Navigators Art & Performance’s poster for Co-Audenation. W H Auden picture: George Cserna, 1956
YORK collective Navigators Art & Performance presents Co-Audenation: A Creative Exploration of W. H. Auden, a night of spoken word, live music and performance art, at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, on October 19.
“This is a revised and expanded version of our sold-out summer show for the York Festival of Ideas and York Civic Trust’s York Trailblazers sculpture trail project, for whom we researched and constructed one of the sculptures commemorating York’s unsung heroes,” says Navigators Art co-founder Richard Kitchen. “Our W. H. Auden tansy beetle sculpture can be seen outside City of York Council’s West Offices in Station Rise.”
All works in October 19’s 7pm to 10pm show are written or inspired and influenced by W. H. Auden, the “Picasso of modern poetry” born in Bootham, York, on February 21 1907.
Navigators Art & Performance’s tansy beetle sculpture of W. H. Auden for York Trailblazers at West Offices, Station Rise, York
“A leader of the British avant-garde at a time of cultural upheaval in Europe, Auden experimented ceaselessly with poetic form and subject matter,” says Richard. “Openly gay and defiantly anti-establishment, he was controversial and influential in his views on politics, morals, love, and religion. His poem Funeral Blues was popularly featured in the film Four Weddings And A Funeral.”
Navigators Art’s inspiring line-up features award-winning and published Yorkshire writers and performers in a mixed-media event replete with songs and physical theatre, as well as poetry.
“Expect the unexpected!” says Richard. “An informal discussion will precede the main event from 6pm. All ticket holders are welcome to attend. The performance will begin at 7pm after a short break.”
Carrieanne Vivianette: Leeds performance artist
Taking part will be:
Anthony Vahni Capildeo: poet, professor and writer in residence at the University of York.
Antony Dunn: poet, dramatist and screenwriter.
Carrieanne Vivianette: performance artist and experimentalist from the creative hotlands of Leeds.
Elizabeth Chadwick Pywell: York poet, English/Drama tutor and co-host of Rise Up! at Bluebird Bakery in Acomb.
Ian Parks: Award-winning and widely published poet and translator; editor of Versions Of The North: Contemporary Yorkshire Poetry
Anthony Vahni Capildeo: poet, professor and writer in residence at the University of York
Jane Stockdale: Singer and multi-instrumentalist from beloved York alt. folk legends White Sail.
Janet Dean: Poet and novelist exploring contemporary themes through the prism of history.
JT Welsch: Exploratory musician and poet; lecturer in English and Creative Industries at University of York.
Richard Kitchen: Visual artist, poet and Navigators co-founder.
Plus contributions from York luminaries Alan Gillott, Hugh Bernays and others.
For full details and tickets, go to: https://bit.ly/nav-auden. “Advance booking is advised,” says Richard.
Josie Campbell: Writer of the script to accompany Shakespeare’s sonnets in York Shakespeare Project’s outdoor show at Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York
YORK Shakespeare Project’s Summer Sonnets return to the churchyard of Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York, from tomorrow to August 17.
“After attracting a record audience of more than 600 people to the show last year in the Bar Convent gardens, we are delighted again to be offering a taste of Shakespeare that is both entertaining and accessible,” says YSP chair Tony Froud, who is directing for a second year. “It’s a lovely event for both the Shakespeare enthusiast and those new to Shakespeare.”
Holy Trinity last hosted YSP’s Sit-Down Sonnets in September 2020, under social distancing restrictions during the Covid pandemic.
“This year we plan to take full advantage of such a beautiful setting with all its historic associations,” says Tony. “The church has been incredibly welcoming, in keeping with being used for various theatrical and cultural events and for location filming too.
York Shakespeare Project’s poster for Summer Sonnets at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate
“Many people will know the church as the site of the blessing of the relationship of Anne ‘Gentleman Jack’ Lister and Ann Walker [at Easter 1834], and we are building this year’s show around that famous event” [now marked by a York Civic Trust rainbow plaque with the wording “took sacrament here to seal her union”).
The Summer Sonnets show has been scripted by Josie Campbell, who performed the role of one of Macbeth’s witches for YSP on the Rose Theatre’s Shakespeare Wagon in 2019 at the Eye of York.
Sharing her time between Ampleforth and Dubai, Josie is a professional actor/director and co-founder of Little Britches Theatre Company. In 2021 she toured Yorkshire with a pop-up production of Shakespeare’s Will, a one-woman show about Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife.
“Josie had never been to Holy Trinity but did her research and was immediately captivated by the idea of using Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s story as the starting point,” says Tony. “A lot of the language she uses, she found in Anne Lister’s diary, which adds authenticity.”
York Shakespeare Project sonneteer Helen Wilson in rehearsal for Summer Sonnets. Picture: John Saunders
For Summer Sonnets, Josie has come up with an entertaining plot, taking full advantage of the church’s setting and rich history. “I have thoroughly enjoyed writing a Sonnets show, featuring Anne Lister, one of Yorkshire’s most uncompromising and resilient women”, she says.
For the Summer Sonnets, audiences are “invited to a secret wedding in Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, in the heart of York”, where they will “meet the church’s most famous couple while enjoying a complimentary drink, but as they witness the happy event, they may start to wonder: is everything quite what it seems?”
“As ever, the show will feature a wide variety of colourful characters, each speaking in everyday English until they shift into their 14 lines of verse from one of Shakespeare’s sonnets to reveal the heart of their story,” says Tony, who is keeping the exact nature of those characters under wraps until the opening evening.
“It’s a lovely experience. You can sip your complimentary drink on a summer’s evening in a delightful setting. Very often, the characters slip into a sonnet and the audience hardly notices that the language has become Shakespearean. And you should look forward to a surprise or two!”
