Community Heart

Yesterday a giant inflatable spaceship landed in Charlie Cake Park Armley and nobody batted an eye lid in surprise, after all we half expected the stars and the moon, or aliens. Piloted by the Architects of Air it touched down on request of the I Love West Leeds Festival in order to inhale us all into its hold, make us roll about on the floor and gaze at the celestial canopy. And so we did. For one last voyage in the good ship I Love West Leeds Arts Festival.

It was appropriate to end the festival with magic. That’s how the whole of the last 10 years have been. Full of bonkers delight, from an orchestra in Bramley Baths, to Guerilla Knitted Sheds (long before it became a trendy thing) to art on lampposts at dog level, to cinema in law firms, greasy spoon art residencies, a citizens orchestra and musicals! There has been some seriously great art along the way.

I Love West Leeds Festival, pioneered by Jane Earnshaw grew year on year in terms of ambition and size of willing volunteers (groupies). It encouraged people to have a go at putting stuff on themselves (I speak from experience) and as importantly helped communities come together in laughter and wonder.

As an audience member, volunteer, participant, board member and now embarking on my own madness I can count a huge number of people who gained their confidence during the course of the Festival. Whether they were commissioned, or simply inspired, there are a great many artists, makers, & performers who cut their teeth during the festival and are now doing fantastic things themselves across Yorkshire.

Yesterday, in a sun baked Charlie Cake Park, I surveyed the people who joined together to celebrate the I Love West Leeds Festival Grand Depart and reflected on how the festival had brought us in to each others orbit, I felt blessed, many are now friends. My kids were mesmerised by the great blobby spaceship and equally diverted by the space hoppers and wool sacks. Something for everybody, so simple at times but always encouraging freedom and participation.

And sometimes our creations at the festival have been rubbish, but collectively we made something beautiful. From thousands of decorated Y Fronts to Hundreds of Armley Hippos we were brought together socially to make daft stuff happen, each according to our own energy and creativity. Together. This isn’t just ‘community art’ the kind that gets such a terrible reputation, it’s community heart, excuse the pun. It’s the stuff of memories, connections, pride and joy. And there was some really great quality too for those who judge such stuff.

Jane and Howard Bradley her co-pilot at I Love West Leeds have started something, the funding cuts have created a hole, but we all know that we are capable of having a go ourselves. It won’t be the same, or as genius as what we follow, yet what’s been left behind is a thirst for more and an appetite to think ‘What would Jane do?’

This is a terribly sentimental personal tribute to the Festival and everybody who I’ve met as a result of being involved. But where I’m verbose others nail it their sentiments in a sentence. You’ll see what I mean if you take a look at Anne Aker’s photos from yesterday* – there are plenty more who have been touched. However on a more serious note It’s also a request that when we are talking about bidding to be Capital of Culture 2023, being inclusive across localities, of prioritising mental health and wellbeing, developing resilient communities, and reducing isolation we look to the great stuff that people are doing for very little recompense. They are driven to create great moments and connections for all ages and backgrounds. Let us find ways to support those people and small organisations, which don’t have their own fixed venues (bricks and mortar) and are often the glue that finds a way of operating with ingenuity between buildings. It’s this intangible fairy dust that makes the world sparkle!

Beam me up!