“Drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested.” – Hunter S. Thompson
I was running late! I grabbed my keys, jumped in my car and floored it, pedal to the metal.
* * *
I had recently upgraded my vehicle. My old and first car, Lisbeth the Green Nissan Micra, had croaked her last. I was freelancing at the time and had a week to find a new set of wheels. This led me to a slightly panic bought Fiat Punto. It is, in short, the worst car I have ever owned but at this point in time, I hadn’t noticed. I had a new love: Hans Hoofington the 3rd or Howard for short. Unlike my Nissan Micra, Howard could accelerate. His 1.2-litre engine had blown me away. I could now go from 0-60 in 30 seconds (as opposed to the 10 minutes it used to take). The novelty had not yet worn off.
Another added bonus? Howard was bright yellow, very easy to find in a car park.
* * *
I was only half a mile from my house when I saw the police officer. At first, I thought he was waving me around some sort of crash. That was until I saw the speed gun in his hand.
Shit!
Shittedy shit shit shit!
I slowed down and wound down my window. (Electric by the way. Just another life-changing feature. No more back-breaking winding for me)
“Hello,” I said.
Awkward!
“Could you read what it says here?” he asked, showing me the screen on the speed gun. He was stern and cold, like Liam Neeson I was sure he would show no mercy.
“44 miles per hour.” I was in a 30 zone.
“And what can you tell me about that?”
I sensed this was a trap. In hindsight, I should have played it cool. Used my right to remain silent. But instead? This is what I said…
“Presumably your equipment is very accurate.”
Smooth.
I parked down the next road to see his partner. Before parking up, I shouted to him: “I’m just going to find somewhere to turn round. I promise I’m not running away!”
As you can probably tell by now, I do not cope well with confrontation, especially not with authority figures. My brain melts on the spot and with it, my thought to speech processing completely abandons me generally leading to the blind rambling of whatever comes into my head.
I knew I didn’t have a leg to stand on. I had been caught red-handed and pretty much admitted my guilt, so I decided to admit defeat. I walked towards him saying “I’m really sorry”. The policeman looked up and smiled. Phew. I had encountered bad cop already, thank god, his partner was the good one.
“Can I start by taking your name?”
“Ruth West,” I blurted.
“And your surname?
I looked in disbelief. You are a policeman who has asked me my name. I kind of assumed you would require both first and last.
“Er, that’s it, Sorry.”
Pause.
“Ruth West.”
Longer Pause.
“My parents weren’t quirky enough to call me Ruthwest.”
Jesus Christ Ruth, engage cognitive processing. To compensate I hung my head shamefully and hoped I was pulling off remorse.
He continued with his list, all straight forward enough. I made sure to annunciate and stop slurring words together. I felt like he’d been talking forever before realising what was going on.
“You don’t have to say anything…”
Oh God, I thought, slow on the uptake, I’m being cautioned!
“…but it may harm your defence if…”
I’d never even got a detention before.
“…you do not mention now…”
Ok, so not never, a couple of class ones but they were other peoples’ fault. And there was one for not submitting my science homework but it’s not like I didn’t do the homework. I’d got it because I stuck to my principles and refused to slide my hard work into a dark classroom under the door. I mean, how very uncouth! And there were a couple in primary school but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count if you’re under the age of 10.
“…something you later rely on in court…”
And I suppose there was that time I’d got a caution for ‘Trolley-napping.’ I kid you not, this was actually written on the official warning sheet we were given. Some friends and I were caught joyriding around a public park in a shopping trolley but I reckon the policeman only gave it out to scare us, or to so that we could show off by parading the slip around school because he knew this story would make for great banter… which we did… and it was.
“…anything you do say…”
Well, clearly I wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t like I’d microwaved a toddler. This seemed way too harsh!
“…may be given in evidence.”
Damn it Ruth, focus!
I didn’t know what to do, so I asked: “Um… is there anything I should answer?”
The police officer actually laughed. “How about ‘fair cop’?”
“Oh yes, you can write that down.”
And then I was on my merry way (at a very cautious 26mph) when I suddenly remembered what I was driving. My new Fiat Punto: the colour of the sun; the most in-your-face offensive yellow; visible from outer space. Why on earth did I think it would be a good idea to rag it around the Solihull Borough’s suburban streets?
I had learnt a very important life lesson: Slow and steady wins the race…
…Nah I’m just screwing with you. The moral is: Keep your eyes peeled for police officers especially when driving fluorescent automobiles. You are much easier to see coming.
This revolutionary generation lived through the evolution of the teenager and the invention of Rock and Roll. They are brand loyal to the last and all about research. So prove yourself with great customer service, selective upselling, tactical advertising that personalised to them and offer them rewards for their service. They spend roughly 1 hour on social media a day, love Facebook over other platforms and are way more likely to share content! But beware, they will also unfollow brands they think are too spammy and are wary of online sales so ensure you have a flawless checkout in place.
TEXT FROM INFOGRAPHIC
Time Spent on Social Media: 1hr per day
Preferred Platforms: Email, Facebook
Customer Behaviour: Brand Loyal, Love Research, Wary of Spam;
How to Target: Great Customer Service, Selective Upselling, Tactical Personalised Advertising, Sharable Content, Flawless Checkout Process, Don’t Spam.