Summer Sonnets director Tony Froud. Picture: John Saunders
2024 marks the tenth anniversary of YSP’s first show built around Shakespeare’s sonnets in the form of 2014’s Sonnet Walks, wherein groups of audience members met assorted characters as they walked through the streets of York.
“Sadly, I never saw the Walks, but there’s an advantage in having a single setting where characters can meet, start a story and then reappear to complete it,” says Josie.
Tony adds: “Part of the joy of the piece is that Josie has come to the Shakespeare sonnet format, having never seen our sonnets shows before, whereas all our previous writers have had the theatrical equivalent of muscle memory.
Summer Sonnets debutant sonneteer Liam Godrey: Reuniting with writer Josie Campbell after he played Macbeth in York Shakespeare Project’s wagon play at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York in 2019, when Josie “threw herself wholeheartedly” into her role as one of the witches. Picture: John Saunders
“She came to it with fresh eyes, and the full credit I would give her is that she has been extraordinarily generous and open with her script and has allowed me as director and the cast to develop their character to suit the sonnet format.
“All the cast have to find a way to allow their character to discover their Shakespeare sonnet as a natural part of their progression.”
Tony’s cast is a blend of actors new to the YSP Sonnets, Marie-Louise Feeley, Liam Godfrey, Halina Jaroszewska, Alexandra Logan, Grace Scott and Effie Warboys, and seasoned sonneteers Maurice Crichton, Emily Hansen, Sally Mitcham, Helen Wilson and Tony Froud himself.
Alexandra Logan: Newcomer in the Summer Sonnets ranks in rehearsal in the Holy Trinity churchyard. Picture: John Saunders
“Our YSP casts for The Taming Of The Shrew and Edward II have demonstrated a greater variety of casting, and that has continued with Summer Sonnets,” says Tony, who has held rehearsals over the past six weeks. “We seem to be casting our net more widely, attracting a wider set of actors.
“That said, YSP has always tried to do that because we’ve aways had a policy of selecting a different director for each production and we operate an open casting policy.”
Writer Josie Campbell suggested the sonnets to be performed by each character. “The vast majority were chosen by her, though as part of the development of the script, two of the cast asked to use another for their character,” says Tony.
Grace Scott: Taking part in York Shakespeare Project’s Summer Sonnets for the first time. Picture: John Saunders
“My experience is that there’s always a collective sense of appreciation among the audience when they recognise a familiar sonnet, but we also try each year to include some new sonnets from Shakespeare’s collection.”
Reflecting on the tenth anniversary of YSP’s Sonnets seasons, Tony says: “I understand it was a very different animal when it began, starting as Sonnets Walks around the city, where each actor would develop their character and then choose their sonnet.
“But now we’ve hit on a format with a single venue and we have the opportunity for a writer and director to develop the characters, the dramatisation and the narrative arc and that prescribes the choice of sonnets rather more.”
York Shakespeare Project, Summer Sonnets, Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, August 9 to 17, 6pm and 7.30pm nightly, except August 12, plus 4.30pm on August 10 and 17. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/summer-sonnets/.
The York Civic Trust rainbow plaque at the entrance to Holy Trinity Church, Gooramgate, to mark the sacrament of the union of Anne “Gentleman Jack” Lister and Ann Walker that inspired the theme for York Skakespeare Project’s Summer Sonnets
Did you know?
YORK Shakespeare Project will perform all three parts of Shakespeare’s Henry VI history plays, condensed into one play, at next April’s York International Shakespeare Festival, under the direction of Irwin Appel, American professor of drama and theatre studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Delma Tomlin in Tansy beetle sculptural form at Merchant Adventurers’ Hall,designed by HazardOne
YORK Trailblazers, the city-wide sculpture trail celebrating York’s unsung heroes, launches on Yorkshire Day, August 1.
Organised by York Civic Trust and Make It York, the trail is co-curated with organisations, community groups, schools and universities with £249,999 funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Trailblazers project provides the opportunity to discover these lesser-known people who have made a difference to lives either locally or globally.
Members of the public and community groups nominated their trailblazers, whereupon a co-created final list of these stories was researched by partner organisations, highlighting each invaluable contribution.
To honour these remarkable individuals, artists worked with community groups to create the tansy beetle sculptures that represent them.
Why tansy beetles, you may well be asking. This beetle, an emblematic symbol of York, was chosen on account of its connection to the city, one of only two places where tansy beetles are found.
Faith Gray’s sculpture, designed by Martha Beaumont, at Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street, York
This vibrant and resilient beetle mirrors the spirit of the Trailblazers – each sculpture not only pays tribute to these changemakers but also brings their stories to life along the trail.
Andrew Morrison, chief executive officer of York Civic Trust, says: “The York Trailblazers project has revealed a fantastic range of people from York, many of whom we did not know of before. With Make It York, it has been fantastic to collaborate with so many local artists and communities. We hope that this is the first of many such celebrations.”
The sculpture trail has been designed to be as sustainable as possible. The materials used are recycled, repurposed or recyclable and the sculptures and the reused bases will be repurposed or recycled after the trail has ended.
Each sculpture has been produced by local artists and crafters working with local people to create “something unique and meaningful to them”. The choice of sustainable materials and artwork and the decoration of each sculpture has been developed by the partnership of artist and local community. This process of sustainable co-production is considered to be as important as the finished product.
Commissioned to create the beetle structure, Tom Springett Metalwork Creations drew on his experience of working in set construction, visual merchandising, architectural metalwork and art fabrication industries to create the metal works of art.
Mary Ward’s sculpture for York Trailblazers, designed by Jen Dring, in the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre gardens. Picture: David Harrison
Some of the sculpture artwork may exist only for a few weeks but the beetle structure itself and an accessible digital record of the artwork will continue to celebrate York’s Trailblazers.
