Impossible Timeline

A brief history of Impossible projects.

2008

The Insecurity Men
A short play on the subject of paranoia. Written in body language and performed by androids. The Insecurity Men are three robots running on a Moebius Loop behaviour programme that is affected by the presence of strangers and who are starting to mistrust each other. Made in collaboration with Forkbeard Fantasy.

Our Sporting Greats
A film revealing the achievements of some world-class local sporting heroes. We see their struggle, witness their glory and learn about the human side of reaching the top. Made in collaboration with Kirklees Community History as part of the build up to the 2012 Olympics with gallery exhibition, sports centre displays and high school education functions.

The ChromaVan
An innovative project exploring the links between colour and emotion in a specially adapted touring caravan. Vivid colour projecting lights give participants an intense but intimate light experience, bathing them in pure colour. “…a joy to the soul ..loved it!’. Cleckheaton, Stockton-on-Tees, Utrecht, Liverpool, Holmfirth.

The Cage
Drama based on accounts from modern day child slaves, sex slaves and forced soldiers living in Britain today. This excerpt from a previously developed performance in Hull was performed at the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Huddersfield.

Double Portraits
A film exploring a creative dialogue between a series of real holocaust and genocide survivors - presented as part of the ‘6 million +’ exhibition for two weeks in Mall 5 of Brent Cross shopping centre, North London.

Challenge Ident
This is Creativity…This is Challenge College. A 60 second movie ‘Ident’ for the school promoting and celebrating creativity in learning, launched with a detailed multimedia review of its Creative Partnerships work.

2007

The Paranoids
An interactive animatronics robot exhibits symptoms of paranoia when people step near, for an exhibition in Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter. Devised in collaboration with Forkbeard Fantasy.

Our Sporting Greats
Filming the life story and achievements of seven local sporting heroes with a presentation in Huddersfield made as part of the local run up to the 2012 Olympics.

The Cage
A student installation and performance in Hull based on examples of forced labour and child slavery still experienced even in Britain today. Involving a series of intensive creation periods with 5 different groups of 17-18 year olds focussing on drama, dance and media, leading to a performance installation with projections and a cast of around 70 students.

Refresh Berry Brow
Berry Brow flats are two troubled blocks in Huddersfield that house mostly young people including asylum seekers, ex-homeless and ex-prison inmates. The flats are unpopular and are visually unappealing. This project aimed to address both these issues and help build a better outlook.

Dudey Movie
A unique mobile display cabinet housed in the carcass of an ex-arcade machine presents an original short film inspired by the pioneering films made in Holmfirth in the 1890’s.

Dhoom
A Creative Partnerships project working with 160 Year 7 pupils at Challenge College in Bradford over two weeks to create a short new music video piece inspired by the theatre production ‘Bollywood Jane.

Bud and Blossom
A video focusing on the creative activities undertaken by a group of young people suffering a serious deaf-blindness condition over a participatory arts weekend run by Shabang Theatre Adventures in collaboration with Sense North.

2006

Dudey Movie
Forming a group of local teenagers to research and produce a unique video inspired by the film making ideas pioneered in Holmfirth over 100 years ago. Together we made an original short film introducing and updating the original material.

Bridlington Projections
Work with students from two high schools in Bridlington to consider urban development issues, deliver training and create digital images of future visions for the area. Presented as an urban projection as part of the town centre festival, and also to the Town Management team.

Witches Walk
Helping develop Oldham College student’s street style performances as part of this large public Halloween event with Pif-Paf.

ELHI
Video documenting the international European Leaders in Healthcare Improvement training programme final event in Cambridge.

2005

Double Portraits
A film weaving together conversations, poetry and imagery around the lives of 12 refugees to this country - pairing a Jewish survivor with an assylum seeker, and exploring the similarities/differences in their experiences. Created as part of the ‘6 million+’ exhibition for the Holocaust Memorial Day.

All That Glitters
Introducing a group of people with learning differences and sensory impairment to a creative process which teach a variety of craft based techniques and small scale production processes.

Holocaust Memorial Day
Producing 2 DVD’s for Kirklees’ HMD event at Huddersfield Town Hall. One an interview with a veteran of the British Army’s liberation of Belsen and the other a record of creative activity with individual accounts from a refugee and asylum seekers support group.

Shape of Things to Come
Part of the Watershed team delivering a residential weekend of creative activity with members of the CHARGE syndrome families support group. The video focuses on the activities undertaken by the young people themselves and their thoughts and feelings about the shape of things to come.

OurHouse
A participatory visual arts workshop event with the community of Brackenhall estate as it enters a huge re-development phase, with a celebratory event with the launch of a small exhibition.

ELHI
Video documenting this international European Leaders in Healthcare Improvement training programme in Manchester.

