Welcome
to the Fish Factory winter newsletter. If you don’t already know us, here’s a
little bit about what we do:
We’ve transformed an old scallop
processing factory in Falmouth into a place for artists, musicians and
performers to use, with focus on studio space, exhibitions and events. We’ve
been catering for a huge variety of brilliant people and showcasing their work
for almost two years now, and our reputation as an important cultural hub is
growing steadily. So whether you’re creatively inclined or just curious, come and
get involved! Contact fishfactoryarts@live.co.uk for more info.
We’re having our winter break now – The Fish Factory gallery is closed until
March 16th 2013. This will give us a chance to develop the performance
and rehearsal sections of the Factory and work on some exciting new happenings
for the New Year.Thanks in advance for bearing with us! We’re hardly been winding
down slowly, though – here’s a taste of what we’ve been up to recently:
The Contemporary Art Auction
on 8th December was our first auction and very interesting indeed. A
very eclectic host of artists turned up with over 150 works of art to adorn our
walls for the private view and auction. The event itself provided a great
opportunity for local collectors and enthusiasts to get their hands on the work
of some of Cornwall’s up and coming artists and we very much hope to hold more
auctions at the Fish Factory next year. Check out www.contemporaryartauctions.co.uk
for a taster.
We put on an all day festival, Dance
of Days Fest, in an attempt to entice summer back to Cornwall – here’s a review:
If you thought the festival season ended once September arrived,
then you missed out on a day of artistic innovation at Falmouth’s very own Fish
Factory. They brought the revelry inside in what must have been 2012’s most
mudless festival. With almost 10 hours of live music and poetry, the number of performers
came close to rivalling the healthy throng of punters in the cosy confines of
the Factory’s gallery and performance space.
If the rain dampened anyone’s spirits as they ventured out towards
Dance of Days, moods were lifted immediately on stepping into the Fish Factory,
with its makeshift bar, stage and hot vegan food stall. The bands blew away any
remaining damp shoe worries with uncompromising melodic noise. Rhoda warmed the
crowd with a luscious and visceral brand of grunge rock, while Rash Decision
obliterated the dismal British weather altogether with echoes of mid-70s New
York.
When music wasn’t filling our ears, poetry kept us listening –
ruminations on the philosophical benefits of Google and some unorthodox
Christmas cheer came courtesy of Abi Wyatt, and Duncan Yates filled the stage
with unrivalled energy.
This was a day of showcase not only for Fish Factory itself, but
also for the kind of Cornish art that thrives independently of tourism. The
Factory brought the entire mix of art that they support together in a single
day, to reassure residents that entertainment in Cornwall isn’t restricted to
the summer holidays. Even if events like this are fewer and further between in
winter, they are still there to be found, and well worth seeking out. Dance of
Days are a group who put on not for profit punk shows
based in Falmouth/Truro – check out their Facebook page for news of
up-coming shows.
We’ll be working on lots of exhibitions and events over Christmas
and New Year, details of which will be here in the spring.
Meanwhile, all our studios will stay open through the winter and
we’ll be working on renovating parts of the building to accommodate a new
photography studio and our new performance/ rehearsal space, the Fish Tank.
As always, we’re looking for people to give us some of their time to
help running the Fish Factory. We’d also love some handymen and women to help
us with our renovations over the next few months – please get in touch if you’d
like to get involved.
Many thanks for your support and interest in the Fish Factory. Keep
an eye out here for updates, but in the meantime we hope you have a very merry
Christmas and New Year – see you in 2013!