Seventeen sculptures will be placed throughout the city, each one reflecting a different trailblazer, designed to capture the legacy of these inspirational people,.
Among them will be The Luddites,a sculpture created collaboratively by a small group of people affected by homelessness with the Good Organisation. Rather than celebrate an individual ‘trailblazer,’ it serves to commemorate 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813.
The Luddites were a group of early 19th-century workers who protested against the introduction of machinery that they believed threatened their jobs. The movement began in the textile industry, where mechanised looms and knitting frames were replacing traditional hand-weaving methods, leading to job losses and reduced wages for skilled workers.
Although the Luddite movement did not stop the process of industrialisation, it highlighted the social and economic challenges faced by workers during a period of unprecedented change, and many of their underlying concerns still resonate today with the rapid rise of AI and digital technology.
W H Auden’s sculpture, designed by Navigators Art and Performance, at West Offices, Station Rise, York
The Luddites sculpture at the Eye of York is designed by theatre and performance design graduate Alex Gray, an aspiring theatre designer now working as a stagehand at the Darlington Hippodrome.
The Delma Tomlin sculpture was researched by the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and National Centre for Early Music. Dr Delma Tomlin MBE is a living trailblazer, who came to York in 1984 to administer the York Festival Mystery Plays and loved the city far too much to ever leave.
She championed the move to return the York Mystery Plays to the city streets and served as chief executive officer of the Millennium production in York Minster.
As the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, based in the medieval church of St Margaret’s in Walmgate, Delma has been a pivotal figure in music making, focusing her energies on supporting young professional musicians locally, nationally and internationally and flying the flag for York whenever possible.
A member of the York Merchant Adventurers Company, in 2022 Delma became the first woman to become Governor since the company’s inauguration more than 650 years ago in 1357. She does not plan to be the last.
The Delma Tomlin sculpture, sited at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, is designed by HazardOne, recognised by the Guardian as one of the top five female graffiti artists in the UK and named among the top 25 female street artists worldwide in the Huffington Post.
Alex Gray’s sculpture for The Luddites at the Eye of York
The York Young Carers sculpture, at the Principal York hotel, was researched by unpaid young adult carers aged 16-25 from the York Carers Centre, who worked with artist Zoe Phillips to represent unpaid carers in York, including both identified and hidden carers.
The group reflected that carers share similar experiences and circumstances, but have unique stories in their own right, and decided that it would be difficult to find one trailblazer to represent them all.
They felt the sculpture would be impactful if it enabled carers to recognise themselves as trailblazers for the roles they hold, sacrifices they make and difficulties they go through for the love of the person they care for.
They said the sculpture design “should be not what it appears – with lots going on underneath”. The group was struck by the grace of the tansy beetle’s exterior, along with the power and resilience of the driving legs and inner workings underneath the shell. They felt this was the perfect metaphor for a carer.
The York Young Carers’ sculpture designer, Zoe Phillips, is an inclusive mixed media artist who explores our connections with objects and the narratives they hold.
Gemma Wood’s tansy beetle mural on show at THOR’S Orangery, Parliament Street
Reflecting on her journey, Zoe says: “Working with the young adult carers group has been important to me both personally and professionally. Finding a way to share the identity and voice of this incredible group of individuals, for whom time and space for themselves may be sparse but they find a way to draw connections and share how important community is, was key.
“The beetle exposes all the hidden workings, those background details that are often overlooked or taken for granted but are so important to the running of things. With huge thanks to all those who shared their thoughts and experiences with me, you really are one-of-a-kind trailblazers!”
The trail will run from August 1 to September 30, opening on Yorkshire Day, whose celebrations, activities and events in the city will include a Yorkshire-themed market on Parliament Street.
Sarah Loftus, managing director of Make It York, says: “York Trailblazers is an inspiring tribute to the pioneers whose courage and vision paved the way for our community’s future. This project not only celebrates their legacy but also creatively highlights the humble tansy beetle, reflecting York’s ongoing commitment to its conservation in the city.”
Full details can be found at visityork.org/york-trailblazers, including Meet The Trailblazers and Meet The Artist. You can download the trail map and a cycle trail for exploring the trail by bike and learn how to minimisie your environmental footprint by using public transport.
Zoe Phillips’s sculpture for York Young Carers at the Principal York hotel
Did you know?
KNOWN as “the Jewel of York”, the endangered tansy beetle has been chosen as the emblem of the York Trailblazers project to reflect its special status as a York resident with its riverside habitat on the banks of the River Ouse.
The 17 sculpures
The Luddites
Location: Eye of York
Researched by: The Good Organisation.
Designed by: Alex Gray.
Rather than celebrate an individual ‘trailblazer,’ this sculpture serves to commemorate 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813. This sculpture was collaboratively created by a small group of people affected by homelessness with the Good Organisation.
Coppergate Woman sculpture designer Sarah Schiewe at Thursday’s launch.York artist who hand-builds her stoneware pieces using coil and slab methods and decorate them with oxides, glazes, decals and mixed media. “Every individual is different, and we should celebrate these differences,” she says. “Each person has a set of values, feelings and memories unique to them. I take these impressions and turn them into a bespoke piece of ceramic art for that individual. The profits from my work fund free community art and sculpture workshops to help children develop confidence through creativity”
Coppergate Woman
Location: August 1 to 6: Parliament Street; August 6 onwards, Coppergate Walk
Researched by: University of York, Archaeology Department
Designed by: Sarah Schiewe
The Viking Age sometimes comes across as a world of rich and powerful men: kings, chieftains and raiders. This makes The Coppergate Woman, known affectionately by the research team and artists as Vigdis, an important Trailblazer: she tells us about her life as a migrant woman living with disabilities in York 1,000 years ago.
