SPILL Festival 2023 Brochure

SPILL 2023 Events

SPILL Team SPILL Thanks Venues Map

WELCOME

A very warm welcome to SPILL Festival 2023!

Having joined SPILL in 2021, this is the first festival I have programmed as Artistic Director. It is an honour to bring such fun and inspiring art, performance and music to Ipswich.

Ipswich is a beautiful and fascinating place with an incredibly rich history, and much of our programme taps into this location, its cultures and communities. I hope the festival will show us the town in new and exciting ways, not only for those who live here but those who may be visiting from elsewhere too.

The whole SPILL team has worked incredibly hard to bring this festival to life. We are delighted to share SPILL 2023 with you.

Robin Deacon Artistic Director SPILL

Festival + Think Tank

All details are correct at time of going to press.

SPILL is an arts charity based in Ipswich. Alongside SPILL Festival, we run a yearround programme of events and activities at our Think Tank building, which is also available for hire. More details can be found at spillfestival.com.

ME GA

BUNNY+FRIENDS

SPILL Festival returns to Ipswich with even more outdoor spectacle and family-friendly activities. You can meet Mega Bunny + Friends, a series of giant inflatable sculptures bringing fun and colour to the streets. In Monumental Constructions, you can help imagine and build Cardinal Wolsey’s Tudor college using hundreds of cardboard boxes, then join us again to demolish what we have created together.

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Children are taking part in the festival in new ways this year. In News News News, young people from St Matthew’s Primary School will report on Ipswich as they see it in a live TV news broadcast. For kids who like to get involved, 50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) is a fun participatory show exploring the boundaries of risk and play.

SPILL Festival has always been about championing the best in experimental performance, particularly from young artists. This year, the festival gives you the chance to encounter new voices

Alethia Antonia and Maritea Dæhlin

Working across dance and visual arts respectively, we are delighted to present their solo performances in collaboration with DanceEast.

Down on the Waterfront, Shefarers of Ipswich is a very special SPILL commission exploring the untold stories of women in the maritime industry. Visit Sailing Barge ‘Victoria’ for

MONUMENTAL CONS

drop-in sessions, talks, and a special shefarers banquet. Join us as we reexamine our local heritage through this important Suffolk-focused project. Our film programme at King Street Cinema adds an extra dimension to SPILL. After the children of St Matthew’s Primary School have presented their alternative news broadcast, we are delighted to share the Oscar-winning media satire from 1976, Network. We are also very excited to bring Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic back to the big screen to echo the maritime themes of our Shefarers of Ipswich project.

SHEFARERSOF IPS W ICH PAGE24

STRUCTIONS PAGE32

This year, our festival Hub is at St Stephen’s Church, right in the heart of Ipswich. The Hub will be our box office, performance venue and a great place to hang out between shows. Our friends at vital grassroots Ipswich organisations Future Female Society and Guy Cry Club will be leading a series of community takeovers at our SPILL Hub, so this is an ideal opportunity to experience the creative energies of our vibrant town.

SPILL’s music programme this year is full of unusual and danceable delights! Our partnership with Ipswich’s amazing music festival Brighten the Corners includes a gig from the seminal EthiopianAmerican keyboardist and bandleader Hailu

Mergia, and we’re also hosting the award-winning turntablist DJ NikNak and psychedelic improvisers

The Utopia Strong.

BOOKING

The SPILL Festival box office is paperless; we do not issue physical tickets. When you make a booking, e-tickets and instructions will be sent to you electronically so you can show a barcode on your mobile device when you arrive, or choose to print it at home.

Provided an event is not sold out, tickets will be available to buy on the door from 30 minutes before the event starts. We accept card and contactless payments, and you can pay with cash at our SPILL Hub box office. For some events, concessions are available for under 18s, students, over 65s and unwaged people. If you require a free ticket for an access companion, please get in touch.

