Seedling is an exciting new audio installation by Northampton artist Helen Crevel (Loop, Theatre in Black; 60 Miles by Road or Rail, 60 Miles/Carbon Theatre) focused on potential motherhood, environmental responsibility and consumerism. As passers-by enter a structure found within a town shopping centre they are invited to take the time to stop and reflect, to consider the changes they would like to see in the world, and to ask themselves ‘How do we live with hope?’
The audio installation seeks to provoke conversation around motherhood and the environment, connecting them to our geographical and cultural heritage, and family legacies. The installation will be housed in a specially designed space by artist Ruth Stringer in the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton – its dome-like shape will be covered in textiles and fabrics, while the inside will be more like a domestic space, like stepping into someone’s home. Stringer is a strong advocate for working sustainably and has a particular interest in work focussing on local communities through site specific projects.
The development of the piece included conversations with pairs of mothers and daughters about their conversations surrounding the decision to have children or not. These conversations will address bringing a child into the world in its current state and what changes we see happening in the future.
Seedling will be created and performed by Helen Crevel with support from renowned collaborator Anne Langford (The Extinction Project, The Almeida; Climate Game, Toby Peach/The Old Vic). The final short audio piece will be designed by Alice Boyd (Sound and Music’s New Voices Composers for 2020). Her work uses voice, everyday sounds and electronic textures to tell stories about the world around us. She is also the founder of Staging Change, who as part of Seedling, are leading an online workshop for creatives about how to create sustainable theatre on 13th May.
The final piece will be made accessible, with a BSL video version and a written version on site and available digitally, audio description, social story and companion pack materials available and will have wheelchair access.
Helen Crevel comments, I’m so excited to be making Seedling in collaboration with an amazing team of women, and to freely share it with anyone in Northampton who wants to visit us at the Grosvenor Centre. It feels so important now, as we face a new normal, to have conversations and imagine a different world that is for all of us.
James Roberts, Centre Manager of Grosvenor Centre, says, Grosvenor Shopping, Northampton is proud to support Carbon Theatre through is community space, Gather. The space is designed to allow the community an amazing resource, at no cost for events, workshops and meetings.
Seedling is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The project will be rehearsed, recorded and presented in Grosvenor Centre. The structure will be built in the Royal & Derngate workshop with their support. Seedling is produced by Carbon Theatre, an independent producer based in Northamptonshire run by Courtenay Johnson that creates theatre and cultural projects focussed on feminism, equality and accessibility.
Seedling runs Tuesday 25th – Sunday 30th May. Visitors can book a slot via https://www.carbontheatre.org.uk/ or sign up with the team in the Grosvenor Centre.
