Currently in the Studio
Introducing the artists from our Space Time Tools Advice Programme.
Each producing their own unique works, they present a diverse range of creative output.
An exciting mix of artists have been exploring new work in the Studio in recent months, as part of IOU Labs: Space.Time.Tools. Advice programme.
April 2025
Brian Madden
“I am an artist exploring brainwave-interactive media, using 360° video recordings as part of my current project, Poetry from the Future.”
Brian’s project at an early stage benefited from input from the IOU team – from technical guidance on aspects of programming and sound design to strategies for progressing the project, connecting with other artists and organisations, and identifying suitable funding opportunities.
Brian also had the opportunity to host a one-day public event at the Creation Centre, allowing him to experiment with the installation in a live setting.
“The event was a great success, audiences responded with a range of emotions, each person taken on a unique immersive journey through the experience.”
June-August 2025
Christine Halsey
“I am a multi-media artist working in areas of sculpture, assemblage, print, and video and I have an instinctive and emotional response to material, form, light and space.”
The work Christine has been experimenting with at IOU is centred on processes of building and making, re-using found domestic objects and waste materials from my home and local environment. These pieces use processes of folding, stacking and balancing to create temporary precarious structures which explore ideas of holding and containing as a means of attempting to create order from chaos.
“Being able to work in the IOU gallery space has allowed me to start experimenting with larger assemblages than previously, which is really helping to move my practice on in terms of ambition and scale. Having space and facilities to make work along with technical support and guidance has been fantastic, and I hope to use some of the expertise available to get started on an ambitious project using moving light.”
July 2025
Open The Box Arts
A collaboration between Melanie Young and Caroline Schanche, creating performance and film installation.
“We started by looking back at the performances and films we have created over the last 6 years. We used this as the starting point for our R&D for a new piece of performance art: The March of The Translucent Women.
We really benefitted from our time at IOU. Here are some of the reasons why:
Being immersed in the making process for a whole week.
Threads of conversations that started at the centre then continued at the hostel into the evening.
No pressure to produce a finished product.
Being able to leave our creative mess in the evening and pick up where we left off the following morning.
Great technical advice from Loui and great observations, support and outside eye from Lydia which helped us to refine our ideas.
Making the most of our week by staying at the IOU Hostel, we managed to fit in a visit to Wainsgate Chapel, go to a talk by Jeanette Winterson and sample some local beer!”
Sept 2024 & May 2025
Babylon Gamelan
Created by Rag & Bone artist Dave Young, Babylon Gamelan is 4-meter high monumental sculpture made from recycled materials and found objects. Its whimsical design, inspired by the Tower of Babel, combines rough music and random engineering to produce sonic chaos.
Produced by Artichoke as part of Nuneaton & Bedworth Council’s Creative Explorers programme, Baby G – as its known – first visited the IOU studio in 2024 for some R&D. With over 180sqm of studio and workshop the IOU Creation Centre was the perfect size for this ‘vibrant fusion of sonic art and engineering’ and the team spent two weeks as part of our Space Time Tools Advice programme making Babylon Gamelan ready for the show.
Then in 2025 Babylon Gamelan returned to the Creation Centre for May half term holiday and a week of hands on noisy joy and sonic chaos with over 200 audiences of all ages. Find Out More
“My thanks again for IOU’s help – having the time in May to develop & push it further was invaluable. It’s now at a place where its very happy as an installation ” Dave Young, Artist.
Summer 2024
CultureDale: Artist Showcase
Supported by Calderdale Council we have been able to provide funded places for a group of exciting artists to develop a project and for this work to be presented as part of Calderdale’s vibrant year of culture celebrations,
The Showcase offered a unique glimpse into boundary-pushing creations from the region’s finest talents with seven artists presenting an array of new works, ranging from a mesmerising ‘Salon of Curlews’ and an immersive haunted house experience to VR explorations of retinal landscapes, folklore zines, intricately hand-woven works of art, and a giant mobile sculpture. Themes of environment, belonging, and identity are entwined throughout the installations, launching IOU’s Creation Centre with a six-week journey of artistic discovery.
