The award-winning theatre company Slung Low are set to open a new art gallery with a difference later this month. Based in Holbeck, South Leeds, the company will be opening the LS11 Art Gallery which will feature the best paintings, drawings and photographs created and chosen by the people of Holbeck and Beeston. However instead of displaying on gallery walls the images will be displayed on lamp posts around the two areas for all to see.
The company have asked people to email from the two areas their image to the Holbeck theatre company and they will arrange to come round and take a photo of it that will then be printed onto special plastic board. The images will then be put on display on lamp posts around the Holbeck and Beeston areas.
Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low said:
“Our instinct at Slung Low is always to be useful and kind. For the last few weeks that has primarily been about delivering food bank parcels and helping people get their prescriptions. We know that a hungry soul will find it hard to be creative, to find joy so the first part of our response has to be making sure that people have their basic material needs met: and we will continue that work until this is all over.
“But as theatre makers we also understand the importance of storytelling and that there are different ways to be useful. LS11 Art Gallery is us telling the story that this area- like all parts of this nation- is full of creativity, that in every house are people who are brilliant, creative and capable of profound beauty. We need to make sure we keep telling that story in these challenging times.
“We’ re going to open an art gallery on the lamp posts of LS11 and the people who live here will make what we exhibit. Let’s cheer ourselves up a bit.”
Founded in 2000 Slung Low is an award-winning theatre company specialising in making epic productions in non-theatre spaces, often with large community performance companies at their heart. The company recently relocated to The Holbeck in South Leeds: the oldest working men’s club in Britain. They run the bar as a traditional members’ bar and the rest of the building as an open development space for artists and a place where Slung Low invite other companies to present their work that otherwise might not get to be seen in Leeds. All work presented at The Holbeck is Pay What You Decide.
In Autumn 2018 Slung Low launched a Cultural Community College based in Holbeck; a place where adults come to learn new cultural skills – from stargazing to South Indian cooking, from carpentry to singing in a choir – and all workshops, supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, are provided on a Pay What You Decide basis.
The company are now volunteer guardians of the city ward of Beeston & Holbeck taking referrals from Leeds City Council Covid-19 helpline (0113) 378 1877. With the help of the staff of other arts organisations in Leeds including Opera North they are delivering food and medicine to the vulnerable, elderly and those in isolation.
If you live in Holbeck or Beeston and want your drawing or painting or photograph to be a part of this then you can; take a picture of it and send it to Slung Low by email at theholbeck@slunglow.org or text us on 07704 582137 and we will arrange to come round and take a copy of it for you.
This post is based on a press release issued on behalf of Slung Low
Hey, just a question…
Is there a due date to when people can’t send anymore pictures?
No idea, but I sent a few of mine yesterday and they were accepted.
Someone appears to have cut the cable ties to the one on Beeton Rd outside St Mary’s cemetery.
Not unusual to see things that have been cable tied in that road cut e.g. banners on occasion put up on railings outside Cross Flatts Park. Whenever there are official banners, tend to see ties cut within days.
Odd vandalism habit, especially as think would mean person had a knife on them.
Great exhibition though and very thoughtful.