Salamanda Tandem: Soundwalk Into Wellbeing In Lockdown
A Window To The World: the studio seen from the park & street
…During the pandemic and lockdown Salamanda Tandem has been working on the ways and means to develop our Soundwalk Into Welbeing Project, exploring access to the touch of sound, what ancient yoga philosophy teaches us about wellbeing, environmental location work, and art for the new physical distanced environment, with support from Arts Council England from their emergency recovery fund
We are incredibly grateful to Arts Council England, without whom we just couldn’t have continued our work.
A creative practice for wellbeing; being designed by esteemed artists and wellbeing practitioners: Geoffrey Fielding, Dallas Simpson, Biant Singh, Mickel Smithen, Dave Sturt and Takashi Kikuchi, as well as sympathetic organisations: City Arts Kate Duncan, and Iyengar Yoga UK and in honour of Yogini: Navaz Kamdin and BKS Iyengar. Taking place during the pandemic: in lockdown a collection of conversations, music, soundwalks, photography, film, dance, and guided journeys are in the process being posted here
One amazing and surprising thing about Salamanda Tandems studio is the gift of an acoustic – we could never have expected it. Such an unusual shape, and sure no acoustic designer would have come up with its triangle form going up to a high apex, and yet the sound for speech, and singing is clear and resonant, every individual sound can be heard and yet it is simultaneously gathered together in one holistic sound.
The situation of Covid-19 is a mind numbing/traumatic situation, it is unequal, and particularly stressful for visually impaired & disabled people, for seldom heard carers and for people living with poor health,loss or in isolation. For some who can take joy in a daily exercise routine, others are gripped by inertia as their lives are taken over by fear. Mickel Smithen, dance artist and performer working with Salamanda Tandem for over 14 years works on a piece of audio description, to describe the experience from a Visually Impaired person’s perspective , and over the autumn we started to develop the means to reach people through sound
https://soundcloud.com/salamandatandem/ham-so
Ham So सो ऽहम् was made in Lockdown 1: it evokes the peacefulness of a trafficless, moment and of silence. Ham So सो ऽहम् is there in Vedic Indian Philosophy and means a sense of communion and union with the universe
Journal of Silence day 10 of physical isolation, Lockdown. Finally the cars have stopped and the bird song lost underneath has emerged, this city is transformed into a peaceful place. Not saying its easy, felt extremely sad when we closed our studio a week last monday, been worried sick about money for entire household’s of self employed people (like us), never mind people on zero hour contracts not being honoured, all arts projects disapeared, big responsibilities and wrangling with corporate business trying to keep afloat, and feel massive weight of fear as disabled and vulnerable people go under, Lewis was disabled from birth he’d have been very frightened if he was alive. Love, compassion go out ….
Listening to this beautiful and formative binaural work made by Dallas Simpson and Isabel Jones in our studio, published by plustimbre. This was as it turned out the last face to face meeting, before our final trip to India, and our return to Lockdown:
https://plustimbre.bandcamp.com/album/conversation-meditation
Building to continue our Soundwalk Into Wellbeing. A live immersive sensory experience, guided by wellbeing practitioners, sound artists, and seldom heard carers, using innovative sound technology to address challenges of isolation, stress, disability and poor health. Taking place in local parks, canal sides, gardens and unexpected local havens for nature, the soundwalks are designed to lift energies, through cultivating a sense of curiosity, as seldom heard carers, loved ones and friends, tune into the sound, movement and touch of nature, through the healing power of the breath.
We look back to the moments of contact we had with people, to try and make the sound source accessible in lockdown, even if we cannot be physically there, we can feel the touch of nature with compassion. Listen to this 4 minute piece of music featured on Radio Nottingham. Composer Isabel Jones
Canalside Heritage Centre, Beeston Lock Nottinghamshire NG9 1LZ https://thesampler.org/event/soundwalk-into-wellbeing/
Central to the Beeston Lock sound score transmitted via radio headphones, we hear stories of wellbeing and resilience collected from seldom heard carers and canalside people who have drawn on challenging lived experience to let nature, breathe space into our daily lives.