The ChromaVan
Vivid colour projecting light sources enhance the perceptions of participants who experience an intimate light show, are bathed in pure colour. Manchester Xtrax festival and Oldham Art Galley

2004

The ChromaVan
Exploring the links between colour and emotion in a specially adapted touring caravan. After a very successful tour around most the streets of Windybank, housing estate we extended the project to tour to Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Glasgow Science Centre.

2003

Walking Paintings
Walkabout visual theatre piece in collaboration with Whitewood and Flemming Music Theatre.

The Bench
About 30 young people spent 8 weeks devising scenes for a film in evening drama sessions..... followed by one mad weekend of filming. Later shown at a gala premiere event. In collaboration with Satellite Arts.

SNAP club
A series of mask making, drama improvisations and video making sessions in this project with the Holmfirth SNAP (Special Needs At Phoenix) group. The resulting video was first screened at the club before copies distributed to participants.

Routes 2r Roots
The outcomes from this earlier extensive participatory arts project were transformed into a well received web-site and an engaging and informative CD-Rom which was widely distributed

2002

Roots 2r Roots
An extensive participatory creative and new media project exploring local heritage with young people from Fieldhead estate near Leeds, resulting in a touring exhibition, and a public sculpture.

Selector
A video game oracle offering a range of eclectic wisdom's. As players are guided into the system they find themselves on a symbolic and virtual supermarket trip - but this is no ordinary grocers, it is the supermarket of life.

Late Nite Session
Step back to the mid 80's when Reggae was king.
Step out on a Saturday night to the Late Night Blues. A short, evocative documentary style drama shot on super-8 film with a dub reggae sound track and a cast of locals recreating the 1986 Blues Party music scene.

2001

Branded
'Icons of Desire' computer animations produced by a group of young people after training in animation software. The results displayed in a re-engineered arcade style fruit machine, containing a dual screen interactive computer driven installation. Contact Theatre, Manchester.

Boat Years
Creating the video elements for an integrated multi-media theatre show exploring issues around immigration with a large mixed cast of young people from many ethic origins and communities. In association with Chol Theatre the resulting piece was shown to critical acclaim at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield.

2000

They Came from Nowhere
Developing an inflatable street theatre piece with Inztant Arts. This entertaining street spectacle was designed to tour street carnivals, festivals and fetes throughout the country.

The 7 Ages
A six-week participatory video project with a group of day care patients at the Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontyfract. In a delicate and often moving process, we worked to help the participants capture individual histories and memories, turning these moments into a coherent video programme.

Selector
Developing a unique interactive computer programme funded by an Arts Council Combined Arts R&D award and assisted by the Health Authority.

Canary Island
Environment and Arts project rejuvenating a derelict space with planting, paths and sculptures, involving local people and culminating in a launch event.

1999

Longley: the Movie
With an all star cast of 137 - the whole work force at Longley Farm, Britain's largest independent dairy - help create a permanent record of the farm at work,
"We spend a huge part of our lives working and yet, unlike holidays or social events, this goes by largely unrecorded. "

Action Station
Collaboration with the Earth Centre in Doncaster to create a Lantern and fire spectacle for the launch event, and provide. conceptual / consultancy advice on live animation.

Windybank Banner
Developing a banner piece with, for and by people from the Windybank housing estate.

1998

Destined
Sheffield railway station sees the beginning or end of 10,000 journeys each day. For 5 weeks a pair of electromagnetic information boards offered those in transit a chance to ruminate on life's journey. Part of the ‘SHUNTED’ curated by the Site Gallery for the UK Year of Photography.

The g-Effect
Live art commission, Ferens Live art space, Hull exploring pictures, property, and philosophy.

Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘98
A series of public and schools workshops in Kirklees during July and August leading to a public Land Art event at Holme Styes Woods during August.

1997

The Atmosphere Today
Creating 3 interpretive and participatory display over 6 months using the permanent art collection at Huddersfield Art Gallery. Using Britain’s favourite conversation topic, the weather, as a metaphor to help people look at and discuss a more challenging area – art works.

Attitude Tests
Schools workshop using the video’s produced in Derby. The sessions explored the causes and consequences of crime in addition to revealing techniques and processes involved in creative video production. In association with Derby Community Arts, March 1997.

Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘97
A participatory fresh air event for nature, art and picnic lovers. A series of workshops with a large range of participants, in schools during July, with playgroups and the public during August, constructing scarecrow sculptures from recycled materials. The concluding celebratory land art event followed a week of preparation and was organised by the Friends of Holme Styes Wood.

Work-in-Progress
A three week project with the Catalan performance group ‘La Fura dels Baus’ working with a group of students on a project involving new technology, live and digital performance. British Council funded, for Tarrega Festival, September 97.

The Evidence Room
Bringing the third part of the Open Closing Door project, the kinetic dual screen video shop window installation, to Derby town centre. With thousands of visitors and 524 showings it proved both a popular event.

1996

Sculpture Picnic Trail ‘96
A workshop based peripatetic land art project working with a large range of participants, in playgroups and public, to construct scarecrow sculptures from recycled materials. The event concluded in a celebratory land art event on after a week of preparation in Holme Styes Wood, Holmfirth.

