Engaging audiences and the community

A CBSO Ignite project

Found in Ladywood is a unique musical event that is theculmination of work that took place during community-basedworkshops between the Leo String Quartet, composer DuncanChapman and members of the Ladywood community. The project has involved community members working with theperformers and the project team to create an innovative eventwhilst learning more about event skills for future projects.

The event is taking place within the engine house of theLadywood Community Fire Station as an unusual venue in theheart of Ladywood, and the community event team has workedthroughout the project to create the event space that surroundsyou, from the technical and design aspects of the performancespace to the recording of the live sounds that will be usedduring the performance.

The Found in Ladywood event will be a performance ofShostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 by the Leo String Quartetand an original sound composition by Duncan Chapmaninspired by the sounds of Ladywood recorded by thecommunity event team. A short film inspired by Shostakovich’sString Quartet No. 8 and the area of Ladywood will also bescreened during the event. The film was produced by BenCresswell and Shei Ahmed, members of the community eventteam, as a response to Shostakovich Quartet No. 8, Ladywoodand the artistic process of the project.

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2.15pm Welcome

2.20pm Found in Ladywood original composition by Duncan Chapman

2.45pm Short film by Shei Ahmed and Ben Cresswell

3pm Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8performed by the CBSO’s Leo String Quartet

“My favourite parts weremeeting the people and

knowing that I will beinvolved in something

very exciting.”

Sophia Bennese, community event team

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The project aimed to engage the Ladywood community directly, taking classicalmusic out of its traditional settings and making music more accessible throughperforming in an unusual but familiar venue, the Ladywood Community Fire Station.These aims are in line with the Birmingham City Council initiative ‘Culture on yourdoorstep’ which aims to bring artistic events into communities and involvecommunity members within the conception and implementation of the project.

The project has been funded by the Working Neighbourhood Fund (WNF) as partof Birmingham City Council. This funding body is specifically designed forcommunity engagement and empowerment within the arts, focussing particularlyon community participation.

The CBSO believes that music plays a vital role in all our lives, and particularly inour cultural, social and intellectual development. In response to this, the CBSO’seducation team stimulates the creation and enjoyment of music, and reaches over36,000 people of all ages every year. The Found in Ladywood project aims to aidthis endeavour and reach as many members of the Ladywood community aspossible, through participation in the workshops, the performance of the musicalpieces and hopefully future projects within Ladywood.

The Found in Ladywood project ispart of the CBSO’s long-standingIgnite programme, engagingaudiences and the community.

Found in Ladywood – A project background Found in Ladywood was written and produced by ClaireFarrell EC-ARTS. The project conception was inspired bya MADE artistic project ‘Lost in Ladywood’ with artistSimon Whitehead in 2007, following an artist residencywithin the community of Ladywood. ‘Lost in Ladywood’ isan illustrated book which contains a series of walks takenregularly by community members around Ladywood.Throughout, community members tell their stories ofLadywood and their experiences of the area.

The personal nature of the book, the direct input fromcommunity members and the genuine love for theLadywood area that was conveyed all inspired the feel forthe project that was later to become Found in Ladywood,a direct response to the link the two projects share.

So, as ‘Lost in Ladywood’ suggested, we took a walk...

‘Lost in Ladywood’ 2007 by Simon Whitehead

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The ‘Lost in Ladywood’ map of Ladywood

Project event team

Shei AhmedDalbero Kaur BainsSophia BenneseViola BradeBen CresswellClaire FarrellMary LindseyHarry NaylorJoe SteeleCoral SutherlandJan TweenChris VaughanLynette WebbeKate Whitlow

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The project workshops

27 July – First artistic workshop at Ladywood Community Centre –This session involved Ladywood community members, together with thecomposer, taking a tour around Ladywood and recording sounds aroundthe area. These sounds were all then brought together to create theoriginal ‘Ladywood’ piece.

