From 24 – 31 May, the ‘Our Future Starts Here’ programme will explore issues of our time through innovative arts and culture, also highlighting the global-leading industries based in North East Lincolnshire.
Grimsby-based arts organisation The Culture House is set and ready to present the next edition of its arts and culture programme – Our Future Starts Here, designed to get us thinking and talking about issues of our time while increasing our understanding of the future-facing innovation happening in Grimsby and the Humber.
Headline sponsored by RW, additionally sponsored by DFDS, Orsted AP Robinson … and supported by Create North East Lincolnshire, Arts Council England and Without Walls, the programme promises to be ‘future-facing’, thought-provoking, interesting and fun, providing a space to explore what sustainable futures mean for us all in a wider sense, encompassing community, creativity and connectivity.
As part of this latest edition of the creative programme, there will be a ‘feel good’ singing event, as part of the project’s well-being strand, a day of quality outdoor performance around the Projekt Renewable box park and in Duke of York Gardens, as well as installations and exhibitions, nature activities, talks and debates on subjects such as AI and social media, plus workshops and music events showcasing experimental music talent originating from Grimsby.
Culture House Director, Charlotte Bowen, said:
We know we need to collectively start looking after ourselves and the planet more and we have produced what we hope is an inspiring programme touching on these themes.
In addition, as a cultural organisation, we also want to promote the fact that creativity plays a vital role in general quality of life and in regenerating the places we live.
“Added to this, we feel that if residents understood more about Grimsby’s ‘global leading green industries’ they would have more reason to feel proud of their place as well as begin to understand all of the complexities behind ‘green futures’ too”.
LISTINGS
Sing Your Heart Out
Friday 24 May
7pm
Grimsby Minster
DN31 1EP
Free – Donations welcome
You are invited to come along and Sing Your Heart Out – or just enjoy others singing out theirs – at this event showcasing fantastic local talent while offering you the chance to let it flow.
The amazing and award-winning All for One choir will headline the event with a range of upbeat popular songs that you can sing along to without fear of judgement, with the incredibly talented Blaze Senior (youth) Choir also taking to the stage and encouraging participation. The wonderful Chloey Rose will be singing her heart out too while the uber talented Mardy Johnny Depps will do what they do best – perform covers to the highest standards, with the most amazing voices that you’re free to harmonise to in your own way!
This event is free, must be booked in advance and donations are welcome on the door.
Sat 25 May
Alexandra Dock
DN31 1SY
10am – 4pm
A day of FREE outdoor performances and workshops as well as creative activities within Projekt Renewable
Paint with Nature
Join artists Sarah Allen and Lewis Marsden for this drop in outdoor workshop (indoor if raining) that is open and accessible to all.
You are invited to use natural dyes, foraged/upcycled painting tools (sticks, twigs, leaves) and open hearts & minds, to create large-scale collaborative artworks that explore the power of creativity to connect us to each other and our earth.
Before the day, the artistic team will be making their own natural dyes (for example from beetroot, blueberries, red cabbage and grass clippings) as well as their own large charcoal sticks.
You will be welcomed to ‘make your mark’ while discussions about the different ways we make our mark on the world might open up.
This activity, accessible to all, will result in two large abstract paintings that will change and shift shape throughout the day.
You can then either take home the natural brushes or return them to the earth and in addition, instructions will be provided for participants to make their own natural dyes at home should they wish to explore this way of working again.
Eco Cafe
Slow Circular Earth
Take some time out and take a seat in Slow Circular Earth’s Eco Cafe and gain the know how in this laid back setting on how to live more sustainably, with creative and fun activities offered for children
What if we…have fun learning to print with Lego?
What If We Create
10am – 4pm
Inside Projekt Renewable
Drop In
Join local print artists Lucy & Wendy of What If We Create, for a fun printmaking workshop reusing Lego tiles to create printing plates! Learn this accessible and innovative form of printmaking, suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Reuse flat Lego tiles to create intricate patterns and designs on a base plate. These plates are then inked and rolled through presses, leaving behind a pixelated image for you to take home.
These drop in sessions are usually very popular and we will be operating on a first come basis so please be patient.
Parade
Autin Dance Theatre
1pm
3.15pm
Parade is a moving performance inspired by the beauty, power and impact of people from different walks of life coming together, featuring The Giant Wheel ‘powered’ by six street artists and accompanied by music and a community cast of local groups and performers. Autin Dance Theatre uses its blend of storytelling and innovative large designs to transport audiences and participants along a choreographed procession.
This 50-minute flowing act has three ‘pause’ moments intended to highlight the tension between our individual identities and our shared collective humanity.
Ultimately, Parade is about celebrating different journeys while acknowledging our shared life struggles.
