"SOMETHING SERIOUS BEGINS" at the MARKET GALLERY

Hot on the heels of the debut performance art experience at the Flying Duck, Shambolica! Presents... was back in Glasgow for another unique spellbinding performance.
This time titled: SHAMBOLICA! Presents "Something Serious Begins" as part of The Market Gallery Performance Night 2 on the 2nd of August 2012.  Part of an eclectic bill of performance artists at the gallery followed by a myriad of creators of weird and wonderful music, it was a truly fantastic evening of creative art.

Photograph & Copyright - Michael James 2012

Baron Punch and Claus the Strong Man were BACK in Glasgow, bringing with them their unique brand of light, colour, chaos and knowledge of contemporary art!  And let us not forget; THE BOX!  THE BOX OF WONDERS! and with that the return of the sparkly Tertre Rouge.  Whipping the beautiful audience of the market gallery into a whirl storm of interactive Glasgow art sculptures the trio of SHAMBO characters had their mighty shambo way and gave a performance like no other.

You can view the whole performance right HERE!  and Look at the lovely photos right HERE!

Photograph & Copyright - Micheal James 2012

A special thanks to all at the Market Gallery for putting us on and for being wonderful hosts and to all the other performers on the night, it was an honour and a pleasure to be part of the night.
Additional thanks to Michael James for the excellent photographs he took.

COMING SOON!
A new performance from SHAMBOLICA! Presents... coming soon at Glasgow School of Art Monday the 10th of September and followed by another original performance at the 13th Note, Glasgow on wednesday the 12th of September.  Please spread the word.  More details about each gig will be on the facebook page shortly, click HERE! and LIKE US!

"COMPANION" for North Light Dunbar Arts Festival 2012

At the start of the year a call out from North Light Dunbar found its way to the internet calling for submissions for an up and coming arts festival taking place this summer.
Shambolica artist Thomas F Newell submitted a proposal entitled "Companion" and after many months, once funding was raised and granted to put the festival on, the piece was accepted.



The proposal read as follows:

“Companion” is a shimmering, elegiac and reflective soundscape with connections to the life and work of John Muir that is to accompany members of the public as they walk/journey around specific places of Dunbar and its surrounding areas. Walking in nature, especially in East Lothian is a beautiful experience and one that I wish to heighten by providing a unique soundtrack that people from all walks of life can enjoy.  John Muir was a great and noble man and his ultimate past time was walking.  As members of the public walk around a specific location, the sonic landscape created will connect them with John Muir and further engage them with their surroundings.  As the landscape changes so will the music and in turn change the listener, creating new memories and emotions. Famous John Muir quotes (spoken by local voices) will bring him back to the land from which he came, people will have the chance to reflect on him, learn from him and remember him.   The music will combine electronic and acoustic instruments with field recordings of the area.  John Muir and the music together will become the perfect companion.

THE SOUNDSCAPE is now live and you can get it right HERE!Please share, download, listen, Enjoy!

North Light Dunbar Arts Festival is currently in full swing with numerous exhibitions, events, showcases, workshops and happenings.  Please check out HERE to visit the website and HERE for the FACEBOOK where there are continual updates and you can LIKE IT!  YAY!

A huge thank you to Susie Goodwin and the North Light Team for the commission and the opportunity to be part of this magical arts festival.

BE CREATIVE, BE SHAMBOLICA!

   

SHAMBOLICA! Presents SOMETHING PUNCHY! The Rise of *Tertre Rouge*!

"SHAMBO! Sh sh sh SHAMBO! SHAMBO! Sh sh sh SHAMBO!   JOIN US! OH COME AND JOIN US!"