Generation X
Born 1965-1980
Growing up in a time of shifting society and rise in industry this generation is more likely to hold business leadership positions or be entrepreneurs. They spend up to 2 hours a day on social media and use the internet and customer reviews before they purchase products or services, so ensure you provide lots of information about your brand. They also love Facebook but around half the generation can also be found on Instagram. They love value for money so consider providing them with coupons or vouchers. Like the generation before them they also have concerns about privacy, so make that checkout process lock tight!
TEXT FROM INFOGRAPHIC
Time Spent on Social Media: 2hrs per day
Preferred Platforms: Email, Facebook & Instagram
Customer Behaviour: Love Research, Word of Mouth and Reviews, Value for Money, Concerned About Privacy.
How to Target: Detailed Brand Info, Space for Customer Reviews, Offer Coupons or Vouchers, Flawless Checkout Process.
Millennials | Generation Y
Born 1981-1996
The first digital natives alive, they have seen Nintendo consoles starting with the NES, through the Wii and to the Switch, meaning they are much more likely to buy products online than their predecessors. But beware, they aren’t as susceptible to traditional forms of advertising. They are entering their prime earning years and want to build an online relationship with the brands they love, following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. So be innovative and keep up with trends, gather those reviews and offer incentives. By building online relationships you can offer rewards for loyalty and interaction, if you can turn it into an app, even better. Finally, they love audio content, so get podcasting, either with your own or through sponsorship and advertising.
Customer Behaviour: Digital Natives, Want Online Brand Relationships, Prime Earning Age, Don’t like Traditional Adverts, Love Audio Content.
How to Target: Be Innovative, Follow Trends, Offer Incentives, Loyalty Programmes, Target Podcasts.
Generation Z
Born 1997-2012
Fully-fledged technical wizards who have grown up around an ever-growing tech industry. Spending almost 3 hours a day on social media they prefer YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok and love experimenting with new platforms, so an omnichannel approach with interactive content will be your best bet for capturing this market. They have short attention spans but are excellent multitaskers and care deeply about social and environmental causes. They love a brand story and the ability to contribute content and interact with their favourites. They’re brand loyal but will jump ship if a company is unethical. They love an influencer, but wordy ads can put them off so get straight to the point!
TEXT FROM INFOGRAPHIC
Time Spent on Social Media: 3 hrs per day
Preferred Platform: YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Experimentation
Customer Behaviour: Short Attention Span, Great Multitaskers, Brand Loyal, Cause Conscious, Love Interactive Content.
How to Target: Multi-Platform Approach, AR/VR Content, Brand Story, Interactivity with Audience, Include Relevant Influencers, Stay Ethical, Be Short and Snappy.
Generation Alpha
Born 2013-present
The Offspring of the Millennials, born with iPads in their hands. It is predicted that they will live on a planet with an overabundance of people, the population set to be 9 billion by 2030. There will be the highest ever cohort of over 60s meaning that Generation Alpha will have to take the strain of an older population. Who knows what’s going to come from this generation? But it’s worth watching this space!
TEXT FROM INFOGRAPHIC
Offspring of Millennials. Predicted to live on a planet with a population of 9 billion by 2030 and the highest ever cohort of over 60s ever seen.
Who knows what’s going to come from this Generation?
But it’s worth watching this space!
Have you got any techniques or tricks you use to target different generations? Let us know in the comments!
Usually, at this point annually Art Schools, Conservatoires and Universities up and down the UK are creating performances, curating galleries and tuning up instruments to show key industry contacts (and the rest of the world) what to expect from this year’s graduating class.
Well, it’s been a crazy year and here at The Arts Business, where we believe in education to creatives, we wouldn’t want your showcase to go unseen just because of the pandemic.
So, we have compiled a list of all of the online showcases we can find and plan to visit as many of them as possible throughout the month! By doing this I hope to promote the importance of digital and social media marketing to you soon to be grads.
Have we mentioned your showcase? If not let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
Also, if you want a shoutout we are all about sharing the love on our social media so send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and we will get you sorted.
Your showcase should be the best part of your course! The pinnacle of everything you’ve learnt and the direction you want to take the creative industries! Let us help you share your work with the rest of the world!
Glasgow School of Art has created their own Graduate Showcase Platform during the Pandemic to exhibit the work of 2020/21 Graduates. It is being frequently updated so check back regularly! Check out the following courses:
The Thread Itself | Monday 15th March @ 5pm | Lydia Davies, Jess Holdengarde, Catrin Menai & Dominique Rivard
Kératine | Dominique Rivard | Instagram | Website | An intriguing soundscape accompanies this photographic storybook
Intangible Matter | Jess Holdengarde | Instagram | Website | A Hauntingly Beautiful Audio Piece which takes you to the Highlands of Scotland
New Sheets | Lydia Davies | Website | Juxtaposition of Audio and Video makes for strangely compelling viewing or reading in complementing publication and prints
A Holding Place | Jess Holdengarde & Lydia Davies | The perfect accompaniment to Intangible Matter
Still Nothing Happens | Catrin Menai | A video reflecting the endless monotony of lockdown.