Embedded into the Soundwalks are The 5 Ways To Wellbeing, Connect, Keep Learning, Be Active, Take Notice, and Give, so all are welcome to stay on after the soundwalks for a friendly gathering, to reflect on shared wellbeing experiences and build peer support.
Creators / Performers
Isabel Jones: Composer / Singer / Soundwalk Into Wellbeing Guide
Biant Singh: Tabla Player / Soundwalk Into Wellbeing Guide
Geoffrey Fielding: Photographer
Advocacy and Technical Support:
Caroline Robinson: Evaluation & Movement Facilitation, Derek Grant: Technical Support and Advocacy, Sue Ansell: Artist Advocate, and Geoffrey Fielding: Technical Support
Partners and Funders Soundwalk Into Wellbeing is developed by Salamanda Tandem, in partnership with Better Carers and Co-Production Team Nottinghamshire County Council, Canalside Heritage Centre Beeston Lock, the Carers’ Council and Beeston Carers. Celebrating: Mental Health Awareness Weeks: www.mhaw.org.uk and 2018 World Mental Health Day.
Salamanda Tandem: White Cane Performance National Touring
… a project about inner vision made by a team of visually impaired, blind and sighted artists….
For a flavor watch and listen to this 7 min film (subtitled):
Salamanda Tandem Film Made by People Dancing
About White Cane. After Lewis Jones died in September 2012 Isabel created an exhbition for Lewis’s funeral so that his family and friends could enjoy the touch and feel of his few belongings; braille books, braille games, perkins machine, braille watch, his long cane and his stone, presented alongside recordings, articles, photographs and news clippings, of the various projects we had undertaken together. Afterwards these things came home with us, and the long cane sat folded next to our printer at home. The cane stayed there silently, as we had always understood that a sighted person should not use it. It stayed there, while Isabel gathered the finances and a team of visually impaired performers together in a porcess of reflection and recovery, to make a series of performance works, exhibitions, films, and curate an international symposium to celebrate Lewis and the contribution of visually impaired people to Salamanda Tandem and the field of dance across Europe: events and performances are all charted here on this website and included: The Fragile? Symposium in Tallinn Estonia, AD Astra, Touchstone Exhibition, and Guesture.
Mickel Smithen and Takashi Kikuchi @Ludus Festival: White Cane Ludus Festival
In the history of ‘dance’ and ‘music’ performance, the Long Cane has never been part of a performance, but in White Cane it becomes central to the work. Writing up the concept as a submission to Corby Cube, Isabel describes how visually impaired performer’s could lead an audience independantly through a busy city centre street. Corby Cube weren’t interested, but the innovative Ludus Festival Leeds and Professor Mick Wallis were. Thus White Cane Salamanda Tandem was born, and premiered in Leeds in June 2014 after a 6 month process of audience and artistic development.
Following 6 premiere performances in Leeds, White Cane: salamanda tandem, attracted funding from Grants For The Arts / Arts Council to tour in 2016 – 2018, and Isabel Jones and Duncan Chapman were recipients of the Composer Curator Award, from Sound and Music to develop the tour nationally. White Cane Composer Curator Award
a short fragment of sound here…..
https://soundcloud.com/salamandatandem/white-cane-salamanda-tandem-a-child-stop
Programme Notes:
Click below for Accessible Audio version of White Cane Information: White Cane Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
https://soundcloud.com/salamandatandem/audio-programme-information-white-cane-salamanda-tandem
WHITE CANE Salamanda Tandem: was a series of unique site-specific performances touring nationally in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, where audiences wearing wireless headphones are immersed in a sound world created by visually impaired performers exploring and navigating public space. As the long cane rolls across the surface of each space, we hear it’s sound, which is combined with live viola, and spoken and sung audio description to create a unique experience of ‘sonic vision’.