HOW TO BOOK TICKETS

ONLINE spillfestival.com

BY PHONE 01473 210 169

IN PERSON Box Office at the SPILL Hub @ St. Stephen’s Church BOX OFFICE OPENING TIMES

Sat 14 + Sun 15 Oct: 12:00 to 17:00

Mon 16 - Fri 20 Oct: 12:00 to 16:00

Sat 21 Oct: 13:00 to 16:00

Latecomers may not be admitted, please arrive in good time for ticketed events.

SUPPORT US

As a registered charity, every penny SPILL receives directly supports our work for artists, audiences, and the people of Ipswich.

By making a donation to SPILL, however big or small, you will be helping us to produce the world-renowned SPILL Festival and deliver year-round participatory activities at our Ipswich Think Tank. We also have opportunities for business sponsorship. Whether you want to invest in the creation of new work and artist development, find unusual experiences for your corporate guests, or simply promote your business to our audiences, sponsoring SPILL offers your organisation genuine value for money.

Find out more at spillfestival.com/support

WITH BENEFITS

SPILL with Benefits is our new supporters’ club, providing members with limited edition artist postcards, advance booking offers and exclusive discounts, all for one low annual charge of £25.

Contributions through SPILL with Benefits directly seed our programmes of support for artists based across East Anglia. We provide residencies, commission new works and offer opportunities for regional artists to share early ideas with audiences at our Think Tank venue.

Members can enjoy:

• 2 limited edition artist postcards each year

• Early-access booking for SPILL events

• Exclusive writing and content from our Artistic Director

• Festival and Think Tank brochures posted to you at home

• A 10% discount at the Think Tank bar

Find out more at spillfestival.com/spillwithbenefits

© Guido Mencari

Here’s To Tomorrow by SPILL Young Curators - SPILL 2021

ACCESS

The team at SPILL works with our programmed artists and venue partners around Ipswich to ensure all SPILL projects and opportunities are accessible to as many people as possible.

This year we have lowered and simplified our ticket prices, and continue to offer many events for free.

The venues we work with allow for step-free access from street to seat, or, where that is not possible, there are livestream link-ups to locations which do.

In many cases, we have programmed highly-visual works with limited dialogue which do not rely on audiences being fluent in English. Other works are interpreted for British Sign Language users and hearing loops are available.

Contact us with any questions you may have by emailing info@spillfestival.com or calling on 01473 216 545. Keep an eye on spillfestival.com or any of our social media feeds for the latest access announcements.

BSL INTERPRETED

FRI 13 OCT 18:00

SPILL Festival Launch (p.10)

SAT 14 OCT 12:00

Mega Bunny + Friends - Artist Guided Walk (p.12)

WED 18 OCT 12:00 - 14:00

Shefarers of Ipswich - Open Ship (p.24)

SAT 21 OCT 12:00

50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) (p.30)

SAT 21 OCT 14:00

Shefarers of Ipswich - Livestream (p.24)

SPILL FESTIVAL LAUNCH

Join us for speeches, music and performances as we raise a glass to celebrate the start of SPILL Festival 2023. This is a chance to get together as the festival begins, to meet the artists and hear more about what’s to come.

Cabaret entertainment will be provided by Sergina, the drag persona of Felixstowe favourite Elly Clarke. You will also be witness to artist Tom Woolner’s strange public dentistry. Ipswich DJs the Ill Na Nas will provide tunes for moving and grooving as SPILL Festival begins.

Fri 13 Oct 18:00

FREE (booking essential)

spillfestival.com

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church

SPILL VIRAL ISABELLA GRIECO, ALIREZA JAFARI, AYSAN JAFARI + THOMAS WATSON

SPILL Viral is a project by local young artists and filmmakers, aged 18-25. Working as a collective over summer and autumn, they show us how our online content can be art.

Participants have created videos, images, sound and other kinds of digital art to reflect their concerns with the world. Keep an eye out in venues and on our social media feeds for some very special SPILL Viral content!

Thanks to our SPILL Viral workshop leaders: Elly Clarke, Robin Deacon, Richard DeDomenici, Kate Flurrie, Louise Orwin and Manuel Vason.