HazardOne: designer of Delma Tomlin sculpture. Combines rich colour palettes with illumination and modern-age glitch effects to create striking portraits using traditional free-hand graffiti techniques. From a seven-storey mural in St Paul’s, Bristol, to a community project on the Arizona-Mexico border, to the 79th floor of 3 World Trade Centre, New York, her work takes her all over the planet
Delma Tomlin
Location: Merchant Adventurers’ Hall
Researched by: Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and National Centre for Early Music, York
Designed by: HazardOne
Dr Delma Tomlin MBE is a living trailblazer. As the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, based in the medieval church of St Margaret’s in Walmgate, Delma has been a pivotal figure in music making – focusing her energies on supporting young professional musicians locally, nationally and internationally – and flying the flag for York whenever possible.
John Chesterman and Stuart Feather
Location: Spurriergate
Researched by: Queer Arts
Designed by: Jade Blood
John Chesterman and Stuart Feather, both from York, were instrumental in the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), organisers of the first ever Pride march in 1972.
Anne Lister
Location: Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate
Researched by: York University and Churches Conservation Trust
Designed by: Shannon Reed
Anne Lister’s (1791-1840) life and diaries have blazed a trail for the LGBTQIA+ community today, helping people understand their history and embrace their identity.
Faith Gray
Location: Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street
Nominated by: York St John University
Designed by: Martha Beaumont
Faith Gray (1751-1826), born in York, dedicated her life to improving the conditions of girls and women in York. Her legacy of compassion and social progress endured beyond her death, paving the way for future generations of women reformers.
Mary Kitson Clark
Location: York Museum Gardens
Researched by: Yorkshire Philosophical Society
Designed by: Sian Ellis
Mary Kitson Clark (1905-2005) was one of the first female archaeologists to be recognised in a professional capacity in the UK for her significant contributions to the study and conservation of York’s archaeological heritage.
WH Auden
Location: West Offices, Station Rise
Researched and designed by: Navigators Art and Performance
Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in Bootham, York. Informed by science and engineering, his fascination with the world and its workings was expressed in a myriad of poetic forms, earning him the title “the Picasso of modern poetry”.
York Young Carers
Location: Principal York, Station Road
Researched by: York Young Carers
Designed by: Zoe Phillips – By Deckle and Hide
Unpaid young adult carers aged 16-25, from the York Carers Centre, worked with artist Zoe Phillips to represent unpaid carers in York, including both identified and hidden carers.
Jen Dring: designer of Mary Ward sculpture. York printmaker who creates linocut and collagraph prints. Her work is inspired by her faith, everyday experiences, moments in nature and places she loves. She takes on bespoke commissions, as well as using her teaching skills to offer linocut and tetra pak workshops
Mary Ward
Location: Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, Blossom Street
Researched by: All Saints School and Bar Convent
Designed by: Jen Dring
Mary Ward (1585-1645) was a visionary Yorkshire woman who revolutionised education for girls in England. Despite societal and religious restrictions, Mary dedicated her life to providing equal education opportunities for girls, believing “there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things.”
Ivory Bangle Lady
Location: York Railway Station, Station Road
Researched by: University of York Archaeology Department
Designed by: York Anti-Racist Collective
The woman who has become known as the ‘Ivory Bangle Lady’ was buried at Sycamore Terrace, York, in the second half of the fourth century CE. As a trailblazer, the Lady has marked an important path in showing that ethnic and religious diversity and immigration is written in York’s history from its very beginning.
Annie Coultate
Location: Fishergate Primary School, Escrick Street
Researched by: Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington Local History Society
Designed by: Christine Joplin
Annie Coultate (1856 -1931), a dedicated suffragette, was instrumental in the women’s suffrage movement in York.
Anne Lister sculpture designer Shannon Reed.Part-time artist, full-time biology undergraduate, in York. Focuses on wildlife, paying particular attention to threatened native UK species. Her artwork is multi-media, ranging from pointillism portraits of endangered animals to oil paintings on recycled wood. Designed and decorated two wooden ducks for the University of York’s Long Boi-ology Art Trail to raise awareness of the threat that avian influenza and flooding poses to UK wildlife
Mary Tuke
Location: St Lawrence Parish Church, Lawrence Street
Researched by: Hempland Primary School
Designed by: Heather Dawe and Sarah Jackson
Mary Tuke was a pioneering woman who displayed remarkable ambition, resilience and courage. In 1725, as a Quaker in her thirties who had lost her family, Mary opened a grocer’s shop in Walmgate, York, defying societal norms.
Roma and Geoff
Location: Millennium Bridge Park, Hospital Fields Road
Researched by: The Tansy Beetle Action Group
Designed by: Cathy Simpson
The Tansy Beetle Action Group (TBAG) was established in 2008 by Geoff and Roma Oxford (University of York), following the designation of the rare and beautiful Tansy beetle as a UK conservation priority.
Mary Kitson Clark’s sculpture, designed by Sian Ellis, in York Museum Gardens
June Hargreaves
Location: Rowntree Park
Researched by: Herstory. York and Make Space for Girls
Designed by: Emma Feneley
The way historic cities such as York protected their heritage was transformed in the mid-1960s by a new law on ‘Conservation Areas’. This was the idea of June Hargreaves, a young York town planner, who became York’s senior planning officer in 1961.
Michael Rowntree
Location: Homestead Park, Water End
Researched by: The Rowntree Society
Designed by: Natalie McKeown
Michael Rowntree (1919-2007), from the globally renowned York confectionery family, held senior roles in Oxfam and was chairman from 1971 to 1977, during a time when the charity delivered its biggest ever aid package and set up the country’s first textile recycling plant.