[untitled] | Monday 15th March @ 8pm | Delaney Tesch & Andrew Crane
[title redacted] | Website | Instagram | An extract from their digital publication and an interesting comment on the fashion industry
Still Life | Tuesday 16th March @ 5pm | Brandon Hendrick, Xiaojia Ouyang & Ye Ji
The Uncanny Nest | Brandon Hendrick | Claustrophobic Still Life from Brendon Hendrick’s flat during isolation
Hello There | Xiaojia Ouyang | The ocean will unite us once again
Dream A Dream | Ye Ji | Colours and Imagery combined with a unique soundscape to invoke the power of dreams
Site/Sight | Tuesday 16th March @ 8pm | Qiushi Chen, Matthew Cosslett, Masaki Ishikawa & Edward Gwyn Jones
Genesis (What Can’t Light See?) | Edward Gywn Jones | Website | A surreal epic tale depicting a bizarre utopian existence brilliantly told combining video, music and text
They Could Not Be Seen | Matthew Cosslett | Website | Instagram | A comment on the invisibility of those who live in rural communities and are so frequently ignored
Yinanping(意难平) | Qiushi Chen | Website | A brave commentary on the inner workings of China
HYDRAHEARTS | Martha Panagiotopoulou | Website | Instagram | A performance piece depicting Eco-Goddesses in delicate masks at one with the natural world
The Glasgow School of Art’s Fashion and Textile students, like designers across the world, have responded to the challenges of the ongoing pandemic by presenting their work digitally this year. In a 20-minute showcase 16 third-year Fashion Design 26 third-year Textile Design students unveiled their latest designs using a range of approaches from stop motion animation, collage animation, abstract animation to time-lapse, motion capture, digital puppetry, projection and more.
Pieces of Us is a kaleidoscopic series of short, stand-alone solo performance works created by Guildhall School students. Written, directed, and performed by the students in lockdown isolation across the world, these original performances will provide a unique and deeply personal snapshot of the diverse range of stories, artistry and lived experiences that exist within Guildhall’s student community.
Please note that some of the Pieces of Us performances contain explicit language and adult themes.
26 Minutes | Charlie Beck | Spotlight | A clever depiction of a night out gone wrong in Nottingham told from the perspective of three local lads from three very different lives.
A Love Letter to My Former Self | Connor McLeod | Spotlight | A darkly comic monologue with vibes that resonate with the opening of Trainspotting, simply but powerfully designed and portrayed.
Becoming Lola Enitan | Tara Tijani | Spotlight | Tara Tijani shows real versatility and depth in the piece showing two sides and two possible futures, or parallel worlds, of a woman who has been victim to abuse.
BLOB| Dolly Webb | Spotlight | Effortlessly reflects the pressures put on single women both by themselves and from society, showing the ups and downs of loneliness in a beautiful production.
Blue | Millie Smith | Spotlight | What is normal? Alice Simpson (played with perfect nuances by Millie Smith) makes us question this as she sits in a waiting room weighing up whether or not to have an abortion.
Bring Me the Head of Alfio Marullo | Noah Marullo | Spotlight | A theatrical performance from Noah Marullo of an imagined conversation between Steinbeck and his friend. With a bit of lengthening and workshopping I could see this being a hit at the Fringe!
Bute Street | Hassan Najib | Spotlight | WOW! A moving portrayal of Mahmoud Mattan, the last innocent man executed in Wales, exquisitely performed by Hassan Najib.
Can we dance now? | Genevieve Lewis | Spotlight | An apt piece for the pandemic, where cases of domestic abuse have risen dramatically, Genevieve Lewis delicately explores the aftermath.
Fever | Nia Towle | Spotlight | Ever tried to win a dance competition when your period has come to life and your archnemesis’ mum is on the judging panel? No?! Well then, watch the hilarity ensue.
half-self. | Zachary Nachbar-Seckel | Spotlight | Opening with a beautifully written and performed folk song we see an affray between two brothers in a therapists office… or are they?
High Road | Felix Newman | Spotlight | Watch the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of a Tour De France Champion Cyclist performed with easy naturalism by Felix Newman.
Hoxton Hall | Aoife Gaston | Spotlight | An important piece of theatre during the #BLM campaigns, set in the 1970s and shrewdly showing us how in some ways we’ve come do far, yet in others, we’ve still got so far to go.
little finger | Hope Kenna | Spotlight | The portrayal of an acrophobic mother struggling with post-natal depression, living in a shed and trying to overcome issues from her past. Very moving.
Mashiach | Dan Wolff | Spotlight | What does being Jewish mean in the 21st Century? Dan Wolff tells us the facts in this semi-autobiographical, darkly comic monologue.
妈妈 (Mum) | Brandon Grace | Spotlight | When an overbearing mother doesn’t understand the cultural differences in her and her son’s life, she gets frozen out, but does absence make the heart grow fonder?
Pepper Spray | Levi Brown | Spotlight | 1984 meets Peep Show crossed with The End of the F***ing World. A little experimental, a little bizarre but completely genius.
Scotland – Yard | Umi Myers | Spotlight | The story of a radio DJ trying to figure out who she is, living in Scotland but with Jamaican heritage she starts to explore her ancestral roots.
SIX BLANKS | Sam Thorpe-Spinks | Spotlight | Juxtaposing images and footage from the fateful day in 1981 when the Queen was shot at during the Trooping of the Colour, Sam Thorpe-Spinks combines great design with noteworthy acting to bring the shooter’s story to life.
Soft White Underbelly | Lily Hardy | Spotlight | You don’t need words to tell a story. A woman running from abuse in the midst of the Corona Epidemic tells her story through action and emotion.
