Culture on a Shoestring by Blaze

Blaze Festival Special Free Magazine

Contents 1 – Editor’s Note 2 – Meet the Team 3 – Articles (See Below) 20 – What’s On 21 – Callout for Festival Documenters

laNcaSteR Page 11 bLaCkpOoL Page 18 pResToN Pages 3 - 4, 8,

12, 16 - 17, 19

mAnCheSteR Pages 6 - 7

Editor’s Note Hello and welcome to Culture on a Shoestring issue #3! Once again we’re back to continue our tradition of showcasing a handful of free and low-cost cultural activities for you to get involved in. With summer coming to an end, we’ve been exploring Lancashire again to bring you the lowdown on autumn goings-on in our lovely Lancashire and beyond. However, this time around we’re adding in a little twist – we’ve got a Blaze Festival special on our hands! This issue, we’re presenting you with information on the three strands making up Blaze Festival 2013; Level Up, Blaze Lounge and Portable Projection. There’s a handy calendar of events that will be happening across Preston and some behind-the-scenes information about the faces behind them. On the subject of Blaze Festival, don’t forget to put 30th October to 2nd November in your diaries. You’re more than welcome to come along to watch, take part, or even help out on the day… after all, you guys are the reason we do all these awesome things! Meanwhile, please don’t hesitate to drop us an email if you want to share your feedback or join the Culture on a Shoestring team; we’re always looking for contributors, whether writing’s your thing or you’re an up-and-coming photographer. Speak to you soon! hello@cultureonashoestring.co.uk facebook.com/cultureonashoestring @culturestring

Editor’s Note

Meet the team

Anthony Price

Ollie Briggs

Editor

Designer

Shona Thompson

Joanna Embley

Media Officer

Photography Editor

Jakub Jezierski

Natasha Carter

Lucy Sunderland

Contributor

Meet the Team

Blaze Festival is back for 2013 with a four-day mini festival during October half term. With a diverse programme created to engage and inspire, the events are going to take over a variety of venues in Prestonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s City centre. From October 30th to November 2nd, Blaze young producers will be building on last years success and breaking new ground in film, music, visual art, performance, workshops and seminars. With three key festival strands Blaze Fest 2013 will have something to offer everybody!

Blaze Lounge Offering passionate young songwriters and musicians a unique space to collaborate and perform.

Level Up Opportunities, master classes and advice to inspire young people breaking into the creative industries.

Portable Projection Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to the cinema, let the cinema come to you!

Remember to check the website for details! www.blazeonline.org.uk

Preston

Blaze Lounge began a year ago as part of the first ever Blaze Festival. We saw acts from across the North West perform in a quaint, acoustic setting. Performing against a colourful background of couches and cushions, it was natural that the event became known as Blaze Lounge. During the past year, the event began to develop further as Blaze Lounge veteran Bill Orrick returned to help young musicians develop their own songwriting skills. Blaze Lounge became a platform for young people to exhibit their own work, with Blaze taking over a small coffee shop in the middle of Preston for public performances. Blaze Lounge will be coming to you at venues all over Preston in the upcoming Blaze Festival 2013. There will be something for everyone as Blaze brings you an eclectic mix of genres and styles. Keep an eye on that calendar and make sure you come and see us between 30th October and 2nd November!

Preston

NatAsha I didn’t know when I first applied to be a young producer for Blaze Festival 2012 just how much of an impact it would have on my life. Twelve months on, I still find myself working with Blaze by helping to organise other projects like ‘A Step in Time’ for the Harris Flights project and Blaze Festival 2013. Last year, I was told about the opportunity to become a festival young producer by another arts organisation. I had never done anything of this magnitude and I knew that it was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to pass up. I applied straight away and was ecstatic to be called in for an interview, albeit a rather unusual one. The candidates were asked to plan a festival as part of a group before having a private interview. Instead of calling upon our experience, we were judged on our enthusiasm and our ability to work as part of a team. Luckily, I was successful in the interview and I soon found myself in the rather daunting world of festival planning. It was overwhelming at first, but Blaze helped to ease us into the process by providing training sessions with experienced staff. Blaze managed the delicate balance of giving us responsibility without making us feel overwhelmed. Eventually the weekend of the festival arrived and all of our hard work came together during two spectacular days last September. I felt excited at the mere sight of the giant circus tent as I looked at Miller Park through the train window. The audience were as excited as I was, eager to get involved and have fun over the two-day festival. By the end, I was exhausted and ready to do nothing more than sleep! But of course, that wasn’t the end of my journey with Blaze. I love working on the project so much that that I continue to work with them, despite starting university in a different part of the country.

