Luton -based Revoluton Arts cultivate grassroots creativity within the town and beyond and produce creative events that delight diverse audiences. Their aim is to inspire and support more people to engage in creativity in all its forms. (Main image: Keith Piper ‘Surveillance’)
Today Revoluton announce three new projects, In Search of the Four Horses, a commission with international multimedia artist Keith Piper, in partnership with Departure Lounge Contemporary Art, The New Art Gallery Walsall and Middlesex University London, Club Revoluton, a series of write and share workshops with celebrated playwright James McDermott and The Loneliness Project, a season of virtual, creative, cultural & wellbeing residencies, to help people develop strategies to combat and challenge loneliness during these unprecedented times.
Keith Piper – In Search of the Four Horses
Revoluton Arts are proud to announce it will be working with international multimedia arts and founder member of BLK Art Group, Keith Piper, in partnership with Departure Lounge Contemporary Art, The New Art Gallery Walsall, and Middlesex University London where Keith currently teaches Fine Art.
Keith is planning an ambitious ‘Multi Channel’ video installation entitled In Search of the Four Horses and will be collaborating with young people from Luton through the Revoluton Arts Young People’s residency. In Search of the Four Horses will feature in Keith Piper’s major solo exhibition Jet Black Futures which will take place at The New Art Gallery, Walsall from January to April 2022. It will then be shown in Luton in summer 2022.
Keith is interested in hearing about people’s predictions about the future. As a child, he was dragged to church and remembers being terrified by stories about ‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Historically, many people have tried to interpret this strange allegorical story in relation to their own politics, worldview, and predictions. This has left us with many stories, and each one of us can also speculate as to what our individual ‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ might be.
A public Zoom presentation by Keith Piper will be held on Wednesday 7 April 7 pm will be an opportunity to find out more about Keith’s trailblazing work, this latest commission, and further details of how young people from Luton can be involved. Participants will hear from Keith Piper alongside the project partners Revoluton Arts, Matthew Shaul from Departure Lounge Contemporary Art, and Deborah Robinson from The New Art Gallery Walsall.
Booking for this event is via Eventbrite or visit revolutonarts.com for more information.
Club Revoluton – Write and Share workshops with James McDermott
Writers aged 18 – 30 and based in Luton are invited to work with award-winning writer James McDermott on a new play about growing up in the town. Set in a nightclub, Club Revoluton will be written via a series of two-hour Zoom workshops on 8 & 22 April, 6 & 20 May, and 3 June at 7 pm and led by Revoluton’s newly appointed Young Digital Associates Yasmin and Bruno.
Aspiring writers will learn tools and techniques to help them find their voice, write scripts and spoken word and share their experiences. Themes will include experiences of growing up in Luton, coping with the pandemic, and perspectives on the future. Covid-19 restrictions permitting, Club Revoluton will have an open-air performance in Luton during the summer.
James McDermott’s published plays include Rubber Ring (Pleasance Islington; UK Tour) and Time and Tide (Park Theatre) as well as co-writing Justice 39 (People Power Passion). James’s poetry collection Manatomy is published by Burning Eye Books.
Booking for this event is via Eventbrite or visit revolutonarts.com for more information.
The Loneliness Project
Designed to combat loneliness by bringing Lutonians together, across generations, and cultures, The Loneliness Project will create and commission three new virtual, creative, cultural, and wellbeing residencies with the aim of developing interactive strategies to combat and challenge loneliness during these unprecedented times.
Bury Park Residency: ‘Grandma’s Recipes’
Luton’s Bury Park is a multicultural, predominantly Muslim, Mirpuri community with dynamic, colourful eateries and family-run businesses. Revoluton will be working with local cooks, arts practitioners, and creatives to produce interactive creative sessions and events that will take place in May.
Marsh Farm Residency: Community Listen-in
Working with the newly formed ‘Marsh Farm Peoples’ Assembly Creative Forum’ in Luton, 40 local artists and creatives with strong Marsh Farm connections and a track record of community activities, Revolution will explore solutions and creative ways of reaching the lonely with particular reference to those who may have no internet or digital access.
A Community Radio Show on Luton Urban Radio (LUR) will discuss inspiring ways of overcoming loneliness with guest creatives and presenters to offer alternative activities in tackling the issue..
Young People’s Residency: ’Hope In A Box’
Led by young people for young people ‘Hope In A Box’ is a multi-arts interactive virtual programme for 16-25-year-olds.
Strands of work will involve empowering young people through:
- Singing, Songwriting & Music Making – working with young people to generate their own material,
- Stories From Within, the Art of Telling & Re-telling Stories – creating a series of digital podcasts & audio-theatre/spoken word. This will culminate in an online festival of young people sharing their stories to encourage wellbeing, alongside therapeutic activities to actively support young people with life-long strategies.
- A platform to talk about loss and grieving, facilitated by young people for young people, and supported by specialists, to overcome loneliness and difficulties in an unprecedented crisis that has hit young people.
The project will be supported and co-led by two Revoluton Young Digital Associates (YDA) who will gain skills and paid employment as part of the project.
