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Entrée Optimism

City Arcadia – launch – Coventry – 31/7/2015

The City Arcadia project has officially announced the first 10 artistic propositions that will become the future,  soon to be appearing across Coventry throughout 2015 and beyond.

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Artists from across the UK have engaged with the City Arcadia project including creators from Coventry, Manchester, London and Kent.

Birmingham artist, Ryan Hughes, kicked-off the event with his Marking the Internet and the Physical. With an unseasonably generous amount of sunlight, the shopping arcade was transformed into a cathedral of light, highlighting the new ruins already sentenced to demolition, currently remade into a meeting/exhibition/dining/exhibition space in its last throes. Ryan’s work featured several (I counted ten…) red translucent perspex geo-coding pointers, similar to plectrums or pizza slices that gracefully orbitted above visitors, warping beams of sunlight and casting red teardrop shadows on the arcade walkway.

City Arcadia Co-curators and Directors, Laura Elliot and Michael Mayhew introduced the launch with a nod towards future opportunities for people to find out more about the forwards/backwards, modernity/progression ethos behind the project. With funding and support from Coventry City Council and Arts Council England, City Arcadia has sparked renewewed external interest  about local arts partners in a scene that was already quietly flourishing, albeit unseen by many outside the city.

The propsitions range from post-zombie-pocalypse-fallout, ripping sound from two-toned ringroad vibrations, lanlocked surfaces reimagined as a fantasy beach, a traditional card-game divining the future and many workshops, performances, and talks.

Find out more about the 10 propositions – coming soon:

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At the very least, a city should gift its citizens freedom, threaten them with new possibilities – this is an ongoing tussle in the appropriation and control of public space by local authorities, dividing opinions over construction and planning atrocities carried-out in the name of The People – witness the bland, pedestrianised human highways of fixed furniture and too-green grasses approaching Coventry train station.

City Arcadia is a unique opportunity to exploit Coventry’s existing spaces and striking post-war architecture to snare fresh audiences into art made strikingly accessible and exciting, in a way that static presentations can sometimes remain uninviting – a direct challenge; an intervention, is needed – indeed a few people in transit wandered through the event and took more than a passing glance, on the cusp of asking questions and getting involved  – small steps are required towards greatness.

The most exciting notion of the propositions offered and yet to be fulfilled is the raw potentiality of an initial concept and its becoming; what it will/won’t deliver – and everything that might still change during its creation – City Arcadia is a journey into an unknown optimism for the arts in Coventry.

www.Facebook.com/MichaelLauraCityArcadia

Tweet: @CovArtspace, @thisismayhew, #cityarcadia

For enquiries email: curators@coventry-artspace.co.uk

InZine Fest III – sign-up now!

SATURDAY
12-5pm
21/3/2015
@ The Pod
1A Lamb Street, Coventry, CV1 4AE

www.facebook.com/events/767800773289987/

A cornucopia of local and international zines, indie books/presses, including poetry, fiction, music, culture, food and art!

FREE to attend. There will also be a table of gratis publications – as well as the chance to browse the best of West-Midlands publishers (and beyond…)

Explore pictures from our last event:

 

As the event continues to evolve, we offer FREE table space for:

-zines
-indie presses
-publishers
-graphic novellists

…and beyond.

SATURDAY
21/3/2015
12-5pm

The Pod
1A Lamb Street
Coventry
CV14AE

Contact

adam.steiner@silhouettepress.co.uk

www.facebook.com/events/767800773289987/

Silhouette Press Equal Opportunities Policy

Silhouette Press’s Statement on Equal Opportunities

 Silhouette Press is committed to implementing and promoting equal opportunities in its activities, services and practice. It realises that discrimination exists in society (whether protected by law or not), and believes that this prevents potential and ability from being realised in young people and others.

Silhouette Press will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of:

  • Race
  • Colour
  • Gender
  • Sexual orientation or identity
  • Ethnic or national origin
  • Disability
  • Partnership status or home responsibility
  • HIV or AIDS status
  • Age
  • Political or religious belief
  • Trade union activity
  • Socio-economic background
  • Refugee or asylum seeker status

As a provider of a service to the community, Silhouette Press accepts the responsibility to promote equal opportunities and challenge discrimination wherever it occurs. This document sets out the main consequences of this commitment and the action to be taken in order to achieve equal opportunities.

