Tall Tales, women artists’ playful exploration of the human experience
Tall Tales was a national touring programme which brought together the work of 17 international women artists who employ the playful use of storytelling techniques in the making of their work.
Stories have been shared for centuries and across every culture as a means of entertainment, cultural preservation and education. The artists in Tall Tales used storytelling techniques to toy with our perception of myth, reality, the public and private, ideas on difference, as well as question our assumptions. Their works revealed uncanny scenarios, sometimes pointing to personal stories but more broadly, issues pertinent to society at large and what we might call ‘the human experience’.
The exhibition tour launched in London in Spring 2016 at Freud Museum London, Swiss Cottage Gallery & Library and the Tavistock Clinic and then toured to Touchstones Rochdale, Lancashire, culminating at Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) in Scotland.
Tall Tales will featured new works and performance commissions by Ruth Barker and Beth Collar, developed for Freud Museum London and Glasgow Women’s Library. A national touring exhibition and distributed programme, Tall Tales presented a significant public programme, informed by research and development. The development programme is iterative and has included research residencies for Ruth Barker with Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, and Beth Collar with Glasgow Women’s Library in 2014. In 2016 the results of these residencies were presented, alongside an ambitious touring co-production Call for Cloth by Lauren Sagar and supported by Joanna Peace, both of whom worked with community groups and encouraged participation by the general public across the UK, having kick-started this process at the Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival in 2015. Following Lauren Sagar’s collaboration with Sharon Campbell on the award winning Chandelier of Lost Earrings, Lauren Sagar and Joanna Peace worked with community groups and the general public across the UK, actively looking to hear from those interested in taking part. See Lauren’s Tall Tales website page here for more detail and see the Glasgow Women’s Library exhibition archive page to discover the intricate textiles based work produced.
As part of the 2016 programme Tall Tales will also worked with artist writing commissioner and developer Akerman Daly. Akerman Daly supported Ruth Barker in producing and publishing new writings, with AD online hosting Alinah Azadeh and Oona Grimes in their library on art and writing. Female young critics and the adult seeing things group from Glasgow Women’s Library also traveled to see each element of the Tall Tales , interpreting and sharing their writing about the project along the way.
For full information on locations of the tour visit our Venues & Schedule page
To make direct contact with the Tall Tales organisers, please email talltalestouring@gmail.com
Tall Tales is curated and produced by wewioraprojects wewioraprojects.com
wewioraprojects is a curatorial collaboration and producing agency established in 2013. wewioraprojects works across disciplines, connects artists at different career stages and from ranging backgrounds, often working in partnership and with alternative contexts ranging from health, housing and media partners, to clubs, museums, libraries, heritage and pop-up spaces, as well as outdoors. Since establishing in 2013 wewioraprojects has developed commissions and worked with artists including Open Music Archive with Graham Massey (808 State), Grizedale Arts, Beth Collar, Ruth Barker, Poppy Whatmore and TOAST, Emily Speed, Richard Shields and Harry Clayton-Wright, Nicola Smith, and Lucy Harvey. For more information on wewioraprojects recent activity please visit www.wewioraprojects.com
Project Funded by:
Tall Tales is Supported by:
Venue Partners:
Swiss Cottage Gallery and Library, and Rochdale Central Library