an intimate light show, are bathed in pure colour. Manchester Xtrax festival and Oldham Art Galley |
|
ELHI
Video documenting this international European Leaders in Healthcare Improvement training programme in Manchester. |
|
OurHouse
A participatory visual arts workshop event with the community of Brackenhall estate as it enters a huge re-development phase, with a celebratory event with the launch of a small exhibition. |
|
Shape of Things to Come
Part of the Watershed team delivering a residential weekend of creative activity with members of the CHARGE syndrome families support group. The video focuses on the activities undertaken by the young people themselves and their thoughts and feelings about the shape of things to come. |
|
Holocaust Memorial Day
Producing 2 DVD’s for Kirklees’ HMD event at Huddersfield Town Hall. One an interview with a veteran of the British Army’s liberation of Belsen and the other a record of creative activity with individual accounts from a refugee and asylum seekers support group. |
|
All That Glitters
Introducing a group of people with learning differences and sensory impairment to a creative process which teach a variety of craft based techniques and small scale production processes. |
|
Double Portraits
A film weaving together conversations, poetry and imagery around the lives of 12 refugees to this country - pairing a Jewish survivor with an assylum seeker, and exploring the similarities/differences in their experiences. Created as part of the ‘6 million+’ exhibition for the Holocaust Memorial Day. |
1999-2004: Leaving live arts, exploring digital realm
Developing capacity in film and video, as well as new interactive digital formats. Video, at first a rehearsal and documentary tool, becomes a creative product; It was also now possible to experiment with suplimenting the live with a digital presence.
2004
|
The ChromaVan
Exploring the links between colour and emotion in a specially adapted touring caravan. After a very successful tour around most the streets of Windybank, housing estate we extended the project to tour to Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Glasgow Science Centre. |
2003
|
Routes 2r Roots
The outcomes from this earlier extensive participatory arts project were transformed into a well received web-site and an engaging and informative CD-Rom which was widely distributed. |
|
SNAP club
A series of mask making, drama improvisations and video making sessions in this project with the Holmfirth SNAP (Special Needs At Phoenix) group. The resulting video was first screened at the club before copies distributed to participants. |
|
|
The Bench
About 30 young people spent 8 weeks devising scenes for a film in evening drama sessions..... followed by one mad weekend of filming. Later shown at a gala premiere event. In collaboration with Satellite Arts. |
|
Walking Paintings
Walkabout visual theatre piece in collaboration with Whitewood and Flemming Music Theatre. |
2002
|
Roots 2r Roots
An extensive participatory creative and new media project exploring local heritage with young people from Fieldhead estate near Leeds, resulting in a touring exhibition, and a public sculpture. |
|
Late Nite Session
Step back to the mid 80's when Reggae was king. |
|
Selector
A video game oracle offering a range of eclectic wisdom's. As players are guided into the system they find themselves on a symbolic and virtual supermarket trip - but this is no ordinary grocers, it is the supermarket of life. |
2001
|
Boat Years
Creating the video elements for an integrated multi-media theatre show exploring issues around immigration with a large mixed cast of young people from many ethic origins and communities. In association with Chol Theatre the resulting piece was shown to critical acclaim at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. |
|
Boat Years
Creating the video elements for an integrated multi-media theatre show exploring issues around immigration with a large mixed cast of young people from many ethic origins and communities. In association with Chol Theatre the resulting piece was shown to critical acclaim at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. |
|
Branded
'Icons of Desire' computer animations produced by a group of young people after training in animation software. The results displayed in a re-engineered arcade style fruit machine, containing a dual screen interactive computer driven installation. Contact Theatre, Manchester. |
2000
|
The 7 Ages
A six-week participatory video project with a group of day care patients at the Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontyfract. In a delicate and often moving process, we worked to help the participants capture individual histories and memories, turning these moments into a coherent video programme. |
|
Canary Island
Environment and Arts project rejuvenating a derelict space with planting, paths and sculptures, involving local people and culminating in a launch event. |
|
Selector
Developing a unique interactive computer programme funded by an Arts Council Combined Arts R&D award and assisted by the Health Authority. |
|
They Came from Nowhere
Developing an inflatable street theatre piece with Inztant Arts. This entertaining street spectacle was designed to tour street carnivals, festivals and fetes throughout the country. |
1999
|
Longley: the Movie
With an all star cast of 137 - the whole work force at Longley Farm, Britain's largest independent dairy - help create a permanent record of the farm at work. |
|
Windybank Banner
Developing a banner piece with, for and by people from the Windybank housing estate. |
|
Action Station
Collaboration with the Earth Centre in Doncaster to create a Lantern and fire spectacle for the launch event, and provide. conceptual / consultancy advice on live animation. |
1992-1998: Process based, cross art form, events
Now working in galleries, shops, factories and forests more that theatres and studios. Collaborating with new artist led us to work in different ways - developing an even more process-led approach in many new contexts.
