weaving Voices 01.04.2025 issuu - Flipbook - Page 7
temporary homes for people seeking sanctuary in Leeds – where people
have more difficult access to cultural events because of geographical,
financial, or political constraints.
The individual members of the Weaving Voices partnership – as well as the
multiple authors and contributors to this book – are coming from different
backgrounds, and are all dedicated artists, educators, and facilitators
in their various practices. The fertile diversity which they embody within
the project characterises their collaboration and the creative educational
‘package’ they offer. The professional group consists of performing, visual
and mixed-media artists; musicians; educators; academic researchers;
therapeutically informed movement and voice practitioners; choir
leaders; community art facilitators and cultural organisers. Some of the
practitioners are more experienced in participatory artistic projects, while
others are more focused on in-depth studio work. Both are appreciated
in this project as we look for fertile dialogue and combinations of these
different skillsets.
The backbone organisations are mostly nonprofit associations or
foundations, as well as one higher education institution. They also
represent this diversity as some have decades of history behind them,
while others were established as rather new initiatives. Some have the
background of a complex operational system and extensive networks,
while others work more locally with fewer staff. Centre Artistique
International Roy Hart (CAIRH France) – a centre dedicated to vocal
research and to its application in life and art in the Alfred Wolfsohn, 5 Roy
Hart and Roy Hart Theatre 6 traditions. Some of the practitioners from the
permanent artistic residency of Colaborative Reichenow (Germany) are
also active in somatic, vocal research and as accredited Roy Hart voice
teachers, regularly hold workshops in Malérargues (France) among other
locations. Both organisations are based in rural environments and were
built on strong communities. Solsidans Kulturförening (Sweden), TuYo
Foundation (Netherlands) and Sinum Theatre Association (Hungary) are
rather young organisations and all of them have a special focus on rural
community life. The former is an association which holds together artists
and creators from various fields with the aim of linking environmental
5 See for example: Braggins, S. (2011) The Mystery Behind the Voice. Troubador Publishing.
6 See: Magilton, I. (2018) Roy Hart Theatre at Malérargues. Mondial Livre; www.roy-hart.com. (n.d.) The Only
Original Roy Hart Theatre of the Voice. [online] Available at: http://www.roy-hart.com/ [Accessed 19 May 2024].
12
sustainability with cultural activities. TuYo Foundation pays particular
attention to traditional textile cultures, their preservation, and the
creation of viable conditions for the small communities that produce
them. Sinum Theatre, the coordinator of the present project, aims to
promote intercultural, non-verbal performing techniques and to establish
a rural network of theatre and community arts in the county of Baranya.
Soharóza Nonprofit Association (Hungary) and Leeds Beckett University
(UK), both in different ways, play important roles in urban life. Soharóza
is the name of an experimental choir based in Budapest. Its members
are not only musicians, but dedicated adults with various professions.
They are collective composers of music theatre pieces and some of them
are educators of choir improvisation techniques. The School of Arts at
Leeds Beckett University, has 170 years of history. This institution actively
promotes the idea of life-long learning and diversity in innovative research
and arts practice. Although coming from rather different backgrounds
with variety in their structure, what the seven partner organisations share
throughout their collaboration are their visions in the field of informal adult
education through artistic means.
During the personal visits to each other’s places, studios and
neighbourhoods, the individual colleagues of the partners had dived into
and sought for connections between their practices. Often touched by
personal experience, memorable moments of openness and surprising
shifts of focus, I saw this group hungry for human and nonhuman
encounters, attentive creativity and building trustful relationships through
playing and improvising together. Many of them are devoted to facilitating
events and activities where inclusion and the curiosity for each other are
central aspects. Together they established common playgrounds with
ethical rules, regarding the actual situations and the people involved. As
a result of this partnership, they extended their profiles, and together
offered a new participatory program that aimed to follow the needs of
specific local communities.
The project touches upon traditions rooted in the past and actively
explores their relevance today. Working with deep respect for the
immense knowledge inherent in these traditions, we, the Weaving Voices
team, enter into open ended improvisation with them and allow ourselves
to be surprised by unforeseen outcomes. In this way pre-existing content
– e.g. songs or visual patterns – seem to emerge in a new way in a variety
13
7