Fri 13 - Sun 22 Oct

spillfestival.com/viral

MEGA BUNNY + FRIENDS BRUCE ASBESTOS

Leaping from the imagination of artist Bruce Asbestos, Mega Bunny and friends Egg Cat and Octopus will be taking over Ipswich this October. Colourful and playful, these giant inflatable sculptures will either win your heart or steal your crisps… we’re not sure which!

Bruce’s work draws from a rich history of painting, sculpture, popular culture, folklore and fairy tales. He frequently mixes everyday objects with high art, fashion, social media, video games and global pop culture.

Visit Mega Bunny + Friends on the Cornhill throughout SPILL 2023, or get to know them on a guided tour led by the artist. You can also see more of the friends on the ground floor of the Buttermarket, including some miniature monsters designed by Ipswich schoolchildren.

Fri 13 - Sun 29 Oct

Cornhill 10:00 - 19:00 (not Sat 21/Sun 22)

Buttermarket 10:00 - 17:00

Sat 14 Oct 12:00

Meet at Cornhill

30 mins The walk will be BSL interpreted

£6

WOMAN2WOMAN RADIO: LIVE!

FUTURE FEMALE SOCIETY

Woman2Woman Radio is run by Future Female Society with migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women. They have the opportunity to share their voices and stories, while the radio format nurtures a sense of freedom, both of expression and within the women themselves. It’s not just a project, it’s a family.

As part of the SPILL Community Takeover, Woman2Woman Radio will be transplanted into the SPILL Hub bringing a celebratory afternoon of live conversation, poetry and readings that share stories of migration, identity and building community.

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church

Running throughout the afternoon

futurefemalesociety.org

DJ NIKNAK + TALLULAH + GIRLS WHERE YOU AT?

Described as a ‘musical polymath’ by Clash Magazine, NikNak is a DJ, multi-disciplinary artist and music creative.

NikNak has shared the stage with the likes of Mr Scruff, Lefto Early Bird, Jamz Supanova, Grandmaster Flash and many other notable artists. Recognised as one of DJMag’s ‘Ones to Watch’ in 2022, each NikNak set is expansive, unique, ambitious, genre-defying, and serves as a testament to her sponge-like musical knowledge.

Support includes a mashup set from Tallulah, and young DJs from Girls Where You At, a Future Female Society programme for 11-19 year old girls that builds confidence and aspiration through radio, music, video production, performance and more.

Sat 14 Oct 21:00 (doors 20:30) SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church

£6 2 hours

niknakdjmusic.uk

NEWS NEWS NEWS

ANDY FIELD + BECKIE DARLINGTON

This is the news studio. These are the news headlines. This. Is. The. News.

At a time when there is more news than there has ever been and yet our trust in journalists is at an all-time low, News News News is a different kind of news show.

Recorded in front of a studio audience and broadcast online to potentially billions of viewers, this is a TV bulletin made for adults by children. Working with artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, pupils from St Matthew’s Primary School present the headlines from their everyday lives, offering a distinctive look at what’s going on in Ipswich right now.

From your seat at the Gallery Studio Theatre, you’ll have the chance to watch the news being made right in front of your eyes in the UK’s smallest news studio. Facts are checked, breaking news is gathered and the presenters ready themselves to go live on air.

Andy Field and Beckie Darlington are artists based in London. Their work has been presented all over the world, from rooftops in Cairo and Sao Paulo to London’s Natural History Museum.

Sat 14 Oct 18:00

£10 / £7 concs.

andyandbeckie.com

75 mins

Gallery Studio Theatre

Commissioned by Cambridge Junction and Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Supported by Arts Council England, the Stobbs New Ideas Fund and a Cambridge City Council Public Art Grant.

NETWORK (15)

Dir. Sidney Lumet FILM SCREENING

In this Oscar-winning satire released in 1976, veteran news anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) discovers that he’s being put out to pasture, and he’s none too happy about it. He launches into an angry televised rant, a huge ratings boost for the network. His actions allow ambitious producer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) to develop even more outrageous programming, something that she takes to unsettling extremes.