SPLIT | Isla Lee | Spotlight | Trying to navigate the cruel world of dating with a mother struggling from mental health problems, this is a moving, relatable piece of theatre.
Three Clowns | Sonny Pilgrem | Spotlight | A poignant film illustrating the mental health struggles of so many creatives in the industry through the art of monologue and mime.
When You See Me | Alyth Ross | Spotlight | The delusional and occasionally psychotic rantings of a woman’s obsession with a man whom she has never actually met.
who, what, where? | Sheyi Cole | Spotlight | A funny mockumentary following a new artist on the rap scene and exposing his upper-middle-class roots. And I have never seen a Chicken Cottage that big!
Music
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra with Ivo Neame | Friday 26 March, 7.30pm | Ivo Neame: Composer/Piano | Scott Stroman: Director
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra presents a programme of pianist, composer and Guildhall professor Ivo Neame’s original Big Band compositions and arrangements, including his newly composed suite The Rise of the Lizard People.
Guildhall Studio Orchestra | The Great British Songbook – The Beatles Reimagined | Thursday 1 April, 7.30pm | Malcolm Edmonstone: Director
Guildhall Studio Orchestra draws upon the legacy of the Lennon and McCartney songbook in this performance broadcast from Milton Court Concert Hall. The orchestra will perform reworkings of hits including In My Life, Eleanor Rigby and Yesterday in concert.
Guildhall Big Band | A History of Big Band: 1930s & 40s – The Swing Era | Friday 9 April, 7.30pm Matt Skelton: Director | Colin Skinner: Director/Saxophone
For their third concert in their History of Big Band series the Guildhall Big Band welcomes band leader, arranger and saxophonist Colin Skinner as special guest director and soloist. The performance will span the 1930s, 40s and immediate post War transition from the Swing Era.
David Walters | In the mind’s eye | Website | Instagram | The image that you see inside your head may well be a truer interpretation of your environment than the objects within it
A student arts festival where students have not only devised and developed there own shows and companies but have explored web development, graphic design, social media management and video editing to promote their work.
Little Bird | Charlotte Elizabeth & Alexa Godfrey Evans
98228 | Holly-Eden Docherty | An audio adaptation of Leon Greeman’s An English Man in Auschwitz
Still Waiting for Godot | Mattia Centaro & Jake Venning | Whilst I was at uni, my course devised a sequel called Listening to Godot so I really love this idea!
Lost | Georgia Dudley | Exploring the concept of being and feeling lost in this bizarre world.
My Darling Pan | Twist Theatre | Abbie Roberts & Jacob Marriott
Pros Elysium | Keziah Chalkly, Breagha Mason, Annia Eldridge & Jazmin Price | How far would you be willing to go to find out who you are?
The Hidden Truth | Caitlin Cole-Irving & Casey Egerton
2020 Vision | Scarlet Gb Potter | A brave 12-hour improvised performance about the year that was 2020.
Encore Arts | Chloe Soby & Cecily Reid | Facebook | Instagram | A community theatre company grown in lockdown which puts students at the heart of their online drama and dance workshops.
It’s Freddie | Robbie Bond | A cross between Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project and Beckett’s Not I, It’s Freddie was a great take on the modern one-man play.
Please Don’t Tell | Once Upon A Time | Instagram | YouTube | Fairy tales reimagined by a Young Girl figuring out lockdown, told with simple but beautiful props, lighting and puppetry techniques from her bedroom.
Interactors | Audio Guide and Instructions found here | An opportunity to solve a mystery with accompanying audio guide and clues. Cleverly designed and following the trend of the creative industries to create more audio entertainment with Covid Measures.
Claes Horse Productions | Finding Yourself Without Hope | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | A unique perspective of the Scottish Referendum from the point of view of Glaswegian Teenagers of the time cleverly made within Covid Guidelines, complete with an excellent website and Social Media to boot. Watch the show on YouTube.
Till I Die | Indra Wilson | Instagram | 25th March @ 6.30pm | Exploring gender stereotypes in the slasher genre | BOOK TICKETS
Man, I miss the cinema! Indra manages to capture the novelty of cinema visits, which just can’t be achieved with Netflix! This darkly comic commentary of women in horror movies makes us reassess how women are depicted in the wider media through a clever balance of highly comedic and sinisterly serious moments.
Short/Long : Long/Short | Jack MacMillan | 25th March @ 8.30pm | Looking at the relationship with friends over the past months | BOOK TICKETS
An incredibly apt perception of life during the pandemic: never before has life passed so slowly yet so quickly at the same time. Originally intended to be a walk from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Greenock in 10 days, best friends Jack MacMillan and Grant Swanson redesigned their project to meet corona guidelines showing us the sites of Edinburgh and beyond. It is inspirational to see the mental health benefits of a healthy lifestyle! Have fun storming the castle lads!
The Unholy Knight | Miro Santeri | Instagram | Facebook | 26th March @ 5pm | A hooded character is journeying through a dark snowy forest, trying to claim something that was once lost | BOOK TICKETS
The Unholy Knight gave me some serious Assassin’s Creed vibes as we follow a lone templar discover what is true and what is legend. An ingenious soundscape combined with voiceover and beautiful film work meant the viewer was fully immersed in the story. Concluding with an awesome original rock song paralleled with mystical characters, evil potions and powerful symbols the piece came to an epic end! Genuinely brilliant!
