This summer, the largest outdoor arts event ever staged in Ireland comes to Belfast, made possible by huge investment and bringing with it a boost to skills that reaffirms Northern Ireland’s position as a place able to hold world class events of this nature.

The landmark show is Land of Giants that, as well as bringing £750,000 of funding from Legacy Trust UK into Northern Ireland, also ensures the development of the outdoor arts and events sectors by making local artists, suppliers and up-and-coming production professionals central to the delivery of the epic event. Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

Following on from the success of hosting the MTV EMAs and the spectacular launch of Titanic Belfast, focus will once again turn to Belfast as a destination for top class events as Land of Giants features as one of the biggest events in the London 2012 Festival programme.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, said:  “It was essential for us that we used the opportunity provided by Legacy Trust UK to present a unique story from Northern Ireland and, crucially, to invest in the long term growth of the sector by involving as many people as possible in the creation and delivery of the project.

“From poets, performers and animators to scaffolders, crane drivers and construction workers - Land of Giants will bring together skills and talents from across Northern Ireland to stage what will be an extraordinary event.”

In addition to providing employment for arts and events professionals and local suppliers the project will deliver eighteen internships in areas ranging from sound and lighting design to stage management and communications. 

Moira Swinbank from Legacy Trust UK said:  “The core objectives of Land of Giants will ensure that the project provides a lasting legacy for both the cultural and event industries providing both employment and training opportunities within the sector.

“This is a remarkable project and we are delighted that the funding will have such a positive effect on communities for some time to come.”

Carál Ní Chuilín, Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure added her support to the project commenting:  “The plans for Land of Giants are staggering in their scale and will involve hundreds of people from across the North. 

“I welcome the fact that the event’s legacy will be a more skilled and experienced workforce able to facilitate future events of this large scale and of this quality for many years to come.

“Tourism too will be boosted through the link with the Cultural Olympiad, and the NI 2012 Our Time Our Place campaign. Through these initiatives hundreds of thousands of people will learn about how the North is celebrating its cultural diversity by showcasing both the best of our local talent and our unique heritage.”

Land of Giants is written and directed by Mark Murphy and presented by Giant Events Company in association with Belfast City Council, Beat Carnival, Belfast Community Circus and Young at Art.

Land of Giants is funded by Legacy Trust UK with additional support from Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. For further information and tickets visit www.landofgiants.info.
 

AS ‘MY LAST CAR’ ARRIVES IN BENTHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE, THE WHOLE TOWN IS OVERTAKEN WITH PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITIONS, SPECTACLE AND CELEBRATION.

You may love or hate it….. but can you live without it?

My Last Car is an epic road trip that explores the life and death of the car through a series of poignant, funny and uplifting tales.  Part exhibition, part live performance and part community event, My Last Car explores all that the car means to us at the end of a great transport era.

The project is the product of a unique collaboration between 509 Arts, Warwick Arts Centre, Pioneer Projects in Bentham North Yorkshire, Ryedale Folk Museum and imove, the Legacy Trust UK’s celebratory programme for Yorkshire and part of the Cultural Olympiad. ‘imove’ has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

The project team for My Last Car has been working for months with local communities to interrogate the meaning of the car in modern society and what it means for us in the future. 
A Rover 316 has been carefully dismantled and the many thousands of parts have been turned into an exhibition in the Town Hall.  All the gubbins that make up the engine and its associated stuff are given a new life as gallery objects.

Hundreds of people have posted their car stories online or recorded them on a dedicated phone line. These unique stories and journeys have been made into a production that uncovers the ways the motor car has shaped so much of our lives.
Artistic Director Al Dix says:  ‘We wanted to take ‘My Last Car’ to rural settings where communities acutely understand the impact of motoring upon the environment. The people of Bentham and Ryedale are totally dependent upon the car for work, school and simple everyday activities. We have made an event that looks at the complex issues we have to face without forgetting the passion, love and sheer joy that the car has brought us in the past 100 years. My Last Car is part homage, part celebration and part wake.’

The My Last Car exhibition

The exhibition and performances of ‘My Last Car’ are the centrepiece of days of motor car-related artistic activities, that will take over the traditional market town of High Bentham, North Yorkshire (12 miles east of Lancaster). 
The final day in Bentham – Saturday 2nd May – will see the whole town come alive with ‘My last CARnival’, created by Pioneer Projects working with local people. Extraordinary buses, bikes and boats will be found throughout the town, together with video installations, workshops and street performance. An Astronaut’s Caravan will be parked in the town centre garage and an arts trail, ‘Car Bizarre’, showcases the inventiveness of local people and guest artists who have transformed their cars into extraordinary creations.  
After Bentham, My Last Car will then move on to Ryedale, taking up residence in the Ryedale Folk Museum from 14th July- 5th August.

My Last Car - The Exhibition will be in Bentham Town Hall 12.00 - 6.30 from 30th May - 2nd June except when there are performances. The exhibition is free.

My Last CARnival is a day of events and activities for everyone on 2nd June.

My Last Car performances last an hour and take place between Wednesday 30th May - Saturday 2nd June 2012 at the following times:

Wednesday 30th May - 1.30pm, 7.30pm
Thursday 31st May - 7.30pm
Friday 1st June - 7.30pm
Saturday 2nd June - 11.00am, 1.30pm, 7.30pm

Tickets are £5 full, £3.00 conc and £10.00 family. Book via the my last car website www.mylastcar.co.uk  or call 08434 610456 and leave a booking message.

http://www.mylastcar.co.uk/home
 

Get Dancing Festival

Sunday 1 July 2 - 8pm

Free

Stafford Castle, Newport Road,
Stafford, ST16 1DJ



Come and join us for a unique celebration of dance for London 2012 in the beautiful grounds of Stafford Castle.

Set in the scenic grounds of Stafford Castle, the Get Dancing Festival is a spectacular daylong event to mark the end of Staffordshire’s first ever county-wide dance programme.

Featuring a Breathe the Beat Roadshow as well as live performances from Retina Dance Company, professional dancers, young people and community groups.

There is also chance to take part in one of the fantastic workshops where you can learn a range of different dance styles, from breakdance to ballroom.

Bring your picnic and enjoy the dance film tent, watch the circus performers or simply enjoy the atmosphere!

Naomi Temple, Programme Manager for Dancing for the Games said: “We are delighted that Get Dancing is part of our Dancing for the Games programme, which aims to make the West Midlands the region for dance in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is fantastic that through this project people from across Staffordshire will have the opportunity to work with Retina, an internationally renowned dance company and to create their own choreography to be performed throughout the county.”

Get Dancing is part of Dancing for the Games, which is inspired by London 2012 and part of the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands. It has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, which is creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK, as well as Arts Council England and Advantage West Midlands.

If you want to be involved, please contact Alison Lord, Dance Development Officer on 01785 278647, e-mail alison.lord@staffordshire.gov.uk or visit our website Website: www.getdancing.org.uk