SPILL Artistic Director Robin Deacon says: ‘One of my favourite films, Network is the perfect complement to News News News at the Gallery Studio Theatre. Both challenge us to think about where and how we receive our information and beliefs about the world.’ Sat 14 Oct 20:30

TO WITHER AND BLOOM

GUY CRY CLUB

Guy Cry Club is a platform exploring masculinity and mental health through art. To Wither and Bloom is an afternoon of discussion and activity on the subject of floriography, the language of flowers and plants. Floriography has long been connected with myths, herbalism, culture and art, and now Guy Cry Club invites you to step into this world.

Founder and artist Ben Driver will be in conversation with a botanist uncovering how flowers have influenced the way they see the world, how flowers have spoken to them, and how they use flowers to speak. Afterwards you can explore your own connection with flowers in a zine-making workshop.

Sun 15 Oct 12:00 - 17:00

FREE

guycryclub.com

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church

Running throughout the afternoon

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (15)

Dir. Wes Anderson

FILM SCREENING

Released in 2004 as the fourth feature film by iconic director Wes Anderson, The Life Aquatic tells the story of renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou, who has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou’s past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.

SPILL Artistic Director Robin Deacon says: ‘When secret agency (the artists behind Shefarers of Ipswich) told me that The Life Aquatic had been a big influence on their work, I knew this would be a great opportunity to programme such a cult favourite.’

Sun 15 Oct 14:00

£6

kingstreetcinema.co.uk

King Street Cinema

119 mins

THROUGH THE ROUND WINDOW

ROBIN DEACON

SPILL’s Artistic Director Robin Deacon presents a lecture-style performance especially written for SPILL 2023. Part of Screen Memories, a series of monologues recounting a childhood of watching public service television, here Robin turns his attention to the question of representation. Using storytelling and sampled footage, he pieces together half-remembered recollections of presenter Floella Benjamin on the children’s TV show, Play School.

In this performance, Robin asks what it really means to be represented. Is there a tension between the desire to be part of a collective and the sense of oneself as an individual? When does representation matter, and when might it not?

Sun 15 Oct 18:00

£10 / £7 concs.

robindeacon.com

Gallery Studio Theatre

45 mins

SHEFARERS OF IPSWICH SECRET AGENCY

The history of the seas is almost exclusively a history of men. Men have sailed the seas, worked in the sea trade, gone to war. While women have fought with considerable success for gender equality on land, the maritime world seems far behind.

This year at SPILL, we celebrate the ‘shefarers’ of Ipswichthe women sailors, port workers, sailmakers, tugboat pilots, boat-builders, sea swimmers and more - to ask them: is there a feminism of the water?

Artists secret agency will set up headquarters for the shefarers of Ipswich on Sailing Barge ‘Victoria’ on the Waterfront, hosting a series of events, performances and drop-in research sessions. Come and visit the Open Ship to learn about shefarers’ stories, join their banquet and procession to The Hold, or gather with us for performances from all-female sea shanty crew The Silver Darlings!

Shefarers of Ipswich is the latest iteration of secret agency’s Women of the Seven Seas project. Its international events have taken place in Hamburg, Barcelona and Lagos, and will soon journey to Indonesia.

Shefarers of Ipswich has been generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Swire Charitable Trust, Ganzoni Trust, Scarfe Charitable Trust, Ipswich Maritime Trust, Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, German Federal Cultural Fund, Harwich Haven Authority Fund through Suffolk Community Foundation, and a number of anonymous donors. We would especially like to thank National Lottery players, whose contributions have enabled our grant from the Heritage Fund.

Tue 17 - Thu 19 Oct (Open Ship) Sat 21 Oct 14:00 (banquet and procession)

See website and Waterfront signage for up-to-date timings

Sailing Barge ‘Victoria’, Ipswich Waterfront + The Hold

FREE (£15 for banquet event)

geheimagentur.net

Sailing Barge ‘Victoria’ is entered via a gangway and ladder. Accessible activities take place at Waterfront venues and The Hold, or can be enjoyed from the Waterfront promenade. See our festival noticeboards for up-to-the-minute timings and opportunities.