The Giant Wheel carries the performers up high, spins them around turning their worlds upside down, at times speeding them up, and at others rocking them gently back and forth, imitating the repetitive cycle of life.
Serving Sounds
Working Boys Club
10.30am
12.15pm
2pm
Serving Sounds is a multi-sensory sound installation that creates connection through music – a bar that serves bass, rather than beer. The installation is an interactive work, playful and joyful with spaces for up to four people of all ages to interact with the bar at any one time, with each experience lasting up to the length of a song.
As you arrive, you’ll find the ordinary items you’d usually expect to find, such as glasses, beermats and the odd bit of change. But at this bar, these items when touched will create a groove, a sound, strings, a snare, maybe a guitar, or synths if you like. Have fun!
Sonia Sabri Company
Mughal Miniatures
The Awakening
A fun and upbeat outdoor performance event for all the family, which celebrates and takes inspiration from the exquisite traditional art of Indian
and Persian miniature painting.
Performers in sumptuous costumes create vibrant and colourful mini worlds of dance, music and puppetry in this comedic take on these illustrations of ‘serene’ women, who come alive and break out of their stereotypical status with acrobatic moves to beatboxing and hip hop!
Help our ‘well-behaved’ characters break free and appreciate their unseen talent.
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FRESHNEY PLACE
10am – 4pm
Right Before Our Eyes
Live Installation by Project Now
Friargate Mall,
Freshney Place Shopping Centre
According to the latest data published by the Independent newspaper, 11 – 14 year-olds spend as many as 9 hours per day on their screens, a statistic which research suggests could be having adverse effects on physical and mental health.
Pass by and watch teenagers doing what they seem to do most of these days – scrolling, Snapchatting, Instagramming, posting, immersed, connected yet disconnected, seemingly oblivious to the world around them…
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DUKE OF YORK GARDENS / GRIMSBY IN BLOOM PAVILION
DN31 2QH
10am – 4pm
Nature Adventure
Join in with lots of FREE activities including nature workshops and a free outdoor show
Katie Hopper
The Trees within us All
Join author Katie Hopper and her little creative team following the launch of their new book The Trees Within Us All.
The book sensitively addresses nervous system regulation and anxiety and Katie will be bringing along a ‘Tree of Positivity’ for children to hang a leaf on (with something from their ‘regulation station’ as per the book’s message).
The Nature Lab
Lincolnshire Outdoor Learning
Join Ashley Butterfield for bug hunting and bug identifying as well as nature-based craft activities.
The Lost Colour (outdoor show)
The Puppet Van
11.30am – 11.55am (followed by workshop)
2.30pm – 2.55pm (followed by workshop)
Join Malcolm Brushell, professional painter and amateur alchemist, on his quest to find the pinky-est pink paint on the planet! Through cracking rocks, mashing every conceivable vegetable, and even bottling and fermenting his own cow’s wee, he has created every colour imaginable…except for that rascally illusive pink, but he won’t give up! A colourful explosion of puppetry, music and comedy, join the race to create the most pigmented pink paint ever patented! The Lost Colour by award winning Half a String is the first show designed for The Puppet Van, taking puppetry to a place near you! Perfect for families with children aged 5+.
After the show…
The Lost Colour Workshop
12.15pm – 1.15pm
3.15pm – 4.15pm
“Make a puppet in this fun hands-on workshop. Cut, stick and paint your way to creating a simple puppet that is yours to imagine into anything you want it to be. Bring your creativity along and let loose!
Suitable for ages 4+.”
Throughout the day
The Butterflies and the (Busy) Bees
10am – 3pm
Upstream with The Canoe River Cleaner.
Children can enjoy one to one kids canoe experiences connecting with our beautiful River Freshney. Please form an orderly queue!
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7pm
Listen in The Living Room
The Living Room
26 Alexandra Road
Cleethorpes
£8
A night of experimental, boundary pushing music from talent originating from North East Lincs.
First up, hear experimental sounds from The Starbard on guitar, piano and ipad.
Headlining is Martin Wright, aka PyraMidi – a pioneering figure in the realm of electronic music. With a career spanning over three decades, Martin is a founding member of the band Insanity Sect, finding early success with their records and making waves not only in the UK but also across America and Europe.
Martin also became an integral part of the Quest Project collective in London and has remained dedicated to pushing the boundaries of sound, delving into various genres including electronica, IDM, ambient, dub, and acid. His music promises to offer listeners an ‘immersive sonic experience’.
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Sunday 26 May
The Confessional in The Living Room
The Living Room
26 Alexandra Road
Cleethorpes
7pm
£5
Come and share thoughts, poems and your experiences in an event of live music, truths and story-telling.
The Confessional is a unique project that blends live, improvised accompaniment music with the traditional ‘Soap-Box, basically inviting anyone to get up and talk about something important to them – in these times, there could be SOMETHING you would love to stand up and express, in a ‘safe-space’, in public.