Featured Young Producer

Manchester was treated to a host of young talent during August as Brighter Sound held their popular Advanced Music-Making Project (A.M.P). Young musicians spent a mere four days composing a diverse collection of tracks to be ready for the final performance at 2022NQ, a venue in the heart of Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Northern Quarter. The week began with workshops at the famous and historical venue Band on the Wall, where a lot of the participants met for the first time. They were told that the theme for the week would be Manchester and that their goal was to produce enough material for the performance at 2022NQ as well as a live album. In past AMP projects, there had always been an eclectic mix of genres and styles and despite the clear theme, and neither the mentors nor the participants knew what to expect. The project began with an improvised jam and soon enough, the first track began to take shape. With such a talented collection of musicians it was almost easy for the group to compose truly original tracks. The Brighter Sound mentors (of which I was one!) encouraged the songwriters to take the lead on their own compositions, using the other musicians to complement their songs. Due to the varied preferred styles of each musician, interesting fusions began to arise. Hip-hop fused with ballads, jazz and even an a cappella vocal piece. But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just the range of songs that were created during the week that made the final performance one of the best that Brighter Sound has ever seen. The sheer quality of each composition and mature attitude of each participant made the audience feel that they had paid to see professional and well-established artists.

Manchester

One audience member said “I thought it was very well organised and professional”. Many other audience members were also impressed at how young some of the performers were. With the help of Pied Piper, an external company with a website similar to YouTube, the young people were able to record everything that happened throughout the week. However, instead of just hiring a film maker, Brighter Sound and Pied Piper encouraged the participants to get involved by using the Pied Piper app and recording everything they were doing. The participants had a lot of fun by taking videos and pictures of each other and this helped to document the event. All the videos can be found on the Brighter Sound website www.brightersound.com and soon that live album from the performance at 2022NQ will be available too. But that’s not all from Brighter Sound; there are various projects throughout the year and everyone is welcome. To get involved, sign up to the Brighter Sound newsletter, join them on Facebook or visit their website to see what is happening around Manchester and the wider North West.

by Natasha Carter

Manchester

Opportunities, masterclasses and advice to inspire dynamic young people breaking into the creative industries. Level Up will be the Blaze Festival 2013 hub offering information, copies of the festival-inspired issue of Culture on a Shoestring and a chance to grab your tickets for Portable Projection! Throughout Blaze Festival 2013 we’ll be introducing you to a different art form each and every day, including photography, film, performance, publishing and visual art. Alongside commissions, performances and exhibitions there’ll be opportunities to take part in masterclasses and workshops to help you gain advice from the experts who are already blazing through the creative industries. We’ve pulled together an assortment of practitioners from business as well as arts organisations so you can get help with the nitty gritty stuff like going self-employed or starting a business. Level Up aims to create a network for young artists and entrepreneurs breaking into the arts sector. It’s going to be a hub of information, opportunities and advice to help talented people get their feet on the career ladder and establish their place in the creative community. It’s not to be missed! Keep an eye on www.blazeonline.org.uk for further details or email laura@blazeonline.org.uk if you’d like to get involved in Level Up.

Preston

Jakub I’ve only just joined Blaze as one of the young producers. I first found out about the project a few months before Blaze Festival 2012 kicked off in Preston’s Miller Park last September. However, for me it wasn’t until the summer just gone that I joined the Culture on a Shoestring team to be a contributor for issue #2. The reason I got involved was because I’d known and followed the progress of one of the young producers who worked on the festival last year. After the release of Culture on a Shoestring issue #1 and work began on issue #2, he emailed me the date and time of the team meeting and the rest is history! Out of Culture on a Shoestring came the chance to work with the team to produce Blaze Festival 2013, taking a lead role on Level Up. Initially I wasn’t sure which direction Level Up would take, but before long I realised it would be a great idea to offer opportunities for young people who are passionate about the creative sector but haven’t had the chance to get their foot in the door. I personally believe in this cause because its something I can relate to, especially because I sometimes lack confidence. I’ve always seen the arts as being an area to avoid unless you had amazing talent or sheer luck but I’ve realised that isn’t the case at all; hard work and drive go a long way to making a project a success. Even though I feel that I lack visual artistic talents, I’ve found my niche in the arts sector as someone who can oversee a project behind the scenes whilst getting the chance to explore a diverse mix of artistic talents in the people around me. I want others to be able to find their niches, too, and Level Up might be just the place to do it! I’m currently completing my Gold Arts Award with Blaze, and you can follow my progress at www.goldartsaward.weebly.com