White Cane Creators / Artists:
Performers/creators: Isabel Jones, Duncan Chapman, Takashi Kikuchi & Mickel Smithen
Geoffrey Fielding: Photographer
Mick Wallis: Dramaturgy
Advocacy and Technical Support: Caroline Robinson, Laura Mansford, Derek Grant and Stella Couloutbanis
Performers / Movement Artists: Indra Slavena (Huddersfield, Colchester, Leicester, Nottingham), Polly Wiltshire (Leeds), Natalie Speake (Leeds), Sam White (Huddersfield, Leicester)
White Cane Performances Venues and Festivals
Ludus Festival June 2014
Colchester Firstsite Gallery January 2016 and Oct 2016 :
People Dancing: The Curve January 2017
Spitalfields Music June 2016
Tokyo Muse Company Project June 2016 (Isabel Jones)
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival May 2016 and Nov 2016
Bridgford Park and Salamanda Tandem Studio: Oct 2016, April 2017, Aug 2017, Feb 2018.
Interfaces Conference DMU September 2018
White Cane Funders
Salamanda Tandem White Cane Information for Promoters Dec 2017 screen view
Other News
New Building and studio built in 2016 – 2018. Now Open!
Substantial Body of Participatory Projects
It is impossible to feature all our individual projects on this website, but we we have produced various publications over the years, and produce a substantial in house publication featuring a collection of projects conducted over 4 – 5 years under a specific theme, these contain beautiful photographs, and writing, with participants comments and a list of partners and full credits. These giving a flavor of the participatory programme that goes hand in hand with every performance process and project.
20 years, 25 years and 30 years…… Publications
30 years Publication: 30 Years Of Salamanda Tandem: Studio Launch White Cane and The Soundwalk Into Wellbeing
25 years publication here: Salamanda Tandem 25 Years
20 years publication here: Salamanda Tandem Project 20 a celebration of 20 years
Retreats, Weekly Classes and Workshops
Visit Movement for Health : http://www.movement4health.co.uk
Annual New Year Retreat: 30th – Dec – 1st January run by Isabel and Geoffrey
Annual Summer Parwich Retreat Derbyshire run by Isabel and Geoffrey
Weekly Iyengar Yoga Classes: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Morning, Thursday evening saturday morning and Monthly Yoga Workshops: Sunday Mornings.
Weekly West Bridgford Bowls Club class continue’s with Osteopath / Yoga Teacher Geoffrey Fielding. Every wedesday over 60’s.Oct – April every year (2012 ongoing…)
2015 … 2018 Isabel’s soundart & writing: “from Purusha to Prakrity:
Salamanda Tandem’s new studio opened in May 2017 -Now open!
Other Past Events:
Performances, publications, workshops, classes, retreats, recordings, film, academic presentations and research
Australia Research Project Perth University and DADAA. Mick Wallis and Isabel Jones will be conducting their research over the next year, and visiting Perth in January and February 2016
2015 – 2016: The Internet of Soft Things research Project; a collaboration between, computer scientists, designers, MIND participants and psychotherapists based at Trent University department of Art and Design. Watch our for Salamanda Tandem’s 3 films produced with MIND co-designers at various national and international symposiums and conferences.
