Rachael Diop

Shifting Skies

So what was the seed? As we were all thrown into a state of separation we’d not known - certainly in my lifetime - those in our bubbles and the connections we had with them were so vital - people realised the most important thing was those we love and the connections we have with them. Artists found new ways to connect and create and it was apparent through the engagement on the internet -the only way many had to connect with others - that the arts are vital to our wellbeing and fundamental to being human. Some of us were lucky enough to be able to stay at home and have time we hadn’t in our busy lives and many naturally found themselves drawn to creativity and learning.  The other element people found they desperately needed was the natural world, which recovered remarkably well when we weren’t busy ruining it!

So - confined to bubbles(?!) We adapted. I was lucky enough to have the fantastic artist Jayne Seddon in mine - we were both working at the same school and designed a collaborative project with the children as well as our own art and music. The results were to be performed at LightNight 2021. Lockdown meant that the work had to be made into a film as the whole event went online.

Shifting Skies is the result of our own collaboration.

6 Paintings - A short film by Lawrie Vause - original music written and performed by Lawrie, myself, Siofra Ward and Rod Leung

Believe in Us - Rachael Diop, Ami Yesufu and children from St. Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Lipa Primary and 6th Form, Splice members, Harthill Youth Club, St. Paschal Baylon Primary School

A project for Liverpool City Council Children and Young People's Team, working with schools and youth groups to write a song that represented the children's feelings, ideas and hopes for their futures.   The launch event at The Florrie - www.theflorrie.org - involved young people and groups from across the city and focussed on Children's Rights and Unicef's Child Friendly City programme. 

Hope on the Horizon - Rachael Diop, Jayne Seddon, and the children from Lipa Primary School

During lockdown this was the result of a collaboration with artist Jayne Seddon. Working with the children who were still attending school, we painted pictures of the sky and wrote music in response to the sky as a shifting graphic score.

Sky Shanty - Rachael Diop, Jayne Seddon, Lawrie Vause and the children from Lipa Primary School

We ran workshops with the children, introducing them to the different kinds of birds around the city and wrote the lyrics collaboratively with the children. Lawrie wokred with the children on creating artwork of the birds and places in the city and animated their artwork.

What do you do with 390 photos of Christmas Trees - Lawrie Vause and Rachael Diop

Animated film of Richard Brautigan's short story