Was the chant, the chorus, the song, the celebration that rang out across the grand City of Glasgow on the faithful night of Sunday the 1st of July 2012.  The words were conjured up by a super sparkly spirit who was created by the leaders of fantasy, creation and chaos: Claus - The Strong Man Clown & Baron Punch.  A couple of rag tag travellers who have trekked across the globe with the almighty SHAMBOLICA! BOX, dishing out their unique brand of art and creation; Shambolica!.  Whilst on their travels they found a lost, lonely and shadowed figure.  It had no words, no meaning, no light and no colour.  Then whilst in Glasgow, a transformation took place.  The lost soul was put into the box and the Gods of Shambo were summoned.  "O! O! O!..." Was chanted and called out by Claus and Baron and the assembled audience.  Then with a flurry the doors of the travelling box were flung open!

"HEY HEY!" "TERTRE ROUGE HERE!"

The dark lost soul was shambofied into a being of extraordinary colour, light and vigour!

Addressing its new world and its newly found audience, Tertre Rouge decided to treat everyone to play a game with him.  A member of the audience was assigned to pick one of three cards.  A lovely lady picked one, it read...

SHAMBOLIC ORCHESTRA!

What happened next really needed to be witnessed in person.  A myriad of activity, song, chant and interaction and fun ensued as Tertre Rouge led everyone to get involved in the Shambolic Orchestra, the greatest game ever!

Everyone was whipped into a frenzy of shambolic proportions and then...

THE SOUND OF THE GRAVY TRAIN HORN blared out!  Claus called an end to proceedings, the purveyors of light and chaos were rumbled, Glasgow City Council was on route to shut them down.  The pack was forced to flee, into the light and down rainbow road.

This premiere performance of Shambolica! Presents "Something Punchy" took place at The Flying Duck as part of the Three Chord Theatre which takes place every sunday.  More info HERE!

This realm of theatrical performance art is the latest venture for Shambolica! and one that is most fun and exciting.  The performance was received really well with lots of positive vibes.  We now push on with creating further story lines, themes, ideas and performances centred around our character creations and most importantly the BOX!

You can check out images HERE! and other info related to the event and upcoming work HERE on the facebook.

Massive thank you to Three Chord Theatre for letting us showcase, i think they enjoyed themselves, he he!  And big thanks to Flying Duck for their tech support and storage.  Most cool of them.

Incredible efforts should be afforded to Ali Quietsch for his amazing effort and skills of the creation of the box.  A truly monstrous creation and the catalyst for the "SOMETHING..." performance series.

Claus The Strong Man is Benjamin Newell

Baron Punch is Alistair Quietsch

Tertre Rouge is Thomas F Newell

One last thing the next performance is very soon!!!  Check HERE for details, if you are in Glasgow, COME AND PLAY, BE CREATIVE, BE SHAMBOLICA!

STREETLAND! "Crank Ensemble"

Streetland Community Festival, Glasgow, 4 & 5th May 2012 was the setting of the premiere performance of "Crank Ensemble".
In a back lane, the sound of the crank could be heard winding up a mystical, ramshackle group of music makers.
The crank provided the backbone to the never before heard orchestrations of sonic mischief.
The gathering was enchanted and bound by its haunting spell.
Caught up in the enthusiasm, the crank was hammered round and round.
Little notice was given to the warning, "YOU MIGHT BREAK THE BAND!"
The kids ran amok, the band was broken but not without leaving behind a musical experience that drifted out across the city.
A gift given life by the magic of the street and the CRANK!

Special thanks to the performers Alistair Quietsch, Lewis MacDonald, Robbie Burry and Neil Smith
and Streetland for the oppurtunity to perform.

You can watch the performances PART 1 HERE and PART 2 HERE, Enjoy!
You can see lots of wonderful images via fb HERE and via Streetland HERE.

Shambolica Presents...CRANK ENSEMBLE!

Shambolica! and Public Spaces is putting on a fantastic new interactive performance as part of "STREETLAND" for Glasgow International Festival 2012!

Saturday 5 May 2012
2.15pm-2.45pm
Westmoreland Street Lane (adjacent to Westmoreland Street Gardens), Glasgow.

The art collective Shambolica presents a one off spur-of-the-moment crank up band where families are invited to help power the band to play their own strange take on jazz and groove tunes. For all the family. Bring an "interactive audience mindset".

