Big Imaginations are delighted to announce four artists who have been awarded the Big Imaginations Artist Imagination Fund. The fund is designed to contribute towards Artist Development, R&D or anything that supports an artist and their practice. In November 2019 artist nominations were invited from all Big Imaginations Member venues.

Below are the selected artists and details of the work that the fund will support;

Artist name:  Iain Bloomfield, Pauline Mayers and Andy Brooks. Nominated by Creative Scene.

What the fund will support:

This project is a collaboration between lead artists Pauline Mayers, Andy Brooks aka Testament, and Iain Bloomfield.  Together they are exploring a new beatbox/ hip hop musical for children aged 3 to 6 and their families designed for non-traditional spaces and small-scale black box studios.

The Big Imaginations Artist Imagination Fund will enable children and families from North Kirklees to be part of the initial R&D for this production – contributing their voice, ideas and experiences to the work.

Artist name: Filament Projects (Sarah Richardson & Helen Slevin). Nominated by Wild Rumpus.

Who and what the fund will support:

The Exchange is an installation that will be co-created with 9-10 year olds in Cheshire. Based on the aesthetic of an old telephone switchboard, audiences will listen to children’s thoughts through an operator’s headset and plugging into various points on the switchboard. The content will focus on young people’s love of the outdoors plus questions posed to politicians, scientists, academics, local farmers etc., about the threats currently facing the environment. The aim of the project is to create a platform for audiences to hear children’s voices on this issue and to increase awareness of the thoughts, concerns and ideas they raise.

Artist name: Tina Thomas. Nominated by The Turnpike.

Who and what the fund will support:

Tina Thomas is in the early stages of devising an early years show Bags of Emotions based on the book Mixed by Agree Chung. The show will include dance artists and live musicians, with improvisation and audience participation. The Artist Imagination Fund will enable a series of R&D sessions to develop the concept, create a project team, and get the show ready for a further funding bid.

Artist name: Chrissy Jones. Nominated by Z-arts.

Who and what the fund will support:

Chrissy Jones is planning to take her show Shadow Girl – The Origins on a library tour in 2020. The fund will allow for the exploration of accessibility within the show for both the artists and the audience including incorporation of Makaton and captioning, audience development, and exploring ways to use physical actions to communicate the text.