Content Here | Althea Young | Instagram | 26th March @ 8.30pm | Binaries of reality and surreality, absence and presence overlap as objects become the main performers in a show that interrogates the relationship between art, artist and the act of living | BOOK TICKETS
Taking you into the world of the surreal, where inanimate objects appear more real than humans and the in-between is fully explored. It is a truly imaginative way to get the audience to rethink what they see in the world and ask themselves questions like: Is gender a construct? Is it hard to be an Artist? Does love have no boundaries? Also, on a side note, as a theatre technician in a past life, that is one beautifully coiled cable!
Before this piece even began, I already felt connected to it. After all, who of us over the last year haven’t woken up and wanted to stay under their duvet until they are “empty and new and ready to continue.” Simple, yet beautifully staged with insightful AV, a gorgeous soundtrack and the odd duvet dance Forest makes us all feel a little bit less lonely and a little bit more connected.
As Real As Reality | Maria Monteiro | 27th March @ 6.30pm | Website | Instagram | The Real Cosmo | This is an audience within an audience within an audience, a screen within a screen within a screen, a reality within a reality within a reality | BOOK TICKETS
In light of the recent Megan and Harry Interview with Oprah there is no better time to take a satirical look at the talk show. Follow in the epic rise and catastrophic fall of chat show host The Real Cosmopolitan who interacts live on social media to enhance the show’s realism. An insightful production with excellent attention to detail even includes terms and conditions, advert breaks and influencer promotions as we get an insight into the dark world of showbiz.
6678… | Holly Worton | 27th March @ 8.30pm | Instagram | Do you remember when you were young? What music did you listen to? Who did you listen to it with? | BOOK TICKETS
When you’re stuck at home in lockdown, with limited contact to the outside world, surrounded by only your family for company, who better to pull into your production than your little brother! This sibling relationship is put under the microscope with dyed hair and festival lights Holly shows us that even when you’re all grown up, you’re never too old to enjoy a trampoline. Honest and Heartwarming theatre.
Opening in a cabaret setting, we are part of Minnie Crook’s family reunion. We sit and relive memories through Minnie’s eyes, old fuzzy VCR footage manipulated with moving folk music and the slow-mo function turned on so that we might remember moments as she does. This humble offering evokes incredibly powerful emotions, and there is something about Irish dancing in a village hall that immediately puts a smile on your face. Brilliant.
If you had an opportunity to confront your past selves what would you say? And how would you feel? Would you be a little bit less lonely? Rachel Mclean talks to photographic portraits of herself, discussing her lifetime spent alongside the ups and downs of mental illness. In this fearless monologue Rachel reminds us that it’s ok not to feel ok, and that however trapped you may think you are, there is always hope: “If I am brave enough to see the light, I am brave enough to be it.”
Mother’s Milk | Sally Charlton | 28th March @ 8.30pm | Instagram | Twitter | In a space cluttered with discarded costumes and glasses of milk, a single female body dresses, undresses, drinks and dances again and again in a choreographic attempt to embody the lineage of women that brought her into being | BOOK TICKETS
With an exploration into key moments in her personal history and a balletic milk sequence which I can only liken to Las Vegas Fountains of Bellagio, Sally Charlton analyses the importance of understanding where we come from with a shrewd look at the all-important mother-daughter and the often-overlooked grandma-granddaughter relationships.
BA Performance in BSL & English
I had no idea this course existed. What an excellent way to ensure equality in the performers and performances of the future!
Enough | by Stef Smith | Irina Vartopeanu & Amy Murray | A high energy, energetic interpretation of this hilarious extract from Stef Smith’s Enough. A real ‘Girls on Tour’ vibe, but are they friends or enemies?
Laurie & Kate | by Emery Hunter | Emery Hunter | Beautiful and versatile monologue to be performed by stage or screen which has an element of truth to any viewer.
Boys | by Ella Hickson | Amy Helena & Benedetta Zanetti | Performed with delicate subtlety: after grief, can things ever be like they once were? Also, one of the best seagull impressions I have ever seen!
Speaking Tongues | by Andrew Bovel | Emery Hunter & Claire Wetherall | We’ve all heard that to get over someone you need to get under someone else! This discussion descends from sympathy to pure sass in the girl’s bathroom of a club!
My Angry Vagina | by Eve Ensler | Amy Murray | This well-known extract from The Vagina Monologues has been perfectly reimagined for any audience by Amy Murray with excellent facial expression and actions. I LOVED IT!
Miss Julie | by August Strindberg (trans. By Michael Meyer) | Claire Wetherall & Neil Shand | A naïve, innocent girl desperate for attention (playfully performed by Claire Wetherall) seduces a man (cool, calm and sexily portrayed by Neil Shand) who knows the game only too well.
Greenland | by Moira Buffini| Emery Hunter & Benedetta Zanetti | A mockumentary stylised piece with excellent comic timing, showing a relationship that begs the question: Should opposites attract?
Hoors | by Gregory Burke | Amy Murray & Amy Helena | Questioning the five stages of grief and climaxing in hysterical rehearsed crying this scene was hilarious from start to finish.
Beg | by Kate O’Reilly | Neil Shand | Cunningly staged and filmed with Neil Shand slowly advancing onto the viewer this monologue felt incredibly intense and claustrophobic as if there would be no escape.
a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) | by Debbie Tucker-Green | Benedetta Zanetti & Irina Vartopeanu | This felt like a scene pulled from the Academy Award-winning Birdman in its unique composition and stand out performances covering many different levels of a relationship.
