As the council launches itself into a massive project to revitalise the west of the city, a complementary arts festival has sprung up to give the denizens of this area a much-needed arts and community focus. During festival week venues throughout West Leeds will play host to professional and community performances, exhibitions and film. Interplay radio will broadcast daily during the festival from 4pm until midnight featuring a range of live chat, original music and community banter. The week will close with a festival day in Farnley Park on the afternoon of Saturday 16 July. Live music on the Farnley Park Stage will see performances by Bassa Bassa at 1pm and 4pm; blues funk band The Lightnin' Rods at 2.30pm; drumming band Beats Working; members of the Mighty Zulu Nation and local contributions from Farnley Park High School and Castleton Primary Choir. There will be more music at St Michael’s Church on the park with a performance from Cobden School choir at 11.30am, a free organ recital by Leeds’ favourite organist, Simon Lindley at 3.30pm and a Gospel concert at 7pm. A range of workshops and children's activities will be available, including learning to drum with old oil barrels, carving and other artist-led workshops. There will be a giant inflatable obstacle course, free laser-quest in an inflatable dome and a TV Gladiator style inflatable knock-out. The festival is also running a comprehensive education programme with local schools working towards festival week and there are a series of open projects for West Leeds residents to get involved with including film and photography competitions and a large scale visual arts project. Children from Lawns Park Primary School and Cobden Primary School have developed a sculpture trail for visitors who want to explore the woods in the park. There will also be a permanent 8’ high abstract sculpture which has been carved by pupils from West Leeds High School with the help of sculptor Paul Walker. Residents have been busy making hundreds of miniature clay figures which will form an Anthony Gormley-type installation at the Festival. And three local artists will each be decorating a garden shed from scratch and putting their own personal stamp on them. Theatre performances include a performance of Daughter of the Wind by Interplay Theatre. With the dome as their performance space, the company uses multimedia technology, live music, theatre and interaction. Other performances in the park include Wings and Tingz, a modern day Greek myth written and performed by young people on Interplay Theatre’s alternative curriculum programme. Plus performances by Pudsey Youth Theatre and breakdance crews. Community involvement has been an intrinsic thread of the festival since its conception through the I Love Wortley consultation and I Love West Leeds is being managed through Interplay Theatre who are based in Armley. The organisers are hoping to provide a fun and inspiring day for all the family, which will hopefully develop into a regular event with community involvement and cross artform activity that both celebrates and raises the profile of West Leeds. For further details and a Festival brochure please contact Interplay Theatre via their e-mail address: info@interplaytheatre.org
For details of a film-making competition set up by the organisers of the I Love West Leeds festival, simply click on the link at the top of the page.
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