For a creative caring connected world where

all can thrive, living within ecological limits

Our Approach
At the heart of Encounters practice is an Invitation for people to come
together across difference as creative collaborators, co-authors, stakeholders
and audiences to share their experiences and stories. We aim to inspire
creativity, promote dialogue and enable positive change. Through stimulating
and augmenting a diversity of voice we create ambitious and transformative
arts and cultural experiences leading to a more interconnected and caring
world where all can thrive. We create beautiful, integrated spaces and
processes for people from all walks of life to explore their relationship
withthemselves, each other, where they live and the wider world. Through
celebrations, performances, feasts, journeys, street based interventions, coauthored installations, publications and uniquely tailored events, the
Invitation is to re-look at who and how we are in the world at this time and
together to explore new interconnected stories to live by on individual,
local, city wide and global levels.

Encounters began in 2003 by taking over a series of dis-used

shops in Sharrow, Sheffield. Since then we have delivered eleven
shops across the country, and over forty projects working with
thousands of people in arts, regeneration, community,
environmental, education, and health contexts

This is what culture is all

about, taking art about
peoples lives out onto the
streets. Sitting on the sofa
was one of my highlights of
08.
Phil Redmond, Director 08
Liverpool Capital of Culture
Encounters artists
reach members of the
Beautiful. A truly inspirational and
extraordinary emotional piece of
work that should be shared across
neighbourhoods in this country Alicia Smith, Arts and Participation
Manager, Culture Liverpool

community simply by
listening. They create
art by allowing
people a place to
come to a place to
talk about our lives
and our world
participant

Encounters are a brilliant company to work

with! They are acutely sensitive to working
with communities, skilfully engaging people
and making them feel empowered as a result
Laura Edwards, Home Live Art

It was an amazing experience. I

learned new things about the
environment and myself and about
other people. Its changed my life.

participant

The memories,
the pictures and
testimonies are
really powerful. I
feel humbled that
people are
empowered to
share their
interesting, simple
and often difficult
life experiences.
thank you.
participant

We work by....
Creating and convening spaces for
people to share experiences, views and
visions across difference
Bringing people together for dialogue
and exchange through creative
engagement programmes
Advocating for the role of the arts in
stimulating and catalysing social and
ecological change
Training and mentoring people in how
to engage others
Co-authoring evolving artworks with
people and places about the past
present and future

Examples of work: Shops

11 Encounters shops across UK
ranging from 9 days to 6 months
Shops start empty and fill up as
people add to a series of Invitations
to Join in that map stories,
memories, experiences. One off
events exchanges, spontaneous acts
evolve in the space
Material and connections generated
in shop projects have led to
immersive community performance,
touring events, public art, large scale
exhibitions, and legacy print. in the
same communities
Watch film of Encounters Shop in
Tooting London that was open for 9
days

Andover
Shop

1:1 room
Venice
Bienale of
Architecture

Examples of Work : Place based

interventions
Shed on wheels, mobile shop,
market stalls, touring sofas,
toolkits, hidden objects,
interrupt everyday life and
create new transitory public
spaces for connection and
surprise
We go to where people gather,

Ageing Well Sofa tour Torbay

Shed on wheels Plymouth

pass by, convene and we playfully

invite them to look again
Watch film of Be My Guest
project that began with a mobile
shop, a touring story sofa and
led to a touring show and
exhibition
Regen SW Energy Fair

The Moey Liverpool

Examples of work; Journeys

In depth projects convene people
across difference and geography, to go
on physical journeys across a
neighbourhood or city to share stories
of place
Journeys are shared in culmination
gatherings and events involving wider
community
See; Whats your Wyborn Way Sheffield
where 1:1 journeys were displayed in a
disused house, Take Me To in
Peterborough which involved mini bus
tours across the city and winter
feasting and Meet me on the Boat in
Torbay that brought people together for
themed conversation boat trips and
Routeways and Connections linking
people and places across South Devon

Routeways and Connections

Examples of work; Community

Performance
We create performance events with
people who have never performed
before placing their verbatim stories
and experiences at the centre. We
are highly ambitious and persistent
in our recruitment processes to
ensure diversity of participation that
reflect the places we are working in
See film about our Food growing
and performance project, A Little
Patch of Ground linking
communities in London and Devon,
and our most recent performance
project Grandmothers linking
women across three local towns to
talk about ageing, grandchildren
and invisibility

Grandmothers,
South Devon

A Little
Patch of
GroundD
Devon

Examples of work; Exhibition and

Installation
We curate site specific interactive
installations that respond to people and
their stories reflecting these back to a
wider audience and continuing the loop of
participation

Diary
Keepers,
Tamar
Valley

See film of Diary Keepers An installation in

a disused Greenhouse in Cornwall inspired
by a host of local diarykeeprs reflecting
on climate change and freak weather
Visit the Museum of Now created with
residents in Torquay displaying new hand
made objects and talismans for our times
that express what it is like to live now
Be my Guest in our living room in the
gallery of the Bluecoat, Liverpool to hear a
story of hurt and home

