Coming Home at The Thrive Archive
'Coming Home' is a pilot project that has been funded by Enterprise Music Scotland. Mike Vass has been commissioned to write a new piece of music inspired by photographs taken by Ian Paterson and John Maher of abandoned croft houses in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The commission is also sponsored by Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin enabling their Big Band to be part of the development of the commission and I am working with Charlotte Hathaway ...
Daisy departs!
The car is loaded and Daisy May is ready to speed south to the Dales Countryside Museum. The preparation and near completion of the Daisy Daisy project has been a busy time. However we hope that the exhibition that opens on June 13th and runs through to September will prompt more cycling tales so that our fascinating archive of stories and memories continues to grow. My short film features a story from talented artist Viv Mousdell- who is ...
An uphill struggle?
Poor Daisy, no one told her it was going to be easy! After a fabulous week in the Dales with my tandem Daisy May, looking at the Dales Countryside Museum archive and reading all the Cyclista love stories sent into the Daisy Daisy project to date, it is now time to knuckle down and interpret them in film and fabric for the Yorkshire Festival. Thanks to Len Shepherd who sent in photos from the Wensleydale Camera Archive.This Shot of the man ...
Daisy May goes to Scarborough
Good Friday filming in Sunny Scarborough, Daisy May has travelled some miles, she spent last night with Henry, a lovely mobile bike mechanic, who attended to her “bottom end” as it is known in these parts – he kindly squeezed her in before his stag do - so she could spend the afternoon going round in circles with a great cast of local extras!
Bums on Seats
Re-cycled comfort - Bums on Seats was the name of the workshop I ran at the Dales Countryside Museum to make bicycle saddle covers out of glorious Camira Blaser Fabric, felt and crocheted doilies. Our participants left us some fantastic stories and helped to label my saddle covers. These together with archive images and the bicycle love stories sent in will be shown in an exhibition at the Museum that runs from June 13th to September ...
Sisters push off!
The railway platform at Hawes was the perfect length to sing the first verse of Daisy Daisy (the infamous song written for the beautiful Daisy Bell). Sisters Rachel and Katherine Welford took to the saddle/s and were naturals. The push off is important, as you need speed and power to maintain balance with the extra weight on the back, once the second set of pedals gain momentum its full steam ahead.
Queen of the Mountain?
120 years ago Frances E Willard, a thrill seeking American woman in her 50’s, learned to ride a bicycle. A Wheel Within a Wheel a book about her experience was published in 1895. She called her steed Gladys because she gladdened her heart and wrote: “…failure was from a wobbling will rather than a wobbling wheel…” In the Dales this Easter I also experienced a new sensation, learning to ride my ...
Happy 75th Birthday Sir Alan!
I have had the honour of working with Alan Ayckbourn since the 90's so a big Happy Birthday Sir! One of my favourite design commissions was 'Dear Uncle', his 75th play, the world premier of his adaptation of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2011. Set in the Lake District in the 30's at every performance I saw - and I saw quite a few - the last act made me weep. Beautifully directed and beautifully acted, a ...
Falkirk In the First World War
It has been a pleasure working with 31 primary school students in response to a photo album in the archive at Callendar House. The photographs of former pupils were collected by Mr Mather, the former headmaster of their school, Laurieston Primary, from 1914 -1918. The students used 6 photographs of 9 heroes to explore the local archives finding out about their journey to the front and their exploits during the war. Following story telling ...
Arrivals and Departures
Ayckbourn on Tour Having designed the world premier of Sir Alan’s play Arrivals and Departures and his revival Time of My Life at the Stephen Joseph Theatre last summer the proscenium tour is now in full swing! It was a design challenge taking a show from ' The Round' to a variety of proscenium theatres and the Ayckbourn Company has done us all proud.