Here is a selection of news items that we have featured.

2010

The Green Theatre Project
weekly from 17 April - 29 May

The Green Theatre Project aims to bring sustainability into the creative performance process, into the development of new productions.

Over seven sessions The Green Theatre Project will focus on devising original work through a series of workshops including the basics of physical theatre, Forum Theatre, text interpretation and more, with the goal of developing a short performance.

Every session will grow out of topical developments, from articles in the press to developments in green technology.

The project will be group-led and collaborative, and is open to anyone over the age of 18.

For more information, email greentheatreproject (at ) googlemail.com

NVA are re-enacting the Witte Fietsenplan (White Bike Plan) for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2010.

The original Witte Fietsenplan was an anarchic, free transport programme in Amsterdam started by the Provos, the Dutch counter-culture movement of the 1960’s. The initiative was the source inspiration for the (PUB) Public Use Bicycle systems which has been updated and ‘officially’ replicated in cities worldwide.

NVA’s White Bike Plan will celebrate the political and ecological drives behind the original action by providing 50 white bikes free for the festival audience to use to travel between venues. There will be a central drop-off point for bikes at the Glasgow International Festival Hub courtyard on 54 Miller St as well as having bike drop off points at other festival venues. The universal combination lock code for the bikes is 6510.

There will be a Ride Out to launch the White Bike Plan on 15 April. All 50 bikes will ride en masse from Kelvingrove Park to George Square where there will be an action and proclamation of the original manifesto.

Is this the century of the bike? See wheels of change on ashdenizen.

www.nva.org.uk
www.facebook.com...
www.glasgowinternational.org

photo: Cor Jaring

2009
LIFT Living Archive goes online | Stop. Watch. online animations

2008
Horse and Bamboo set designs at V&A | Glyndebourne gets wind turbine | Small World builds sustainable creativity centre | Cate Blanchett goes solar

2006 - 2007
Puppet State Theatre wins eco-creativity prize | organic music at the Soil Association | Futuresonic 2007 takes its carbon footprint | first climate change opera is by PLATFORM | Green Light Trust wins RIBA award | Caryl Churchill writes climate change libretto | Canadian government report cites ashdendirectory.org.uk | online exhibition on performance and nature | greenmuseum.org offers range of toolboxes

LIFT Living Archive goes online

The LIFT Living Archive is now online. The collection is comprised of photographs, prints, documents, objects, audio and video recordings of international performances brought to London by the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) LIFT since 1981.

The archive, developed in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, is meant to be a resource for artists, academics and the wider community.

On the website are 1,000 items selected from the LIFT Living Archive. This digitized selection represents 50 productions from the first 12 festivals.

The LIFT Living Archive includes recording not represented on the website for copyright reasons. The full archive is held in Special Collections at Goldsmiths, University of London.

For more information about the archive, or enquiries about visiting it, email archive@liftefest.org.uk

www.liftlivingarchive.com
www.liftfestival.com

Photo above is of The Tower Project conceived and directed by Deborah Warner for the LIFT Festival, 1999. Photo by Michael O'Brien.

STOP. WATCH.
short films online on the environment

d is for dodo by Jordan Baseman

The commissions are a collaboration between Animate Projects and RSA Arts & Ecology. The filmmakers' range of approaches are witty, provocative and wise in their comment on the unprecedented environmental challenges of the 21st century.

The films are viewable online on

www.animateprojects.org

d is for Dodo - Jordan Baseman
Damage Limitation - Phil Coy
it's like this - Edolie Pong
Atlantis - Christine Ödlund
Severed, The Deracinater, The Isle - Simon Woolham
I’m sucking on a Tailpipe in Seoul - Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
Make it snow!, make it snow!, make it snow! - Manu Luksch

Horse and Bamboo set design in V&A exhibition

In the Shadow of Trees

Set in a mysterious woodland, In the Shadow of Trees is the story of a young girl, abandoned at birth, who grows up nurtured by nature alone. A feral child, she slowly discovers then loves and protects the natural environment, before discovering she is not the only human in the woods.

The V&A exhibition brings together the work of over 100 British theatre designers.

www.horseandbamboo.org
www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions
see also Horse and Bamboo's page here on the Directory.
(November 2008)

Glyndebourne gets wind turbine

proposed wind turbine at Glyndebourne

This decision follows a 6-day Public Enquiry in February 2008, at which Sir David Attenborough spoke on behalf of Glyndebourne's proposal. The building of the turbine had been opposed by local communities, the Ramblers Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

David Pickard, General Director for Glyndebourne Productions, Ltd. said "This is a significant step for Glyndebourne in its continued drive to take responsibility for the impact it has on the environment. The turbine will supply the opera house with clean renewable energy and will reduce its carbon emissions by 70%".

