In 2023 'Engaging Neighbourhoods' nine partner groups across Calderdale took part in our Open Space 70 project.

We brought together exciting artists and environmental experts with partnered groups across Calderdale to creatively explore the environment. The multi-genre artwork created by these groups was part of a public sharing of work at the Open Space 70 Arts Trail, which happened on 15 and 16 July 2023. 

Making and embedding new connections, this project celebrated culture made by people who do not self-identify as currently engaged with a formal ‘arts’ offer.
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We were elated to work with: 
​WomenCentre 
Calderdale Young Carers Service Halifax
Project Colt
The Space Community Hub
​Calderdale Community Cares
Time Out (part of Healthy Minds Calderdale)
St Augustine’s Centre
Halifax Opportunities Trust - Todmorden's Children Centre
Year 10 students at Rastrick High School

Click on the banners below to enjoy a selection of creative soundscapes made by artist facilitators working with members of The Space at Field Lane at Rastrick, Women's Centre, Calder Community Cares and Rastrick High School - as well as short films made with young people from Time Out Healthy Minds and ​Calderdale Young Carers.  

WomenCentre partnered with 'Engaging Neighbourhoods' for our Open Space 70 project in 2023. 
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Artists Saima Kaur and Emma Decent worked with the group on relaxed, creative workshops that explored writing, stitching and printing on the theme of 'Stitching Hope'. 

Final artworks were framed and exhibited as part of the Open Space 70 festival on the weekend of 15 & 16 July. ​

WomenCentre provides holistic, one-stop services at centres in Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Halifax and in the community. Their wide-ranging services include emotional and practical support on issues such as debt, benefits, mental or physical health, domestic violence, counselling, training and development and much more.

Artist: Saima Kaur

ABOUT SAIMA

Saima is a Hebden Bridge based textile artist specialising in hand embroidery. Her richly
stitched and playful artworks are inspired by Indian folk art and textiles. She has extensive
experience of delivering workshops and projects to a range of community groups and textile
enthusiasts. Her most recent community project funded by ArtWalk explored ‘Small Acts of
Kindness’. Saima regularly exhibits and sells her work through online platforms and she has
featured in publications such as Annie Sloan’s Colour Magazine and Embroidery Magazine.

www.saimakaur.com
insta @sewsaima

Artist: Emma Decent

ABOUT EMMA

Emma Decent is a writer, poet, performer and facilitator based in Calderdale. She is particularly interested in the power of words as ‘medicine’ for the individual and community. Working with nature has been an important part of her journey, integrating a relationship with nature, personal development and her creative work.

In 2020 she created an outdoor performance of poetry in the Upper Valley - ‘Words in the Wild’, bringing calm and reflection in a challenging year. Previous to this she has produced 2 solo autobiographical shows, one of which was selected for New York’s United Solo Festival. She continues to write and perform and is currently developing a new piece of outdoor theatre - ‘Full Circle’ - inspired by revisiting a lifetime’s diaries. 

Emma has delivered workshops live and online for libraries, arts organisations, mental health organisations and others. She has worked with young people and adults including women’s groups, elders, writers and artists, those in recovery from drugs and alcohol, highly educated people, and those with little or no writing experience. Her workshops increasingly incorporate a relationship with nature as part of the creative and personal process. She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes.

https://emmadecent.co.uk

Calderdale Young Carers partnered with 'Engaging Neighbourhoods' for our Open Space 70 project in 2023 to connect with 10-24 year olds in Halifax. 

Artist Jenny Longworth and Environmental Expert Paul Knights worked with a group of young carers to create an immersive, creative environment where multiple films/moving images were created as a direct response to the theme of climate emergency - culminating in a public screening. 

Their work was showcased at the Open Space 70 festival weekend 13-16 July. 

Calderdale Young Carers work with children and young people to try to minimise the impact that their caring role has on them. It is for those aged 8 to 18 years, who live with someone who has: an illness or disability; mental health or substance misuse issue.

Artist: Jenny Longworth

aBOUT JENNY

I’m a filmmaker, artist and workshop facilitator based in Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. I also work part time at Hebden Bridge Picture House as Duty Manager and Projectionist. I’ve been making films since graduating in 2010 and have worked on countless films, commercial pieces, community projects, events, and workshops since then. In 2015 I received an iShorts grant from Creative England to create a funded short. As a professional filmmaker I love exploring visual story ideas with others and working in a collaborative environment.

Since lockdown I have moved away from a narrative-based-fiction style of filmmaking to a more artistic and experimental approach with moving image. Exploring this angle, I very much enjoy working with music or poetry and find myself creating more trailer/music video style moving image pieces. This year I have also been sought out frequently for workshop facilitation.

www.jennylongworth.co.uk

Expert: Paul Knights

ABOUT PAUL

Paul Knights is a writer, landscape photographer and guided walk leader exploring the narratives embodied in rural landscapes. He brings 25 years of environmental experience – from practical work in nature conservation and in agriculture, to academic research, teaching and public engagement – to facilitating understanding of landscape, place and nature.