It might be a poem, it might be a funny story or it might just be a recollection from times gone-by…all of this and more are welcome at The Confessional.
Tuesday 28 May
Oi Oi AI
With rapid advancements in the world of AI, we offer some family workshops to support understanding of where it’s all going, with the chance to have some ‘hands-on’ experience.
AI Family Workshop
Projekt Renewable
10.30-11.30am
12.30-1.30pm (repeat)
For ages 8+
Limited spaces. Must be booked in advance.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The session aims to raise understanding of how AI works and what kind of world children will be in, in 5 – 15 years time, also exploring ‘harm reduction’ and potential concerns. Then children will be able to participate in fun activities which highlight the human creative process enhanced by AI.
AI for Creatives Workshop
Projekt Renewable
2.30-4.30pm
Limited spaces. Must be booked in advance.
Understand how to use AI as a tool for creativity in your work.
This workshop led by Lewis Hackett, Director at Prefix Studios will focus on broadening knowledge of AI developments in relation to artistic and design careers. Lewis will then be demonstrating available tools and how they can be used in various workflows to embellish the human design process.
Lewis Hackett is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in fine art who specialises in integrating emerging technologies within film, animation, game design, and real-time content as the director of Prefix Studios. Lewis has also lectured on design modules at Bradford University and leads a variety of workshops focused on the intersection of technology and art.Recently, his primary focus has been on researching and developing generative AI technologies for leading-edge projects, including AI Games at Geppetto, AI Film at Pillars, and Showrunner at Fable Studio.
AI Panel Event
Grimsby Town Hall
6pm – 8pm
FREE
Hear presentations from creative professionals using AI in their work, followed by a discussion about where AI is heading, including the benefits and challenges.
Is AI stealing artistic work? Is it still worth pursuing a career in the creative industries? What are the ethical concerns about AI in copyright and ownership?
How can we trust visual information now that it can be doctored and generated more easily?
Listen to what is sure to be a lively discussion!
The panel will be recorded as a podcast. Open to all.
Wednesday 29
What if we… have fun learning to print with Lego?
What If We Create
Inside Projekt Renewable
FREE bookable one hour half-term workshops for ages 7+ (must be accompanied by an adult)
Join local print artists Lucy & Wendy of What If We Create, for a fun printmaking workshop reusing LEGO tiles to create printing plates! Learn this accessible and innovative form of printmaking, suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Re-use Lego, ink, brayers, and printing presses to create your own designs. This workshop is perfect for adults and children to experiment with different shapes, colours, overlays, and textures.
We will provide all materials and you will be able to take your creations home.
The ink we use for this workshop is washable however please wear suitable clothing as it may stain fabrics, we will provide aprons but advise you to roll up your sleeves.
Choose a 40-minute session between 10am and 4pm
Please arrive in good time
10.00am to 11.00am
11.45am to 12.45am
1.30pm to 2.30pm
3.00pm to 4.00pm
Grimsby in Bloom’s Repair Shop
The Pavilion
Freshney Drive
DN3L 1XE
10am – 2pm
Bring anything along that might need repairing to Grimsby in Bloom’s award-winning repair shop. Tea, coffee and cake are available too!
Carbon Literacy Training for NEL Creatives
Wednesday 29 May
1.30pm – 5pm
The Business Hive
13 Dudley Street, Grimsby
DN31 2AW
(or via Zoom, 1.30pm – 5pm)
FREE Carbon Literacy Training funded by Create North East Lincolnshire for North East Lincolnshire Creatives, through the Place Partnership Fund. Hosted by The Culture House as part of Our Future Starts Here.
Carbon Literacy Training provides participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to embed climate action in their personal and professional creatives lives.
Join this specialist Carbon Literacy Training delivered by SAIL, which is tailored to the creative sector, enabling all in the sector to reduce the carbon footprint of their creative activities.
The training includes 3 parts, all of which must be completed to gain certification.
The above session is Part 2, Part 1 is short period of self-led pre-learning and Part 3 is a post-session activity to gain Carbon Literacy certification.
Please visit event link for full details.
Right Before Our Eyes
Panel, podcast recording and discussion
Grimsby Town Hall
6.30pm
Struggle to get your teenager off their phone? Worried about what content they are seeing and what’s happening ‘on there’? Hear informed views from industry, safeguarding and therapy specialists, with a chance to get involved in an open discussion.
Thursday 30 May
Introduction to Electronic Music for girls and young women with Emily J Electric
Projekt Renewable
Please book onto on one of these one hour sessions:
1pm – 2pm
2.30pm – 3.30pm (repeat)
For ages 11 – 18
Limited places
Must be booked
Girls and young women aged 11 – 18 are invited to join this digital music workshop with Emily J Electric to experiment with ‘Ableton Push’, an expressive digital instrument, to make music. You’ll also find out about careers in music technology and where to learn more, through WIRED Online.
