Wishing you a Happy New Year.
We hope you are all staying safe and keeping well. This is our first newsletter for 2021 with news, reflections, links and upcoming dates for 2021.
For a summer and autumn that promised very little, Fuse has been active with communities, working with young people, creating an online festival, and local Covid safe events. We supported artists and communities during the 2020 spring and summer Covid19 pandemic. This winter, we have been active in Somerset town centres in Wellington, Taunton and Bridgwater providing Covid safe live events, music and performances.
2020 was a very different year from last year’s festivals and events that Fuse creatively produced that attracted live audiences in excess of 65,000 at Somerfest, Bridgwater Quayside Festival, Dunster-by-Candlelight to the Cricket World Cup entertainments in Taunton plus outdoor performances with community activities at Glastonbury, Sythe Festival, Milverton, Highbridge and Burnham and in events at towns and villages across Somerset. 2020 was a challenging year for us all.
We were very grateful to have been given the Community Engagement Award in December 2020 by Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce in recognition of our work within our local communities. We have been working with different communities across Somerset and especially Bridgwater, Taunton and West Somerset for over 25 years.
Here is a recap of some of the creative activities and performances in 2020 and news and updates, 2021.
In 2020 we worked under lockdown and as restrictions eased produced and supported local and micro events, creating performances both online and live, doorstep and hyper local performances. We provided a creative digital programme for the Creative Communities – Streetlinkz projects and will be producing a programme for the third lockdown, January to April 2021. Visit here to find out more.
Summer and Autumn 2020 Review
This spring and summer, the Fuse team created a micro and online Bridgwater Quayside Festival with original performances for the event, created by artists whilst under lockdown. The company also raised charitable funds through the event for League of Friends at Bridgwater Hospital NHS and donations were made to Black Lives Matter, Children’s World Charity and Somerset MIND.
Visit here to find out more and enjoy the Bridgwater Quayside summer festival, created under lockdown. We were grateful to have received funding from Arts Council England supporting our work in Somerset and our featured artists. Especially at a time when cancellations appeared throughout the arts and cultural sectors.
You can still visit the Programme of Events including the Bridgwater Arts Centre online gallery created under lockdown. Quayside reached 3.2k on Twitter, 12,494 Facebook and 1098 videos watched. We achieved our goal, supporting artists and keeping the festival in peoples minds. To view all the projects and performances subscribe to Fuse You Tube and follow us on social media.
In the late summer and early autumn, the company had set up the Institute of Place at the University of Winchester and had its first residency titled ‘Displaced’ with Sheila Ghelani (who co-wrote and performed in Salt with Sue Palmer).
Fuse created online performances for TYCA (Taunton Youth Arts Festival) with young people from East Taunton from the Streetlinkz Creative Youth Hub. They excelled and showcased fire, light, and aerial performances. Visit their gallery page here.
Fuse created the project Lets Dance Sedgemoor for SEED Sedgemoor, a commissioned project for Creative Lives Under Lockdown, a Creative People and Places project funded by Arts Council England, developing online and live dance choreographies during the summer of 2020 and that will lead to a dance performance in 2021.
As restrictions allowed us in the autumn, we continued to create live events, performances and activities in and with the communities. Creative Communities in North and East Taunton, we went on guided walks with community members with our project – Favourite Places, Outdoor Spaces and Create and Make as part of Streetlinkz.
Streetlinkz is the award winning community hub for young people in East Taunton that Fuse has run for over ten years funded by Somerset West and Taunton Council. Streetlinkz also created a doorstep performance raising funds for their local community church hall in East Taunton.
Fuse developed a Garden of Light with wildlife sculptures, lanterns and soundscapes. Visit here to watch the short film. School lantern workshops were developed during lockdown and window designs were created for the Create + Place project Nocturnal Nightlight’s Window Wanderland in North and East Taunton. The Fuse team worked in partnership with North and East Taunton Community Centres, local residents, young people and schools during lockdown. The Nocturnal Nightlight’s is part of the Create + Place projects with Fuse, Somerset West and Taunton Council and Somerset Arts Works. To find our more visit. www.nocturnalnightlights.wordpress.com
THE WINTER PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME
Sally Mann, director of Fuse, created a programme of Covid safe walkabout performances in the centres of Taunton, Wellington and Bridgwater working closely together with the town councils and with the Orchard Shopping Centre, there was performances throughout December and leading up to Christmas with a great music programme in Wellington. Passersby enjoyed the outdoor walkabout performances and brought smiles to a lot peoples faces.
FUSE DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
During the first lockdown we noticed that the skies and streets becoming quieter, our local wildlife thriving, porpoises and otters were spotted along our river ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we can radically adapt and change our behaviour. The crisis has created new challenges for us all. The third lockdown and the new Covid virus strain means we have to stay at home and protect the NHS and save lives.
There is a climate and ecological emergency. Climate Change is the biggest threat to humanity. As an organisation we work to
- Support Artists, Communities and Creative Eco Arts Makers
- We are committed to providing safe and healthy spaces for us all to enjoy safe outdoor arts, creative hubs, festivals, events, performances and digital programmes.
- Bring communities together, to celebrate, to remember and to make a difference.
- Celebrate our sense of place and our wonderful natural landscape here in Somerset and across our region.
2021 Updates
North and East Taunton
January, February and March Fuse will produce online digital creative activities for young people and families at home during the lockdown. When restrictions allow and lockdown eases we will return to Covid safe outdoor activities. This is a part of the Creative Community projects for North and East Taunton supported by Somerset West and Taunton Council. Visit Streetlinkz to join and take part.
Bridgwater
April to July An Eco Arts project and promenade working with young people in Bridgwater and responding to their concerns about Climate Change. Supported by Bridgwater Town Council. News to follow!
Sedgemoor
Spring / Summer – Lets Dance. The SEED Sedgemoor project will be live in July and online, dancing at a location in Sedgemoor. The project is part of the Creative and People Places, Seed Sedgemoor, Creative Lives Under Lockdown projects supported by Arts Council England. If you live in Sedgemoor and would like to take part join the facebook group here to take part.
EFETSA
Fuse is co-hosting an international conference in Slovenia in March 2021 on teaching and education in Street Arts across Europe and follows on from the first UK International Street Arts degree created by John co-director of Fuse and from SAWA – Street Arts Winter Academy in Slovenia and EFETSA European Federation of Education and Training in Street Arts. (www.efetsa.org)
In the Spring and Summer programme expect more Covid safe – pop up – micro performances, door step performances, cultural creations and festival celebrations. One thing we have learned during this pandemic is to be adaptable to change, how to support our artists and communities to stay safe and stay connected.
Bridgwater Quayside Festival will be happening on the weekend of July 10th2021 with Bridgwater International on Friday July 9th. The Festival will celebrate Bridgwater’s culture and diversity through dance, music, singing, comedy, theatre, circus, performing arts across the town, with communities and with the cultural partnerships and High Street venues.
Fuse are producing an online programme for the third #LetsCreate under lockdown! Expect pop up performance, online workshops, dance, installations and digital arts sessions.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Stay Connected.