‘Gesture Site Specific Performance’ Corby Cube March 8th 2014 10.30am
‘Ad Astra and Gesture Film’ Showing and Talk Corby Cube March 8th 2015 4.30pm
3rd April White Cane Research project Central Leeds – Victoria Gardens with Mickel, Takashi, Duncan, Isabel and Mick
4th April Symposium 2016 – Ludus Thinks . Presentation by Isabel Jones and Mickel Smithen
10th and 14th April 2016 Nortants Young Carers with NMPAT Sound Safari project with Duncan and Isabel
‘Orchestras Live Performances ‘ with co-composers Duncan Chapman and Isabel Jones and VIVA Orchestra – 28th March 2014 Ashmount School 24th June and 25th June at De’Montfort Hall Leicester, June 2014
Orchestras Live Workshops with Duncan Chapman and Isabel Jones and VIVA Feb and March 2014
May 28th, 29th and 30th May 2014 Victoria Gardens White Cane Process and Research
‘White Cane’ Performance – Victoria Gardens Central Leeds June 20th and 22nd 2014
Foundation For Community Dance Summer School July 2014 – Isabel Jones course leader
http://www.communitydance.org.uk/eb/view.aspx?ref=IIID1SKQS7AYTYXF00VJ&rec=2-0
People Dancing International Conference Nov 2014: Salamanda Tandem
Site Specific Performance at Corby Cube commissioned by Fermynwoods Contemporary Art – Final event 18th and 19th July in the Council Chamber Corby Cube
RE- Sound: A Children’s Opera with Duncan Chapman and Isabel Jones in Aberdeenshire May and June 2013
Quarry-o-sion- Site specific sound art event for Wirksworth Festival September 7th / 8th 2013. 12.30 – 16.30pm each day
Touchstone Exhibition- Rufford Craft Centre 22nd September – 13th October 2013
Performance Private View Rufford Craft Centre Gallery 22nd September 2013. 2.30pm
Ad Astra Tallinn University, Estonia 21st April 2013
Ad Astra at the Water Tower – Site specific dance and music performance May 30th 2013
Quarry-o-sion Wirksworth Festival Sound Recording Sessions with local young people 7th August 2013
Quarry-o-sion Wirksworth Festival September 6th Rehearsals for Volunteers
Quarry-o-sion Shaw’s Quarry Music/Dance Performance Wirksworth Festival 7th & 8th September 2013
Journey Into Health, West Bridgford Bowls Club with Geoffrey Fielding. Weekly movement sessions for people over 65. Jan – March 2014
Trigonos Retreat Snowdonia – New Year 2013 with Isabel Jones and Geoffrey Fielding
Breathing Space Project in Staffordshire with disabled children Summer / Autumn 2012
Living Room Installation Ludus Festival – Leeds University Students Union June 2012
Seminars, training courses and conferences…..
Image 1. Rufford Craft Centre. Image 2. Living Room Bretton Hall. Photographs Geoffrey Fielding, Design Richard Hughes
FCD Dance and Disabled People Residential Course July 2014 led by Isabel Jones
NMPAT Music Training day led by visually impaired and sighted associate artists April 2014
NMPAT Music Training Day for Musicians January 2014
NMPAT Music Training day for Musicians Northamptonshire October 2013
Fermynwoods Contemporary Art – Gesture Seminar Event 6th August 2013
FCD Summer School Dance and Disabled People July 2013
Jessie’s Fund Music Interaction Training Day Manchester June 2013
Noise Floor Symposium Stafford University – Duncan Chapman and Isabel Jones May 2013
FRAGILE?: EU Funded Symposium Estonia April 2013. 28 events, workshops and seminars with Curator Isabel Jones
FRAGILE? Call Out for workshops, presentations and art works Closing date October 10th 2012
Dance and Ethics Seminar: Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts Nov 2012
Therapeutic Dance: Lincoln Centre for Performing arts Nov 2012
Inclusive Dance Workshop: De’Montfort University Leicester – November 2011
Dance in The Community Lecture: De’Montfort University – November 2011
Plymouth University Dance Department – November 2012 ( Targeted Event)
Plymouth University Psychology and Dance Department Nov 2012 ( open seminar /event)
Embrace Arts Exhibition March 2012: salamanda tandem exhibit an art work as part of their conference on art and learning disabled people
Embrace, Create Connect Conference at Embrace Arts Leicester March 2012 Isabel Jones keynote workshop
Annual Retreats:
Annual New Year Trigonos Alternative Education Centre in Snowdonia: December 31st – 2nd Jan
Annual Spring Retreat In Parwich Derbyshshire Co-led by Isabel Jones and Geoffrey Fielding.