Sparks will Fly in Essex is a Partnership project between Essex County Council, Chelmsford Borough Council, All the districts and boroughs in Essex and Walk the Plank. The Project is supported by Arts Council England.
Essex County Council
Essex County Council is dedicated to delivering the best quality of life in Britain, providing excellent services and securing the future of our county. We call this vision EssexWorks, in acknowledgement of the work ethic, entrepreneurialism and pragmatism of the people of Essex, and in recognition of the fact that our residents enjoy living here and are proud of the County. For more information visit www.essex.gov.uk
Chelmsford Borough Council
Chelmsford Borough Council is delighted that the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will arrive in Chelmsford on Friday 6 July 2012 for a spectacular evening community celebration including the finale of Sparks will Fly in Essex. There will also be an early morning tour of the torch through the town centre on Saturday 7 July 2012.Just three weeks before the Games begin at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. For more information visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk
Walk the Plank
Walk the Plank is a creative force in cultural events – bringing together artists, designers, and event engineers to create memorable outdoor shows that connect people with places, and celebrate specific locations and occasions with flair and passion.For this project, Walk the Plank is collaborating with the Grand Theatre of Lemmings and Essex-based artist Joanna Peacock, as well as bringing in artists from elsewhere in the UK.
Creative Team:
Producer/Director of the Finale: Liz Pugh
Performance Directors: David and Mandy Rose, Grand Theatre of Lemmings www.lemmingstheatre.co.uk
Designers: Jo Pocock, Jo Peacock, Pete Mountain
Composer: Jules Bushell
Lighting Designer: Adam Povey
Pyro Designer: Peter Finegan
Dramaturgy: Sian Thomas
Production Managers: Anna Brooks Taylor, Nathan Jackson
Production Assistant: Sammi Gabb
Performers: Mandy Rose, Joanna Peacock, Joe Fleming, Noel Byrne, Tara Howard
Stage Manager: Mariel Bunnage
Walk the Plank is a registered charity (1046077) and is supported by the Arts Council of England.
For more information visit www.walktheplank.co.uk
Arts Council England
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, we will invest £1.4 billion of public money from government and an estimated £0.85 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. For more information visit www.artscouncil.org.uk
Essex Legacy
Essex County Council’s Essex Legacy Team, are committed to providing a lasting legacy for the county of Essex after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a Host County, the aim is to bring communities closer and encourage interaction and participation through social activities.
Our hope is not just to encourage people to participate in more sport, we want whole communities to come together and celebrate through art, culture and heritage and in the case of schools, through education. For more information visit www.essexlegacy.org
Visit Essex
Essex is a largely rural county with a magnificent coastline, and a variety of excellent attractions. Putting the county firmly on the tourist map is the aim of the new public private partnership Visit Essex.
Launched in June 2010, it is the official tourism organisation for Essex, bringing together resources from Essex County Council, borough and district councils as well as tourism businesses (such as hotels and attractions) from across the county. Tourism generated £2.8 billion in 2010 for the county and the partnership seeks to raise awareness of Essex as a destination and its tourism offer as well as increase the number of people visiting the county and their spend. We encourage people to go out and discover what we have to offer and recommend the county to their family and friends. To find out more and for ideas on what to do and see please go to www.visitessex.com.
Digital Artists
Essex County Council Arts Development is working with three artists/arts organisations to create new pieces of digital artwork that will help engage the community with Essex’s celebrations of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ‘Sparks will Fly in Essex’
The work produced will go on to form the digital element of Sparks will Fly in Essex and will have a focus on enabling Essex’s young people to participate in the development of the project (particularly hard to reach young people) and unemployed young people (NEETS) as well as helping to engage with more diverse audiences and ensuring that Essex residents can be part of the project digitally even if they are unable to attend a Sparks will Fly in Essex event
Secret Audio Adventure
The 'Secret Audio Adventure' is a unique, interactive experience being held at The Sparks Will Fly Finale at 9:00pm on the 6th July 2012. Visitors can download the free MP3 before the event, then join hundreds of others to listen to the 'Secret Audio Adventure' simultaneously on your personal music players. The adventure lasts around 20 minutes, and you'll be guided through an epic audio journey that will engulf your imagination and bring out your inner champion!
To get involved follow these 3 simple steps:
1) Download the free MP3 from: http://soundcloud.com/sparks-will-fly-in-essex/secret-audio-adventure
2) Add the 'Secret Audio Adventure' MP3 to your portable music device, BUT DO NOT LISTEN TO IT UNTIL THE EVENT!!! (as this will ruin your experience).
3) Bring your music player and headphones to The Sparks Will Fly Finale and meet everyone in The Finale Arena at 9:00pm where the adventure will unfold!
GeoRingTones
A geocaching project in South Essex at the following Sparks will Fly in Essex locations:
- Hockley Woods
- Castle Point Show
- Basildon Sporting Village
The project worked with young carers from SCAFT (Supporting Carers And Families Together) in Rochford. The SCAFT group have planted cache trails at each of the three locations. Anyone that discovers the hidden caches will be able to collect a code and download special Sparks will Fly ring tones to their phones. Android phone owners can also download a custom-built app - the more cache codes you find, the more sounds you can unlock to create your own tunes. A dedicated website for the project has been created which provides information about the project and geocaching guidance.
For more information visit www.georingtones.co.uk
Stuart Bowditch stuart@stuartbowditch.co.uk www.stuartbowditch.co.uk
Damien Robinson damien@damienrobinson.co.uk www.damienrobinson.co.uk
Offshoot Films
A treasure trail across North Essex using QR codes to download video instructions to help guide people along the trail routes. Offshoot Films will be working with young people to create trails at the following journey stops:
Giants are Coming
The Giants are Coming is a storytelling project that invites people of all ages across Essex to create their own giant inspired stories and poems.
There will be a final competition to select the winners and runners-up in each age category. The winners in each age category will receive tickets to the Sparks will Fly… finale event in Hylands Park on Friday 6 July 2012.
Visit www.giantsarecoming.co.uk for more information.
Libraries
Discover Monsters, Myths and Mermaids in Essex libraries during June half term (6 - 8 June). Can you find your way through the library labyrinth? /Are you brave enough to complete the challenge and beat the Minotaur?
Do you know the difference between Centaurs and Griffins? Test your mythical knowledge in a fun quiz and when you’ve completed our Monster quest design your very own mythical creature./ For mythical inspiration artist Nicola Burrell will be holding free art workshops for children to help create monster sculptures from large sheets of cardboard in 6 libraries. /Essex libraries are supporting the county wide cultural celebration Sparks will Fly in Essex with Monsters, Myths and Mermaids events in 12 libraries around the county.
Street Symphony
Braintree musicians celebrate Essex’s Cultural Olympiad with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to create their very own Street Symphony. This magical piece will be showcased alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra who will then perform popular classical pieces, programme to include Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Mozart’s delightful Symphony No.40, the evergreen Lark Ascending and Haydn’s exciting trumpet concerto.
Tuesday 5 June. Doors Open 6.30pm, Concert 7.30pm. Braintree Leisure Centre CM7 1FF./ £12, £6 concessions, Family Ticket £20 (up to 4 people including at least one under 16). Box Office: Braintree Arts Theatre 01376 556354 or via boxoffice@braintreeartstheatre.com. All other enquiries admin@braintreedistrictarts.org.uk or visit www.braintreedistrictarts.org.uk