We recently welcomed arts collective Earth-Bound to The Whirligig for a week-long residency, which they spent developing their latest production, ‘For The Love Of Stuff’. Having artists in residence always brings with it a unique energy, one that fans the flames of the Wild Rumpus team, and acts as a symbiotic exchange of creative energy!
Who are Earth-Bound?
Earth-Bound are a group of freelance artists led by Artistic Director, Sioda Adams. Working across theatre and film, the collective create thought-provoking performances with a strong focus on social and environmental justice.
Earth-Bound used their time with us to develop their most recent production, For The Love Of Stuff, an outdoor show which tells the story of a fantastical future world. Told through movement, music, theatre, song and aerial arts, the production relays a tale of climate optimism in an engaging and accessible way; exploring how nature connection can act as a catalyst for change by shifting perceptions around throwaway culture.
What they did!
We were joined by Sioda, Earth-Bound’s producer Amy, seven freelance performers, a BSL interpreter and costume designer. The company spent their time at The Whirligig working on all elements of the show, from practicing aerial dance sequences to creating new songs, making props and stitching costumes.
The residency allowed the group – who are based all over the UK and have previously found logistics around rehearsals a challenge – to fully immerse themselves in the show’s development process, as artists lived and worked alongside one another for the week they spent on residency.
‘The residency enabled us to all stay and live together which was invaluable. Cooking together and sharing stories around the fire in the evening has created so many amazing memories and strengthened our friendships further’ – Steph Townsend, Education Manager and Performer.
The residency also allowed the group to thoroughly test their work in an outdoor setting and practice dealing with the forces of nature, which, as Sioda noted, is particularly useful during the creation process as it helped the artists to foresee any challenges that might come up during performances.
Sharing their work.
At the end of Earth-Bound’s residency we opened our doors to local audiences for a free workshop. Our visitors watched Earth-Bound rehearse For The Love Of Stuff, before gathering in the Roundhouse for an instrument-building session. They made drums, shakers, a guitar and a xylophone from the waste containers before putting their junk orchestra to use and learning Earth-Bound’s latest song, sung in harmony with two of the group’s musicians. It was brilliant to see our visitors engage and share some of the creative energy which Earth-Bound bought with them in plenty to The Whirligig.
Benefits of a residency at Wild Rumpus
Our residencies offer artists the opportunity to connect with themselves, with each other, and with nature. We believe that arts and culture can create meaningful change in how we see our place in the world, and by offering artists a green space to develop their work, open new ways of thinking and new ways of looking at the world.
‘It really is invaluable to a process and individual creative development for artists to have access to natural spaces. It contributes positively to the wellbeing of everyone, and ultimately inspires more creative play.’ – Sioda Adams, Earth-Bound Artistic Director
With thanks to all at Earth-Bound – we couldn’t have wished for a more creative, colourful and optimistic Artist Residency to open our 2023 season!
Interested in an Artist Residency with Wild Rumpus? We will re-open our applications in July for our Autumn Residency programme.
For The Love Of Stuff will be touring from summer 2023.
Image credits: Elly Wel Photography