10 August – First event skills workshop at Ladywood CommunityCentre – The participating Ladywood community members talkedthrough events they had attended and what event managementinvolved. They were then given an overview of the project and taughtbasic event skills, techniques and terminology that could then be builtupon during the future project sessions.

17 August – Second event skills workshop at LadywoodCommunity Centre – The participants listened to ShostakovichString Quartet No. 8 for the first time and discussed as a group their responses and theimpressions that the piece inspired. This session also involved talking through the event management roles in more detailand decided upon roles and tasks during the project and the event. Ben and Shei conceived the idea of the short filminspired by Ladywood and the Shostakovich piece during the group reflection on the piece.

24 August – Third event skills workshop at Ladywood Fire Station – The group was able to view the performancespace for the first time and apply their ideas for the event. The group also worked on the individual tasks within the teamwith the help of the project team.

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31 August – Fourth event skills workshop atLadywood Community Centre – The group workedtogether on the event tasks and held a project meetingto discuss key ideas and points in regards to the eventand specific departments such as design, technicaland event coordination.

10 September – Second artistic workshop atLadywood Fire Station – The community group setup the event space in preparation for the musicians torehearse. The session concluded with DuncanChapman leading an artistic workshop to add to theoriginal Found in Ladywood composition.

21 September - Final event skills workshop atLadywood Fire Station – The group created the finalflyers for the event and discussed distribution withinthe Ladywood community. Ben presented the roughcut of the short film to be screened at the performance.The session concluded with the group deciding onimages that will be exhibited during the event.

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The venue - Ladywood Community Fire Station

“Ladywood Community Fire Station is happy to host the Foundin Ladywood event; we see ourselves as an important part ofLadywood and this is a great opportunity for the localcommunity to see what the West Midlands Fire Service canoffer at its stations. I look forward to this being the start ofmany local community initiatives that we can support from theFire Station. And hopefully encourage community groups andthe public to utilise Ladywood Community Fire Station fully,as a legacy of the Found in Ladywood project.”

Steve Harris, Station Commander

The event is being staged in the engine house of theLadywood Community Fire Station. An unusualperformance venue in the heart of Ladywood. As it is in acentral location within Ladywood, it was felt that it wouldbe a great way to signpost the facilities of the Fire Stationto the community while also making it easier for the eventto reach as many members of the community aspossible. The choice of venue was in part influenced bythe 1942 Time magazine cover depicting Shostakovichwhen he was serving as a fireman in his native Russia!

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The floor plan for the Found in Ladywood event

Support and sponsorship:

Steve Harris and Orange watch, Purple watch, Blue watch, Green watch,Red watch and White watch of Ladywood Community Fire Station.Janice Mayers, Katherine Farrell and Margaret Obodo and everyone atLadywood Community CentreWest Midlands Fire ServiceSimon Bennett BCCJenny Sills and St John and St Peter’s ChurchCouncillor Kath Hartley, Councillor Carl Rice and Councillor Albert BoreShabana Mahmood MPClinton SimmonsNeighbourhood ForumSummerfield Residents AssociationTim Newbold and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation TrustFairbridgeKaris Neighbour SchemeSimon Whitehead for Lost in LadywoodIan Richards of Heavy Objects

Thank you to the people of Ladywood for coming to the event.

Go to the peopleLive among themLearn from themLove themStart with what they knowBuild on what they have:But of the best leadersWhen the task is accomplishedTheir work is doneThe people all remark“We have done it ourselves”.

Lao - Tzu

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I would like to thank thefollowing people andorganisations for their support,hard work and enthusiasm.Without their help, the projectwould not have been possible.

Claire FarrellEC-ARTS

Project Team:

Kate WhitlowJoe SteeleShei AhmedDalbero Kaur BainsSophia BenneseViola BradeBen CresswellClaire Farrell

Mary LindseyHarry NaylorCoral SutherlandJan TweenChris VaughanLynette WebbeDaniel Rowlinsonof the CBSO