Rosie Wall
Location: Sanderson Community House, Bramham Road, Acomb
Researched by: The Place at Sanderson Community House
Designed by: Leo Morey
Rosie Wall has dedicated herself to the Chapelfields community. She was instrumental in developing the Sanderson Court Community House (now The Place), and Crossroads, a safe space for young people, addressing significant anti-social behaviour in the area.
York Trailblazers: the back story
Geoff Oxford: Trailblazer, environmentalist and founder of the Tansy Beetle Action Group at the August 1 launch
YORK Trailblazers, the new city-wide sculpture trail, launched on August 1, kicking off the Yorkshire Day celebrations in York.
The sculpture trail celebrates York’s unsung heroes. Centred around the tansy beetle, each sculpture has a different design to capture the legacy of these inspirational people who have made a difference to people’s lives.
At the launch celebrations at THOR’s Orangery, artists and trailblazers gathered to enjoy the first day of the trail alongsidethe featured sculptures, Coppergate Woman.
Richard Kitchen, co-founder of Navigators Art and Performance, discussing York Trailblazer WH Auden at Thursday’s launch
Coppergate Woman depicts the life of a migrant woman living with disabilities in York 1,000 years ago. This sculpture will be on Parliament Street until August 6, then moving to Coppergate Centre, where she lay until she was discovered by archaeologists from the York Archaeological Trust in the late-1970s.
Discovered in a shallow pit by the river Foss, the remains of this unknown woman are displayed in a glass case in Jorvik Viking Centre. Her story was brought to life in Maureen Lennon’s play The Coppergate Woman, staged as a community production by York Theatre Royal from July 30 to August 7 2022.
A special mural was painted for the launch day by Gemma Wood. This will stay in place on THOR’S exterior until August 18.
Gemma Wood painting her tansy beetle mural at THOR’S Orangery on Thursday
Tansy Beetle facts:
The River Ouse has the largest population of tansy beetles in the UK, found on a 30km stretch of the river.
The iridescent green leaf-beetle, approximately 10 mm in length, has a smaller population at Woodwalton Fen, Cambridgeshire, where it was re-discovered in 2014.
Tansy beetles rarely fly; they find new food plants and habitats by walking. Finding a breeding partner is made more difficult by this resticted mobility. Most active in April and May, then August and September.
The tansy beetle is named after the Tansy plant, whose reduction in number has led to the beetle’s declining population too.
As an endangered species, tansy beetles are being monitored and bred in captivity to ensure that the populations do not disappear.
Trailblazers project facts:
National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant: £249,999.
More than 40 community groups have been involved.
York Trailblazer Rosie Wall’s tansy beetle sculpture, designed by Leo Morey, at Sanderson Community House, Bramham Road, Acomb
More than 1,000 schoolchildren participated in school workshops.
£30,000 of community grants were awarded to 23 York groups.
More than 150 workshops have been delivered.
39 York Trailblazers have been researched and celebrated.
17 Tansy Beetle Trailblazer Sculptures have been created.
What has the £249,999 support from the National Lottery Heritage delivered?
A COMMUNITY workshop programme to allow local communities and residents to research and uncover new trailblazers for York.
A community grants programme to enable heritage organisations, voluntary and community groups to contribute to the project, especially those groups who have not accessed heritage activities before.
A digital arts project to help celebrate York’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
A heritage trail around the city working with artists and communities, inspired by York’s lesser-known heritage stories.
A school workshop programme and resource packs providing opportunities for young people to learn more about their heritage and, in particular, the trailblazers that form the sculpture trail.
Sustainability
THE sculpture trail has been designed to be as sustainable as possible. The materials used are recycled, repurposed or recyclable and the sculptures and the reused bases will be repurposed or recycled after the trail has ended.
The choice of sustainable materials and artwork and the decoration of each sculpture has been developed by the partnership of artist and community. This process of sustainable co-production is as important as the finished product.
Tansy Beetle metalwork
COMMISSIONED to create the beetle structure, Tom Springett, Metalwork Creations drew on his experience of working in set construction, visual merchandising, architectural metalwork and art fabrication industries, to create these metal works.
Before the York Trailblazers metal works, a Tansy Beetle mural took shape in York…
ATM’s mural of a tansy beetle in Queen Street, York
STREET artist ATM, known for his depiction of endangered species, painted his mural of a tansy beetle on a brick wall on Queen Street, York, in 2019. Capturing the insect’s shimmering green hue, it is a bejewelled highlight of the walk from Micklegate to York Railway Station.
Punch Porteous – Lost In Time writer Robert Powell with actors Nick Naidu and Imogen Wood
PUNCH Porteous is an ordinary man with an extraordinary predicament, lost in time in York.
While the city shape-shifts around him, he is catapulted unpredictably into different eras of its history from c.70 to c.2023.
Dazed and confused, Punch wakes to find himself among both famous and ordinary people in a “multi-media drama experience” conjured by York poet Robert Powell, creative practitioner Ben Pugh and producer John Beecroft, inspired by the city’s past and one of its most remarkable ancient churches, All Saints North Street.
York Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster is supporting the production too, overseeing rehearsals, working with the creative team and actors Nick Naidu and Imogen Wood.
Running at All Saints from tomorrow (26/10/2023) to Saturday at 7pm nightly, the York-made Punch Porteous – Lost In Time Lost uses spoken word, film, sound and performance to draw imaginatively on York’s history to tell the tale of a sometimes comic, sometimes soulful, rogue: York’s very own legendary Punch Porteous, soldier, philosopher, worker (when absolutely unavoidable), husbandman and connoisseur of ale.
When Punch awakes, homeless and yet oddly at home, the city changes around him through Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Georgian, Victorian and our own times and back again! Now Punch, suffused with sights and sounds from the past, will make an appearance in the unique setting of All Saints.
