METHODOLOGY
Developing the right format are major concerns in our developmental work. Very often, we have no set creative format to work within until we have met local people and talked to partners and stakeholders in the project – to discuss their ideas and gauge their views on possible approaches / project outlines.
Each project partner may have its own specific requirements. Project delivery may involve working within in a given project brief (e.g. producing four unique participatory projects for four housing developments across Merseyside for Liverpool Housing Action Trust), or in devising work in an environment or with an organisation with little or no experience of delivering arts-based activity (e.g. a series of participatory workshops for Calderdale Womens Centre).
We have experience of delivering on a range of requirements relating to issues such as: inclusivity, capacity building, audience development and skill sharing. Our workshops / participatory elements can be hands-on, creative sessions leading to the production of original artwork by the participants.
Alternatively workshops can be structured around a discussion and / or reminiscence. They can be designed for a group, looking at particular themes and / or issues. Or they can be one-to-one. The latter is ideally suited to elderly participants or those who feel uneasy in group situations.
WORKSHOPS
verd de gris is committed to developing workshops and sessional work in partnership with commissioning bodies and agency support workers. Building trust and confidence and developing the right format are major concerns in our developmental work.
Our participatory sessions are designed to be as open and as inclusive as possible. They have the aim of encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds with little or no creative experience to get involved and produce art work for wider consumption. Creatively this may mean working with recognised art materials (clay, collage, paint, printing) in structured sessions. Alternatively it may mean just sitting and talking – sharing memories or thoughts on a particular theme.
Workshops can be one-off, designed to respond to a more informal environment. Or they can be devised as a series, offering a more structured approach with wider goals and objectives.
As practitioners we choose to work across artforms and disciplines, to create work that may include elements of: performance, recorded sound, reclaimed or found objects, original music, photography, written and the spoken word. We also employ specialised project workers (e.g. musicians, writers, performers, technicians) as required and employ specialised fabricators to assist in the manufacture of specific art work. Decisions made relating to design very much depend on the requirements of the brief: potential audience, nature of site, accessibility etc.
verd de gris is arts is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England, number 5450281 Reg. office 46 Foster Lane, Hebden Bridge HX7 8HF
