Newlyn Art Gallery Shallal residency event 24th - 25th January 2020
Combined Shallal Dance Theatre and Shallal Studios event presenting visual art, dance, soundscapes and installation
Shallal Dance Theatre Embodied Space performances with light artist Peter Freeman and soundscape by George Clement Peer
Combined Shallal Dance Theatre and Shallal Studios projects funded by: Arts Council England, the Rix-Thompson-Rothenberg Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, the Clare Milne Trust, the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and Cornwall Community Foundation Lord St Levan Fund.
![]() Back Lane West 'Studio Foundations' residency 2019
Our annual month-long Shallal Back Lane West combined arts residency has become a high point of the Shallal calendar; a golden opportunity for many of our creative ideas, borne from different Shallal groups as far apart as Penzance and Liskeard (60 miles!) and vastly different mediums, to unite and take shape in the uncluttered white space of Back Lane West residency and project space. This year, with Arts Council funding, the month was packed with exciting creative research workshops and we benefited from the expertise of many new artists. The main themes were: puppetry, shadow-play and light projection, light art, drawing into 3D, experimental film, poetry and abstraction. Light artists Peter Freeman joined us to develop ideas about dance as a response to coloured light, concluding with a fantastic talk and sharing of his work followed by an explorative performance by Shallal Dance Theatre with soundscapes by George Clement Peer. We went on to develop this work into a public performance at our Newlyn Art Gallery event in January 2020. |
To see more work from Back Lane West including short artist's films please visit https://twitter.com/ShallalStudios and
www.instagram.com/shallalarts/ If you are an artists working across different disciplines and you would like to get involved with Shallal's Back Lane West residency in the future please contact shallalstudios@gmail.com |
Project archive
Back Lane West Residency 2017 & 2018
Shallal Artists exhibition supported Shallal Dance Theatre's Doorways Performance at Falmouth Library (the Art Gallery is situated in the same Passmore Edwards building).
The Exchange, Penzance, celebrating all the art work, opening included a short performance and book launch. St Austell and St Agnes libraries travelling exhibition supporting performances and final exhibition at St Peters Hall Newlyn.
Doorways photographs by Belinda Whiting belindawhiting.co.uk/home.html
are available to be exhibited, you can see them on www.shallal.org.uk/cornish-doorways.html
Back Lane West Residency Footprints November 2016
https://vimeo.com/223324593
Sam While had a Solo Show 4 - 15 July 2016, Helston Museum Gallery, details on blog and Sam's artist page.
Shallal Sketchbooks had a two year partnership with Falmouth Art Gallery and Library, see new page on this site.
The project continues and grows.Shallal Pop Ups have come from their R and D in the 2015 residency,
www.shallal.org.uk/pop-ups.html
Toby Bridge was supported to create a wonderful large woodland doorway installation at Godolphin in May with mentoring by artist Paul Carter, so the work goes on......
images on www.facebook.com/ShallalDanceTheatreCompany
Cross Currents at Back Lane West 2015
Shallal have already enjoyed two residencies this year: Shallal Dance Theatre's Shallal Shared at AMATA, Falmouth University; and Shallal Studios at Porthmeor Studios.
With the resulting increased confidence, ideas, and collaborations from these residencies, Shallal artists, performers, and friends are keen to extend cross art form opportunities for their second Back Lane West residency, http://backlanewest.org/challenging and extending their practice and audiences.
Artists will work in blocks of time. Potential new work includes: exploring music and sound improvisation and photographic approaches, creating a shadow puppet theatre, working with multi media, music, writing, and projection, photography/film, exploratory practice in collaborative painting and extending to large scale bamboo installation/performance, and short pop up site specific performances in the surrounding area.
We aim to have one or two showings of work
to connect with new audiences.
Artists involved so far include: Oliver Raymond Barker, Jamie Mills, George Bradley Peers, Melanie Young, Kerry Jackson, Anna Willis, Eddie Callis, Stewart Blackmore, Jo Lumber.
Please contact creative director Jo Willis joewillis3@googlemail.com if you are interested in being involved in the future with Shallal Studios and to learn more.