The project is the first of its kind at the church and aims to attract new audiences to appreciate this historic place of worship. This week’s performances follow a three-year restoration of All Saints North Street’s medieval painted and stained glass, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which attendees can view during the interval.
Robert Powell, York Civic Trust’s writer-in-residence, says: “It’s very exciting to be in the final run-up to the production, and to be working with All Saints and such a dynamic team of artists. The church has been a real inspiration to us, as I’m sure it will be to audiences.
“They will be able to hear about Punch’s eccentric adventures and the rich history of York – its rivers, streets, strays, and stories – in one of its most extraordinary sites. And of course we’re expecting the evasive Punch to turn up during each performance.”
Bishop Glyn Webster, priest-in-charge at All Saints North Street, says: “The church has a long history of commissioning works of art and – thanks to money raised by National Lottery players – we are delighted to be able to continue this tradition by commissioning a performance that celebrates our wonderful church, the city of York, and the people who have lived and worshipped here through the centuries.”
York Civic Trust’s “blue plaque” for legendary York character Punch Porteous
Writer Robert Powell discusses the York legend of ever evasive Punch Porteous with CharlesHutchPress
What is the story behind Punch Porteous?
“A few years back, a friend who was raised in York told me a story about someone called Punch Porteous – a story he’d heard from his father – who’d won some money at York Races, had a tin hip-bath with beer at the Red Lion pub, and then offered it for free to passers-by at the tram stop on Market Street.
“I wrote a poem about that, but this character haunted me. I thought that if someone like that was floating in time like a sort of legend, it would be a great way of exploring York’s past in an unusual way. I began to write a series of poems, and the play has come from those.
“By the way, Charles, have you met this guy?” [Answer: No! Not knowingly. Still awaiting that knock-out Punch encounter.]
How did the multi-media structure of spoken word, film, sound, and performance come to fruition?
“It’s a way of combining skills and disciplines to create something that plays quite joyfully with different genres. Something a bit different for audiences too, something surprising. They say that the past is a different country, so to evoke it creatively, you need different tools! Working with Ben and John Beecroft has enabled this cross-disciplinary approach of sound and words and film.”
Have you worked with Ben Pugh previously?
“Yes. Ben and I made a film called The River Speaks in 2017, based around my poems about the rivers Ouse and Foss. Then, with Kitty Greenbrown, we made two short film-performances for York Theatre Royal as part of their post-Covid Love Bites and Green Shoots programmes. Ben is a terrific producer, but also a talented creative in his own right.”
How have you found the experience of working with actors Nick Naidu and Imogen Wood?
“For me, this was a great new adventure and pleasure. I’ve always liked to hear other voices read my poems, but in this case Nick and Imogen have created fully developed characters and brought the words and stories wonderfully to life. Through them, my characters surprised me, as if I was meeting them for the first time. The written page walks and talks – and also sings, as you’ll see!”
Actors Nick Naidu and Imogen Wood rehearsing a scene from Punch Porteous – Lost In Time
How did Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster become involved?
“Juliet’s involvement has been an unexpected gift and asset for us. She is always hugely interested in York stories. She liked the work we’d done with the Theatre Royal previously and seems to really empathise with the poems and the story – or maybe just fallen in love with the elusive Punch Porteous! We could hardly have done the production without her experience and skills, and access to the Theatre Royal facilities.”
What led to All Saints North Street being the venue for Punch Porteous – Lost In Time?
“Ever since seeing the medieval windows at All Saints a few years ago, I felt an affinity with this church with its squint and spire and proximity to the river. In particular, the ‘Pricke of Conscience’ window, illustrating the last 15 days of Creation and containing lines from a 14th century poem, seemed to call to me as a writer.
“I was sure it could be the seed for a story about York’s deep past, and the threats of our times – Covid, climate change – and about the lives and loves and fears of ordinary people through the ages. I wondered what woud happen if Punch Porteous walked into the church – over the centuries and again now. So when the church offered this commission, we leapt at it.”
Punch Porteous – Lost In Time runs at All Saints North Street, York, October 26 to 28, 7pm. Tickets: yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/punch-porteous-lost-in-time/
ALL Saints North Street, York, is open daily for visitors from 10am to 4pm, with a Thursday lunchtime service at 12.30pm and Sung Mass at 5.30pm on Sunday evenings.
Did you know?
A SQUINT, also known as a leper-hole or hagioscope, is a viewing device in a medieval church. It takes the form of a small opening, cut through a chancel arch or wall, to enable worshippers in an aisle or side chapel to see and follow the ceremonies at the altar.
The poster for Punch Porteous – Lost In Time at All Saints North Street
Elizabeth Clifford: Portrait acquired by York Civic Trust for £14,500
A LONG-MISSING portrait of Elizabeth Clifford, the female financier of Fairfax House, goes on display this week at the Georgian townhouse in York after a successful campaign to raise £14,500 for its acquisition.
The portrait’s existence had been known for many years but its location was lost. Research undertaken at Fairfax House by collections manager Rachel Wallis revealed the painting was in danger of being sold into a private collection and potentially exported.
Fairfax House launched a campaign to raise sufficient funds to buy the portrait, attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller, and return it to permanent public display, with support from Art Fund, the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, as well as generous public donations.
Fairfax House curator Sarah Burnage says: “We are so grateful that we were able to save this portrait from going into private collection and are instead able to display it, especially given its significance to the house’s history.”
A wealthy woman in her own right, the Hon. Elizabeth Clifford married Charles Gregory Fairfax, later 9th Viscount of Emley, in November 1720. Sadly, Elizabeth died only six months later from smallpox and Charles Gregory inherited all of Elizabeth’s money and possessions, including a townhouse in London. Whereupon he used this inheritance to stabilise the shaky Fairfax finances and later down the line purchased Fairfax House.
