A creative partnership between Chamber Made and The Venny, a communal backyard and drop-in centre for young people aged 5 to 16, some of whom are living in difficult circumstances, in Kensington and surrounding areas, has resulted in a musical and drama performance called, Imagine a Place on Friday 3 November 2017.
The penultimate year of a seven-year participatory music and performing arts project, the partnership between the two organisations has achieved significant outcomes for the young people involved, their families and local community including:
• inspiring participants to use music and performance as a platform for self-expression;
• providing opportunities for participants to be mentored by professional artists; and
• creating social inclusion by cultivating a sense of belonging and self-empowerment through a public outcome for the local community.
Imagine a Place has been created by The Venny participants with guidance from professional music and theatre practitioners including Chamber Made artists: theatre maker Sarah Kriegler; composers and musicians Aviva Endean and Matthias Schack-Arnott; vocalist Deborah Kayser; musician Kofi Kunkpe; and supported by The Venny staff Danielle von der Borch and Abshiro Hussein.
In the months leading up to the performance, and in collaboration with architects from Giant Grass, The Venny participants co-designed and helped build a range of bamboo instruments, objects and outdoor installations. Some of the installations will be a permanent feature at The Venny, providing a lasting legacy of the Chamber Made partnership and highlighting the co-design and creative input of the young people involved.
Since 2011, 28 professional artists have mentored 111 young people who have participated in the project, resulting in 4 public outcomes with over 600 people attending from the local and wider community. In this time, Chamber Made have presented over 100 sessions, with an average of 25 young people attending each session at The Venny.
“We’ve got to know these kids over a long period of time and have seen how important the relationships are to our artists, The Venny staff and above all, the young people,” says Chamber Made CEO and Creative Director, Tim Stitz. “This project enables us to engage with our local community in a meaningful way at this very special and vital place.”
Imagine a Place
JJ Holland Park, 85 Kensington Road, Kensington
Event: Friday 3 November 2017 – 7.00pm
Free admission
For more information, visit: www.chambermade.org for details.
Image: Participants in a drumming workshop at The Venny – photo by Daisy Noyes