Arts Council for Woking
newsletter summer 2007
Arts Council for Woking
Newsletter Summer 2007
Henry Coleman is an independent music video director, living in Woking, and is putting together a low budget music video for Anna Neale, a Woking based singer- songwriter. He intends to shoot the video to promote Anna's new rock track "Not Made For This" on locations in and around Woking during June with a budget of £600-£700 for the entire project. As well as using the video to promote Anna nationally and internationally he hopes to have a local showing. Henry is looking for Woking based financial sponsorship and a venue for the showing. You can see Henry's videos at www.flickerhead.com. If you know of anyone who can help you can contact Henry at: Henry4Film@aol.com.
WOKING SOCIETY OF ARTS
Exhibition & Sale
of Original Paintings by Local Artists
Summer Outdoor Exhibition
Mercia Walk
Saturday 9th June 9am-4pm
Saturday 16th June 9am-4pm
Saturday 8th September 9am-4pm
15th September 9am - 4 pm
Woking Society of Arts is looking for new members. Membership has the benefits of talks and demonstrations by professional artists, outdoor painting days and the chance to exhibit your work several times a year. The Annual Subscription is �15.00.
Meetings are held on the first Saturday of the month at The Vyne, The Broadway, Knaphill from 2.20 pm until 4.30 pm.
Outdoor Painting days at interesting local venues are arranged during the summer months, by courtesy of the owners, and all members are welcome. A small fee of around £2.00 is charged as a contribution to a charity of the owner's choice.
New members at all levels of ability are welcome and if you would like to join the society please contact :The Membership Secretary, Woking Society of Arts
Conway, Court Green Heights,Woking, Surrey GU22 0DS.
Telephone : 01483 760236
woking photographic society
Woking Photographic Society held their annual exhibition on May 5th, 6th and 7th in Wolsey Place in Woking. If you voted for your favourite photo you may be interested to know the results of the public vote for best print in the Exhibition. The total number of votes cast was 1092 and the results were quite close!
Winner of the John Bloss Memorial Trophy - Bob Barnes -
"Morning Mist, the New Forest - 78 votes
2nd - Matthew Felton - "Himba Moma, Serra Cafima, Namibia" - 77 votes
3rd - Matthew Felton - "Egrets at Dusk, Botswana" - 60 votes
Woking Photographic Society Autumn Exhibition will be held on October 26/27th in Wolsey Place
Woking's new gallery and museum announces opening
The Director of Woking's long-awaited museum and gallery announced today that the landmark building looks set to open its doors to the public on 14th September.
At a press conference held on the 67ft barge John Pinkerton, located on the Basingstoke Canal in the shadow of the �7m new gallery and museum, Marilyn Scott could hardly contain her delight as she delivered the news the area has been waiting for.
"We are going to open by drawing people into the fantasy world of animation and bring them creativity combined with local interest, heritage combined with art, in the form of Animated Adventures. This exhibition takes them behind the scenes of the making of Aardman Animation's Oscar winning film "Wallace and Gromit -The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," but we are also bringing to Woking and the South East a world exclusive.
Exhibitions Manager Hamish MacGillivray said: "Material from the new Shaun the Sheep animations, previously unseen by the public and now set for its second series on CBBC (September), will be on show for the first time. The Lightbox has also secured Hut 17, the memorable roosting place from the makers' Chicken-Run movie, one of the few surviving pieces from the set that fortunately escaped the fire about a year ago.
"The Lightbox will be the only place in the southeast to host the exhibition that takes visitors on a journey through the world of animated filmmaking and behind the scenes through the animators' own words as to how the ideas originate and are turned into the entertaining films that continue to cleverly amuse both parents and children," he told the conference.
The exhibition will also include 10 animation interactives, 3D viewers, models, props and behind the scenes images and explain "The Aardman touch" the special element that has proved to be key to its Oscar-winning success. As well as interacting with the exhibition, visitors will be able to participate in an extensive programme of linked events and activities for all ages, which will also run alongside all family exhibitions held annually.