When Our Daddies Come | Author Unknown | Claire Wetherall | The eerie soundtrack, disturbing voiceover and striking physical theatre combine to create an overwhelmingly effective piece about child abuse.
Glory on Earth | by Linda McLean | Whole Company | Showcasing everyone at their best the Class of 2021 show us we are never more alive than when we are afraid.
Holly Anne Wilkinson | BA (Hons) Illustration | The Pollinator’s seed Trail
The University of the Arts, London, has created their own Graduate Showcase Platform during the Pandemic to exhibit the work of Graduates across all of their colleges. It is frequently updated and gives you an amazing taste of the sort of creative endeavours taking place at the institution from the Class of 2020 and 2021.
The BA (Hons) Graphic Design class of 2021 have taken matters in their own hands to produce an online showcase of their work. 26 students have 75 projects all of which are worth checking out! So what are you waiting for?
The students and teachers at the University of York have come together to provide you with a music-filled evening of entertainment. From Beyonce to Bach there’s something for everyone.
Improvisation around the note ‘E’ using Baroque and Easter themes | Nina Kümin | See at 14.01 | YouTube | Facebook
Andante and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 by Felix Mendelssohn | John Smith | See at 31.29 | YouTube
Innocence | Owen Russell | See at 48.38| Website | Twitter
Excerpt from Me, Myself and Mesha | Ben Eyes | See at 52.44 | Website | Facebook
Compiling Knowledge from over 2000 institutions worldwide to allow you to visit and inspect museums and art galleries right from your Smart Phone during a global pandemic.
· Art Transfer – stylise your photos to look like works by your favourite artists.
· Art Selfie – Ever wanted to look like Van Gogh or dress up as the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Now you can with ease.
· Art Projector – Check out exactly what artworks look like in their real size.
· Pocket Gallery – Visit hundreds of art galleries worldwide during the lockdown.
· Art Camera – Inspect your favourite artworks close up.
· 360° videos and Virtual reality tours – With VR technology you’ll truly feel like you’re at the museum
· Street View – Tour famous sites and landmarks like the graffiti of Banksy across the world
· Exhibits – Take guided tours curated by the worlds leading experts
· Favourites – Save your favourite artworks into galleries to share you’re your family, friends or students
· Nearby – Find museums and exhibitions near you to explore when Covid is over!
· Notifications – New content and features are added weekly to keep you hooked
· And much more!
Prices and Plans
Completely Free!
Biggest Pro
The ability to get your arts and culture fix in lockdown! Absolutely brilliant!
Biggest Con
It’s a little bit glitchy here and there but I think that’s down to the enormity of content and activities available.
If you’re missing galleries and museums this is for sure the next best thing! But be warned… you can easily spend hours on this app exploring art, playing games and re-immersing yourself in the wonderful world of culture.
‘A smooth race never made a skilful racer’ – Nascar Racing
This tale is truly on a par with the mighty Shakespeare. My pen is my sword.
Why? Well, I can pretty much guarantee had this incident not occurred I would (almost definitely) be an Olympic Athlete by now running alongside Hussain Bolt, probably faster, having been the only female ever to compete with the men. I would have at least twenty gold medals hanging around my super strong neck.
But alas, this dream was not meant to be. It was shattered a long time ago on a cold spring day in 1994.
* * *
I was 5 years old.
It was lunchtime, our time, a time to let our imaginations run away with us. We could be anything we wanted.
Do you remember those times? Where running was an enjoyable activity performed for fun? We could run for hours and hours and never tire or bore! They seem so far away now I’m a little bit podgy and a lottle bit unfit – but whatever, if I ever find myself being chased by a bear I only need to be faster than the slowest person in the group, right…
Well, today was one of those running days. I was running, and running, and running some more. No purpose, no destination, just running. Little did I know I was being watched. Not in a weird stalky way, more accurately, I was being scouted.
“You run fast.”
“I know.”
“Wanna Race?”
I couldn’t believe it! Me, the lowly Ruth West had been challenged by Tia Maloney, widely renowned as the fastest girl in the infants!
“Yeah, ok.”
She summoned an audience for what was bound to be a spectacular event. The rules were simple. First to the wall and back would be the winner. Two of her minions came forward, each one carrying the end of a skipping rope. This would be our finish line. There was just one thing I noticed. One tiny, insurmountable detail that I picked up on. Just prior to our finish line position lay a rogue skipping rope which was directly in our path.
‘Someone might trip over that’ I thought. I looked at the raucous crowd leaping in anticipation. This was no time to raise a concern. ‘Meh, they probably won’t.’
“On your marks, get set, GO!”
And we were off! I leapt out the starting blocks flinging myself forward. I thought I’d been fast, but Tia was faster. I looked up to see her pulling away. Had I tired myself with all the running I had done already done that day? No! Focus! This wasn’t a time for doubts.
I pushed onwards and as I approached the wall, the halfway point, I was gaining on her. I kicked off for the return across the playground: Harder, better, faster, stronger. I was level now. Thrusters on maximum I pulled ahead gaining more with every step. The finish line was so close now I could taste it. If I just reached out…
BANG!
I hit the floor mere metres from the finish line. I gazed around I saw Tia run past, arms raised above her head, victorious. She had won.