Silhouette Press recognises that some users of its services may, because of their past or present distress or illness, say or do things which would otherwise be unacceptable and incompatible with Silhouette Press Equal Opportunities Policy. Silhouette Press will do all it can to challenge such behaviour. In cases where intervention is possible a gentle approach will be adopted which aims to alter attitudes and behaviour while maintaining support for the distressed client.

Silhouette Press reserves the right to open its membership to any organisation who supports our aims and objectives. However, it will exclude from membership those organisations that actively work against the development of an equal opportunities policy over time, despite encouragement from Silhouette Press.

Silhouette Press realises that a genuine commitment to equal opportunities must operate on all levels:

 

  • Silhouette Press will prevent unfavourable treatment, directly or indirectly, upon individuals from any group facing discrimination in its recruitment and deployment of human resources. Where discrimination does occur, it will be dealt with through the agreed procedures. This will be achieved by following the Silhouette Press Equal Opportunities Policy.

 

  • Silhouette Press will seek to prevent discrimination and ensure equal representation in the services it provides, the structures that it facilitates and the practice through which it carries out its work. This involves the development of greater diversity in the management committee, networks and membership, to ensure a genuinely wide representation.

 

Responsibility

 1.1.  The committee of Silhouette Press has overall responsibility for the effective operation of this policy. However, all volunteers and service users have a duty as part of their involvement with Silhouette Press to do everything they can to ensure that the policy works in practice. Those responsible for recruiting volunteers to work in Silhouette Press projects are responsible for ensuring that they are aware of Silhouette Press Opportunities Policy and adhere to it while working as Silhouette Press volunteers.

1.2.  Silhouette Press will bring to the attention of all volunteers and service users the existence of this policy, and will provide such training as is necessary to ensure that the policy is effective and that everyone is aware of it.

1.3.  If any service user or volunteer feels that they have been, or are being discriminated against, in any way, they are entitled to pursue the matter with the committee.

 

1.4.  All instances or complaints of discriminatory behaviour will be treated seriously.

1.5.  Complaints or allegations of an unfounded or malicious nature will also be treated as serious.

Disabled Access

 

1.6.  Silhouette Press will endeavour to ensure, as far as is practicable, that all the premises it uses have disabled access. When considering new premises, every effort will be made to ensure such premises are fully accessible.


Use of Language

 1.7.  Volunteers and service users should avoid and challenge the use of language which, in any way, belittles anyone

1.8.  Where the language used has a personal impact on others, and it has been made clear to the person concerned that their use of such language is unwelcome and/or offensive, disciplinary action may be taken if they persist with it.

 

1.9.  All materials used or developed by Silhouette Press will be judged in the light of the promotion of equal opportunities, and those considered to be discriminatory will not be used.

 

Sexual Harassment

 

1.10.      No volunteer or service user should be subject to sexual harassment.

 

1.11.      This is interpreted as unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature including:

  • verbal sexual abuse
  • physical contact
  • repeated remarks which an individual finds offensive

 

1.12.      If it has been made clear to the person concerned that their behaviour is unwelcome and they persist with it, then the service user or volunteer who is the recipient of the behaviour will be entitled to make a formal complaint.

 

 

Monitoring and Review

 

The Policy will be constantly reviewed by the management committee to ensure that no Member of the group is put to a disadvantage either, directly or indirectly. This monitoring will apply to the practices of staff and volunteers, the member organisation, the composition of the Committees and the provision of services.

It is the responsibility of every individual to eliminate discrimination and to ensure the practical application of this Policy.

The board of Silhouette Press will review this policy every 6 months.

Adopted on: 1/7/2014

Review Date: 1/12/2014

Straight out of Coventry…

The HCE team arrived in the more-than charming surroundings of Much Wenlock for the last day of the Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014.

Arriving late morning we descended on a book stand at the Edge Arts Centre and went to meet and greet other writerly-types from across the UK, of course, we are far too anti-gauche to name-drop directly, needless to say it was a pleasure to mingle in such distinguished literary circles!

In search of refreshment, and nourishment of the spoken, chewed and spat-out word, we visited the George pub for the final open-mic of the festival on the theme of nature and place. The event displayed a vibrant mix of the earthy-toned geography of the Shropshire valley landscape and humourous recitals of people in flux and out of time from once familiar places – it was great to see poets from Birmingham, Wigan and Derby share their respective points of view from lands high, low and, like Coventry, flat.