Museum of
Now, Torbay

Encounters Past Projects - 2003-2015

PROJECT

DATE

LOCATION

The Connect and Inspire Programme

Grandmothers, Museum of Now, Meet Me on the Boat
Routeways and Connections
Caring Town Totnes Creative Tool
A Little Patch of Ground Stonehouse
Brixham Baker Boys
Talking Young Men Torbay
Encounters Andover Shop
Ageing Better Creative Consultation
A Little Patch of Ground : Efford, Plymouth
Diary Keepers: Site Specific community performance
Talking Young Men : Film and weekly workshops
Encounters Tooting Transition shop
Shed on Wheels- Mobile kitchen & story telling
A Little Patch of Ground, Devon
A Little Patch of Ground, London
Combatants for Peace Uk Tour

Jan - November 2015

Jan - May 2015
Jan - April 2015
June-October 2014
July - September 2014
June - September 2014
May - June 2014
Jan-March 2014
March - July 2013
October 2012
Jan - July 2012
June 2012
April - July 2012
April - October 2011
April - October 2011
September 2011

Encounters Shop at the Gallery

Take Me To
Combatants for Peace Uk Tour

January - April 2011

November - December 2010
July 2010

A Little Patch of Ground

Encounters D Shop

April - July 2010

March - June 2010

Wandsworth Arts Festival

Four Corners at the Bluecoat exhibition
A Little Patch of Ground
Creative Partnerships Hunters Bar
City Road Place making Creative Consultation
Encounters Shop (Abundance, Love Shop, One Word,
Swap Shop)
Batley Family Encounters
Whats your Wybourn Way?
Encounters Corner Shop
Be My Guest
Sharrow Stories Performance
The Moey Mobile Shop
Encounters Shop, Crucible Theatre
Echo City - Venice Bienale of Architecture
Encounters the shop collection - book
Encounters Shop, 127 Club Garden Road

May 2010
July 2009
April - July 2009
January - July 2009
December 2008 - March 2009
October 2008 - March 2009

Torbay, South DevonArts Council England

Kingswear
Heritage Lottery
Totnes
Our Place Programme
Plymouth
Awards for All
Brixham, Torbay
Arts Council and Youth Culture Partnership
Torbay
Torbay Youth Oending Service and The Arts Council
Andover
Test Valley Borough Council
Torbay
Torbay Community Development Trust
Eord, Plymouth
Awards for All, Eord Community Partnership
Tamar Valley
Tamary Valley Area of Outstanding natural Beauty
Exeter
Exeter Youth Oending Service and Big Lottery
London, Tooting
Transition Town Tooting, Wandsworth Council
Plymouth
Heart of Eord Community partnership
Devon
Arts Council of England, Dartington Hall Trust, Artsadmin
London
Arts Council of England, Dartington Hall Trust, Artsadmin
Devon/London
JA Clark Charitable Trust, The Evan Cornish Foundation,
Amnesty International
Dartington
Dartington Hall Trust
Peterborough
Royal Society of Arts, Peterborough Council, Arts Council
Bradford, London JA Clark Charitable Trust, The Evan Cornish Foundation,
Amnesty International
Doncaster
Arts Council of England, DArts - Doncaster
Dewsbury,
Kirklees Council, Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire
Wandsworth
Home Live Art
Liverpool
Culture Liverpool - City Council
Liverpool
Culture Liverpool - City Council
Sheeld
Creative Partnerships, Sheeld
Sheeld
Sheeld City Council
Sheeld
Sharrow Area Committee

October - November 2008

June - November 2008
October 2008
July 2008
June 2007
2007
February - March 2007
September - November 2006
September 2006
November 2004 - March 2005

Batley, Yorkshire
Sheeld
Winchester
Liverpool
Sheeld
Liverpool
Sheeld
Venice

St Peters Creative Consultation

Timelines Ripley
Sharrow Festival

May -July 2004

January - October 2004
June - July 2003

Sheeld
Ripley
Sheeld

Batley Childrens Centre

Manchester methodist Housing association
Corner shop arts
Liverpool Capital of Culture
Arts Council of England,Sheeld Theatres
Liverpool Capital of Culture
Sheeld Theatres
British Council
Published by Site Gallery, Sheeld, Distributed by Cornerhouse.
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Local Network Fund, Home
oce Refugee Fund
St Peters Diocese, Esmee Fairbain trust
Ripley Council
Sharrow Festival

Yorkshire Art Space Exhibition

October 2003

Sheeld

Yorkshire Art Space

Encounters Shops

April - September 2003

Sheeld

Yorkshire Art Space, Sharrow Neighbourhood Forum

Sheeld

FUNDER/COMMISSIONER

www.Encounters-arts.org.uk
ruth@encounters-arts.org.uk
07870698333