Roger Perkins has been resident at New Greenham Arts from March 2007 until January 2008 working on the Greenham Museum:

Coming soon to New Greenham Arts...the opening of the newly refurbished Greenham Common Museum - home to the History of The Greenham Holiday Resort.

In its 1950's and 1960's heyday Greenham Holiday Resort could boast that it was the place to go to relax and enjoy the modest but modern facilities it had to offer. Yet, nowadays, few people will remember it at all or that it was such a popular holiday destination.

Many people visiting our museum for the first time will be surprised by this post-war government initiative and how much it was enjoyed and appreciated by its visitors. So come and visit us to see for yourself!

The Museum will be opening on the 17th February 2008 at New Greenham Arts - you are welcome to visit on that day.

Adam Brown and Clare Plested met and began working together whilst studying Performing Arts at Middlesex University, where they trained with John Wright and Huw Thomas. They joined forces with Trestle Theatre Company's Amanda Wilsher, who has worked with them since 1999, contributing to both the direction and devising of the shows.

The company's first production, 'Carol Smillie Trashed My Room', achieved award-winning success at the National Student Drama Festival and at the Edinburgh Festival 2000.

Plested and Brown returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2001 with 'The Surrendered/Reconditioned Wife Show', a sell out run that gained great critical success.

Since October 2002 they have had supported company status at New Greenham Arts.

International artist Kevin Todd undertook a variety of projects during his residency at New Greenham Arts, Newbury, Berkshire.

Kevin uses the relatively new technology, rapid prototyping (RP) to construct his models. RP is a form of 3dimensional printing that uses the latest in computer aided design software to drive a laser across powdered glass, plastic, polystyrene or other polymers. The laser heats the powder, causing it to layer a solid form from the computer-generated image. This merging of new technology and art is what informs Kevin's work. His exhibition, The Organic Rationalist at New Greenham Arts in October / November 2004 explored the ambiguity between nature (the organic) and human attempts to understand, synthesize and manipulate it (the rational).

Kevin sees technology as central to art, saying, “The tension that exists between the rationalism and supposed objectivity of science and the subjective experience of people living in a specific place and culture is a crucial concern for art and technology. The work I am developing is about the limits of scientific realism/rationalism and about creating work that collapses the supposed dichotomy between art and technology; between the technical and organic.”

Kevin worked in partnership with 3T RPD, a Rapid Prototyping company based on site at New Greenham Park, and the Centre For Rapid Design and Manufacture at Buckingham Chilterns University College at High Wycombe, who produced his sculptures for the exhibition at Greenham. Tim Plunkett, director of 3T RPD is excited to be working with the artist saying, “RP technology is mostly used by architects and engineers for prototyping because it allows complex, durable, 3-dimensional models to be made relatively easily. For artists it is exciting because it gives them the capability to create new geometric forms, free from the constraints of traditional production techniques.”

Composer and sonic artist Hywel Davies was commissioned in 2003 to create a new work for the former Control Tower at Greenham Common as the first of three residencies facilitated by New Greenham Arts to mark the history and future of the Common.

Hywel's sound installation in the Control Tower was on three darkened levels, with music on one level, speech on the second and the overnight recording of a 'sleepover' with New Greenham Arts resident youth theatre company, Shining Lights, on the top level.

Hywel, who has produced work for the 2001 Bath International Festival, Artsway in Hampshire, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Baniff Centre in Alberta, Canada and was awarded the George Butterworth Prize for Composition in 2001, explained that the Greenham piece was inspired by the Bach aria 'Schafe Konnen Sicher Wieden' (Sheep May Safely Graze) which came to mind as he walked on the Common and which made him consider the tradition of pastoral music, hence the title 'Pastoral'.

Shining Lights provide opportunities for young people that they would not find in other youth theatres.

New Greenham Arts Community Manager Pete Watt is the driving force behind the scheme for 14 - 24 year olds. The aim is to provide training specifically for auditions to drama school and to improve individual skills. Shining Lights contributes to its members' audition fees whenever possible and encourages them to build on their self-belief. It aspires to provide drama that is challenging and interesting for both members and their audiences.