We continued on to other pubs, Talbot, Raven et al and visited the rather brilliant Wenlock Books which has great coffee, a fine typewriter and most importantly a brilliant array of secondhand books as well as a rather charming set of brand new poetry tomes.

 

Monkey read, monkey type (Wenlock Books)

Monkey read, monkey type (Wenlock Books)

On a passing note, much of Much Wenlock, The Talbot pub in particular, suggested a distinctly older poetry crowd, perhaps the reckless youth were hung-over following an excess of rhyme from Friday night into Saturday morning, but nonetheless it was a shame to see the lack of younger poetry-lovers…that being said, we missed the Foyle young poets (13-17 year-olds) reading, so perhaps everyone was there? Regardless, this spurs us on to boost engagement both on the page and in person.

Three Go Mad…in Wenlock

At 4.30pm we came around to the Old Pottery, two poets in tow and the third punctual upon arrival. All three read a poem featured in issues of Here Comes Everyone magazine, as well as other selected works.

L-R: Neil Laurenson, Dwane Reads, Antony Owen

L-R: Neil Laurenson, Dwane Reads, Antony Owen

Neil Laurenson (Worcester) kicked-off the affair with a series of nuanced and understated poems that prick as much at political absurdity as they do at the national pomposity of museums and “public” gardens, with a liberal dose of Karl Marx thrown in.

Dwane Reads (Derby) burnt through a fierce set of his brilliantly orated poetry that is both yelled and cooed (sans audio assistance) with poetry that is forhright on social injustice and tenderly empathetic (and very bloody funny to boot).

Antony Owen (Coventry) worked through three collections of hard-won imagery evoking the Coventry blitz and modern conflicts with an eye and ear towards challenging the myopic racism and social divisions that remain prevalent throughout many parts of the UK.

All three poets were greatly received by a small but keen audience – SP would like to thank Wenlock Poetry Festival for having us, our poets for reading and the loyal listeners who shared the experience with us – we hope to return in 2015!

Adam Steiner, 1/3 of SP/HCE.

 

Write & Eat meets Food Union – The Story So Far…

SP Creative Projects Lead, Adam Steiner, looks back on 5 months of food, fury and creative fun!

The Write & Eat meets Food Union project – a collaboration between The Pod, a Coventry City Council mental health community resource, and Silhouette Press – has now been running for 5 successful months. Following a series of summer creative writing pilots in 2013, we have worked alongside The Pod and an award-winning chef to cook healthy and affordable food that also tastes good and engaging new audiences in creative writing.

Soured cucumber and mango salad (with harissa yoghurt)

Soured cucumber and mango salad (with harissa yoghurt)

How Does It Work?

The set-up is simple: the free sessions are open to everyone and people come to The Pod mid-afternoon, where we utilize the training kitchen space where cook and then eat together in the welcome space of The Pod’s Revive Cafe. Everyone involved works from a series of themed recipes, such as Veggie Blitz, Valentine’s Day and Healthy Ready-Meals (after Jack Monroe) which means that a variety of food is on offer and people are encouraged to work together and pitch-in with other tasks such as washing-up or cleaning down the kitchen area.

Shortly before eating, I run a brief poetry workshop which often yielded interesting work as I encouraged people to work around spur words from the recipes and to think about different aspects of the cooking.

Why Food Union?

The Pod project aims to work with members of the community to build their capacity and resilience in cooking healthy and tasty food on a budget.

Healthy,tasty home-cooked ready-meals!

Healthy, tasty home-cooked ready-meals!

 

 

 

 

The Pod recognised the growing pressure of welfare reform changes upon everyone who is in receipt of benefits as the system gradually changes into the potentially confusing Universal Credit scheme – in particular the impact this is having upon the people they work with who often live with severe or enduring mental ill health. A strong emphasis is placed upon the sustainability of the food, we often work from a budget of £40 of locally-sourced ingredients, the majority of which is bought fresh from Coventry indoor market, and we feed on average 20-30 people (a cost of less than £2 per head).

The project has provided different people different benefits or opportunities: some people wished to expand their cooking skills by producing cost-effective food that they can produce en-masse and store as an alternative to unhealthy and over-priced ready-meals; others simply attend to enjoy a sociable cooking environment or learn more about writing poetry from challenging themes. Food Union is currently evolving to work more closely with local volunteers, universities and the community.

You can browse more of the individual session themes on the Write & Eat project page, here is a quick overview of some of the food and poetry produced so far:

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