The townhouse museum, in Castlegate, hopes this purchase will support its plan to reveal the stories of other women who have been forgotten by history. Rachel Wallis says: “It is undeniable that Elizabeth’s wealth is the reason that we have Fairfax House as we know it today, and yet we barely know anything about her.
“We want to use this portrait to help support our plan to tell the stories of the forgotten Fairfax women. We have already started undergoing new research into Elizabeth’s life and can’t wait to share what we uncover about her.”
The portrait goes on display from tomorrow (4/8/2023) to coincide with York’s inaugural Georgian Festival (www.mansionhouseyork.com/yorkgeorgianfestival). Children and under 16s go free at Fairfax House, where admission for adults is £7.50. Opening hours are 11am to 4pm every day except Fridays (guided tours only).
Fairfax House, Castlegate, York
Fairfax House: the back story
ONE of England’s finest Georgian townhouses, it was restored by York Civic Trust in the 1980s and has been open to the public ever since.
Originally the city home of Ann Fairfax, bought for her by her father, the 9th Viscount Fairfax, the house’s richly decorated interiors and stucco ceilings make it a masterpiece of Georgian design and architecture.
A beautiful collection of furniture, donated by Noel Terry, brings the house alive, recalling a lost world of townhouse-living in the 1760s for visitors.
THE portrait of Elizabeth Clifford has been attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt (1646-1723). Born in Germany, Kneller studied on the continent before moving to England. Here he established himself as the leading portraitist of the period, founding a studio that churned out portraits of the rich and famous on an almost industrial scale.
Elizabeth’s portrait is a fine example of one of Kneller’s more intimate female studies. The emphasis is placed directly upon the sitter’s alluring femininity, enhanced by her hair falling over her shoulder.
Her fine features have been rendered sensitively: the bold handling or flesh tones and free fluidity of brushstrokes draws in the viewer. The sizeable area of grey ground is typical of Kneller’s later works. A method developed by the artist to speed up the painting process, it meant his studio could cope better with the many demands of a large circle of patrons.
At the time of his death in 1723, around 500 works remained unfinished in his studio. To date, he is the only artist to be commemorated in Westminster Abbey.
The framed portrait of Elizabeth Clifford
Who was Elizabeth, Viscountess Dunbar?
THE Hon. Elizabeth Clifford was born in April 1689 in Ugbrooke Park, Chudleigh, Devon. She was the daughter of Hugh Clifford, 2nd Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, and Anne Preston, daughter of Sir Thomas Preston, 3rd Baronet.
She first was married to William Constable, 4th Viscount Dunbar, 1717-1718, and second to Charles Gregory Fairfax, 9th Viscount of Emley, in 1720. The marriage only lasted until April 1721 when Elizabeth died from smallpox in Bath, where she was on a visit to take in the waters. She is buried in Bath Abbey.
Charles remarried very quickly in 1722, tying the knot with Mary Fairfax, a distant cousin, who had been left a substantial part of Elizabeth’s wealth.
It was this wealth that created the opportunity for Charles Fairfax to renovate his country estate at Gilling Castle and purchase and fund his daughter Ann’s remodelling of the grand townhouse on Castlegate, York.
York Civic Trust’s collection already contains the portraits of Mary Fairfax and her daughter, Ann, as well as a modern copy of Charles Fairfax’s portrait. Elizabeth completes the family picture.
A collage of artwork from Navigators Art’s Coney St Jam: An Art Intervention exhibition at StreetLife’s project hub in Coney Street, York
TWELVE artists from York collective Navigators Art are opening their mixed-media exhibition at StreetLife’s project hub in Coney Street, York, this evening (17/10/2022).
Drawing inspiration from the city’s rich heritage and vibrant creative communities, the project explores new ways to revitalise and diversify Coney Street, York’s premium shopping street but one blighted with multiple empty premises.
In a creative response to Coney Street’s past, present and future, Navigators Art have made new work for StreetLife, designed to enhance and interpret its research, under the title Coney St Jam: An Art Intervention.
On show from today to November 19 will be painting, drawing, collage, photography, textiles, projections, music, poetry and 3D work. Entry to the exhibition space is accessible by one set of stairs.
Taking part are: Steve Beadle, figurative painting and drawing; Michael Dawson, mixed-media painting; Alfie Fox, creative photography; Alan Gillott, architectural and scenic photography; Oz Hardwick, creative photography, and Richard Kitchen, collage, abstract drawing, prints and poetry.
So too are: Katie Lewis, textiles; Tim Morrison, painting and constructions; Peter Roman, figurative painting; Amy Elena Thompson, prints and tattoos; Dylan Thompson, composer, and Nick Walters, painting, video and sculpture.
A painting by Nick Walters at Navigators Art’s Coney St Jam show
Here, CharlesHutchPress puts questions to Navigators Art co-founder, artist and poet Richard Kitchen.
How did the exhibition come about?
“I heard talk of this project rather belatedly in April this year. After our Moving Pictures show at City Screen and providing art for York Theatre Royal’s Takeover Festival, I was looking for a community project the group could really get to grips with and actively support.
“I rather cheekily offered our services to the StreetLife project leaders and, after a bit of convincing, they agreed to let us devise an exhibition for them.”
What relationship have you established with StreetLife?
“A very good one. They were a bit wary at first, as we hadn’t been part of the initial set-up, but we convinced them we were genuinely interested in the project and wanted to interpret and enhance their research and findings creatively for a wider audience. That’s one of our missions as Navigators Art. This isn’t just another art exhibition!
“They’ve been really helpful with practical arrangements, allocated us a budget and agreed to let us put on an evening of live performance in aid of the homeless to mark the end of the show on November 19. That’s going to be very exciting.”