Featured Young Producer

It can’t be easy creating your own thriving recording studio and establishing a record label alongside it. Add the all-consuming commitment of being a university student and it becomes almost impossible! However, 23-year-old Matt Heap managed it and recently Suff Studio drew a line under their latest album production, “J-Bear and the Giants”. Back when Matt was a student of Film and Media Production at UCLan, he started making records and all the profits went into into the project that has now become Suff Studio. Suff Studio is a professional, multi-track recording studio set in the heart of Lancashire. This isn’t the first time I’ve covered Matt in one of my articles. Not too long ago I wrote an article for online participatory arts magazine Mailout, which saw me interview the chap behind Suff Studio and Suff Records. For me, one of the standout questions that I asked related to people like Matt; the ones with the great ideas rattling around at the forefront of their minds! “Go for it! Full pelt!” Matt went on to explain, “Keep telling yourself you can do it no matter how hard it is. Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’ve got to work yourself silly to get to where you want to be.” For more on Suff Studio, visit www.suffstudio.co.uk

by Anthony Price

Featured Entrepreneur

If you happen to live in the Lancaster, or visit it every now and then, there’s a chance you’re already aware of The Dukes theatre. Having never been before, I was sent as a correspondent to go and conduct a small interview with the Creative Learning Department, established back in 2006 and run by Paul Adams, Jay Walton and Guy Christiansen. I went along to gain an insight on how it all works. What’s great about the Dukes is that anything goes! It’s not a matter of art form. If you have an idea and you’re committed to it then you will be provided with the support to do it – with great flexibility too. Their in-house programmes include youth theatre, music in partnership with More Music, Shattering Images (see issue #2!) and a writing strand that’s due to begin during the next few months. Also, they’re heavily involved in the community working on the ethos that “arts can positively change and enhance your life”. A statement that seems to be applied to everything they do. This year they’ll be involved in the “Light up the Waterways” which is a part of “Light up Lancaster”. The Dukes Creative Learning Department encourage people from all walks of life to get involved in their projects, believing by doing this it’s possible to change opinions and raise awareness about different groups of people. They have already achieved this by working with the homeless in Lancaster and groups with learning difficulties. They also work with schools, both primary and secondary. So unlike what I thought before, the Dukes in Lancaster is not just a place to go and see a play, watch a film or chill out in the bar, but a place to get involved. To find out more about them, their projects and how to get in touch head on over to www.dukes-lancaster.org/participate

by Jakub Jezierski

Lancaster

Three nights. Three venues. Three feature-lengths... Don’t go to the cinema, let the cinema come to you! Portable Projection is one of the strands under the umbrella of Blaze Festival 2013. It’s a pop-up cinema that will roll the credits at three different venues in Preston across three nights. Our cinema-to-go is here to present you with a handful of short independent films made by talented filmmakers within the community – whether they’re professionals, university students or just take up filmmaking as a hobby. With the first screening on the 30th October 2013, the second on the 31st October and the finale on the 1st November, you’ll be able to catch some amateur epics alongside the films that inspired them. Not only that… starting on the first day of festival week, Monday October 28th, we’ll be pairing up filmmakers with bands performing at Blaze Lounge to film a music video. The winning music video will be premiered at the final night of Portable Projection on Friday 1st November. Interested in taking part? Want to pay us a visit? Check out www.blazeonline.org.uk for more information.