1998
|
Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘98
A series of public and schools workshops in Kirklees during July and August leading to a public Land Art event at Holme Styes Woods during August. |
|
The g-Effect
Live art commission, Ferens Live art space, Hull exploring pictures, property, and philosophy. |
|
Destined
Sheffield railway station sees the beginning or end of 10,000 journeys each day. For 5 weeks a pair of electromagnetic information boards offered those in transit a chance to ruminate on life's journey. Part of the ‘SHUNTED’ curated by the Site Gallery for the UK Year of Photography. |
1997
|
Work-In-Progress
A three week project with the Catalan performance group ‘La Fura dels Baus’ working with a group of students on a project involving new technology, live and digital performance. British Council funded, for Tarrega Festival, September 97. |
|
The Evidence Room
Bringing the third part of the Open Closing Door project, the kinetic dual screen video shop window installation, to Derby town centre. With thousands of visitors and 524 showings it proved both a popular event. |
|
Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘97
A participatory fresh air event for nature, art and picnic lovers. A series of workshops with a large range of participants, in schools during July, with playgroups and the public during August, constructing scarecrow sculptures from recycled materials. The concluding celebratory land art event followed a week of preparation and was organised by the Friends of Holme Styes Wood. |
|
Attitude Tests
Schools workshop using the video’s produced in Derby. The sessions explored the causes and consequences of crime in addition to revealing techniques and processes involved in creative video production. In association with Derby Community Arts, March 1997. |
|
The Atmosphere Today
Creating 3 interpretive and participatory display over 6 months using the permanent art collection at Huddersfield Art Gallery. Using Britain’s favourite conversation topic, the weather, as a metaphor to help people look at and discuss a more challenging area – art works. |
1996
|
Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘96
A workshop based peripatetic land art project working with a large range of participants, in playgroups and public, to construct scarecrow sculptures from recycled materials. The event concluded in a celebratory land art event on after a week of preparation in Holme Styes Wood, Holmfirth. |
|
The Evidence Room
Development of this kinetic dual screen video installation for a shop window in Alfreds Way Shopping Centre, Batley which was open to the public and triggered by them for 20 days. |
|
Attitude Tests
A series of workshops in 10 schools in North Kirklees on the theme of crime. |
|
Open Closing Doors
Video presentations at the ‘Creative Time’ conference at Theatre in Prisons and Probation at the University of Manchester and the ‘Men and Masculinities’ conference at the Watermans Arts Centre, London. Contributed a chapter to ‘Arts Approaches to Conflict’ edited by Marian Liebmann, published by Jessica Kingsley. |
|
Puppet Video
Work with Kirklees Youth Justice. During structured sessions we worked together with participants to create a unique video programme telling their own story. |
|
Kirklees Way Quest
Working with 12 different community groups around a 72 mile circular walk on a year long community based sequence of creative events., documenting activities and constructing a ‘cultural map’ of the Kirklees Way and culminating in a special launch event. |
1995
|
Sculpture Picnic Trail '95
A fresh air event for 400 nature, art and picnic lovers. The environmental arts project began in a series of Playscheme workshops and led up to a public land art event day with participatory activities - a celebratory land art event on after a week of preparation in Holme Styes Wood, Holmfirth. |
|
Puppet Video
We worked with 20 offenders and victims of crime through Victims Support, the Probation Service, Youth Justice and others. During day-ong structured sessions we worked together to produce a short puppet video telling their story. |
|
The Evidence Room