Torrents (Willow Herald Speak), by Michael Dawson, from Coney St Jam
In turn, what relationship have you established with project participants University of York, City of York Council, Make It York, My City Centre, York Civic Trust, York Music Venues Network and Thin Ice Press?
“The project leaders are all from the university, so we’ve got to know them, and also Bethan [cultural development manager Bethan Gibb-Reid] at Make It York. We’re not directly involved with the other agents as such, but we’re all part of the same enterprise and hopefully we can continue to develop existing relationships and make new ones.
“Collaboration is what we’re all about, now and in the future. Making project-specific and even site-specific work has been a very positive creative challenge, from which we’ve all learnt something, and we’re looking forward to further opportunities.”
How do you foresee the future of Coney Street?
“It’s in an interesting state of flux. I can’t speak for the StreetLife project itself or even fellow artists, but personally I regret that a future seems securable only through the involvement of giant property developers.
“I wish a more grassroots solution could be sought and found. But the Helmsley Group’s plans are on show to all at the StreetLife hub in Coney Street and there are public feedback forms by way of consultation.
“It looks positive enough, with provision for new green spaces and so on; I just hope it’s not all about financial interest at the expense of those who live here, or about economics over culture and wellbeing. Naturally, I’d love to see a cheap, Bohemian cultural quarter there, but I doubt that’s top of the agenda!
“Whatever the plans, serious thought needs to be given to social issues such as the question of accessibility. If the street is to be traffic-free, it also has to be accessible to all. The present system of bollards means that some people are unable to use the street at all. That doesn’t make sense.”
An exhibit by Tim Morrison, purveyor of paintings and constructions
How much should the past of Coney Street feed into its future?
“Its past was very much involved with the river, and future plans include developing the river area as a public space and retying lost connections between the river and the street in general. The thriving, lively street of yore is a model for what it may become again. And no future is sustainable without a foundation in history.
“The past can be celebrated and kept alive. It doesn’t have to be enshrined as a museum piece; certainly not one that people have to pay to enjoy! That’s something artists can offer.
Who should be taking the lead in envisioning the future? Looking at that list of who’s involved already, how do you establish joined-up thinking?
“That’s a question for them rather than us, I think. We’re only putting up some pictures! But all walks of life and all sectors should be having an equal say. I don’t think any of those groups is acting independently of the others. There is consultation, including with the developers.”
Where do the arts and art fit into that future?
“The arts are essential to public, cultural and personal wellbeing, despite efforts to ignore, undermine, underfund and generally devalue them to a shocking and highly unintelligent extent. The arts should be central to every decision-making process in government and to education at every level.
“In the times we’re living through, we need creative solutions on a gigantic scale and we need the sheer energy of the arts to help us survive and adapt. Those things aren’t going to be provided by bureaucracy or petty squabbling between political parties.
Ana Alisia,Big Issue Seller, by Peter Roman
“I’d say give artists the kudos they deserve and let us help to turn things around. Pay us. Give us space to work in: let us use those empty buildings! Art isn’t just about old monuments. There are many living artists in York who could successfully take on social responsibilities because of the nature of what they do. We’re an asset to the city and should be valued and promoted as such.
“Make Coney Street a flagship enclave for creatives and independent small retailers and an affordable, inspiring resource for the public to enjoy. That’s something we provided when we were based at Piccadilly [Piccadilly Pop Up] and we came to realise more and more how much that environment meant to people and benefited them. Offer that on a much wider scale and we’ll see real change for the better in society.”
What else is coming up for Navigators Art? Are you any closer to finding a new home?
“From January to March next year, some of us will be exhibiting at Helmsley Arts Centre, and we’ll be at City Screen again in March and April. We may be involved with Archaeology York’s Roman dig next year too.
“We’re eager to take on future community projects and commissions. We’re all artists in our own right but collectively we’re about much more than making and selling. We want to make a difference to the city and its people.
“We’ve grown from being just Steve Beadle and myself in 2020 to a trio last spring with Tim Morrison, and now we’re 12, including writers and musicians, as well as visual artists. The group is fluid, though, and we won’t all be involved in every venture. Some will come and go, others will join.
“Many of us have jobs and families and we’ve all worked on this show voluntarily, but I think we can continue to match the size of the group to the size of the project. Clearly, we’re not going to find one home for all and that’s fine. It would be wonderful to have a studio identity but we don’t have the funds for it at the moment.
Cavern, by Richard Kitchen, from Navigatgors Art’s show in Coney Street, York
“Others are welcome to join us any time. Steve and I want to develop the other strand of Navigators Art’s mission statement, which we started at Piccadilly Pop Up last year: to mentor young and under-represented emerging artists. Not everyone at Piccadilly shared that vision but I think we’re better prepared to do it now.
“Apart from anything else, we’d like to shake things up a bit culturally for ourselves. The initial longlist for Coney St Jam artists was quite diverse, but for health-related and other reasons we’ve ended up with a bunch of mostly white males. We’re working on that!”
Coney St Jam: An Art Intervention by Navigators Art, at StreetLife Project Hub, 29-31 Coney Street, York, opening tonight, 6pm to 8pm; then 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, except Wednesdays; 11am to 4pm, Sundays.Free entry.
A live performance event on November 19, from 7pm to 10pm, will mark the end of the show.
What is StreetLife?
FUNDED by the UK Government Community Renewal Fund, StreetLife explores new ways to revitalise and diversify Coney Street, drawing inspiration from York’s history, heritage and creative communities and involving businesses, the public and other stakeholders in shaping the future of the high street.
The project is led by the University of York, in partnership with City of York Council, including Make It York/My City Centre, York Civic Trust, York Music Venues Network and creative practitioners, such as Thin Ice Press.
The poster for Navigators Art’s art intervention at StreetLife
