‘CREATE TO RECOVER’

Part of Torbay Culture’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on supporting local creative talent, celebrated the bay’s cultural heritage, and brought people together virtually, and - where social distancing permitted - through events.

Lead image (above): Victoria Westaway

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Torbay Culture supported the local culture sector. We did this in a variety of ways, including providing advice; liaising with government and other agencies to help inform their emergency funding plans; submitting evidence to the House of Commons inquiry into the impact of COVID-19; and advocating the importance of culture to the quality of life and economic wellbeing of the people in Torbay.

As part of our response and recovery work, we applied for Arts Council England COVID-19 emergency response funding to support local creative practitioners, cultural places and communities. During summer 2000 we held an open call and received a large number of applications from artists - far more than we could support. We also held an open tender to appoint a creative producer to support the creative practitioners. Every proposal was considered and the following were selected. Below you can read about the artists and their projects. You can also download a list here: Create to Recover artists and projects.

In collaboration with cultural organisations we supported creative ‘convening’ events - opportunities for people to come together safely in line with social distancing guidance and through digital platforms like Zoom and YouTube. People from across Torbay got involved as participants and audiences.

The evaluation report for Create To Recover can be downloaded below.

‘Chelston in lockdown - a sleeping beauty’

FRED GRAY

Fred discovered something about his local area on his early morning walks whilst shielding during the pandemic, becoming acquainted with lanes, steps, buildings and streets; absorbing the character, names, nuances and patterns. His project ‘Chelston in lockdown - a sleeping beauty’ was an invitation to local people to look at their neighbourhood with fresh eyes and to share their experiences and discoveries about the place just beyond their own doorsteps. Fred is an established fine artist who has also worked commercially including creating backings for Aardman animation films. In this project he is turning his extraordinary visual eye to reveal new views of Chelston and its tumble of different architectural styles and buildings. Drawing on local people’s contributions, Fred created a series of paintings to share these neighbourly perspectives on Chelston, inviting local people in to see the process as it unfolds, and exhibiting the final works at an exhibition in October.

Full details at Chelston in Lockdown - A Sleeping Beauty at Artizan Gallery (gallery exhibition dates 20 to 31 October)

‘Gloria!’

JANE ANDERSON-BROWN

On Sunday 6 September, Jane brought together professional musicians and a chorus of singers at Cockington Court for an open-air rehearsal and live performance by Red Earth Opera of Vivaldi's Gloria!, and extracts from the settings of the Orpheus legend. During lockdown musicians have been extremely hard hit in their ability to earn a living and may be one of the last art forms to begin the road to recovery after the restrictions of the pandemic. This project supported Jane and musicians from Red Earth Opera to return to rehearsing and performing together and back into socially-distanced contact with their audiences.

“When lockdown happened suddenly everything that I got up for stopped - the schools closed, the theatres closed.. everything just stopped; and several of the people in the group said they had difficulty getting out of bed for the first couple of months of lockdown. This is something not only worth getting out of bed for but to travel down to Torquay and to get involved in.” - Jane Anderson-Brown

‘Historical Torbay’

JOHN TOMKINS

John has collaborated with members of the Torquay Museum Society (TMS) to create 3 documentary films celebrating the heritage of Torbay. The films will be shared online and at Torquay Museum and encourage local people to engage with Torbay's rich cultural heritage. Create to Recover is supporting John to continue to work professionally as a documentary filmmaker, and support the 250 members of TMS to continue to actively engage with the museum's rich collection and heritage.

TMS has a membership that represents a particularly vulnerable coronavirus cohort including the retired and elderly, so this is an opportunity for isolated members of the society to keep involved using technology. The project hopes to recruit new members to TMS to ensure its longevity.

John’s films profile the history of Battery Gardens (Brixham), Palace Theatre (Paignton), and the Town Hall and Assembly Rooms (Torquay).

Previews of the films premiered for members of Torquay Museum Society at the beginning of October to coincide with their new membership year (new members welcome). The Brixham Battery film can be seen at the link above, the others will be shown on 17 December at Spotlight On Culture (below) then shared.

Outside the Fox presents ‘Be Part of the Tail’

SOPHIE AMOS

Sophie Amos has been developing Outside the Fox, giving disadvantaged communities the opportunity to experience and participate in live circus. Due to Covid-19, live participation completely halted. The circus-based workshops will give participants practical skills and experience in all forms of performance (from staging, lighting and technical theatre to performance skills and improv techniques) whilst building self-confidence, teamwork and finding a sense of connection through the arts. Create to Recover supported Sophie to undertake research and development (R&D), deliver a pilot, and find cultural partners in Torbay to support sustainable delivery beyond the life of this project.

Sophie has undertaken a series of R&D sessions with professional circus artists to develop an inclusive workshop and performance programme which will launch once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. She has collaborated with filmmaker John Tomkins to create a film all about ‘Outside the Fox’ to give participants an insight into the project and how to get involved in the future.