But how could this have happened! I was so close, what could have stopped me? I looked down at my grazed knees and just beyond I saw it. The Rogue Skipping Rope, that traitor!!!
Only after Tia had been crowned champion did the faithful followers flock around me to see if I was ok.
I was not.
I couldn’t get up.
My mum came to pick me up. She carried me from the car into the house and plonked me on the sofa. I refused to walk. I was in agony. Mum was getting increasingly angry with me. Apparently, it was just a graze and I wasn’t even trying. She set me a (in hindsight) cruel challenge, placing Smarties around the room, instructing me to walk to collect them. I tried! I really did. But I couldn’t put any weight on my foot. I just about managed to hop to the first one and eat it, but I was too exhausted to carry on. I sat on the floor and cried.
PANIC STATIONS!
My mother must have thought ‘SHIT! She’s not even going to get chocolate! There must be something seriously wrong here’. She scooped me up in her arms and rushed me to the Surgery.
“Hmm,” the Doctor pondered. “It’s definitely not broken.”
Good news!
“But I’d go to the hospital just to check.”
Dad met us in A&E where the Doctor said “Hmm, it’s definitely not broken.”
Great News!
“But I’d go to the X-ray department just to check.”
A couple of hours and a full leg cast later it transpired that it was, in fact, one of the worst breaks you can get. It had split diagonally in two and shifted out of place. I was in a wheelchair for three weeks and on a zimmer frame for three more.
Six weeks out of training was too long. My hopes of Olympic Glory disappeared. I knew it was nothing more than pipe dreams now, evaporating like steam from a kettle. All those moments lost in time, like tears in rain.
We all know it’s incredibly difficult to stand out online and colour can play an incredible part in helping us emerge from the crowd.
Colours can be used to invoke diverse emotions and feelings so it is very important to consider exactly what our content and branding is projecting to our audience.
The Arts Business has created a Colour Wheel and table to give you an idea of the different kind of information that is conative with different colours.
YELLOW
· Creative
· Joyful
· Energy
· Fresh
· Youthfulness
ORANGE
· Confidence
· Success
· Bravery
· Friendly
· Cheerful
· Warmth
RED
· Passion
· Power
· Urgency
· Love
· Heat
PINK
· Flamboyant
· Fun
· Sexuality
· Caring
· Feminine
· Emotional
PURPLE
· Luxury
· Wisdom
· Ambitious
BLACK
· Exclusivity
· Bold
· Stability
BLUE
· Faith
· Calm
· Loyal
· Intelligent
GREY
· High-Tech
· Security
GREEN
· Money
· Growth
· Health
· Eco
· Natural
· Safe
Different shades of these colours can also suggest different things for example lighter, pastel colours are seen as calming and serene whereas bright, more vibrant colours induce energy and enthusiasm.
When thinking about the branding of your arts business you will also want to consider any important call to action buttons or clickbait, ensuring they are in a contrasting colour to the rest of your website so it stands out to your consumers.
And there you have it, well, sort of. Obviously, there’s a load of psychological reasoning behind why we feel certain ways or associate things with different colours and should you choose to google it you can spend hours in the rabbit hole of why!
But the important thing is to recognise the significance of colours to use them effectively through the branding of your arts business!
What colours do you use for your branding and why? Let us know in the comments!
Thank God this pandemic happened in the 2020s! Even 10 years ago we didn’t have the same level of technology we do now, where we can communicate through images, text and video to anyone from wherever we are in the world. Such is the beauty of the evolution of the Smartphone!
Utilising this wizardry alongside technology evolved from their 2016 performance of ‘The Tempest’ the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in collaboration with Manchester International Festival (MIF), Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) and Philharmonia Orchestra, brings ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ directly to your home through VR.
Dream gives a unique opportunity for audiences to directly influence the live performance from wherever they are in the world. Audiences will experience a new performance environment easily accessed on their mobile, desktop or tablet via the dream.online website. The performance uses the latest gaming and theatre technology together with an interactive symphonic score that responds to the actors’ movement during the show.
The live performance is set in a virtual midsummer forest. Under the shadow of gathering clouds at dusk, lit by the glimmer of fireflies, Puck acts as the guide. Audiences are invited to explore the forest from the canopy of the trees to the roots, meet the sprites, Cobweb, Mustardseed, Peaseblossom and Moth, and take an extraordinary journey into the eye of a cataclysmic storm. Together with Puck, they must regrow the forest before the dawn. When day breaks, the spell breaks.
The 50-minute online event will be a shared experience between remote audience members and the seven actors who play Puck and the sprites. Audiences can choose to buy a £10 ticket to take part and at key points in the play directly influence the world of the actors, or to view the performance for FREE.
At the moment, the only way for our artistic work to reach an audience is through the magic of the internet, and though no one is looking to replace attending artistic events in real life the creative industries are being forced to explore alternative options. Now is the time to reach out to tech or design companies and create shared experiences that showcase both your work and theirs in a mind-blowing collaboration.
So, get researching tech and design companies in your area and reach out. If you’re Midlands based (like me) you have The Silicon Spa right on your doorstep! That is one of the largest hubs of video game designers in the UK hidden in the rural Victorian bath town of Leamington.
And don’t be scared!
If you have a great idea, reach out to these kinds of companies and figure out what’s possible. The worst they can say is no. And the best? Having cooperate sponsorship and starting a creative revolution from your home office!