Emily Johnson (aka Emily J Electric) is an ‘Ableton Certified Trainer’, music producer, musician and performer who has performed all over Europe.
An experienced music tutor and workshop leader she has a particular interest in helping people achieve their creative goals through confidence and mindset.
This workshop is part of WIRED, funded by Youth Music and managed by Yorkshire Sound Women Network.
Friday 31
Alexandra Dock
DN31 1SY
Thursday 30 May
7pm
Doors open 6.30pm
The Living Room
26 Alexandra Road
Cleethorpes
Six Inches of Soil film screening
FREE. Limited spaces – tickets must be booked
1hr 36 with time for discussion afterwards
Slow Circular Earth screens new documentary Six Inches of Soil
You’re invited to a free screening of the recently-released documentary film Six Inches of Soil – a story of ‘courage, vision and hope’ following British farmers as they stand up against the industrial food system and seek to transform the way they produce food – to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities.
Six Inches of Soil follows three new farmers on the first year of their regenerative journey – Anna Jackson, a Lincolnshire 11th generation arable and sheep farmer; Adrienne Gordon, a Cambridgeshire small-scale vegetable farmer; and Ben Thomas, who rears pasture-fed beef cattle in Cornwall. As the trio strive to adopt regenerative practices and create viable businesses, they meet seasoned mentors who help them on their journey. They’re joined by other experts providing wisdom and solutions from a growing movement of people who are dedicated to changing the trajectory for food, farming and the planet.
Amie Alissa Watson, founder of Slow Circular Earth, says, “We’re excited to host this screening and to share the messages in the film focussed on shifting UK food and farming towards more regenerative, agroecological practices for a more resilient system. We can’t wait to see the ideas and thoughts that come from the meaningful discussions that will follow the screening.”
Claire Mackenzie, Six Inches of Soil producer adds, “Community screenings are a hugely important part of our impact campaign. We’re so excited that Slow Circular Earth is hosting this event in partnership with Our Future Starts Here. It’s really important that people have discussions at a local level to find ways to move forward to create profitable food systems that benefit the community whilst looking after our soil and the environment in the best possible way.”
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Friday 31 May
Alexandra Dock
FISH BOY
2Faced Dance
Outdoor movement workshop for all ages and abilities
11am – 12pm
Followed by
Shows:
12.45pm
3pm
Running time: 45mins
One boy’s fin-tastic quest to save his river!
A tale of our times, this meaningful yet joyful adventure aimed at ages 6 – 100 is set to captivate audiences of all ages.
Follow young Tommy Minton on an unforgettable adventure as he goes on a hunt to discover where his best friend ‘fish’ has gone. With touches of humour, surprise and participation, this outdoor dance adventure celebrates friendship, uncovers what’s polluting our rivers and demonstrates the power of never giving up!
Let your imagination soar as this visual feast on incredible dance, circus and theatre will have you cheering Tommy all the way.
Fish Boy by 2Faced Dance is based on real stories and co-created with school children.
Collection Day
Rhubarb Theatre
For ages 5+
12pm
2pm
Running time: 30mins
It’s bin day and two refuse collectors are heroically cleaning the streets. But what’s this? A dustbin that refuses rubbish. Delving into its depths, we discover that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, as a wonderful myriad of stories and treats ensue from all that is rubbish and recycled.
Rhubarb Theatre bring a dustbin of fun, a black sack of eco messages and heaps of mime, physical theatre, comedy, puppetry and creativity into this brand-new storytelling piece.
Inside Projekt Renewable
Green Influencers Eco Pop Up
The Green Influencer VANEL After School Groups at Middlethorpe Primary and Beacon Academy would like to invite you to their Eco Pop-Up Event to explore how we can all make everyday life swaps to make a positive impact on our lives and the environment.
They will be:
- showcasing and selling alternative single use plastic items
- presenting their top tips on reducing waste to landfills
- displaying their research and ideas on how we can develop a healthy mind, body and planet
- providing recycled (plastic milk bottle) craft activities for all ages to enjoy
- giving you the chance to take part in a range of environmental quizzes
Why not pop in to join them on a shared journey for a better world!
Nature Walk with the Canoe River Cleaner
Meet at Projekt Renewable
1pm – 3pm
All ages
No need to book – just turn up
Meet at Projekt Renewable at 1pm for a river walk and talk with a Nature I-Spy for the kids, followed by a litter pick at Duke Of York Gardens.
All children will receive an environmental certificate at the end and there will be a short and informative talk about renewable energy
.
Back at base for 3pm when the second show of Fish Boy will be performed!
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For full listings and information, please visit www.ourfuturestartshere.co.uk
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