Flying Ducks
Chic: Creative Health in Communities
Multi - disciplined Community Arts group promoting creative health in our community
'We make, imagine, take risks, identify and solve complex problems, we apply knowledge and skills in creative ways to achieve a valued goal'
We started from our desire to meet as a group artists, all interested in experimenting with different ways of being creative together informally as a peer group. Today we are an established not-for-profit Arts Organisation, whose focus is to develop our own practice alongside sharing our skills with the wider community. We are committed to supporting new artists and working alongside other creative individuals and organisations.
The Projects 2007 - 2008
Connecting Communities. This project allowed us to work with different cultural and faith groups to create links between diverse members of our community. ‘Shake the Shackles’ saw us in partnership with darts (Doncaster Arts), creating a musical performance piece exploring links between slavery and industrialization. Over five months we worked with the Quirky Choir, a local gospel choir, and a visiting group of young musicians from South Africa and local African and English musicians and dancers. ‘Church and Mosque’ allowed us to work with WMDC Equality and Diversity services, and two local primary schools, Sandal Endowed and Sandal Magna. We brought together children and adults from different faith and cultural backgrounds and explored Christianity and Islam through visits to Agbrigg Mosque and St Helen’s Church, and related creative activities. ‘Shadow Play’ saw us working with Agbrigg parents and toddlers to create a shadow puppet performance about a Pakistani wedding, which we then shared with parents, and toddlers who meet at St Paul’s Church in Walton, and at Shay Lane Primary School. Members of the Ducks were also delighted to join their new colleagues in Agbrigg for a henna party and sharing of traditional food.
Dignity was created to mark the 200th anniversary of the Parliamentary Act to abolish slavery in the British Colonies. Members of the Flying Ducks worked with St Helen’s Gospel Choir, dancers from Bretton Hall, and other local musicians to make a piece of music, dance and words to explore links between the Transatlantic Slave Trade and modern day trafficking of women. This powerful and poignant piece toured throughout the year culminating in a high profile event at Holy Trinity Church in Hull, the place where William Wilberforce was christened.
Creative Healing and Labyrinths and Land Art
http://www.lindaking.org.uk
Linda King took on a busy programme of work creating beautiful land art, and developing her labyrinth and creative healing work
Dance of Life
http://www.rogerking.info/events.htm
Dance for life was hosted by Roger King and invited a number of visiting dance teachers and musicians to lead this innovative creative dance project. Up to 40 people per session participated in this meditative dance for self-development.
Ducks in Dorset
Flying Ducks member Ali Bullivent spent 10 months in Dorset living and working at the Othona Community. During this time she ran a weekly drumming circle, led a residential singing week, music groups and song workshops, and worked alongside groups and individuals with healing, prayer and voice. She also wrote several new songs based on the experience. Other Ducks visited throughout the year and participated in peer led workshops and development of their own art form. Linda King ran a weekend of Labyrinth work and Roger King ran Dance for Life sessions.
Cultural Exchange and Education
We have continued to develop our cultural exchange programme and worked in a variety of secondary schools, primary schools, and colleges, and ran training for early years staff at Surestart Hull.
2005
JOURNEYING ON was a year long project of Women’s Workshops for inner healing and strength, support and kindness. Participatory music, singing, visual arts and
movement are offered in safe and creative spaces for participants.
HEAVEN AND EARTH was performed in May, the culmination of the 2 year St Helen’s project. Over 300 people watched the gospel choir, Cana, bell ringers, djembe players and dancers perform this highly innovative performance piece. Associated visual arts workshops resulted in a stunning 5 panel painting which is now displayed in St Helen’s church.
SINGING, RINGING AND DRUMMING ( partnership with Thomo Lengne) was a 3 month project with young people to encourage music making. Over 500 participants took part in 60 workshops which celebrated and explored African and English traditional music. We also successfully took on 2 trainees to learn workshop delivery skills. We were pleased to further embed our work in Sandal Endowed Church of England Primary School and Sandal Magna Junior School (which has a majority of Muslim pupils).