Project Colt are a new partner with us in 2023 for the  ‘Open Space 70’ project to connect and engage with some of the organisations members and the wider Elland community. 

Artist Samantha McCormick ​worked with Project Colt to create a movement piece for the festival through a series of dance workshops.​

Project Colt help people living with addiction to change their lives for good. They have been working in Calderdale and the surrounding areas for many years. They registered as a charity in 2003 and as a social enterprise in 2005.

Artist: Samantha McCormick

ABOUT SAMANTHA

Sam is a professional dance artist who has been working in dance and health contexts for 15 years; including facilitating sessions, choreographing dance pieces, creating films, managing projects, and leading teams. She has worked on a freelance basis for many different organisations, including inclusive dance charity Flamingo Chicks, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and English National Ballet. Alongside her freelance work, Sam is also the founder and Artistic Director/ CEO of Elland-based arts and health organisation, Curious Motion.

Sam has worked in many different settings including hospitals, refugee camps, community halls, children’s hospices, universities, schools, and professional dance companies, with people with many different life experiences.

Her practice focuses on our collective humanity – the opportunities dance offers us to connect more deeply to ourselves, others, and the world around us; helping to uncover stories and foster a greater sense of compassion and acceptance both for ourselves and each other. Sam utilises dance to help us find better and more meaningful ways to gather together and live healthy and happy lives.

You can find out more about her here: www.curiousmotion.org.uk/our-team/samantha-mccormick​

Expert: Tom Deacon

ABOUT TOM

​Weaving meaningful and connective experiences that shift perspective and invite empowered action is what lies at the heart of Tom’s work and activism. 
 
He is a facilitator of immersive workshops, trainings and outdoor learning experiences in-service of environment and social justice. Through his work he strives to centre the voices of global majority activists and practitioners, working mindfully with the privileges of his social location. 
 
Tom draws inspiration from frameworks and methods such as Work that Reconnects, Theory-U, Climate Fresk, Carbon Literacy and Common Cause Values. 

The Space partnered with us for the ‘Open Space 70’ project to connect and engage with some of the elderly and isolated within the Upper Calder Valley. 
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​Volunteers and users from The Space at Field Lane in Rastrick worked with Artist Rachel Hawthorn and Creative Writer Emma Decent to create an outdoor installation. The art work was made entirely from natural, biodegradable, locally foraged and locally sourced materials. They learnt ancient processes and techniques to bring together the piece, inspired by and representing the cycles of nature. 

The Space, based at Rastrick, will give local people better opportunities for personal and career development, community engagement, volunteering and training - leading to an improved estate environment.

Artist: Rachel Hawthorn

ABOUT RACHEL

My art practice has been wide ranging and has spanned my whole life. I paint, draw, stitch, knit, weave, make felt, take photos, and create installations. Themes that come through in my work include belonging, consciousness, presence, and our relationship with the natural world. After many years of working in Arts Development in Burnley and supporting other artists there, I am now turning my energies to working as an artist myself. I find my focus tuning into themes of death, dying, and grief - strong and deep threads that have run throughout my life and shaped who I am. My ambition is to set up a business making shrouds using British wool and mycelium - a sustainable, earth-loving alternative to a coffin. As I go about achieving this goal, I am deeply researching all things relating to death and grief, including working as a Funeral Director and training to become an End-of-Life Doula. Increasingly, I aim to use natural materials to create artwork, always questioning - what is this material, where does it come from, and where will it go? How can I be at peace with the natural world within my practice? 

www.rachelhawthorn.co.uk​

Calder Community Cares continued our partnership in 2023 to connect and engage with some of the elderly and isolated within the Upper Calder Valley. 

Artist Kim Hubball and Environment Expert Emma Decent worked together on a couple of sessions to gather stories and narratives in the early workshops, allowing the group to share interests and ideas. Kim worked with the group to create cyanotypes (sun prints) reflecting the beauty of the world around us. These were made into hanging/s for display at the Open Space 70 Art Trail. ​

​Calder Community Cares are a volunteer organisation set up in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their work supports elders, families, isolated or vulnerable people living in Calderdale. ​

Artist: Kim Hubball

ABOUT KIM

Kim is a professional visual artist from Oldham with a varied creative practice which includes screen printing, photographic processes, mixed-media and socially engaged projects/public art. Her work is very process-based and involves the exploration of colour, shape, and pattern. She loves to work collaboratively on community projects and strongly believes in the positive effects of artmaking on peoples’ well-being.

www.kimhubball.co.uk

TIME OUT partnered with us again in 2023 to be part of Open Space 70, to creatively collaborate and explore the subject of ‘environment’.   