Currently Shining Lights are divided into two groups, Shining Lights and Shining Lights On Tour (Known as SLOT Machine).

All members of Shining Lights benefit from the vision of Artistic Director, Pete Watt: "I enjoy working with our members because it is like working with professionally focused people who know what they want from us. This means we can be more adventurous with the plays we select. More people should come and take a look at us because they will be pleasantly surprised by the standard we set".

Past productions include 'Equus' by Peter Shaffer, 'This is a Chair' by Caryl Churchill, 'Woyzeck' by George Buchner, Oscar Wilde's controversial dramatic poem 'Salome', 'Cabaret' and 'Arabian Nights'.

For more information about Shining Lights contact Pete Watt on 01635 582666 ext 239.

This exciting new work entitled 'The Weight' looked at 'the middle ground', that period of time we call adulthood.

The piece fused the disciplines of contemporary and jazz dance and marked a divergence from the company's existing repertoire whilst still maintaining the musicality, aesthetics and accessibility for which Newbury Contemporary Dance Company is renowned.

Lincoln Allert's choreographic influences range from Alvin Ailey to Christopher Bruce and his work with, among others, Rambert Dance Company, Irie! Dance Theatre and Bullies Ballerinas Jazz Productions have been performed at such venues as The Lillian Bayliss Theatre, The Riverside Studios and The Barbican Theatre in London.

Newbury Contemporary Dance Company were looking to develop their performance style and approach in a collaboration with Motionhouse Dance Company during the Autumn of 2002. Volatile Mini Shows (see the diary of events page) are normally performed by Motionhouse, but Michael Bewick, New Greenham Arts director, secured funding for Motionhouse to work with NCDC and its youth division at New Greenham Arts throughout autumn half term 2002. A performance was given at New Greenham Arts on Friday 1st November.

Motionhouse brought props from their Volatile Mini Show to stimulate the creative process. Debbie Camp, co-director of NCDC, said that they were: "..highly delighted. The opportunity to work with a professional and experienced company was one not to be missed." Debbie said that she thoroughly enjoyed Volatile but it made her: "…scared! We can feel the bruises already. We know we're going to be really physically challenged in a totally different way to what we're used to and we're very excited about that!" Volatile is a very athletic show, and the dancers underwent circuit training to build up their muscles to cope with the swinging and lifting on the scaffold set.

The residency is part of the commitment of New Greenham Arts and The Corn Exchange to the professional development of locally based companies. The week was part of their autumn Training & Development programme, supported and partly funded by Southern & South East Arts, The Corn Exchange & New Greenham Arts.

KAOS THEATRE COMPANY UK

Kaos performed their show Thirst on 2nd May 2002 at New Greenham Arts, and then returned to the arts centre from 12th - 14th June to work with drama students. Writer and director Xavier Leret led the workshops. Corn Exchange Director, Michael Bewick (now retired) explained that he wanted Xavier to lead this workshop because: "the unique Kaos style combines the best of drama, music and physical theatre."

earthfall

Dance theatre company earthfall returned to New Greenham Arts for a two-week residency in February 2002, which culminated in a performance on Friday 15th February (see the diary pages). The group was working with young men on the issues explored in their November 2001 show, aD.

Michael Bewick, The Corn Exchange and New Greenham Arts director, explained why he chose earthfall: "The company's work with the community is about reaching out to, enabling and understanding the groups they work with. The theme of aD - the relationship between fathers and sons - seemed particularly suitable as a platform for young men to explore their feelings, and to demonstrate how art can be used in understanding them."

The first stage of the project was the gathering of sounds. Scattered throughout designated sites on Greenham Common and New Greenham Park Michael placed microphones to capture the ambient sounds of Greenham during the course of the summer and autumn months of 2000 - animals, birds, insects, the wind rustling in the grass, traffic, commerce and people.

The sounds that were collected around Greenham were collated, and Michael 'sculpted' them to be heard within a 50 feet long, rusty abandoned fuel tank on the Common itself, where visitors were able to walk in to experience Michael's sculpture.