Preston

Anthony I’d never have imagined what kind of impact Blaze would have had on my life when I first submitted my application to join the team eighteen months ago. I received an email in response to my application inviting me to a group session that would be followed closely by an interview. Blaze had called out for a handful of festival producers to come on board and produce a two-day festival as part of We Play Expo and Preston Guild. At the time the callout was fired through the networks I was on with a short radio production course at the community radio station Preston FM, and it was their weekly newsletter that saw the opportunity fly straight into my inbox. Working as a festival Producer for Blaze led to my first job in the arts, where I worked for Preston City Council as a Programme Assistant. In this capacity, I worked on several events during the Guild including a film festival at the Continental. A Gold Arts Award later, I’ve moved onto become the editor of this lovely magazine and the lead young producer on Portable Projection, a pop-up cinema that’s part of this year’s Blaze Festival in Preston. Recently, I took my biggest leap of faith to date and became a Freelance Creative Entrepreneur. I’d never have had the courage to take this step if it hadn’t been for the support I’ve had from Blaze. Going back to that fateful interview day, we were told that only about half of us would be recruited onto the Blaze Festival 2012 team. Thankfully, I got a phone call the following Monday and the rest is, as they say, history!

Featured Young Producer

“I visited Berlin in 2008 and was struck by the way independent cinemas inhabit small spaces in the city: high street shops, flats, etc… there were so many of them!” - Sam Meech If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be in charge of my own cinema, albeit just for four nights, I’d have thought you were crazy! Despite this, fast forward to this year’s Blaze Festival and you’ll find me leading Portable Projection, a series of cinema screenings spanning four nights in different venues around Preston. However, in order to make that happen, I’ve had enormous amounts of help from those who’ve done it all before. Sam Meech is a videosmith originally from Huddersfield and now based in the North West. I spoke to him about his work and what it means to be a videosmith… “Videosmith [is] a made-up occupation. I use video in a variety of ways, and to different ends. It is distinct from being a filmmaker, which in the classic sense is about being a storyteller (and working with film itself). I mostly work with digital video, and I rarely tell stories…”

Spotlight on Sam Meech

Sam has been involved in a number of projects relating to cinema and digital art. He even went as far to co-create an art collective called “Re-Dock” which he formed in Liverpool back in 2008 alongside Tim Brunsden, Neil Winterburn and John O'Shea. This came about because “[the team] were all interested in making art with people, and exploring technologies together. The name refers in some way to that exchange of ideas that is at the heart of good collaboration with communities.” It’s incredibly important to collaborate with people such as Sam; he’s offered some brilliant advice from making sure I research my venues, use the local press, make sure the cinema’s got great sound and, most importantly, never forget to treat the programme as an experiment. “Don't worry if only a few people show up, its still a radical act.” So what’s next for Sam? “Knitting machines, weirdly enough! I'm working on a project exploring the links between digital images and knitting.”

by Anthony Price

Spotlight on Sam Meech

Preston

A flight of temporary stairs was built outside Preston’s Harris Museum and Art Gallery in August. They stood on the Flag Market for a full month until mid-September, allowing public access to the elusive first floor entrance of the building. For the duration of the project masterminded by In Certain Places, performances and pieces of work were commissioned to enable the public and local arts organisations to engage with the Harris Flights. Inspired by the Concert Hall in Berlin, these temporary stairs led into the first floor of the building that houses a library, art gallery and museum. The Harris plays a particular role in showcasing the heritage of Preston, with exhibitions devoted to the city itself and the people who played a role in its history. A wide range of events occurred during the Harris Flights project including live performances, demonstrations and workshops. There have been some exceptional acts – everything from theatrical performances to music and dance. One of these performances was a Blaze creation called A Step in Time. This was a live performance and interactive piece where young people dressed as influential people from art, literature and history, and mingled with the public in character. Each of these characters also had links with Preston or the exhibits within the Harris Museum itself. They included Edith Rigby, an infamous suffragette from Preston, along with representatives from the Dick, Kerr's Ladies Football Club, Horrockses Mills and the Preston Station Free Buffet Association. We also represented Puck, a mischievous creature from Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' and featured in a Richard Dadd painting within the Harris. As one of the Blaze young producers who came up with the idea and took part in the performance, I learned a lot about Preston’s history and what the Harris has to offer. Even though the Harris Flights are no more as we go to press, the museum and art gallery are well worth a visit – you would not believe what you could discover there!

by Natasha Carter

Preston

Under the Town Under the Town is an annual festival in Blackpool, organised by young people for young people. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event saw the team take over part of the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on 31st August. The event saw live music from over ten bands and acoustic acts from Blackpool and across all of Lancashire. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Under the Town also presented the audience with body art, fashion shows, dance and a selection of stalls. The young producers involved in organising Under the Town each year are working towards their Arts Award qualifications with Blackpool Arts Service. The events themselves are focused around several art forms including film, music, dance, visual arts and fashion.