Artists who have completed their
Space Time Tools Advice Programme
Quiddlesticks
Back in November 2024 Quiddlesticks took over the studio with their amazing puppets Quiddlesticks is a collaboration between Alison Duddle and Jonny Quick- artists, puppet specialists, performers and theatre makers. They put the IOU studio's 180sqm of space to good use making 16 life size - or larger than ! - illuminated puppets: snow leopards, red pandas, meerkats and peacocks, ahead of a lanterns and light event at Chester Zoo The work has been a collaboration with a number of regional artists.
Maya Little and Fred Seddon
A theatre-making duo working on how to run away with the sea, a poetic dialogue between human and sea to be performed on beaches. We were keen to learn from IOU's experience in making site-specific work, as this is a new challenge for us, as well as to test our ideas with performers and get a better understanding of how sound and movement will work in the piece. We really benefited from the team's practical knowledge, and from the time to think about what it means to represent the non-human. We're now moving towards seeking funding in 2024.
John Bonner / live:lab
live:lab's STTA made best use of the IOU studio space for research and development rehearsals, with the aim to explore production of a semi-immersive audio-visual performance. The theme of the performance was the life of trees using music, soundscapes, video projections, storytelling with narration and dance, bringing important ecological and environmental themes to an audience in challenging and emotionally engaging ways.
Missing Theatre
Missing Theatre are an international multidisciplinary collective dedicated to blending these art forms to tell stories of people rarely seen. ' Instruction on How to Be Alone' is their first piece.and together they time staying at the IOU Hostel and working in our studio, transferring the concept into a tangible production.
Garth Williams
Garth's time in the IOU Studio focussed on experimentation with set and projection, creating a piece based on his experiences in hospital using camera, lights, and green screens.
Girl Gang
After receiving Arts Council England funding Girl Gang spent time in the IOU studio to R&D their project Millennial Pink - looking at what it's like to be a teenage female in the noughties
Feet off the Ground
In residence at IOU for a week in May 2022 during the research and development phase of their work Turning Point, IOU supported Feet Off The Ground with studio space and accommodation at Hebden Bridge Hostel. As part of their research, they hosted a workshop at IOU supported by Greenham Women Everywhere – an organisation dedicated to preserving the archives of women who resisted the nuclear arms race at Greenham Common for 19 years. Together they engaged in a day of dancing, singing, writing and storytelling, which significantly influenced the final work and enhanced the creative process.
Sonya Moorhead
Opal’s Comet is a short story, written by Sonya Moorhead questioning how we might navigate personal grief, loss and transformation as, globally, we veer towards social evolution and climate crisis. The show was rehearsed at IOU before its presentation on the Leeds/Liverpool canal in November 2021.
Art with Heart
In 2021 Art with Heart made a new show for primary age children in partnership with Manchester Museum and Z-Arts. The show introduced children to basic BSL and used 3D projection mapping and AR to tell its story. IOU provided mentoring for the company ahead of the performances
Trans Creative
Founded by Kate O’Donnell in 2017, Trans Creative produces high quality, accessible, political arts, creating a safe space where trans people tell and hear their own stories. They deliver a combined arts festival called Trans Vegas, which is created for, and by Trans people annually. The event attracts thousands of people live and digitally, as well as year round live and digital events.
Natasha Brown
Jan 2025 the IOU studio was filled with a community art workshop. The workshop was part of a large art installation to create awareness of declining birds in Britain Led by artist Natasha Brown the workshop involved the Calderdale College community painting bird boxes made from recycled materials - that will feature in the final artwork. After the final installation the boxes will all be sent out into the community, schools and nurseries to become used by our local birds !
We are immensely grateful for IOU Theatre's support in bringing our project to life. Without their belief in our work and the opportunity they provided, "Instructions on How to Be Alone" would not have evolved into the transformative and captivating experience we envisioned. IOU Theatre's partnership has been invaluable, and we look forward to further collaboration and growth in the future.
Creative Producer Emily Lloyd