Glyndebourne will be appointing an internal officer to take responsibility for the monitoring, control and ongoing reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

To reduce the effects of audience travel, Glyndebourne will provide additional coach services from the from the Lewes train station. From 2009 Glyndebourne will no longer be allowing audiences to arrive by helicopter.

Gus Christie Executive Chairman Glyndebourne Productions Ltd said, “The wind turbine is part of an environmental ambition for Glyndebourne and is a response to the global climate threat. We want to use our profile to encourage other businesses and individuals to preserve the environment".

The grounds for opposition to the wind turbine included that it would cause visual pollution in an area of outstanding natural beauty and that it was to be sited in an area protected from the prevailing winds. Malcolm McDonnell of the Sussex Branch of the Ramblers’ Association oppoosed the turbine as an 'eyesore'. "It will be an eyesore for visitors to this part of the Downs and will be highly visible from long stretches of the South Downs Way. This is an important part of a National Trail and it’s absolutely essential that these key routes are protected from this sort of industrial paraphernalia."

www.glyndebourne.com
(July 2008)

Small World Theatre builds new creative centre

Small World Theatre have completed their £1.2 million centre for the company and a space for a creative community.

Left to right, Bill Hamblett, Small World; Julie Morgan, MP; and Ann Shrosbree, Small World

It will be a base for a wide variety of projects, including one supporting local awareness of environmental sustainability.

It has been designed with a host of environmentally sensitive and energy saving features.
(2008)

Cate Blanchett goes solar...with a little help from Armani

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton have announced plans to run the first completely off-grid mainstream theatre group.

Blanchett and Upton took over in January 2008 as artistic co-directors of the Sydney Theatre Company. They intend to make it the first eco-friendly theatre. Upton told a press conference in Sydney that their aim was 'making the building self-sufficient, to green the building.'

'We are talking solar panels, rainwater, the works. This would ideally generate enough power to do a whole season off-grid.'

Funding for the project is secured, as it was announced in October that fashion designer Giorgio Armani will be patron of the theatre. It is reported that Armani will make a one-off cash donation, and is likely to collaborate on costume designs in future productions.

Blanchett and Upton outline their approach:

'Theatre's role in any society is to be in engaged dialogue with the fundamental questions of the day,' said Upton. 'A person cannot simply talk about climate change, write plays about climate change and have forums about climate change; it's an issue that demands active engagement.'

See also our news story on the efforts at Glyndebourne Opera to install a wind turbine.

Photo credit
www.cinecon.com/news

Puppet State Theatre wins Eco Prize for Creativity

The production is an adaptation of Jean Giono’s environmental story, The Man Who Planted Trees. In it, a French shepherd and his dog persevere, overcoming various obstacles to transform a barren wasteland into a rich woodland ecosystem by planting thousands of trees over a period of 40 years. The production uses puppetry, storytelling and comedy, with multi-sensory effects of scents, wind and rain.

The prize is the initiative of the Eco Trust.

www.puppetstate.com
(2007)

Organic music at Soil Association conference

The 2007 Soil Association conference included a cultural side, with workshops on farm culture and storytelling, and with a performance by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir of the specially commissioned Five Seasons - The Organic Cantata.

The conference was titled 'One Planet Agriculture' and the theme was ‘preparing for a post-peak oil, food and farming future.’ The speakers included Jonathan Dimbleby, Jonathon Porritt, Vandana Shiva, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, with discussions on energy use, climate change and food distribution. The performance of the cantata closed the conference.

The Landscapes CD is available on the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir's website, where you can also listen online to some of the tracks. www.bschoir.org.uk.

The project began with the launch of a CD, Landscapes which features music inspired by our natural heritage, ranging from Elgar and Vaughan Williams to Benjamin Britten and Roger Lord.

New work was commissioned, too. The composer Cecilia McDowall and the poet Christie Dickason spent time at five organic farms, from West Dorset to the Isle of Mull, to create Five Seasons, the 20-minute cantata that follows the cycle of the seasons.

www.soilassociation.org
www.respectorganics.co.uk
(June 2007)

Futuresonic 2007 takes its carbon footprint

Futuresonic 2007, Manchester's urban festival of music, art and events exploring new technologies and media, is not readily associated with environmentalism. But in 2007, the festival hosted a Social Technologies Summit which included Environment 2.0, public talks addressing how technological and cultural approaches to the environment can be reconciled with the need to address climate change.

Futuresonic 2007 also took steps to reduce the environmental impact of the festival, starting with a pioneering study of the carbon footprint of the festival undertaken in collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Creative Concern. This included assessing the travel of the people attending the event, and there was an online questionnaire to calculate the carbon footprint of participants' travel.
(August 2007)

first climate change opera is PLATFORM's audio walk around EC2

An opera, thriller and guided walk, PLATFORM's, And While London Burns, takes the listener equipped with an MP3 player through the financial district of London's Square Mile.