Artist Alex Harwood worked with a group of young people from TIME OUT  collaborating with Cargodale Bikes and Bikeability to create a series of films recorded by the young people on bike helmets as they discover different urban nature trails, guided by Environmental Expert Paul Knights. The final film was edited by Alex and shown over the Open Space 70 festival weekend 13-16 July.

Run by Calderdale's independent, user-led mental health charity Healthy Minds, ​TIME OUT is for all 10-19 year olds in Calderdale. With a focus on emotional wellbeing, they connect young people with activities, opportunities, learning & support.​

Artist: Alex Harwood

ABOUT ALEX

Alex is a visual/digital artist and filmmaker with an experimental and multidisciplinary approach to his practice, and a strong focus on producing collaborative, socially engaged work. Working in a broad range of media including paint/mixed media, drawing, collage, digital arts/animation and video, his work centres around the act of storytelling and documenting personal histories while exploring social, cultural and political themes. Through his work collaborating with a broad range of diverse communities Alex aims to provide a platform for people to have their voice heard and share their views and ideas, particularly those who may experience barriers to participating in and engaging with creative opportunities, and to raise awareness of social and political issues affecting the lives of everyday people.

Alex is based in Hebden Bridge and works from Northlight Studios. Previously a member of the Islington Mill Arts Academy and Mirabel Studios artist collectives in Salford and Manchester, Alex exhibited art works in several group shows. He has also shown works at Salome Gallery, Lovely Art Gallery and First Floor Space in London and held public screenings of video works at locations including Tower Hamlets Town Hall.

www.alexharwoodartist.co.uk

Our partnership with St Augustine's Centre continued in 2023.

Artist Sarah Yaccabe worked with a group of Sanctuary Seekers at St Augustine’s in workshops using textiles upcycled by the group, where participants expressed a memory or viewpoint about why the piece of clothing is important to them and the importance of appreciating what they have. The idea celebrated the natural world by reducing the amount of waste that ends up polluting it, appreciating materials used and encouraging groups to make use of what they have rather than buying new.

St Augustine’s Centre in Halifax is Calderdale’s specialist charity working with people seeking asylum and refugees, as well as local people. They offer advice on immigration, asylum support, and 1:2:1 help with welfare, housing, health and access to wider services.  

Artist: Sarah Yaccabe

ABOUT SARAH

I am a clothing designer and artist using upcycling and craft techniques based in West Yorkshire. Responsibly sourcing materials, often repurposing second hand clothing and textiles, to create bespoke clothing and to use in workshops. Using a variety of techniques including embroidery, patchwork, and creative mending. I try to keep my designs timeless and find inspiration in nature, people, and places. I love to be out walking or cycling, it helps refresh my ideas and calms any anxiety.

www.yaccabespoke.com​

We continued co-working with Halifax Opportunities Trust in 2023, with ‘Stay and Play’ community sessions. 

​Artist Nicolette Lafonseca worked with all seven of the Halifax Opportunities Trust centres (Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Siddal, Boothtown, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden), delivering one workshop at each, working with recycled textiles to create rag hangings which she create into a large textile sculptural installation.​

Their work will be showcased at Heptonstall Museum as part of the Open Space 70 Arts Trail.  

​As part of their Children & Families work, Halifax Opportunities Trust recognise the additional support some families need, and as a result they facilitate groups and sessions within the community as well as providing nursery places for children aged 0-5 years.

Artist: Nicolette Lafonseca

ABOUT NICOLETTE

My artist practice is based in storytelling. As a creative polymath I like to use a variety of medium to tell my tales in the best possible way. I am proficient in many practices with paint, textiles, paper and print and enjoy using lots of different techniques in a single piece. But I don’t like to be constrained by boundaries and like to push media and experiment. I also love to use natural and found items to add my stories to the secret ones that they already hold.

www.archieandtherug.com
Author - Quercus Publishing
Brew & A Biscuit Podcast
@archiean

Our group partnership with Rastrick High School continued in 2023, who were excited to be part of 'Engaging Neighbourhoods' for our Open Space 70 project. 
 
Artist David McFarlane worked with Head of Art and Design Jimmy Dolan’s Year 10 students to create a sound installation in response to the theme of climate emergency and the environment. 

Rastrick High School is a mixed-gender 11-16 Secondary School, placed in the top 90 non selective schools nationally and in the top 20 schools regionally.

Artist: David McFarlane

ABOUT DAVID

David McFarlane is a musician, digital artist, and facilitator from Bolton, based in Greater Manchester. His work as a sound and digital artist has featured as part of Manchester International Festival, Manchester Science Festival, Manchester Festival of Libraries, and Bangalore FutureFantastic festival. Much of his work has links to interactivity, communication, and translation of information, often with an audible element. David also works as a facilitator in and around the north of England for a number of organisations, including TiPP, the RNCM, Walk The Plank, and Cartwheel Arts, and facilitates DMLab, Drake Music’s monthly accessible instrument prototyping session.