THE SISTERS GRIMM CHARITABLE TRUST REPORT 2023
www.tsgct.co.uk
The Sisters Grimm Charitable Trust Charity number: 116338
Trustees:
Adam Quigley Alexia Moore Ben Onajide Clare Eason Eibhlish Fleming
The principal office of the CIO: No. 1 Business Centre, 1 Alvin Street, Gloucester, GL1 3EJ, England
The objects of the CIO are to promote the arts and to advance the education of the general public in the field of dance, music, film and other art forms, in particular but not exclusively through supporting the work of B Corp certified Sisters Grimm Ltd, INALA Ltd, and other related companies and organisations, in creation, development, production and performance of the arts.
August 2022 to September 2023 OUTREACH ACTIVITY
Sisters Grimm presented ‘After successfully showcasing in UAE and Singapore, Sisters Grimm presented ‘Global Landscapes Retrospective’, an immersive multimedia exhibition at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 28[th] and 29, 2023.
This exhibition featured artworks created by Sisters Grimm Co-Founder, Grammy-nominated British composer and visual artist Ella Spira MBE . She painted in situ across nine countries, spanning over 41,000 miles and showcasing natural wonders inherent to each culture.
This continues Sisters Grimm and Ella’s purpose-driven global work and artistic collaborations over the last two decades. By using the arts to draw attention to the environment and different cultures worldwide, the experience aims to promote positive social change.
The exhibition also presented video recordings of Ella’s extensive array of collaborative projects, including the music video and song she co-wrote with two 17-year-old New Yorkers, Julia Miranda and John Clarke jr. aka Jdc Capa, who were winners of the Outreach programme; NYC Songwriting Competition organised by Sisters Grimm.
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Outreach
In January, Sisters Grimm and Ella extended a remarkable free opportunity to talented young people living in New York between the ages of 14 and 18 to co-write and record with her.
Heart to Heart is a song co-written by Ella Spira MBE and two exceptional 17-year-old New Yorkers, Julia Miranda and John Clarke Jr., aka Jdccapa, who were chosen to co-write and record the song with Ella for a new Sisters Grimm music video release after an extensive city-wide search for young talents.
The music video was showcased at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City during the Sisters Grimm exhibition, Global Landscapes Retrospective.
Sisters Grimm also ensured there was an opportunity for the young artists to perform live to an invited audience at Carnegie Hall.
Through her work as Sisters Grimm Co -Founder and resident artist, Ella is renowned for her global crosscultural, multi-disciplinary collaborations, which have seen her receive a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. Ella’s purpose driven work has now been performed and exhibited in some of the world’s most prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace, Sadler’s Wells, Dubai Opera, Marina Bay Sands and Raffles in Singapore, the Edinburgh International Festival and London’s West End.
Ella's music videos featuring her visual art and music such as "United" and "See Beyond" have garnered over 10 million views worldwide.
All work includes youth engagement programmes and over 8,000 under-served children have experienced free shows, participated in workshops and received career advice. Ella Spira was awarded an MBE by King Charles in 2021 for her contribution to the Creative Industry and global social impact work.
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1 Million Views
Click to play Heart to Heart - Ella Spira, Julia Miranda & jdccapa https://youtu.be/Q2PjEAJwTZM?feature=shared
Julia Miranda and John Clarke performing ‘Heart to Heart’ live at Carnegie Hall
@jdccapavevo801 @jdccapa @itsjuliasings @paola.chapdelaine @pietraandellashows
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Global Landscapes Retrospectives – Overview
On 28 March 2023, over 200 guests walked into the Weill Terrace Room at Carnegie Hall in New York City, to experience Ella Spira’s Global Landscapes Retrospective. They were greeted by a musical score composed by Ella, drawing on past compositions for live theatre performances. It accompanied a display of over sixty landscapes, charcoal drawings and photographs. The exhibition culminated with the screening of Heart To Heart, a song co-written by Ella, and two young New Yorkers selected via an open call in New York City to be part of Ella’s creative journey.
‘Heart to Heart’ music video at Global Landscapes Retrospective by Ella Spira
The concept for Global Landscapes Retrospective emerged following a first exhibition in Singapore, held in November 2022 at Art Now gallery, in Raffles Hotel. This first display included six paintings created by Ella in Singapore, several charcoal drawings, together with The Inner Landscapes of Ella, a selection of intimate photographs by Singaporean photographer Rebecca Toh. Global Landscapes Singapore crystallised in Ella the desire to take time to revisit countries she had worked in during the previous decade, creating live theatrical performances for Sisters Grimm. The outcome of this process became Global Landscapes Retrospective, a reflection by Ella on her career to date, through the medium of paint; a journey across familiar territories and an exploration of new places and connections.
Global Landscapes Retrospective at Carnegie Hall was organised in nine sections. Opening with South Africa, it paid tribute to the late Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo with whom Ella collaborated for the Sister’s Grimm ‘ ’ ‘ show INALA: a Zulu ballet . The four paintings in this section, including Boulders on Munster Beach’, ‘Hilltop view the Hluhluwe-IMfolozi Park’and the more fragmented collage ‘Pietra looking at the sea’ attest to Ella’s desire to immerse herself in other cultures .
