Conversations with

community artists

Between Autumn 2020 and Summer 2021, Terrestrial’s Director Tom Spencer recorded conversations with an extraordinary group of artists about their work with communities.

These conversations range across England and across artforms (from film to woodworking, dance to poetry). Some of these artists have many years of experience and some are developing their first projects. We hope you enjoy diving into these inspiring stories as much as we did.

These artists were selected by a panel of artists, community collaborators, producers and supporters as part of our Remote Residencies project. Around half of these artists spent time ‘in residence’ with us - exploring new connections in their local environments.

We’ve included the date of each recording, as most of these conversations took place within periods of Covid-19 ‘lockdown’ in the UK. Many of the artists reflect on how recent experiences have affected the way they think about their work with communities.

We have included a web link for each artist. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out anything more or if we can be helpful continuing these dialogues. hello@terrestrial.org.uk

Azara

Azara is a multi-disciplinary artist working across live art, film, breakdance and theatre. Azara is also host of over-60s cabaret ‘The Posh Club’ in Hackney, London.

Bela Emerson

Bela Emerson is a musician and the founder of Open Strings, Brighton & Hove’s specialist community music service for adults of all abilities.

By Our Hands...

By Our Hands We Make Our Way is Martin & Carly’s home studio and community workshop space in Nottingham. They host classes and projects for adults and young people.

Caroline Wilkes

Caroline Wilkes is a theatre maker and community arts practitioner living and working in Birmingham and the surrounding areas.

Emma Case

Emma Case is a photographer and producer specialising in projects that explore home, memory and place, based in Liverpool.

Jessica Sanders

Jess Sanders is a communication designer from Hong Kong, based in London. She works across illustration, animation, graphics and non-prescriptive play.

Kate McCoy

Kate McCoy is Artistic Director of Small Performance Adventures, making workshops, performances and events with people who have been affected by life in Brighton.

ME Dance

ME Dance is a contemporary dance company based in Halesowen and Stourbridge in the Black Country. They train young dancers and work as a professional ensemble.

Melanie Kalay

Melanie Kalay is yoga teacher, wellness practitioner and DJ based in Brighton. As a ‘Sensory Alchemist’ she hosts a huge range of different events and gatherings.

Natasha Haws

Natasha Haws is a director, producer, actor and musician based in South Shields. She facilitates a range of community projects, especially with young people in the North East.

Ryan Gilmartin

Ryan Gilmartin is a theatre maker, video DJ, community facilitator and American Football coach, working between Manchester and his home town of Spalding in Lincolnshire.

Sonia Quintero

Sonia Quintero is a poet, cultural promoter, community builder, dreamer and change maker, as well as founder and organiser of Newham Poetry Group.

Sophie Fretwell

Sophie Fretwell is a scenographer, costume illustrator for TV and film, and community artist, based on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.

Sophie Stone

Sophie Stone is an experienced actor for theatre, television and film and co-founder of the DH Ensemble. She is based in St Leonards-on-Sea. (BSL interpreter: Kyra Pollitt)

Tanaka Mhishi

Tanaka Mhishi is a poet, playwright and performer based in London. He is also an activist and facilitator, working particularly around consent and sexual violence.

Tara Sachdeva

Tara Sachdeva co-leads Compass Presents in Bristol, with whom she creates expanded cinema experiences, immersive environments and interactive encounters.

Toubie Jack

Toubie Jack is a visual artist based in Manchester. She runs ‘The Art Gap’ club for children to explore artistic practices, as well as larger scale community projects.

Uncultured Creatives

Uncultured Creatives is a collaboration between Artist Jamie Holman and Curator Alex Zawadzki. Making work influenced by stories of ‘Uncultured Creativity’, based in Blackburn.

Produced by Hattie Gregory, with support from Grace Duggan & Riddell Erridge.

Header image: Azara in conversation with Tom Spencer.