‘Present With Me’

RICHARD CHAPPELL

Richard collaborated with filmmaker Dan Martin, dancer Sharol Mackenzie, and a community cast to create a short dance film exploring how movement connects us to each other and to home. Richard grew up in Torbay and regularly returns to make work and to teach dance. 'Present With Me' supported Richard to make work again following four months of cancellations and it acted as a bridge to a digital autumn season for Richard Chappell Dance. It builds on 'Silence Between Waves' part of the Eyeview cultural programme commissioned by Torbay Culture for the Great Place Scheme (2019) and Richard’s collaboration in Torbay with local community dancers, Dan and local partners including Dance in Devon and Torre Abbey. Local people were invited to contribute short clips of themselves dancing through an open call during the summer. More information at Richard Chappell Dance. The film was screened during the autumn at different venues, and can be seen below:

‘Squidbox’

ROBERT GARNHAM

Robert spent his summer learning about the Brixham fishing industry and meeting the people who work there to find out about their lives, hopes, fears and experiences. Drawing on these Robert has created 'Squidbox', an original collection of poems for performance that celebrates and shines a light on Brixham's fishing industry and the folk who work there. Robert Garnham is a spoken word artist and LGBT comedy performance poet based in Torbay. This project has enabled Robert to explore a new process and direction in his work and to get back in contact with his audiences after an enforced absence due to lockdown. Robert will perform his poetry at the ‘Spotlight On Culture’ day (see below). To buy a copy of the publication click here: Squidbox pamphlet. You can watch a film of Robert’s poetry project below

‘Shoal Story’

VICTORIA WESTAWAY

Vik invited members of the local community to collaborate on the creation of a temporary willow structure depicting a series of waves onto which a giant shoal of fish will swim against the tide. Vik has completed the installation of the wave onto the railings in front of Torre Abbey, and over the coming weeks the shoal of fish will gradually appear. The project offers 150 ‘weave fish kits’ with simple instructions for making a willow fish for community groups and members of the public to take part, including those shielding at home. Vik installed the wave onto the railings in front of Torre Abbey in August, and throughout September the shoal of fish gradually appeared. This project is supporting Vik to return to her artistic and participatory practice following lockdown, and offers a safe and accessible invitation for people to collaborate where each small piece forms part of a powerful whole. People can visit ‘Shoal Story’ from 24 August until December outside Torre Abbey to see the work evolve as the shoal of fish appear.

‘The Waymarker’ Project

ZOE SINGLETON

Zoe collaborated with staff at Torbay Hospital to create five waymarker stones that are the first part of a trail in the hospital grounds, connecting spaces along a journey to pause, think and reflect. Each stone is carved with a word that has special meaning to hospital staff engraved in different languages that reflect the hospital’s diversity. The Waymarker project is a collaboration with the HeArTs programme at the hospital which is integrating art into a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces for their therapeutic benefits for staff, patients and visitors. Zoe sourced stone for the project to reflect links to the exceptional geology of Torbay’s coast, including the bay’s own UNESCO status as a Global Geopark, and the nearby Jurassic Coast UNESCO world heritage site. Read more about Zoe at her website

Zoe participated in Devon Open Studios (12 - 27 September 2020) and welcomed visitors whilst she worked on carving the stones for this project. The trail was opened by Liz Davenport, CEO of the hospital and Kevin Foster MP for Torbay via Zoom on 6 November with Zoe, members of Torbay Hospital staff and Torbay Culture. Click below for the Waymarker film.

‘True Tales of Spooky Brixham’

LAURA JURY

Laura has created an original piece of theatre which brings Brixham's colourful ghost stories back to life. Working in collaboration with local history experts to write an original script drawing on local folklore and known histories, ‘True Tales of Spooky Brixham’ highlights hidden stories and places of interest in the town. To comply with public health guidance, the work was filmed on Zoom using location backdrops of Brixham, with performances by professional actors from South Devon Players, and available for audiences to watch online from October 2020. South Devon Players are a Brixham-based organisation specialising in researched and historical classical dramas over the past 15 years. This commission provided support for performers and crew fees following a period of cancelled performances and reduced ability for live fundraising events due to COVID-19. 

The film features local actors who play the roles of the ghosts and who tell four tales of Brixham folklore. You can support South Devon Players and watch the film here: Trues Tales of Spooky Brixham

PARTNERSHIP EVENTS

‘Identity and Difference, Home and Belonging’

LOUISA ADJOA PARKER - POETRY WORKSHOP AT THE PALACE THEATRE PAIGNTON

This participatory workshop was postponed as a result of the lockdown restrictions required by the government. It took place on 5 June 2021 and was led by writer, poet and speaker, Louisa Adjoa Parker.

‘Identity and Difference, Home and Belonging’ was organised by the Palace Theatre Paignton and in addition to being supported by Torbay Culture’s ‘Create To Recover’ programme funded by Arts Council England’s COVID-19 emergency response fund, it received a grant from Literature Works.

‘Spotlight On Culture’

PALACE THEATRE PAIGNTON

This day of special events at the Palace celebrated the ‘Create To Recover’ programme, the success of Jazz Hands CIC at #SmallBiz100 and the Palace Theatre’s 130th birthday. It also premiered a ‘A Masque From Italy’ by Agatha Christie a film by Matt Hulse and Ben Nealon, made as part of the ‘Poems from the Palace’ project for the Palace Theatre, in partnership with Julius Green.

#CourtMoths

ART & ENERGY at COCKINGTON COURT

‘Court Moths’ is a collaborative participation project by the Art & Energy Collective, as part of their wider #MothsToAFlame.

For December A&EC transformed recycled plastic milk bottles to create an illuminated UV moth installation in the gateway to the Stable Yard workshops at Cockington Court. Visit the Art & Energy website, and spread the word about #CourtMoths

All activity followed Government and Public Health guidance in respect of social distancing and the wellbeing of attendees and participants.

For enquiries about Create to Recover please contact Clare Parker, Creative Producer by emailing [email protected].