14 short devised performances at Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery within the installation. With live music (Clive Bell and Christian Weaver) and performance (Kazuko Hohki and Chris Squire). |
|
The Evidence Room
A dual screen kinetic video installation commissioned by Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery. With inflatable furniture, a mechanical table and a digital angel, in addition to giant manipulated photo images (Paul Grundy) and a visitors ‘confession Booth. |
|
Home Sweet Home
A 4 roomed revolving bijou fabric residency, furnished with soft objects, a poet, 500 metres of printed cloth and live music. Six full days of workshops and 2 days of performance in Batley. |
|
Attitude Tests
20 intense participatory sessions reaching over 500 people in Kirklees mostly in schools, but also Youth clubs, a pub and the Kirklees Media Centre. The sessions looked at both how we produced the videos and it explored responses to crime – i.e. both content and form. |
1994
|
Sculpture Picnic Trail '94
A fresh air event for 400 nature, art and picnic lovers. The environmental arts project began in a series of Playscheme workshops and led up to a public land art event day with participatory activities. |
|
Home Sweet Home
A short German and UK tour with workshops and a number of performances for schools/Colleges and the general public in Aachen, and Folkstone (the latter part of the channel tunnel celebration) |
|
Other People's Shoes
A mountain of discarded shoes is annotated and displayed forensically in an bottom-lit, mirror floored suspended display, with live performance. The Museum of Other People’s Shoes presented in Art Galleries in the Harris Gallery, Preston, Leeds Met Gallery, Leicester City Art Gallery .In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists. |
1993
|
Other People's Shoes
Retail events in Shopping Centres transforming empty shops in Dewsbury, Rawtenstall and Leicester into a cross between a gallery, a performance arena and a shop of other peoples shoe’s. In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists. |
1992
|
Other People's Shoes: Consumer Research
Consumer Research sessions in Community Centres in shoe producing areas of Rawtenstall, Dewsbury and Leicester. The sessions explored memories and aspirations In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists. |
|
Home Sweet Home
a bijou 4 roomed, revolving fabric residency, furnished with soft objects, a poet, 500 meters of printed cloth and some live music, mixing sculpture with performance |
1987-1991: Sculpture, Installation, Participation
More richly visual and sculptural projects featuring installation work and early participatory projects. Developing a richly visual performance style that crossed over into site-specific installation and event, alongside participatory workshops.
1991
|
The Passage
A 200 metre sequence of sights, smell, sounds and live performance |
1990
|
Training Workshops
Performance training workshops exploring physical approaches to creating theatre |
|
Borderland
Touring theatre with original live music set in a large, floppy, white, canvas environment. |
1983 - 1989 Physical Theatre
The early years saw development from our earlier intense Grotowski inspired physical theatre training regime. Exploring the use of sculpture and super-8 film alongside the live music that featured in each of these physical theatre pieces.
|
Arthur
This touring theatre performance piece featured live music and sculptural elements based on the Arthurian legends |
|
The Sensation Machine
Launch event for a Luddite Machine. Workshops with youth groups created a special machine which invited one person at a time to enter it. Operated by the the Young Batley group, the machine was able to stimulate all five of the senses. |
|
Dr Faustus
Two performers, one musician create a touring physical theatre |
|
Keaton & Kahlo
Two lives co-exiting but unconnected and fifteen hundred miles apart: one a man, one a woman, one a physical comedian the other crippled, one from the first world and the other from the third. Buster Keaton and Frida Kahlo – two lives. |

for ShadowDance