Projects

New Caliban

Produced by Christine Cooper Ltd. and developed from Maggie Rose’s stage version by Director Emily Ingram, New Caliban is a 25-minute-long screenplay for primaries 5-7 that explores environmental themes from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Join Caliban, Prospero, and Miranda as they journey from a nature-filled island to a bustling city, confronting modern challenges like pollution. Inspired by an environmental group, they create wildflower Seedbombs that magically transform the cityscape into lush greenery, sparking a community-wide movement towards sustainability where nature triumphs over urbanisation.

Paisley Abbey Research Project

Funded by Future Paisley and Renfrewshire Leisure, this research tracks the decline of green space around Paisley Abbey from the 16th to the 19th century. It explores the Abbey’s founding and significance, overviews historical descriptions of the extensive green space surrounding it and depicts some of its food sources and biodiversity. Following the Scottish Protestant Reformation and driven by industrialisation and population growth, overcrowded and unsanitary housing peaked at the end of the Victorian Era.

systems_theory

Performed by cellist-composer Emily De Simone, systems_theory is a curated set of multimedia works reflecting human impact on the world. This hour-long programme features Michael Gordon’s poignant Light is Calling, composed near Ground Zero after 9/11, and Thomas Butler’s thought-provoking Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You, exploring the relationship between humanity and technology. Delve into Shona Mackay’s mesmerising audiovisual piece Cloud Hands, drawing from Tai Chi and meditation, and Kate Moore’s evocative Velvet, inspired by the movement of light on cloth as depicted in Renaissance painting. Additionally, enjoy Hannah Imlach’s captivating artist film Fieldwork, depicting sculptural instruments inspired by peatland ecology and a musical response from composer John De Simone.

Face to Face: Music and Conversation

Face to Face: Music and Conversation brought Ensemble Thing (UK), Attica! Ensemble (Mexico) and composers Jan Foote and Jimena Maldonado (The Netherlands) together for a two-day online symposium. Joined by a cast of world-leading music makers and hosted by Aejaa (Germany), the event featured performances and roundtable discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on music-making, the resilience of grassroots contemporary music, and strategies to support creative production during and after the crisis.

Jan Tait and the Bear

Jan Tait and the Bear is a comedic chamber opera by Emily Doolittle, inspired by a mediaeval Shetlandic tale of friendship, adventure, and a ferocious bear. This comedic chamber opera tells the story of Jan Tait, a rugged and roguish Shetlander who is always ready for an adventure. When he is over-charged by an unscrupulous tax collector, Jan Tait strikes back. He is transported to Norway to account for his crimes before the king, but instead of meeting his fate, he meets a dreaded bear who needs Jan as much as Jan needs him. Narrated by Alan McHugh and directed by Stasi Schaeffer, this enchanting production is a delightful adventure for music and folklore enthusiasts of all ages.

Replaceable Things

Ensemble Thing presents two compelling works examining the modern human experience. John De Simone’s Panic Diary is a deeply personal work about living with an anxiety disorder, while Thomas Butler’s Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You explores our interaction with emerging technologies. The performance blends live music, electronic soundscapes, spoken word, and video to create a captivating multimedia experience.