It also includes work from the Animation Research Centre, based at the University of Creative Arts at Farnham which holds the important archive of the Halas and Batchelor Collection, the earliest British film animation makers and equivalent to Disney in the USA. Halas' daughter Vivien will be giving a talk on the archive; the family will all be able to try their hands at shadow-puppetry in workshops led by The Indigo Moon Company, who specialise in traditional Asian puppetry techniques. Professor Heard and his Victorian Magic Lantern Show will lead children's workshops near to Halloween.
"In case you are wondering why we chose this particular exhibition, I will explain," continued Mrs Scott. "First, a major objective has always been to bring together elements of Woking's colourful and eventful past with art. This link is an obvious one for the town. Co-creators of Aardman Animations Ltd David Sproxton and Peter Lord are former Woking Grammar School boys who shared their love of drawing cartoons in the school magazine. We are hugely optimistic that one or both will return to the town during the opening weekend.
"Secondly, our research has proven time and again that the family is our main audience. This ticks all the boxes for fun and creative family entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Thirdly, The Lightbox shares Aardman's philosophy of creativity, inspiration and surprise.
"We also felt that after 13 years of waiting this town really deserved something that contributed to building awareness of the fact that it is one of the most go-ahead places in the country," she said.
Animated Adventures will run until the New Year in the main gallery, while in the other spaces visitors can expect to find stunning bronze sculptures crafted by Elisabeth Frink. These are just several major items taken from the 20th century collection of a local private collector, of which The Lightbox has been lent about 120 pieces, among them works by Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi, Barbara Hepworth and Jacob Epstein which will be showcased.
At Christmas the photographic work of Woking born and former Microsoft co-founder Matthew Felton will be on display. Eighteen stunning one-metre panels of scenes from his travels in Antarctica occupy space in the upper gallery, which will be followed two months later by an usual display entitled Pavilion Recaptured. Focusing on Woking's Muslim Burial Ground, this includes moving audio-visual by contemporary artist Said Ardus.
"Our aim is to hold eight week to two month exhibitions of all types in the upper gallery while the main shows are in the double height main gallery space and generally run for a few months," said Mr MacGillivray.
Future exhibitions are expected to include an Open Art Show, with entry to all artists living in Surrey, a major-sponsored national photographic competition, before hosting another family exhibition that is to be announced.
In addition, visitors will be able to view a photographic exhibition that charts the two years of building The Lightbox through the eyes of students from Woking College on The Viewfinder project and a local photographer Martin Bowman. A series of designs from the architects Marks Barfield will also be on display.
Interplay between heritage and the arts, continues in the first floor History Gallery. The 154m sq space houses a theme-based interpretation of the historical past of modern-day Woking, the Borough's key heritage sites and stories of its diverse communities, alongside contemporary issues. The themes of the area include Saving Our Heritage, The Shah Jehan Mosque, Behind Closed Doors - Brookwood Hospital, The Changing Face of Woking, Local Tales, A Final Resting Place - Brookwood Cemetery and The Railway.
There is also a showcase containing a display from the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment.
The space also includes a meeting room that is available to regional companies and local community groups to hire.
In addition there is a dedicated education studio equipped with a fully stocked art cart for general use and where people of all ages can enjoyed creative activities.
The education programme caters for schools, with sessions developed to cover topics for Key Stages 1-4; monthly Family Learning workshops; young people taking Arts Awards; Adults, with workshops and talks related to exhibitions and also special events held to co-ordinate with national events such as Heritage Open Days, Architecture Week and calendar events - Eid, Christmas, and Diwali.
If all these activities sound too exhausting, the 40-seater counter service caf� offers sustenance and respite. Run by a local firm known for high quality catering, it will offer a range of light refreshments and is expected to be the newest lunchtime location in the town with its selection of hot and cold dishes.
In the summer months seating for about 20 will be available in the landscaped gardens alongside the Basingstoke Canal.
Adjoining it will be a gift shop selling a range of exclusive regionally produced gifts as well as birthday and postcards, small items and books relating to exhibitions and pieces in the gallery.