Shallal has a legacy of openness to cross art form collaborations. Artists and performers gain confidence in their own creative processes and are inspired to try new ways of working in different media. Shallal supports the voice of each individual artist/performer, encouraging and stimulating collaborations with internal or external artists, sharing skills and approaches within embodied practice, building new relationships and taking new risks.
With the resulting increased confidence, ideas, and collaborations from these residencies, Shallal artists, performers, and friends are keen to extend cross art form opportunities for their second Back Lane West residency, http://backlanewest.org/challenging and extending their practice and audiences.
Artists will work in blocks of time. Potential new work includes: exploring music and sound improvisation and photographic approaches, creating a shadow puppet theatre, working with multi media, music, writing, and projection, photography/film, exploratory practice in collaborative painting and extending to large scale bamboo installation/performance, and short pop up site specific performances in the surrounding area.
We aim to have one or two showings of work
to connect with new audiences.
Artists involved so far include: Oliver Raymond Barker, Jamie Mills, George Bradley Peers, Melanie Young, Kerry Jackson, Anna Willis, Eddie Callis, Stewart Blackmore, Jo Lumber.
Please contact creative director Jo Willis joewillis3@googlemail.com if you are interested in being involved in the future with Shallal Studios and to learn more.
Shallal has a legacy of openness to cross art form collaborations. Artists and performers gain confidence in their own creative processes and are inspired to try new ways of working in different media. Shallal supports the voice of each individual artist/performer, encouraging and stimulating collaborations with internal or external artists, sharing skills and approaches within embodied practice, building new relationships and taking new risks.
Residency at Porthmeor Studio
Shallal Studios residency at no.11 Porthmeor Studios, St Ives for three months from July to September 2015.
Supported by Falmouth Art Gallery and Arts Council England, project managed by Lou Brett, with residency artists/facilitators, Lou, Laura and Mel.
As part of the residency Shallal Studios will take part in St Ives September Festival Open Studios.
This is an opportunity to see inside Porthmeor Studios and experience an inclusive studio first hand.
Please see our blog on this website under 'more...' along the top bar.
An exhibition of work from the residency will take place at Falmouth Art Gallery in 2016.
Supported by Falmouth Art Gallery and Arts Council England, project managed by Lou Brett, with residency artists/facilitators, Lou, Laura and Mel.
As part of the residency Shallal Studios will take part in St Ives September Festival Open Studios.
This is an opportunity to see inside Porthmeor Studios and experience an inclusive studio first hand.
Please see our blog on this website under 'more...' along the top bar.
An exhibition of work from the residency will take place at Falmouth Art Gallery in 2016.
Shallal's Artist Studio Challenge Project
An exhibition of oil paintings by Shallal Studio artists is at Gyllyngdune Gardens, Falmouth in the Princess Pavilions foyer from 14th April to 14th May as a result of Shallal’s ‘Artist Studio Challange’ project.
Shallal Studios is an exciting, expanding, inclusive group of artists from around Cornwall who love working together. Taking place in autumn 2014 the ‘Artists' Challenge’ was an opportunity for people to develop their art practice by using oil paint and to exhibit their work.
The project started with a field trip, sketching in Newlyn and was followed by two long afternoon studio sessions at St Peter’s Hall, Newlyn to take ideas further with paint and canvas. The results are brave, bold and highly individual and everyone is keen to do more and to show the work of the Studio to a wide audience.
Shallal Studio members have plans this year to work in many new ways to further their artistic journeys and are looking forward to a three month residency this summer at Portmeor Studios in St Ives.
The project is funded by The Elmgrant Trust and The Sylvia Waddilove Foundation.www.shallalstudios.com
Photographs from the project so far can be found on the blog.
Sketches from Newlyn Harbour.
Shallal Studios is an exciting, expanding, inclusive group of artists from around Cornwall who love working together. Taking place in autumn 2014 the ‘Artists' Challenge’ was an opportunity for people to develop their art practice by using oil paint and to exhibit their work.