Kirklees Way Quest
Working with 12 different community groups around a 72 mile circular walk on a year long community based sequence of creative events., documenting activities and constructing a ‘cultural map’ of the Kirklees Way and culminating in a special launch event.

Puppet Video
Work with Kirklees Youth Justice. During structured sessions we worked together with participants to create a unique video programme telling their own story.
'The day Sean spent with Impossible had a positive impact on him. The day itself was enjoyable and he has spoken enthusiastically about it. The sessions fitted in well with the programme of work I had undertaken in that it offered an alternative approach assisting Sean to understand and learn from his involvement in offending'
Clive Pullings, Kirklees Youth Justice.

Open Closing Door
Video presentations at the ‘Creative Time’ conference at Theatre in Prisons and Probation at the University of Manchester and the ‘Men and Masculinities’ conference at the Watermans Arts Centre, London. Contributed a chapter to ‘Arts Approaches to Conflict’ edited by Marian Liebmann, published by Jessica Kingsley.

Attitude Tests
A series of workshops in 10 schools in North Kirklees on the theme of crime.

The Evidence Room
Development of this kinetic dual screen video installation for a shop window in Alfreds Way Shopping Centre, Batley which was open to the public and triggered by them for 20 days.

1995

Home Sweet Home
A 4 roomed revolving bijou fabric residency, furnished with soft objects, a poet, 500 metres of printed cloth and live music. Six full days of workshops and 2 days of performance in Batley.

The Evidence Room
A dual screen kinetic video installation commissioned by Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery. With inflatable furniture, a mechanical table and a digital angel, in addition to giant manipulated photo images (Paul Grundy) and a visitors ‘confession Booth.

The Evidence Room
14 short devised performances at Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery within the installation. With live music (Clive Bell and Christian Weaver) and performance (Kazuko Hohki and Chris Squire).

Attitude Tests
20 intense participatory sessions reaching over 500 people in Kirklees mostly in schools, but also Youth clubs, a pub and the Kirklees Media Centre. The sessions looked at both how we produced the videos and it explored responses to crime – i.e. both content and form.

Puppet Videos
We worked with 20 offenders and victims of crime through Victims Support, the Probation Service, Youth Justice and others. During day-ong structured sessions we worked together to produce a short puppet video telling their story.

1994

Home Sweet Home
A short German and UK tour with workshops and a number of performances for schools/Colleges and the general public at: Ludwig Forum fur internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany and Folkstone Art Gallery, part of the channel tunnel celebration.

Sculpture Picnic Trail '94
A fresh air event for 400 nature, art and picnic lovers. The environmental arts project began in a series of Playscheme workshops and led up to a public land art event day with participatory activities.

Other People's Shoes
A mountain of discarded shoes is annotated and displayed forensically in an bottom-lit, mirror floored suspended display, with live performance. The Museum of Other People’s Shoes presented in Art Galleries in the Harris Gallery, Preston, Leeds Met Gallery, Leicester City Art Gallery .In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists.

1993

Home Sweet Home
A 4 roomed revolving bijou fabric residency, furnished with soft objects, a poet, 500 metres of printed cloth and live music. A commission by Cartwright Hall museum, Bradford.

Other People's Shoes
Retail events in Shopping Centres transforming empty shops in Dewsbury, Rawtenstall and Leicester into a cross between a gallery, a performance arena and a shop of other peoples shoe’s.In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists.

1992

Other People's Shoes
Consumer Research sessions in Community Centres in shoe producing areas of Rawtenstall, Dewsbury and Leicester. The sessions explored memories and aspirations In collaboration with Those Environmental Artists.

1991

The Passage
A site-specific event in Leeds with sculptors, musicians and performers creating a series of inhabited cloth chambers and inviting spectators on an intriguing procession of atmospheres and living pictures.

1990

Borderland
U.K. Germany & Italy Touring theatre with original live music set in a large, floppy, white, canvas environment. Choreography by Janet Smith, Environment by Peter Hatton, Original Score by Peadar Long. Based on the life, of Virginia Woolf and her novel 'Orlando'. Alternating between scenes evoked by the book's jaunt through centuries and genders, and scenes showing her struggle to interpret her ideas and passions, her aspirations and doubts.
"See this piece. See it for it's boldness, for it's passion, it's capacity to be as intense as despair, as playful as holidays; dance, dance and music combine to present a spectacle of strange and terrible beauty." Matthew Branton, Sheffield City Press

1984-1990

The Sensation Machine
Luddite machine to stimulate the senses event

Arthur
Touring Theatre

Dr Faustus
Two performers, one musician create a touring theatre of raw energy

Keaton & Kahlo
Two lives co-exiting but unconnected and fifteen hundred miles apart: one a man, one a woman, one a physical comedian the other a cripple, one from the first world and the other from the third. Buster Keaton and Frida Kahlo – two lives.