Please spread the beautiful word and get involved!
Check out the streetland website HERE! for more info.

STOP! REWIND! PLAY! PANIC & PICNIC IN THE PAVILLION

Let us take a moment to re-cap, re-focus and remember on what was a positive catalyst performance for a few of the members of the Shambolica! collective on Halloween 2011.


The Suburban Pavilion presents: Panic and Picnic in the Pavilion
Curated by Sara Sinclair & Rebecca Green, they asked for you to;
"Bring your sacrificial offerings to us. What do you fear? High Priestesses of your demonic souls are here to welcome and nurture you. Bring your desire to spew forth those monstrosities you hide while you keep polite company. Deal us your deck and cast incantations in the name of artistic hedonism for we shall all feast upon your repertoire."
Benjamin Newell & Alistair Quietsch gave a unique, powerful, intense, dark, humorous slice of theatrics that enthralled as part of this wonderful evening of performance, buffoonery, doppelgangers, imagery and poetry.

Videos (evidence) will follow. A wee taster is HERE! Plus please check out Sara Sinclair's blog HERE to follow future events/artistic endeavours especially the fantastic BACK GARDEN BIENALLE 2012. BE CREATIVE, BE SHAMBOLICA!

2012 a go-go! Beyond Zero Festival & Other Event Treats

Hello Shambolicans!
Apologies for the lack of blogging of recent months but 2012 has been go, go, go! Super positive though amd most productive. I will endeavour to do a mini catch up with this blog and get right back on track and blog as the rest of this marvellous year progresses.

In March, Shambolica were involved with Beyond Zero Festival, submitting a soundscape for their exhibition. Beyond Zero was ProjectOroom in collaboration with CIA (Creative Intelligence Agency) and Stockwell Studios , inviting artists worldwide to submit exciting, thought provoking art work for a Climate Change themed exhibition at Flexi Space – Stockwell Studios London.
BeyondZero aims to explore the impact of climate change and its effects on our environment and societies.
http://stockwellstudios.org.uk/
We were truly honoured to be part of this festival (as they were initially not incorporating sound work), highlighting worthwhile causes and issues as well as exhibiting in London for the first time, a true premiere for Shambolica! You can hear the soundscape HERE and download it! Get the HEADPHONES on and PLEASE Enjoy!

Additionally in March and in Feb, ILLUMINATOR IMAGINATORS was BACK for the special late night event "AFTERLIFE: Light my Fire" at the Centre for Life and Newcastle Science Festival 2012! Appearing at the Cowgate Community Centre & Beacon Centre in Fenham for the Roadshow and then at the Science Festival Weekender at the Centre for Life. All were extremely successful, fun, interesting and interactive events with hundreds of people participating in Illuminator Imaginators and creating some absolutely fantastic light paintings which can be viewed HERE! PAGE 11 ONWARDS!
I would like to take this oppurtunity to specially thank Sheela Joy and Marissa Buckingham for commissioning and supporting Illuminator Imaginators to return and an additional thank you to the Centre for Life.

January saw the one man, pop up, installation, performance, pop quiz, sonic exhibition CINEMORGUE take place at Studio 41 in Glasgow.
http://thestudio41.wordpress.com/programme/2012-2/let-be-be-finale-of-seem/
A hugely successful evening with many people coming along to view the work, be invovled and share! Huge props and love to Filterbeast for his efforts. A short manipulated audio visual work is to follow, when the gods of time release some more moments of reality for me to play with!
The work was created primarily by Ben "Filterbeast" Newell with a soundscape created by Thomas F Newell. This can listened to HERE! A haunting piece and a must for fans of death in cinema, can you hear all the sound samples??? Headphones on, answers on a postcard!

Think that brings up pretty much back up to speed on events and exhibitions we have been involved with but it doesn't stop there! Stay tuned for the next blog that will bring you nice tasty links to other bits and pieces (old and new) for you to enjoy as well as news of exciting new projects.

Thank you for reading!
BE CREATIVE, BE SHAMBOLICA!