The project started with a field trip, sketching in Newlyn and was followed by two long afternoon studio sessions at St Peter’s Hall, Newlyn to take ideas further with paint and canvas. The results are brave, bold and highly individual and everyone is keen to do more and to show the work of the Studio to a wide audience.
Shallal Studio members have plans this year to work in many new ways to further their artistic journeys and are looking forward to a three month residency this summer at Portmeor Studios in St Ives.
The project is funded by The Elmgrant Trust and The Sylvia Waddilove Foundation.www.shallalstudios.com
Photographs from the project so far can be found on the blog.
Sketches from Newlyn Harbour.
6 of the Studio Challenge Artists at work
Apologies to Colin and Joseph as there are no photographs of them from this session, however good news that Joseph's painting is already sold and Colin's has had two enquiries.
Slides from the show...
Shallal Sketchbooks
Shallal Sketchbooks was run as an exciting pre-pilot installation in Shallal Dance Theatre's 2iis Arts Council funded research and development project in 2013. It had a day out with The Story Republicans at The Exchange Gallery, Penzance and is awaiting further opportunities and partnerships including working with Cornwall Libraries.
Victoria, Henrietta and I are excited to be restarting the project soon, it will have an outing to our Back Lane West residency and hopefully Falmouth Library within the next year and will remerge with installations and artists!
Shallal Sketchbooks was inspired by The Sketchbook Project www.sketchbookproject.com
“Supported by the Skinners’ Company Lady Neville Charity, giving small grants to local grass-roots organisations”.
Who provided an ipad to enable participants to explore digital sketchbooks.
This has proved invaluable and formed the departure point for a new collaboration between artist Melanie Young and emerging artist Kerry Jackson which happened within our Porthmoer Residency 2015.
Victoria, Henrietta and I are excited to be restarting the project soon, it will have an outing to our Back Lane West residency and hopefully Falmouth Library within the next year and will remerge with installations and artists!
Shallal Sketchbooks was inspired by The Sketchbook Project www.sketchbookproject.com
“Supported by the Skinners’ Company Lady Neville Charity, giving small grants to local grass-roots organisations”.
Who provided an ipad to enable participants to explore digital sketchbooks.
This has proved invaluable and formed the departure point for a new collaboration between artist Melanie Young and emerging artist Kerry Jackson which happened within our Porthmoer Residency 2015.
Residency
Shallal Studios residency at Back Lane West Studio in Redruth in October 2014, held a Sharing on Friday, 31 October 6 - 8pm, featuring some of the work made during the residency. Images on the blog.
www.backlanewest.org
Back Lane West is an artist-led residency and project space in Redruth, Cornwall. Its aims are to support and encourage critically engaged visual art practice and artists' professional development, while contributing to the building of a nationally and internationally connected, critical, cultural community in the south west.
BACK LANE WEST + is a current ongoing project to not only develop new links, collaborations, and networks with our wider region, nationally, and internationally, but also to research and implement new ways to develop a better engagement with, and access to, wider local and regional audiences.
It incorporated as many Studio artists and associate artists as possible, to enable artists to work on a bigger scale, explore installations, projection, new collaborations, performance and cross art forms. We have Jo Lumber as writer in residence for one week, thanks to a partnership with Falmouth Art Gallerys new project.
Anna and Annis from Shallal Dance Theatre - exploring studio photography
Shallal Studio artists - Toby Bridge, Sam While, Zoe Wilton with guests Rory and Jeanette Davies,
including: Colin Curbishley supporting artist along with Lou Brett (www.loubrett.com) and Laura Menzies ( www.lauramenzies.co.uk) and creative director Jo Willis.
Eddie Callis and Stuart Blackmore
exploring installations
Jo Lumber - writer in residence from Falmouth Art Gallery
Melanie Young - large drawings
Mike and Lou Brett - showing work
Michael Willis ( Art and Design Diploma, Truro College)
exploring large drawings
www.backlanewest.org
Back Lane West is an artist-led residency and project space in Redruth, Cornwall. Its aims are to support and encourage critically engaged visual art practice and artists' professional development, while contributing to the building of a nationally and internationally connected, critical, cultural community in the south west.