The Lightbox's normal opening hours will be Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 and Sundays 11-5 and open on Bank Holiday Mondays only.
Entry will be free, except for the main blockbuster touring exhibitions where a charge will be made. Various concessions including family tickets and Passport to Leisure are available.
To keep uptodate with all activities and developments at The Lightbox visit the website at www.thelightbox.org.uk
WOKING JAZZ CIRCLEFriday 22nd June
"NEW GUMBO"
The launch of a new band with
Tony Ashwell and Michael Atterbury to include fish and chip supper £8
Monday 13th August
Tuesday 14th August
SUMMER SPECTACULAR
Guests to include Rossano Sportiello, Scott Hamilton, Houston Person, Danny Moss £15
Parish Hall
All Saints Church Woodham
Near Six Crossroads
Tickets available by sending a cheque
made payable to "Woking Jazz Circle"
with a stamped
self-addressed envelope to
Mrs Maggie Atterbury
New Lodge, Woodham Rise
Woking, GU21 4EE
(Tel 01483 762418)
Woking, GU21 4EE
The Bourne Concert Band of Woking is a friendly community band which performs several concerts a year, including various events during the summer months.
Rehearsals take place every Tuesday evening at Darley Dene School, Garfield Road, Addlestone, Surrey between 8.00 and 10.00 pm. The Band is always keen to welcome new members. So if you have an instrument gathering dust, do come along to a rehearsal and join in with this friendly band.
Future dates when you can hear the Band are:
Saturday 16th. June at St. Anne's School, Chertsey
Sunday 24th. June at Painshill Park, Cobham 12.00 - 13.30 and 14.30 - 16.00
Sunday 22nd. July at St. James Park, London 15.00 - 16.20 and 17.00 - 18.15
Saturday 25th. August at West End Lane, Esher 14.00 - 16.00
Saturday 27th. October at Addlestone Community Centre, 19.30
For further information please visit our web site: www.bourneconcertband.org.uk
================================================New Book gives colourful insight of Woking life in days gone by
Card players on steam trains, growers of chrysanthemums, parachute makers, laundry workers and taxi drivers and stories of people coming from all parts of the country and corners of the globe - are just a few of the themes in a brand new book published by The Lightbox.
Memories of cricketers and footballers, of children playing on the common and falling in the canal, shopping, the mosque, immigration and the railways are generously illustrated with scores of photos in Woking Living Words. The 246-page book presents the life of the people in this borough, within living memory, in the words of the people themselves gathered through a series of one-to-one interviews, and reflects the themes of the History Gallery of The Lightbox.
More than 200 people from all walks of life and backgrounds were interviewed, more than 50 volunteers undertook interviews, transcriptions and proof reading and the collection includes 150-plus old images of the town and its environs. It provides a real insight into the colour and development of the town through those who were involved with it.
The book contains quotes from commuters reminiscing about the frequency of the trains, the privacy of the carriages and dropping the black-out blinds and evacuating the trains during the war. Sir Alec Bedser, one of the country's greatest ever cricketers, talks about how he and twin brother Eric never had cricket coaching, but played in the dirt on Horsell Common. And many couples reveal that the Atalanta Ballroom in Commercial Road, formerly on the site that is now Robert Dyas, was the place to meet, dance and play bingo well into the early hours!
The book evolved in part from the Sheerwater and Maybury Living Words Project in 2001 that was stimulated by the 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Sheerwater GLC housing estate, re-locating former London residents displaced after World War II. It became clear that many local residents had valuable memories that should be recorded.
Volunteers to undertake the work were sought from the community and together with students from the Bishop David Brown School, the secondary school on the estate. They were trained in interview technique and inter-generational recording sessions. The resulting interviews formed the basis of a large-scale community play.
The Lightbox gave valuable support to this project, which proved to be one of the most successful parts of the volunteer programme and a European Funded Global Grant was awarded in recognition of its contribution to capacity building in this deprived community.
