IOU Creation Centre for contemporary art, engineering, and technology. Supporting artists to develop, produce, exhibit and tour innovative new work.

IOU Creation Centre aims to spark and empower artists and participants to embrace originality and create innovative art and immersive environments fuelled by imagination and curiosity with a mixed programme of Labs, Art School, and Presents.

Based at Dean Clough Mills in Halifax, the IOU Creation Centre is 10,000 square feet of studio, workshop, and gallery space along with the IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel, which hosts artists, visitors and audiences. 

For nearly five decades, under the visionary guidance of Artistic Director and founder member David Wheeler, IOU has cultivated a distinctive body of original work characterised by a unique approach and presented in diverse settings across the UK and internationally. Not content with standing still, following David’s departure last year, the company has transitioned to a Creation Centre supporting artists to develop, produce and tour work at the intersection of contemporary art, engineering, technology, and academic enquiry. 

The IOU Creation Centre draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of culture, landscape, and industrial history that defines our region, Calderdale, in the South Pennines, West Yorkshire. Our programme is a dynamic response to this heritage and categorised into three strands: IOU Labs, IOU Art School and IOU Presents. 

Inventive

We invent new artworks from scratch. We take risks, expand our knowledge, learn from each other and empower others to develop their creative practice. We turn ideas into reality. 

Adaptable

We are flexible, able to change direction and adjust what we do to be relevant to our audiences and communities.

Curious

We are welcoming and accessible. We aim to ignite curiosity and encourage audiences and collaborators to bring their own experiences to our artworks and to co-create with us.