The opera is produced by PLATFORM and the libretto is written by John Jordan and James Marriott.
(January 2007)

Green Light Trust's Foundry wins RIBA East award

The Foundry photo: Modece Architects

The building, designed by Modece Architects, won the award for its innovative approaches taken to reducing its environmental impact. ‘Deep green’ construction principles were used throughout to create a low carbon building creating no waste, using natural energy systems, solar collectors, local renewable fuels, reed-bed sewage treatment. The project was also used as a training tool for construction workers and volunteers.

‘As an organisation we aim to encourage people to look after the environment and conserve natural resources, so we designed our new headquarters to be as friendly to the local environment as possible,’ said Nigel Hughes, Green Light Trust’s director.

See Green Light Trust's website and their page here on the Directory for more about their work.
(October 2006)

Caryl Churchill writes climate change libretto

Caryl Churchill

Gough was commissioned by The Proms to write a choral piece using amateur and professional singers and his choir, The Shout. He contacted Churchill for a libretto, and she developed the lyrics on climate change. In Gough’s words, it is about ‘the catastrophic consequences from apparently innocent actions’.

Churchill uses a device from her play The Skriker in which the grand-daughter of the grand-daughter of the protagonist/narrator speaks to the protagonist. In We Turned on the Light, the grand-daughter of the grand-daughter is suffering the effects of climate change and asks the present-day protagonist, ‘Didn’t you love me?’ The protagonist answers ‘I’m sorry…It’s hard to love people far away in time’.

See the the page for We Turned on the Light here on the Directory.

The photograph of Churchill is from www.nndb.com
(July 2006)

Canadian government report cites ashdendirectory.org.uk

The Canadian government commissioned a report on the work of artists in engaging with issues of ecological sustainability, Art in Ecology - A Think Tank on Arts and Sustainability, which is now online on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO website.

The Report by Lorna Brown summarises the discussions and presentations that took place at the 'Think Tank', and provides a comprehensive view of ecological art, including performance works, in Canada, with many overlaps to work in this country. See www.unesco.ca

Contributing to that report, Beth Carruthers presents a review and survey of ecological artists and art practices as an orientation for the 'Think Tank' discussions. She draws on ashdendirectory.org.uk and the interview with Jonathan Porritt, as well as other features. See Mapping the Terrain of Contemporary Eco-art practice and collaboration.

The reports were commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Vancouver Foundation, and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (UK).
October 2006

online exhibition on performance and nature features international artists

For the first time, the innovative site greenmuseum.org which serves visual artists making ecologically-based work, is featuring performance arts.

'enter change: performance and nature' is an online exhibition curated by Wallace Heim and features performers and artists from the UK, USA, France and New Zealand.

Theatre, dance, walks, ritual and social practice art are all represented in this collection. The range of themes engaged is equally diverse – including animal migrations, water, biotechnologies, ecological and spiritual restoration, globalisation, and sense of place.

In the opening essay introducing the exhibition, Heim writes:

'The works of the artists presented here propose a change in the conception and experience of relations between nature and the human...Traditional human-centred performance - whether theatre, dance, liveart, ritual - is being re-defined by practitioners...What is evolving are works which are modifications of conventions and hybrids of different methods. The beginnings of new forms of action and expression, new modes of knowledge are emerging – when the existing ways of thinking may no longer be adequate.'

The performers, artists and companies included are:

Bird Brain Dance
Simon Whitehead
Fern Schaffer and Othello Anderson
Ballet Atlantique-Régine Chopinot
Critical Art Ensemble
PLATFORM
reader
John Lyall
Hester Reeve
Welfare State International
Shelley Sacks
David Haley
Basia Irland

Featuring performance is a new departure for greenmuseum.org, which promotes artists working to creatively improve relations with the natural world. Many artists work within natural environments and with ecological processes, often involving the remediation of polluted or industrially-damaged land. Onsite is a directory of artists, as well as articles and exhibitions.

greenmuseum.org
(November 2006)

greenmuseum.org offers range of toolboxes

Drawing together the experience of practitioners and writers, greenmuseum.org has created a set of online toolboxes for creating environmental art – including the performing arts.

Each toolbox has a series of essays, case studies, links to other resources, and online discussion. There are toolboxes for:

Educators
> how to bring environmental art into the classroom and other educational contexts, including case studies on projects about global warming, nature walks, waste

Communities
> how to devise a community-art-ecology project, with international case studies of projects for river restoration and the reclamation of industrially damaged land, and including Welfare State International's celebratory work in England

Parks and Resource Managers
> how to bring environmental art into public parks and gardens, including essays on interdisciplinary projects and case studies investigating issues ranging from sense of place to land restoration in England, America, South America, Israel and China

Working Methods
> how artists and others can collaborate in inspiring and creative ways, with an essay by Grant Kester and case studies of social practice art from Britain, Europe, India and America.

For more entries on our archives, please email us at editors@ashdendirectory.org.uk