Have you done any awesome work with companies like these? If the answer is yes tell us in our comments! We’d love to hear about them!
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‘A Good Day is a Good Day, A Bad Day is a Good Story’ – Glennon Melton.
I’ve had many a bad day in my life.
You know the ones I mean. Those days where everything starts bad and gets worse.
You wake up to discover your alarm hasn’t gone off.
You groggily stumble into the bathroom to find you have run out of toothpaste and in your haste, smack your head off the door mirror.
You struggle to get dressed realising when you pull up your trousers you’ve put them on the wrong way… again.
You speed walk up the road in beautiful sunshine when all of a sudden, black clouds gather overhead, bringing with it a weathery apocalypse.
You have no coat, or umbrella, or sleeves.
You cross the road and step in a puddle the size of Brazil and deeper than the Pacific and completely ruin your (massively inappropriate for the rain) suede shoes.
You watch your bus pull up at your stop from 100 metres away, although it may as well be 100 miles, and despite deep down knowing that however fast you run you will never make it, you peg it towards your goal.
Your bus pulls away so you try to style it out but then you trip.
You ladder your tights and graze your knee.
You get up thoroughly embarrassed only to realise your bag has also flown to the ground, contents sprawled across the pavement and tampons gracefully rolling down the hill for the whole world to see.
You think to yourself ‘Stupid Gravity’. You glance down at your watch, thinking how could this day get any worse, to realise the screen has cracked, and it’s not even 8.30 in the morning!
Alright, so maybe this is a bit cheesy music video and you’re probably expecting Daniel Powter to wheel past playing a grand piano but you get the gist.
We’ve all had them. You work yourself up and then spend the rest of the day brooding about everything that happens however big (i.e. ‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHH a meteor is headed for earth. FML. This is the worst thing ever in the history of the world. Stupid fucking meteor. I never even liked earth anyway way. You rock-y bastard’) or small (i.e. ‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I dropped my pen. FML. This is the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world. Stupid fucking pen. I never even liked you anyway. You pen-y bastard.’). Everything simply gets worse and worse, and worse and worse, until your vision is covered in a mist of black.
I think everyone can agree that on these shit days there is little to smile about, right? WRONG!
Now, with my new life philosophy, I look back on these days in a whole new light!
Don’t worry! And don’t stop reading!
I’m not about to preach to you some mindfulness preaching like how all I eat is Kale now which is feeding my brain so much that I know closely resemble Megamind or that this new yogarobics spin class I discovered releases so many endorphins that it is better than taking ecstasy or even that I found God on the backseat of my car next to a 2-month-old bag of Haribo (which to anyone who knows me could actually be feasibly true, my car is full of crap, loads of places for Jesus to hide). No, no no!
My Mantra is simple:
‘A Good Day is a Good Day,
A Bad Day is a Good Story’
That’s it. Simple.
They may be happy or sad memories. They may be filled with laughter or tears. They may be jam-packed days or a singular moment, but they are all stories waiting to be told.
So, roll up to witness the astonishingly absurd situations and ridiculous scenarios I seem to end up in, from bad dates to worse job interviews, sucky employees and crappy people.
Join me on a whirlwind adventure of my bad days that I have turned into good stories. And most of all, enjoy.
“44 miles per hour.” I was in a 30 zone.
“Ruth West,” I blurted.
And I suppose there was that time I’d got a caution for ‘Trolley-napping.’ I kid you not, this was actually written on the official warning sheet we were given. Some friends and I were caught joyriding around a public park in a shopping trolley but I reckon the policeman only gave it out to scare us, or to so that we could show off by parading the slip around school because he knew this story would make for great banter… which we did… and it was.
Why? Well, I can pretty much guarantee had this incident not occurred I would (almost definitely) be an Olympic Athlete by now running alongside Hussain Bolt, probably faster, having been the only female ever to compete with the men. I would have at least twenty gold medals hanging around my super strong neck.
PANIC STATIONS!
A couple of hours and a full leg cast later it transpired that it was, in fact, one of the worst breaks you can get. It had split diagonally in two and shifted out of place. I was in a wheelchair for three weeks and on a zimmer frame for three more.
You wake up to discover your alarm hasn’t gone off.
You cross the road and step in a puddle the size of Brazil and deeper than the Pacific and completely ruin your (massively inappropriate for the rain) suede shoes.
You get up thoroughly embarrassed only to realise your bag has also flown to the ground, contents sprawled across the pavement and tampons gracefully rolling down the hill for the whole world to see.
We’ve all had them. You work yourself up and then spend the rest of the day brooding about everything that happens however big (i.e. ‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHH a meteor is headed for earth. FML. This is the worst thing ever in the history of the world. Stupid fucking meteor. I never even liked earth anyway way. You rock-y bastard’) or small 
(i.e. ‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I dropped my pen. FML. This is the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world. Stupid fucking pen. I never even liked you anyway. You pen-y bastard.’). Everything simply gets worse and worse, and worse and worse, until your vision is covered in a mist of black.
I’m not about to preach to you some mindfulness preaching like how all I eat is Kale now which is feeding my brain so much that I know closely resemble Megamind or that this new yogarobics spin class I discovered releases so many endorphins that it is better than taking ecstasy or even that I found God on the backseat of my car next to a 2-month-old bag of Haribo (which to anyone who knows me could actually be feasibly true, my car is full of crap, loads of places for Jesus to hide). No, no no!