See our website for info on a special sail for young women and non-binary people aged 14-24. After October, explore shefarer stories in the Suffolk Archives collection at The Hold.

Sat 21 Oct 13:30 + 16:00

Ipswich Waterfront + The Hold FREE

30 mins

silverdarlingsshanty.co.uk

ORIGINALLY A PLANT MARITEA DÆHLIN

In Originally a plant, Maritea Dæhlin weaves languages together, reflecting the reality for many who traverse different cultures and geographies. They must leave space for interpretation, misunderstanding and lost words.

Creating a unique visual and sonic landscape on the DanceHouse stage, Dæhlin questions who is seen and heard, and who is not.

Maritea Dæhlin is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Norway and Mexico. We are thrilled to continue our support for this exciting performer after the success of her video work, I WANT TO BE TRADITIONAL, in SPILL 2021.

Thu 19 Oct 19:30

£10 / £7 concs.

mariteadaehlin.com

Jerwood DanceHouse

90 mins

Supported by Performing Arts Hub Norway and Arts Council Norway

© Vegard Kleven

INSCRIBED IN ‘ME’

ALETHIA ANTONIA

Choreographed and performed by Alethia Antonia, Inscribed in ‘Me’ is a dance performance that uses movement, voice, and music to explore both personal and historical experiences of feminine blackness and self-authorship.

It is a journey of self-discovery and healing; both deeply personal and universal.

Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director of DanceEast, described Alethia to us as ‘an amazing technician with an extraordinary stage presence,’ so we are delighted to work with him to introduce Alethia to SPILL audiences. After her performance, Alethia will join SPILL Artistic Director Robin Deacon onstage for a discussion about her work.

Fri 20 Oct 19:30

£15 (booking via danceeast.co.uk)

alethiaantonia.com

Jerwood DanceHouse

75 mins

Presented in collaboration with DanceEast

HAILU MERGIA + SUPPORT

In mid-1970s Ethiopia, as the political tides changed toward authoritarianism, Addis Ababa’s cosmopolitan, soul-fuelled nightlife was in full swing.

Hailu Mergia and the Walias Band were the jazz pioneers at the very centre of this golden age of Ethiopian popular music, providing the soundtrack to 12-hour all-nighters for the diplomats, power brokers, movie stars and regular club-goers seeking refuge from government-enforced curfews.

Now based in New York and in his sixth decade of musical activity, Hailu Mergia and his band are in the UK to perform music from their acclaimed latest album, Yene Mircha (‘My Choice’ in Amharic).

Fri 20 Oct 21:00 (doors 20:30)

£17

hailumergia.bandcamp.com

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church 2 hours (approx)

Presented in collaboration with Brighten The Corners

THE UTOPIA STRONG +

LOULA YORKE

The Utopia Strong’s formidable blend of leftfield psychedelia and beatific harmony has evolved way beyond expectations since the band’s inception.

Featuring Kavus Torabi (Gong), Steve Davis (Psychedelic Modular) and Mike York, the experimental trio combine sequencers, samplers, synths, guitars and pipes in evocative sound-worlds and mind-expanding improvisations. Join them on a voyage to inner space!

Support is provided by Suffolk composer and live electronics performer Loula Yorke. Loula is the artist behind Atari Punk Girls, one of the highlights of SPILL 2021.

Sat 21 Oct 21:00 (doors 20:30)

£10

theutopiastrong.bandcamp.com

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church loulayorke.com

2 hours

50 DANGEROUS THINGS (YOU SHOULD LET YOUR CHILDREN DO)

LIVE ART DENMARK

Have you ever licked a 9-volt battery? Lifted the lid of a popcorn pan while the corn pops? Never ever? Then this show is for you! 50 Dangerous Things explores everything that adults usually warn their children against!

