2013

Imaginate Festival

Chalk About, by Christine Devaney (Curious Seed) and Leandro Kees, made its Festival debut in 2013, but it was the result of many years of international collaboration.

The story began in 2011. Fiona Ferguson had just started as Imaginate’s Development Director, and Alice McGrath handed over a new project: Fresh Tracks Europe was a Creative Europe-funded scheme that fostered creative exchanges between artists from eight different countries. “It’s been a life changing thing, to be involved in all these European projects”, says Fiona. “There was a ten day residency, and we sent Christine Devaney. She was put in a room with an Argentinian artist who lived in Dusseldorf, and they were told to come up with a ten minute scratch idea. Then we all turned up to see it. It was brilliant, and I invited them to do a work-in-progress at the Festival. That turned into Chalk About, and Tony commissioned it on the spot. It’s an example of when creative development merges with the Festival, and it’s one of the best pieces to come out of Scotland – people just aren’t making dance like that!”

Since then, Chalk About has been performed for over 7,000 people across 11 countries, from Sadler’s Wells to the Sydney Opera House! Watch the video below to hear more from Fiona and Chris about the importance of creative collaboration.