Supported by YOTA, 'The Year of the Artist', Dr Jon Pengelly worked at New Greenham Park throughout the summer months of 2000 on a project entitled 'HOLDING PATTERN'. YOTA was a nationwide project organised by the Arts Council, and co-ordinated in this region by Southern Arts. It was the largest and most ambitious arts project ever mounted in England, and was designed to raise the profile and status of living artists. More than 100 artists worked in many unusual and surprising places throughout central southern England to bring them out of the 'traditional' spaces usually associated with art, and place them in everyday situations. Find out more about YOTA on their website www.yearoftheartist.co.uk/flash/

At the time of his residency Dr Jon Pengelly was the Research Fellow in Fine Art Printmaking at the Centre for Research in Art & Design CRiAD, Grays School of Art, the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. Jon completed his MA at the Royal College of Art in 1989 before going to Grays to complete his PhD in 1997 - titled 'Environmentally Sensitive Printmaking: a framework for safe practice'. Jon's work is concerned with the integration of computer technologies into his creative practice. This work ranges from digital photographic techniques, the use of CAD/CNC milling technologies for producing multiples and printed artwork, and the use of multimedia and digital video in installation work.

Jon commented: "The working methods I adopt, computer drawings and CAD/CAM processes (computer aided design and computer aided modelling), address a personal interest in establishing links between the visual arts, and science and technology. This takes place both at a practical level, in the processes I use, and at a philosophical level in the subject matter my work alludes to. My artwork and the collaborations it quite often involves intentionally test perceived differences in language between the visual arts and science and technology."

"This work and others are concerned with the ubiquitous and pervasive nature of an ever-expanding consumer market. A market which seems to be able to produce endless products, and derivations of products, in order to fill ever-expanding supermarket shelves and mail order catalogues. To what purpose, and fulfilling whose consumer demand? This work intentionally tests the extent to which our understanding of the visual language associated with product identity, pervades our everyday lives."

Over an eight week period between June and August 2000 Jon's 'HOLDING PATTERN' project made use of computers, digital photography, multimedia and video techniques and linked with businesses at New Greenham Park and schools throughout the local area. In particular 3T RPD Ltd, a rapid prototyping company in the business park's Enterprise Centre, assisted with the production of 3D models and sculptures. Jon created a number of 'fake' military objects and structures, modelled using these rapid prototyping processes and then cast them in coloured resin. These 'fake' military objects and structures were designed to form the hand and footholds for a climbing wall to be installed on one of the former military buildings at Greenham.

From 5th - 22nd September there was a chance to see Dr Jon Pengelly's 'Work in Progress' Exhibition at New Greenham Arts.

A series of interactive workshops were held to co-ordinate with the project. John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford hosted the first of these on 1st June, in conjunction with the DELCAM 'CAD/CAM Initiative in Schools'. With Jon's help pupils explored specially designed educational Artcam software.

There was also work on display and the opportunity for the public to interact with the artist throughout the residency and the Trust's Chief Executive, Stuart Tagg, and New Greenham Arts Manager, Sally Childs worked with the artist to aid the project's development and provide technical support.

left: Jon works with pupils at a workshop at John O'Gaunt School, Hungerford.

Joint winner of the International Sculpture competition held by Greenham Common Trust in 1997, New Zealander Chris Booth returned to Greenham in 2000 to work on a private commission. Chris studied at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts, New Zealand, and then, from 1968 - 1970, went on to study as an apprentice with prominent sculptors in the UK and Italy.

He works from his Kerikeri studio in the far North of New Zealand. A deep respect for the environment and for the people he works with and amongst has led him to major site specific commissions in New Zealand, and he also now spends much of his time working on projects and commissions in Australia, the USA, the UK and Italy.

During the summer of 2000 Chris was working outside the New Greenham Arts building on a 6 metre high sculpture with his Australian assistant and fellow sculptor Matthew de Boer. Using block and tackle and gantries, Chris and Matthew used large pieces of Welsh slate and specially selected boulders from Scotland to form a 'stone strata'. The piece, which celebrates the harmony between earth and sky, was moved at the end of October to its permanent location in Hampstead Heath.

For more information about Chris, visit www.chrisbooth.co.nz