In 2003 Woking Living Words was inaugurated, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This new project embraced the material from the Sheerwater and Maybury project and the other oral history work that already been run by The Lightbox, and then set out to create a borough-wide initiative involving more schools and other interviewers, including those who could conduct interviews in other languages. People from all sorts of backgrounds from all over the borough have been interviewed.
Oral historian Rib Davis, co-ordinator of the Living Words project, has acted as the overall book editor, while volunteers have edited individual chapters, and the book is printed by Biddles of King's Lynn, Norfolk.
He said "This book covers all sorts of aspects of life in the town, and as it's in the words of the people themselves it has quite a different flavour from the books that focus mainly on facts and dates. Of course there are some things that are hardly covered at all, such as Brookwood Cemetery - not too many people came forward to tell us about it! "
But this collection does give an insight into everyday life and the parts of the town that really provided a focal point for gatherings. It is perfect for "dipping into", especially on the train!"
Available from both Waterstones stores in the town centre, in The Peacocks and Wolsey Place, Woking Living Words will be on sale from the middle of April priced £9.99. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Interested parties will soon be able to have a sneak preview of the book as excerpts and some images will be posted onto The Lightbox website at www.thelightbox.org.uk
The team will shortly be beginning the second book in the Living Words series, on Brookwood Hospital and mental health within the borough.
Woking Choral Society
Saturday 30 June 2007
H G Wells suite, Woking 7.30 p.m.
Faure Requiem
Dvorak Mass in D
Conductor: Nicholas Steinitz
Ticket/Info: Tickets �12 (students �6)
Tel 01483 767852 or 01483 829366 or see www.wokingchoral.org.uk
Woking Choral Society will be performing two well-loved works from the late 19th century for its summer concert on Saturday 30 June 2007 - Faure's Requiem and Dvorak's Mass in D. Both are intimate and moving settings of Latin masses.Faure wrote his Requiem when he was choirmaster and organist at the Madeleine church in Paris.
Over the years it has become a choral favourite with its mysterious, reflective, yet heartfelt melodic lines devoid of the histrionics of hellfire and damnation.
Faure himself described death as an aspiration towards happiness rather than a painful experience and after 30 years as an organist accompanying burials, he sought to move away from the somewhat dramatic and grandiose compositions of the period.
This departure was to have great influence on the later development of French music Dvorak rose from humble beginnings to international fame. His Mass in D is more modest in scale than many of his other works, having been written for the consecration of a private chapel in 1887.
Its atmosphere has been likened to that of the Czech countryside, embodying the spirit of a smiling pleasant landscape rather
than the grandeur of a cathedral or the asceticism of a monastery.The concert will be held on Saturday 30 June 2007 at 7.30 pm at the H G Wells suite, Woking and will be conducted by Nicholas Steinitz. Tickets £12 (students £6) will be available from the Information Centre, Waterstones Bookshop Wolsey Place, Surrey Music Store all in Woking; Brittens Music, West Byfleet; and at the door.
Passport to Leisure Scheme applies.
For more information about Woking Choral Society, call 01483 767852 or 01483 829366 or see our website at www.wokingchoral.org.uk
Genesis Chorale
reg charity no. 1048381
Present
A Summer Concert
including
Gloria in D by Vivaldi
and works by
Elgar and Monteverdi
with Orchestra and Soloists
saturday 14th July 2007
at 7.30 pm
St John's Church, West Byfleet
Tickets £10 (under 16 £5).
Available from Brittens Music, Choir members or at the door.
Note
Send news of your event for inclusion in the next newsletter to Anna Molesworth
annacordelia@molesworth16.freeserve.co.uk
16 Eastbrook Close Woking GU21 5DQ
closing date for Autumn Newsletter 1st September 2007
NOTE FOR YOUR DIARY
Arts Council for Woking Annual General meeting
Friday 14th September
All Saints Church
Woodham (parish room) 7.30pm
NEWSLETTER DEADLINES
Summer Newsletter 1st June 2007 Autumn Newsletter 1st September 2007 Winter Newsletter 1st December 2007 Spring Newsletter 1st March 2008