Culture on Scilly
Supported by Arts Council England, we’re delighted to be working with talented artists, performers, makers and creators from Scilly and further afield, enabling residents and visitors to experience a wealth of cultural talent across the islands.
We’ll keep you updated on the programme we’re curating on the Isles of Scilly, developing events and projects that will become part of our Cultural Centre and Museum offer.
It all begins with an idea.
With the support of Arts Council England, we are presenting a range of activities throughout 2024 which will help inform the programme of the new Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum.
Alongside our regular programme of events, we run and support projects and commissions which enable people to experience high-quality arts and culture. We work with partners on Scilly and beyond to deliver work which focuses on community participation, building new audiences, and developing skills – especially for young people on Scilly.
We’re also looking forward to working with several high-profile arts companies over the next year. They want to create new work inspired by the experiences of our communities and the unique qualities of the Isles of Scilly.
As the plans for the Town Hall take shape, this work will become integrated with the activities and programme of the new Cultural Centre and Museum.
Discover our Culture on Scilly 2024 Events
Find out more about the events we’re involved with - from Miracle Theatre’s Love Riot to a special screening of Long Way Back with the film’s producer, from Afro-Caribbean sounds with Kizamba to Simple8’s critically-acclaimed Moby Dick, we’ve put together an exciting programme at venues across the islands.
Here are some projects we’ve been a part of:
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The Grand Ball
The Grand Ball was a major community-based arts project, commissioned by the Isles of Scilly Museum and led by Artistic Director Bec Applebee.
Funded by Arts Council England, the project took place during 2023 and focused on the story of the Grand Ball of Rosevear and the building of the Bishop Rock lighthouse.
Project activities included school workshops in science, animation, sculpture, dance, physical theatre and music, a Barn Dance with new music and dances, performances of a specially devised Bishop Rock Lighthouse Play, and the commissioning of a beautiful story quilt by the Lyonesse Quilters.
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Lost Songs of Scilly
We’re delighted to be supporting this new project from St Agnes-based musician and composer Piers Lewin.
Piers and collaborator John Patrick Elliott have re-imagined a music that may never have existed, and their immersive journey has taken them deep into Scillonian culture, landscape and community.
June 2024 will see a live national tour, culminating in an album launch event on the Isles of Scilly in July.
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Young Curators
This group of young people from Five Islands Academy have been instrumental in developing plans for the new Cultural Centre and Museum. They have undertaken sessions with the architects and museum designers and have played a key role in ongoing consultation.
In October 2023 they carried out a research trip to London which included investigating branding and wayfinding. Current activity in school is centred on a new pop-up exhibition, featuring selected artefacts on loan from the museum collection based on themes of Spiritual Life on Scilly, nature and community.
There are plans for this to be open to the public later this year.
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Luna
Luna is a new work by internationally acclaimed artist Luke Jerram.
Commissioned by COSMOS and sited outside the Island Hall on St Martin’s, Luna is a stunning 1m diameter sculpture designed using detailed NASA imagery and topographical data of the Moon’s surface, fusing art and science.
People can explore and touch the moon close-up, including the usually unseen dark side (far side) of the Moon.
Our latest arts and culture news
Read some of our most recent news articles - discover more about some of the work underway in planning the arts and culture offer at the new Cultural Centre and Museum.
