Tag: Hullabaloo

Lift the Lid - The Ventnor Giant - Ventnor, Lift the Lid - We that Breathe - Newport, Lift the Lid Project

Hullabaloo 2019

Sarah Girling

Were you at Hullabaloo in Sandown on the weekend of 11th and 12th May? Hullabaloo is the annual arts, environment and science discovery event led by Shademakers, Artecology and others near Browns Golf Course and Dinosaur Isle Museum. If you were there, you might have seen Sue Bailey from But that’s another Story in the red and yellow children’s activity tent or perhaps you might have met the Three Medina Sisters? Actually, they were from BearFace Theatre, testing out public reaction to their community theatre ideas for Newport.

The Medina Sisters on the walkabout at Hullabaloo 2019 (BearFace Theatre)

BearFace Theatre will be presenting their work to residents and visitors at Mountbatten and at the Isobel Centre in Pan (next door to Barton Primary School) on Monday 16 September. It is one of the four commissioned artworks for Lift the Lid.

Sue Bailey was using Phlegm’s Ventnor Giant mural (the first of our commissioned artworks) to inspire clay work and stories with children and young people. You can see some of their work here:

Schools can still benefit from involvement in Lift the Lid, especially if they take up our offers linked with registering for Artsmark.

The general public can be involved in Lift the Lid at events this year including a special family picnic during Ventnor Fringe Festival 2019. Come and join us at Ventnor Park on Friday 26 July at 12noon until 2pm, for a picnic with a twist. Our arts and heritage partners will be asking you to ‘Lift the Lid’ on their very special boxes to discover what is inside and how it connects with the Island’s cultural heritage. And you can take away your own box to fill with your own important momento…

Lift the Lid - Back & Forth - East Cowes, Lift the Lid Project

Sacred Isle’s Vlog with Dmitri Galitzine

Sarah Girling

When we started to plan the art commissions, it was important to identify individuals or organisations that would be interesting for the artists to meet and talk to during their Research and Development on the Island. I don’t know about you but I find Twitter a wonderful source of people who have stories to tell… And so I met Paul Wilson of The Sacred Isle, chatting about the folklore of the Isle of Wight. When I say met, we met virtually on Twitter, then in person at Quay Arts, and I knew that all the artists should talk to him.

So in the Autumn of 2018, Paul met the artists, talked to them about Island folklore and regaled them with stories of the people of Franchetown (Newtown), Old Jack of Steephill Cove and the Dragon of the Isle of Wight! BearFace Theatre were immediately entranced by Paul’s stories, and so an interpretation of the story is in development. Along with this, the story of the Three Sisters of the Island will be explored during the May event, Hullabaloo in Sandown (Sunday only – 12 May 2019).

Dmitri Galitzine was also intrigued by Paul’s stories and although the island’s folklore doesn’t have an obvious link with ‘Back and Forth, and Back and Forth Again’, Dmitri’s focus on the Red Funnel journey between East Cowes and Southampton, he decided he wanted to have a conversation with Paul. Later Paul asked Dmitri if he’d be a guest on his Vlog (video blog). So here it is for you all to see, as Paul has kindly allowed us to share it on the website.