assault events - bringing art to life
Research Projects
In addition to the practical side of the arts Assault Events are heavily involved in research.
Research focuses on developing innovative approaches to arts practice, forwarding best practice, and using the arts as a tool for partner organisations.
Event Management
Assault Events Management is useful when you require expertise from the arts and external organisation to assist you with your plans. Management work can include project planning, project management on behalf of partner organisations, strategy development, evaluation and dissemination.
Participatory Consultancy
Assault deliver a number of unique participatory consultancy events, where public consultation is facilitated through creative arts events, incorporating music, theatre, dance and visual art and a range of other art forms.
Research Projects
Creativity & performance research
Collaboration and Interdisciplinarity is our specialist area and as a company we also engage in practical research projects exploring new methods and approaches to creativity, collaboration and interdisciplinary processes. Our research ensures the company keeps producing innovative, exciting and excellent performance and best practice. Current research is exploring audience development, excellence and accessibility in performance and technology and the creative process.
Research projects with partner organisations
Assault deliver research projects in partnership with and on behalf of other organisations. These project focus on using the arts as a creative tool for partner organisations in order to forward and enhance their practice and activities.
Research projects are practice based and are led by the creative team from Assault. They usually take place over a number of months and the specific research process is agreed in negotiation with the client. Research projects offer focused research for the client that can provide data, information or practical experience that supports the development and growth of an organisation or group.
Total Theatre Ensemble
Assault Events joined forces with Tinderbox and Theatre Abandon in a unique new ensemble project. Support from the Joint Sectoral Dramaturgy Project enabled the three companies to assemble a group of highly versatile theatre artists to develop ideas for a season of studio shows involving very different disciplines and company identities, exploring new writing, original music and stage and lighting design during the intensive project. Through the research project, Assault explored ideas and working practices for their new dance theatre production, Dirty Evangelica. Dirty Evangelica will be an accessible dance theatre exploring the dark extravagance of clubland. Created fusing music, dance, theatre and new writing the show targets new audiences for live performance creating an event that is part live performance part night out. Dirty Evangelica is also innovative in it's process, enabling audiences to become creative conspirators in the making of the work through the use of online social media sites. The Total Theatre projected aimed to extend what is currently possible in performance and production in Northern Ireland, both artistically and financially. Taking account of the need for inspiration and innovation in dealing with the impending cuts in public funding, it sought to develop a new way of producing work that is cost effective, attractive to audiences, and beneficial to all of its participating companies.
Tinderbox Writers Lab in association with Assault Events
A week-long research and development program for writers working with performers and choreographers to explore text and movement in narrative theatre. Four writers were invited to take part in this experimental workshop which aims to equip writers to be key collaborators in visual theatre projects, working with choreographers and performers and developing ways of writing for movement based story telling. This exciting joint project between Assault Events and Tinderbox built on both companies interest in innovative and collaborative ways of working, in creating visual and narrative theatre and in supporting and developing emerging artists. A showing of the process and the week's work took place as part of the Dramaturgy on the Edge panel discussion at Queens University. This project was supported by The New Stages Programme funded by the EsmŽe Fairbairn Foundation.
Publications
Project Reports & Articles
Fisher, S and Smith S (1999) 'The Devising Process: A Framework for Collaboration', in Butterworth, J. (1999) (Ed.) The Art and Science of Nurturing Dancemakers: Papers from the Greenhouse Effect Conference. Centre for Dance and Theatre Studies, Bretton Hall: 200-207.
Smith, Sophy (2000). "Compositional Strategies of the Hip-hop Turntablist". Organised Sound: Vol. 5, no. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 75-79.
Smith, Sophy (2007). "The process of collective creation in the composition of UK hip-hop turntable team routines". Organised Sound: Vol. 12, No. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 79-87.
Smith, Sophy (2011). "Creative Collaboration and Online Social Media - Can Facebook be used as a tool to support the process of collaborative creation?",International Journal of Art, Culture and Design Technologies, Volume. 1, January 2011.
Conference Papers and Published Proceedings
Smith, S. The creative uses of Facebook as a tool for artistic collaboration, in Proceedings of the Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 09), pages 181-191, London, July 2009.
Smith, S. The creative use of online social networking sites to increase public engagement and participation in the professional arts, through collaborative involvement in creative practice, in Proceedings of the Computers and the History of Art (CHArt 09), London, November 2009.
Smith, S. The creative use of social networking sites to increase public engagement and participation in the professional arts. Arlis National Conference, Edinburgh, July 2010.
Smith, S and Fisher, S. Involving Audience in the Creative Process' (Invited paper). Audiences Northern Ireland National Conference, 'Putting the Audience in the Picture', Belfast, March 2010.
Fisher, S. Invited presenter and panel member at 'Gathering 2010', an event designed to bring together producers and presenters of theatre for young audiences to share best work practice and methodologies towards the development of theatre for young people throughout Ireland. Sandie presented the inclusive collaborative creative process, as used companies children's show 'The Quest'.
Project Reports
Events Management
Services
Just some of the services we can offer:
- Consultation about best practice or ways forward with a project
- Development of draft strategies to address particular needs of your company/project
- Planning & management of an existing or new project
- Facilitation of the delivery of a project idea
- Implemetation of an evaluation or documentation system
- Project reporting and dissemination
Members of the Assault Team are assigned to the project dependent their specialist skills in relation to the project needs, and all projects are designed in consultation with the relevant partners.
Youth Arts Consultancy for Durham City Arts
Giving support in project planning and development to youth arts groups and arts specialists in the Durham area. This consultancy lasted for a year and resulted in the successful delivery of six new youth arts projects.
For more examples of our management projects please see our archive
Participatory Consultancy
Participatory Consultancies are a fun and creative way to involve members of the public in consultation exercises. This enables the company to reach members of the public in new and innovative ways, resulting in a higher level of engagement with and understanding of the area under consultation.
Consultation methods are varied and dependent on the needs of the project and the group involved. Workshops, practical projects, questionnaires and focus groups sessions are just some of the methods we use. Dissemination methods are also varied and can involve, performance events, installations, reports, meetings and conferences. The consultation exercise is always designed and delivered around the needs of the project.
Example Projects
Assault have worked with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to plan and deliver a number of creative consultancies, consulting children and young people about their ideas for 'Remaking Learning' and also involving them in the developing plans for Extended Schools.
Assault Worked with Creative Partnerships Leicester to plan and deliver a creative consultancy that consulted young people about how they would make their schools different. The information was gathered through using visual arts, and the young people gave their responses artistically on large clear panels, which will tour schools and conferences nationally to share ideas, continually adding to the consultation process.