Photos by Lucy Sunderland

Blackpool

Crafty Vintage is a fantastic event held every few months in different locations allowing everyone to experience the vintage-ness! Local people join together to show you their vintage and retro wares, quirky handmade crafts and gorgeous foodie delights. The atmosphere is electric as soon as you walk through the doors and every single person welcomes you with a huge smile, knowing you share their interests. Every stall is packed with vintage pieces for every part of your home and you cannot come away without experiencing something new. Each stall says something different about the history of vintage and the different styles that have existed. It’s a brilliant fun packed day for all the family, especially being able to see something different at each event including vintage car shows, country style vintage, cabaret, dancers, magicians and much more! Crafty Vintage work with certain charities such as Child Action North West, chART, Wildlife Trust and East Lancs Hospice. It’s fantastic knowing your money goes somewhere worthwhile. Entry is very affordable at £1 for adults and children go free. It’s definitely an amazing day and everyone comes away satisfied with the experience and purchases they’ve made! The next events are held from 11am-5pm at: St Mary’s Centre, Church St, Clitheroe BB7 2DG - Saturday 26th October and Saturday 23rd November 2013 Brockholes Nature Reserve, Junction 31, near Preston, M6/A59 PR5 0UJ - Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September, Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December . In addition to this, Crafty Vintage presents “The Looking Glass Burlesque” with an exquisite line of artistes from around the UK. This event is on Saturday 27th October from 8.30pm at St Marys Centre, Clitheroe, BB7 2DG. Tickets are available from numerous places – more info at www.craftyvintage.com

by Joanna Embley

Clitheroe & Preston

What’s on Reality

Korovaklectic

PR1 Gallery, UCLan, Preston

Korova arts Cafe and Bar, Preston

18th - 29th November 2013

Friday 1st November 2013, 8:30pm - 10:30pm

FREE

An exhibition of artwork by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Guild Park service users.

An electric, eclectic mix of theatre, comedy, music, spoken word and much more. Mimimum age 18.

Museum Camp

Undercurrents

The Bond, Birmingham

The Crib, Burnley Central Library, Burnley

1st October 2013

21st September to 26th October 2013

FREE (tickets must be booked in advance)

FREE

Museum Camp is an unconference for everyone who cares about museums! Just bring along your own unique perspective on museums.

Filmmaking, photography, creative writing and visual arts workshops. For more information email rhawthorn@burnley.gov.uk

Spot On Events Venues Across Lancashire September - December 2013 Ticket Prices Vary Spot On works with volunteers in communities promoting professional arts events. To see what’s on visit www.spotonlancashire.co.uk

What’s On

Culture on a Shoestring was lovingly printed by Newspaper Club. www.newspaperclub.com Culture on a Shoestring was designed by Ollie Briggs, with artistic input from Hannah Whitlow. www.olliebriggs.com

How Did We Do? Give us your feedback at www.cultureonashoestring.co.uk or keep in touch using our contact details in bold at the bottom of this page.

Callout for Young People to Document Blaze Festival Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for an individual or a team who can document Blaze Festival 2013 in film and photography. This is a paid opportunity for 16 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 year olds who are looking to gain experience in filmmaking, photography and documenting arts events. Blaze Festival will take place from 30th Oct to 2nd Nov in various venues across Preston, and is being produced by a group of young people from across Lancashire. Please send us one side of A4 saying how you would approach this opportunity and with links to some of your work. Deadline Monday 7th October. Send your application to rachel@blazeonline.org.uk.

Join the Team

Culture on a Shoestring is a Blaze Project, created and produced by a team of Blaze Young Producers. Blaze is a Cultural Olympiad Legacy project that works across Lancashire and the North West to create the next generation of cultural producers, artists and entrepreneurs. Blaze is based at the Harris Library, Preston, and is funded by Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council, Curious Minds and Arts Council England.