Metal Culture
Birwatchers' Wives
(Rita Grebe, Photo by Christa Holka)
Caroline Smith is a performance artist and writer whose works explore the issues of alter ego and identity and are often comical and sinister. She's currently our artist-in-residence developing 'Birdwatchers' Wives', a project that that takes an alternative look at the elusive world of birdwatching, identification and identity through the interactive workshop 'Locating Your Inner Bird', and through the community of Wallasea Island - the humans with the binoculars and the birds themselves. She's created two alter egos for the project:The Lost Grouse and Rita Grebe.
Birdwatchers' Wives will be showcased at Chalkwell Hall on Thursday 18 April 2013 at 8pm - book your tickets here.
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England and Metal.
Read more.
Flo't'Sam
Photos by Simon Fowler.
Flo't'Sam: Operatic Salvage is a newly devised theatre work which blends opera, cabaret and Commedia to create relevant and compelling operatic encounters for audiences unfamiliar with the grand art. The work has been created by members of 6.Point Collective and was conceived by Tania Holland Williams.
From the beginning of 2013 the collective took up residency at Chalkwell Hall for 5 weeks to develop, research and test the work with different community groups in Essex.
Based on the aesthetic of an immorality carnivale sideshow, the characters specialise in operatic and cabaret improvisations around the great torments of our world: Revenge, Betrayal, Lust, Unrequited Love and Reality TV, to serve up a mix of vocal cures, consolatory fortunes and intimate encounters with the great Fat Lady of Opera herself.
Flo't'Sam: Operatic Salvage had its first dress rehearsals at Metal’s Chalkwell Hall in February.
Here is Flo't'Sam's trailer and audiences feedback:
Play Southend
Developed by artists Ruth Catlow and Mary Flanagan, following a residency at Metal, Play Southend is an event-based and online art project that invites the public to build a collaborative platform game about the future of their hometown.
This Spring local residents will make a platform game of Southend working with artists Ruth Catlow, Mary Flanagan and other local artists and game designers. Southenders of all ages and experiences will make the drawings for the backgrounds, obstacles and rewards that make up the game. They will devise the rules of the game inspired by their town, deciding how the different elements relate and shape the future.
The Challenge:
'People of Southend define your future together! Make decisions for the long term prosperity and health of all. If you draw it, it will happen.'
Over the next couple of months we are running workshops and developing the game community before it launches officially at Village Green in July.
The artists are currently looking for someone to work in Southend to help them connect with and engage a diverse range of individuals and community groups in the creation of the game. You will be based in Southend and work with the team to reach out to new players, establish a game club, assist in schools and community workshops, invite and host new and established players and contributors to the game. This job involves developing and coordinating workshops, programs and possibly volunteers. Also liaison between other organisations and partners. This job will suit an imaginative, sociable people, familiar with social media who is interested in working with people with different perspectives and styles, and is interested in contributing to playful processes of community engagement. An enthusiasm for drawing and games are an advantage (but not a necessity).
Duration: 55 days, made up of:
One and a half days a week for 30 weeks March to September
Setting up and running a fortnightly schools games club
Setting up and running 4 days of Summer events in Southend High Street
An additional 10 days workshop support (between April and June)
Fee: £6600
TO APPLY: Please respond by mail with a letter of application and a CV to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
by 12 noon 28th February 2013
Future Station Returns with a fresh new format
We had a full house for the return of Future Station. The regular meetings open to all began again yesterday evening (20th Feb) with a fresh new format and a great mix of people, local residents, visual artists, musicians, actors and even a wood turner! The event began with a talk and drawing workshop by visual artist Richard Meaghan, currently based in the studio at Edge Hill Station. Then there was a series of 3 minute wonder presentations (fast paced presentations about work and ideas) and later we shared delicious bean stew and social time.
Many thanks to everyone that came along and also those that presented: Richard Meaghan, Ian Brownbill, Claire Weetman, Legends of Flight, Julie and Izzy, D.Amos and Dennis Outten from The Lemon Collective.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 8th May at 6pm and as usual is FREE and open to ALL
Click here for more info about Future Station
Legends of Flight present Alone/Together
On 14th and 15th February 2013, Legends of Flight performed a new piece developed specifically for the Engine Room at Metal, Edge Hill Station.
The performance, inspired by the location invited visitors to sit in sun loungers to experience live music and visuals above which explored themes of journeys, escape and loss creating an atmospheric sonic landscape.
L-o-F are a Liverpool based band that combine restless electronic elements, interspersed throughout with bluesy, pop inflected melodies using a combination of electronic, experimental and traditional acoustic instruments.
Their debut album 'Mountain West' will be released on 25th March 2013 Music by Legends of Flight (Adam Sloan, Russell Dilnot, Laura Campbell)
Projections and sound controlled visuals by Daniel Turner. Video by Adam Sloan, Chris Kruper. Poster by Daniel Altes.
Photos 5-8 are by Brian Roberts.
Life Drawing 2013 Dates
A series of Life Drawing workshops led by experienced artist and Fine Art lecturer Heidi Wigmore at Chalkwell Hall.
Tue Evening: 12, 17, 19 March and 9, 16 April
Time: 7-9.30pm £15
Sun Morning: 17, 24 March and 14, 21 April
Time 10-1pm £20
Creative drawing exercises; individual support and tuition; live model.
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to book your place.
Ipswich Ideas Lab
Metal in collaboration with Pacitti Company in Ipswich developed a five-day ideas lab working with 6 regional practitioners. It took place last week - 28 January - 1 February.
The artists involved explored a variety of approaches to digital practice working in the Think Tank space at Pacittti Company. The lab investigated the use of technology in performing environments, including surround sound and open source processing. A number of emerging new projects were developed and both Metal and Pacitti Company will be staying in touch with the artists over the next few months.
Phill Jupitus & Martin Rowson Talk
Last Friday, Cafe Valise at Leigh Community Centre was packed to the seams for the discussion between Phill Jupitus and the Guardian's cartoonist Martin Rowson, about drawing cartoons, inspirations, upsides and downsides.
If you've missed it, you can watch a video recording of the talk on our website next week.
Here are few photos by Simon Fowler:
Phill Jupitus Talk
Metal and White Wall Space present:
In Conversation with Phill Jupitus and Martin Rowson
Friday 1 February - Doors open from 7.30pm, talk from 8pm
Phill Jupitus talks about drawing, cartoon and that poster for Billy Bragg, alongside his current exhibition "Collected Doodlings 1983 to 2012" in Cafe Valise at Leigh Community Centre.
Phill will be joined by Martin Rowson, Guardian Editorial Cartoonist.
There was a brilliant article about Phill Jupitus in the Guardian yesterday - read it here.
To give you a small preview, here are also two short videos by Simon Fowler and Ian Sanders respectively:
Shorelines in Echo newspaper
Our Literature Festival of the Sea - Shorelines - will take place between 8-10 November 2013.
Read an article by Hannah March in last Friday's Echo:
Page 4 of 25