Artists in Residence
Lyra has hosted how many ** artist residencies over the past 5 years. Artists in Residence are a key element of our work: our participants not only get the opportunity to engage with world class artists but also develop deeper and longer lasting relationships, crucial to the long-term development of the young people and the art they and we are ultimately capable of making.
Lou Brodie
Lou has been a consistent and much loved resident artist at Lyra, and is at present researching new work with local girls and women. Through an artistic process rooted in social practice and conviviality Lou produces art works and events in collaboration with communities, people and place. Lou works predominantly with children and teenagers creating projects that celebrate and empowers their voices. Her work takes on a variety of forms in response to the content and inquiry of each new project.
“My journey with Lyra and Craigmillar has been incredibly rich and allowed the development of exceptional art works in collaboration with the local community and artists from across Scotland.
Craigmillar's unique energy makes it a fantastic place to work as an artist and its heritage and artistic ethos has inspired and informed other areas of my practice. As an applied artist and performance maker it is my desire to create spaces for people to have conversations, where bumping up against art leads to understanding and dialogue.
In addition to my current engagement with Lyra I am also the programmer for The Southbank Centre's Women of the World festival taking place in Perth a festival which celebrates women and girls. Coming into contact with so many of Scotland's women allows me to pour that into the research, development and creation of an artwork that would capture what they have to say as part of The Other Side of the Hill project.”
“My journey with Lyra and Craigmillar has been incredibly rich and allowed the development of exceptional art works in collaboration with the local community and artists from across Scotland.
Craigmillar's unique energy makes it a fantastic place to work as an artist and its heritage and artistic ethos has inspired and informed other areas of my practice. As an applied artist and performance maker it is my desire to create spaces for people to have conversations, where bumping up against art leads to understanding and dialogue.
In addition to my current engagement with Lyra I am also the programmer for The Southbank Centre's Women of the World festival taking place in Perth a festival which celebrates women and girls. Coming into contact with so many of Scotland's women allows me to pour that into the research, development and creation of an artwork that would capture what they have to say as part of The Other Side of the Hill project.”
Katy Wilson
Local artist Katy Wilson has brought a number of exciting projects to the Lyra. Katy has a wonderful connection to the area and the community, and has strong relationships with participants.
“I have lived near Craigmillar for most of my life, and feel warmth and connection to the community and to Lyra. The first installation I made at Lyra was called ‘In Colour’, we wanted to make kids feel like they were literally inside a colour - it was about escape, about wonder and the unknown. I love the studio space at Lyra and have found it inspiring for developing shows such as Blue Block Studio and for my ongoing outdoor site specific project 'Wildest Dream'. The three main routes I am trying to explore at the moment are - what makes a positive childhood, theatre outdoors and the magic atmospheres that different light can create. I am driven to make work which connects adults to their relaxed in-the-moment childlike selves, and allows children also to relax and enjoy themselves - ideally creating strong shared experiences.”
“I have lived near Craigmillar for most of my life, and feel warmth and connection to the community and to Lyra. The first installation I made at Lyra was called ‘In Colour’, we wanted to make kids feel like they were literally inside a colour - it was about escape, about wonder and the unknown. I love the studio space at Lyra and have found it inspiring for developing shows such as Blue Block Studio and for my ongoing outdoor site specific project 'Wildest Dream'. The three main routes I am trying to explore at the moment are - what makes a positive childhood, theatre outdoors and the magic atmospheres that different light can create. I am driven to make work which connects adults to their relaxed in-the-moment childlike selves, and allows children also to relax and enjoy themselves - ideally creating strong shared experiences.”
Christine Devaney
We have built a special relationship with choreographer Christine Devaney whose three-year residency supported by Lyra has resulted in the development of Chris’s work and led to her company, Curious Seed joining us at Artspace.
“My ongoing relationship with Lyra continues to be vital to the development of Curious Seed's work. I have been able to experiment with, and develop relationships with young people, inviting them into my creative processes, and in turn influencing the direction of my work (most notably contributing to our acclaimed work Chalk About). This way of working has been further developed, being able to open up a dialogue with teenagers during the early stages of our production Teenage Trilogy, and also through inviting a group of 8 and 9 year olds to create solo choreographies for professional dancers through our very first MAKE workshops. My relationship with Lyra has also directly enabled me to creatively connect with artist Yvonne Buskie, who has become a key collaborator in our work.”
“My ongoing relationship with Lyra continues to be vital to the development of Curious Seed's work. I have been able to experiment with, and develop relationships with young people, inviting them into my creative processes, and in turn influencing the direction of my work (most notably contributing to our acclaimed work Chalk About). This way of working has been further developed, being able to open up a dialogue with teenagers during the early stages of our production Teenage Trilogy, and also through inviting a group of 8 and 9 year olds to create solo choreographies for professional dancers through our very first MAKE workshops. My relationship with Lyra has also directly enabled me to creatively connect with artist Yvonne Buskie, who has become a key collaborator in our work.”