Adapted from the book by Julie Spielger and Gever Tully, and a huge hit across Europe, 50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) provides a safe environment for children to take risks and try something just a little bit scary…

Live Art Denmark are experts in creating performances for young audiences and their families. They travel to Ipswich from their home in the north harbour of Copenhagen.

Originally written by Sibylle Peters (Forschungstheater / Theatre of Research).

Sat 21 Oct 12:00

Sun 22 Oct 14:00

SPILL Hub @ St Stephen’s Church

£10 adults / £7 concs.

liveart.dk

Generously supported by Danish Arts Foundation

40 mins

MONUMENTAL CONSTRUCTIONS

OLIVIER GROSSETÊTE + THE BÂTISSES SOEURS

You are invited to join world-renowned French artist Olivier Grossetête on the Cornhill to imagine and build Cardinal Wolsey’s Tudor college entirely from cardboard and tape!

The Cardinal never got to see the designs for his college completed; all that’s left of it today is the historic Wolsey Gate on College Street near St Peter’s Church. This October, we will finish building it together, before gathering for a public demolition — a huge, joyful celebration of Ipswich and its people.

Since 2000, Olivier Grossetête has travelled across the world to create almost 250 different constructions inspired by local architecture, visiting five continents and recruiting thousands of people in his adventure.

Get Involved!

We are looking for enthusiastic people aged 9+, families, friends or community groups to join us for our big build workshops, taking place at Ipswich Town Hall from 14:00 - 17:30 on Wed 18 and Fri 20 Oct. The workshops are for all abilities and skills - no prior building experience is needed!

Book your space by going to spillfestival.com/monumentalworkshops.

Sat 21 Oct 10:00 - 21:00 (construction)

Sun 22 Oct 16:00 (deconstruction)

Cornhill

SPILL TEAM

Artistic Director + CEO

ROBIN DEACON

Senior Producer

HELEN DAWSON

Technical Director

BERND FAULER

Producer

ANNIE HARRISON

Production Manager

SIMON DEACON

Marketing + Communications Manager

CAZ SLOTA

Deputy Marketing + Communications Manager

ROBBIE MALONEY

PR + Corporate Relationships Manager

HELEN OLDFIELD

Brochure Design

SPARK AM&PM

Map Design

COME HITHER DESIGN

Executive Director

MEGAN VAUGHAN

General Manager

KATHRYN KIRTON

SPILL Trustees

HUGH WHITTALL (Chair)

ANTHONY ROBERTS

JANETTE WAND

LOIS KEIDAN

Incoming Trustees

AMY ORCHARD KING

MARTIN DOLE-WASILKA

RACHEL FITZGERALD

REBECCA PARSONS

SPILL Think Tank, High St, Ipswich IP1 3QH

spillfestival.com

SPILL Festival Ltd is registered in England: 3701419

Charity no: 1075462

VAT no: 877 0425 07

SPILL Festival Ltd (formerly the Robert Pacitti Company) was founded by artist Robert Pacitti in 1999. The first SPILL Festival took place in 2007.

KEEPING BRITAIN TRADING

ABP’s 21 ports are at the heart of the UK’s green recovery:

Connecting the nations’ importers and exporters to global markets

Building sustainable supply chains

Partnering in the growth of renewables and the offshore wind sector

Handling £150 billion of UK trade annually

Generating £7.5 billion for the UK economy

Supporting 119,000 jobs

1. Troon

2. Ayr

3. Silloth

4. Barrow

5. Fleetwood 6. Garston

7. Goole 8. Hull 9. Immingham 10. Grimsby 11. King’s Lynn 12. Lowestoft

13. Ipswich

14. Swansea

15. Port Talbot

16. Barry

17. Cardiff 18. Newport

19. Plymouth 20. Teignmouth

21. Southampton

SPILL THANKS

SPILL Festival would not be possible without the generous support of our funders and partners.

FUNDERS

Performing Arts Hub Norway, Scarfe Charitable Trust, Ganzoni Charitable Trust, Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, Harwich Haven Authority Fund, Arts Council Norway and all our anonymous donors

SPONSORS MEDIA PARTNER

PARTNERS