2004
The ST HELEN’S PROJECT began in Oct 2003 and was completed in May 2005. It celebrates structural changes to the 10th century church of St Helen’s in the parish of Sandal and Magna and culminated in a performance piece based on the past, present and future of church and the story of St Helen. Workshops with local groups and individuals have provided source material and stimulus to create music for voice, bells and djembe, dance and visual arts. We have worked with parents and toddlers, Primary Schools, older people, passers by, users of the Spring, asylum seekers, people with mixed abilities, and created a children’s choir and a gospel choir.
The Ducks celebrated INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY in 2005 by teaming up with the Well Women Centre in Wakefield and running a number of workshops, performances and exhibitions across the district. A new song cycle ‘Life Cycles’ was written and performed, a new body of visual work ‘The Woman Within’ exhibited, and a whole day of innovative and creative workshops were run at the Elizabethan rooms. Card making workshops also took place in the Ridings centre and proved popular with teenage boys!
THE GREEN HOUSE was a visual arts project which continued our relationship with Sandal Magna School and the Allotment Association. Artists and children turned their school greenhouse into a visual feast during a two day residency in February.
Several sessions of an ongoing creative programme of work known as THE DRESSING UP BOX took place in 2005. Flying Ducks members and associates use this opportunity to explore different personas and create improvised scenarios using a huge variety of rich and colourful clothes and accessories kept in several special trunks.
2003
During 2003 we have undertaken two major new pieces of work. ‘THE BODY PROJECT’ has provided a creative space for women of all backgrounds and ages to affirm and celebrate their bodies. We have worked closely with members of Wakefield’s Well Women Centre and will be continuing with this connection. ‘BORDERS AND STATIONS’ saw the Ducks working with local African people in a series of creative responses. Songs were written and artwork created – performances and exhibitions took place at ‘Borders’ in Leeds and at ‘Festival of Africa’ in Wakefield city precinct. The Flying Ducks are committed to continuing to support local asylum seekers and refugees and assist their positive integration with and contribution to the local community. A week long residency at St Helen’s church, Sandal called ‘Stations’ saw over 400 local school children from different cultural backgrounds exploring the Easter Story through drama, games, dance, ritual, story telling and promenade.
In June 2003 we created a performance piece entitled ‘INSIDE OUTSIDE’ to celebrate the centenary of sculpture Barbara Hepworth. We worked with a number of artists and local students in this project and it was performed at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) in June. To compliment this work, we have run sculpting workshops and visits to YSP with local women’s arts groups and primary schools. Below, photograph of the dancers and artists preparing for the 'Inside Outside' performance. Click here to see a photograph of the dancers performing in the project. You will be sent to the 'Composition' page.
In October members of the Flying Ducks joined other musicians at St Helen’s church for a performance event celebrating harvest – ‘HARVEST HOME’. We encouraged audience members to reflect on the different affect of the seasons and harvest in different parts of the world. Photographs from of refugees in Uganda looking after their crops (taken by local photographic artist) accompanied songs about allotments and harvest at home.
2002
In June 2002 we completed a day of performance and participation at National Trust property Nostell Priory, ‘DUCKS AT THE PRIORY’, which included a-capella singing, Tagore poetry with music and dance, contemporary dance, painting and story telling, and a participatory Edwardian soiree (singing and dancing).
During November and December 2002 we ran workshops in association with the Allotment Association and Sandal Magna School in collage making, song writing and mandala work. Artwork was exhibited at Agbrigg Community Centre and music performed at a ‘WINTER CALLS’, a performance event at St Helen’s Church. The link with the school has continued and we have run further workshops to celebrate the seasons, festivals and explore healthy living, and supported the school’s work for the festival of Ede.
2001
In June 2001 we held our first event open to the general public, ‘EDWARDIAN DAY’, in partnership with Wakefield Countryside Services at Newmillerdam. Using the history of Wakefield’s Pilkington family and how they spent their leisure time as our stimulus we shared slide shows, scenes from plays, dances, songs, mimes, tableaux, and stories.
We have also held CHRISTMAS SHARINGS, a LANTERN PROCESSION and created a street performance at the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL.
2000
In July 2000 we held our first community event ‘BIT OF A DO’ inviting friends, families and local people to participate in a creative garden party. Attractions included:
A mad hatters tea party, hat making, singing workshops, string quartet, collective painting, puppet show, Israeli dancing, chalk drawing, treasure trail, plus various performance pieces, and a poetry tree.