BACK LANE WEST + is a current ongoing project to not only develop new links, collaborations, and networks with our wider region, nationally, and internationally, but also to research and implement new ways to develop a better engagement with, and access to, wider local and regional audiences.
It incorporated as many Studio artists and associate artists as possible, to enable artists to work on a bigger scale, explore installations, projection, new collaborations, performance and cross art forms. We have Jo Lumber as writer in residence for one week, thanks to a partnership with Falmouth Art Gallerys new project.
Anna and Annis from Shallal Dance Theatre - exploring studio photography
Shallal Studio artists - Toby Bridge, Sam While, Zoe Wilton with guests Rory and Jeanette Davies,
including: Colin Curbishley supporting artist along with Lou Brett (www.loubrett.com) and Laura Menzies ( www.lauramenzies.co.uk) and creative director Jo Willis.
Eddie Callis and Stuart Blackmore
exploring installations
Jo Lumber - writer in residence from Falmouth Art Gallery
Melanie Young - large drawings
Mike and Lou Brett - showing work
Michael Willis ( Art and Design Diploma, Truro College)
exploring large drawings
The Wardrobe Project

A collaboration between Shallal Studios and Shallal Dance Theatre still running....
The above photos are the inspiration for it.
Melanie Young and Sean Donohoe were our visiting artists enabling silk screen, textile painting and printing - Melanie and upcycling and culminating in 2 master classes for costume design - Sean
3 Open sessions for Shallal art members in silk screen, textile painting and printing, ( scarves, ties and cumabunds )
2 Upcycling workshops to build clothes/costumes
2 Masterclass “Costume design and creation” workshops to extend skills for 8 - 10 selected participants, building skills and with the aim to create a minimum of 2 full costumes with Zoe and Toby.
Resulting in each participant having the minimum of an item of designed clothing, created an upcycled garment/costume. Shallal Dance Theatre would have a minimum of 2 complete costumes.
These costumes would then be used by the members/artists as the basis for creating dances in the main company.
These costumes are being finished ready for the new term!
3 rehearsals will be dedicated to creating dances/performance work from the costumes.
The company are excited to use costume as the stimulus and inspiration for their choreography. This is an unusual way of working and will break new ground and provide new challenges for the performers.
They will be totally involved in the creative process from the beginning ideas in the creation of costume.
These dances will be included within Shallal’s outreach performances throughout Cornwall and within their new 2015 show.
Now nearly finished, we had delays on our final section of costume making: however Toby made wonderful tops for himself and Annis and Joseph for our major new show Doorways at Godolphin House in May and Zoe is working with new costume/wardrobe artist Victoria ( also our new project co-ordinator) to complete her idea for an orange dress.
The above photos are the inspiration for it.
Melanie Young and Sean Donohoe were our visiting artists enabling silk screen, textile painting and printing - Melanie and upcycling and culminating in 2 master classes for costume design - Sean
3 Open sessions for Shallal art members in silk screen, textile painting and printing, ( scarves, ties and cumabunds )
2 Upcycling workshops to build clothes/costumes
2 Masterclass “Costume design and creation” workshops to extend skills for 8 - 10 selected participants, building skills and with the aim to create a minimum of 2 full costumes with Zoe and Toby.
Resulting in each participant having the minimum of an item of designed clothing, created an upcycled garment/costume. Shallal Dance Theatre would have a minimum of 2 complete costumes.
These costumes would then be used by the members/artists as the basis for creating dances in the main company.
These costumes are being finished ready for the new term!
3 rehearsals will be dedicated to creating dances/performance work from the costumes.
The company are excited to use costume as the stimulus and inspiration for their choreography. This is an unusual way of working and will break new ground and provide new challenges for the performers.
They will be totally involved in the creative process from the beginning ideas in the creation of costume.
These dances will be included within Shallal’s outreach performances throughout Cornwall and within their new 2015 show.
Now nearly finished, we had delays on our final section of costume making: however Toby made wonderful tops for himself and Annis and Joseph for our major new show Doorways at Godolphin House in May and Zoe is working with new costume/wardrobe artist Victoria ( also our new project co-ordinator) to complete her idea for an orange dress.