The next section presented four paintings created in Brazil, depicting the Serra do Mar’s peaks and tropical vegetation along the sinuous coastline of Ubatuba, as well as the Rosewood Hotel in São Paolo. It revisited a country in which Ella wrote the dance-musical production ‘Voices of the Amazon’, narrated by Jeremy Irons, raising awareness of the need to safeguard indigenous traditions and cultures.
The following section took visitors to Indonesia and featured four paintings, including ‘Pietra in Bogor’ portraying Pietra Mello-Pittman, Ella’s close friend and business partner, sat reading under a banyan tree. This painting captured sensitively our close connection with nature. This painting was recently acquired by a Chinese collector.
A set of eight charcoal drawings provided a sequence break from the landscapes. Sketched in a variety of locations, from Singapore to New York City, using charcoal in thick, heavy tones to evoke the bars’ dark mood lighting. The creation of these drawings gave Ella a way to lose herself in the city and enjoy a moment of calm. A kind of escapism and a celebration of a place at the same time.
The exhibition continued with a display of Japanese landscapes and cityscapes, presenting a contrasting view of tradition and modernity that Ella encountered in Japan. From the densely built and artificially lit city of Osaka, to the Buddhist Kiyomizu-dera temple in eastern Kyoto, to a view of Jōmon Sugi, a Cryptomeria tree, more than five thousand years old.
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A selection of fifteen paintings gave an overview of ‘50 for 50’, a series of fifty paintings marking the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the UAE created by Ella during her stay in Dubai. Originally intended to be in Dubai for the Expo 2020 to stage live performances, the Covid Pandemic meant Ella spent two years painting across all seven emirates, drawing attention to the natural ecosystems she felt were undervalued. From the Fujairah mountains, to the Al Wathba fossil dunes, the Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque or the Burj Khalifa at sunset, the paintings chart the rich landscapes of the emirates, which inspired Ella to launch Art In Nature in the UAE, in order to encourage young people to discover their natural environment.
The two artworks made in Albania during October 2021, roughly depicting craggy mountain faces, panoramic views and thundering cascades were presented next. The use of palette knives rather than brushes, gave a sensation of movement, which also derived from her habit of painting ‘en plein air’. This was also in evidence in the five paintings executed in Singapore, where Ella ventured out on a small boat into the middle of Singapore’s bustling port. As storm clouds gathered, she allowed raindrops to dilute and direct the flow of fresh paint on her canvas, imbuing the painting with a sensation of movement and disorientation.
Also shown in the Singapore section of the exhibition, a series of closely shot photographs taken by Singaporean photographer Rebecca Toh captured Ella’s inner emotions glimpsed in ordinary moments of self-absorption and unfiltered honesty. Although at times pensive and withdrawn, Ella’s smile and confident optimism shone through.
The Ocean Chamber was the penultimate stop in the Global Landscapes Retrospective journey. An immersive room within the exhibition, it included eight panels painted with enamel on glass. They were painted in Little Bay Beach and Palm Beach Australia, as well as on board a submarine, in Oahu, in Hawaii, at 50ft, 100ft and 150ft under water. Behind each panel, a lighting installation inspired by the sonar systems that Ocean X’s oceanographers use to map life underwater, brought the artworks to life.
Five charcoal drawings of the two young New Yorkers selected via an open call to co-write a song with Ella introduced the last chapter in the display. The drawings of Julia Miranda and John Clarke jr. aka jdccapa, as well as the two sketches of the studio in which they recorded the song, presented intimate portraits of the singers and their environment. Concluding the display, ‘Heart To Heart’s expansive tune, alluded evocatively to the two young artists’ experience and struggles as they took their first steps in their creative career. Marrying the voices and styles of both performers, Julia’s guitar and unique tone of voice blending with John’s mellowed rap, it provided the perfect keynote on which to end the exhibition. As visitors travelled through the Global Landscapes Retrospective experience, they discovered important moments in Ella Spira’s creative journey. Beyond this, they were invited to reflect on the interplay between the natural and cultural environments they inhabit.
The Global Landscapes Retrospective transcended national boundaries to portray nature and culture as global commons, to be enjoyed and protected by all humankind.
Of the 200 people who attended the Global Landscapes Retrospective, over 160 were invited to take part in the VIP event which included a live performance of ‘Heart To Heart’ and an interview of Ella, by Alice Black, founder of ArtULTRA and former director of the Design Museum in London, who also curated the exhibition.
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NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023
1. Accounting Convention
The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have been prepared in accordance with Guidance issued by the Charity Commission and comply with the Charities Act 2011, The Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Constitution of The Sisters Grimm Charitable Trust ("the charity")
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognized at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts.
The Sisters Grimm Charitable Trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102 The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation ("CIO") registered in England and Wales and the address of its registered office is Number 1 Business Centre, 1 Alvin Street, GLOUCESTER, Gll 3EJ
2. cash Funds
All funds held by the charity are unrestricted funds held for the purpose of fulfilling the charitable objects of the charity and paying governance costs.
3. Related party transactions
During the year, the charity received £1,010.00 and paid out £60 for administrative expenses
Total costs paid by Sisters Grimm Ltd for impact programme song co-writing opportunity = £100,459.69
For more information contact: pietra.ella@sisters-grimm.co.uk www.sisters-grimm.co.uk
| RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds | Total funds | Total funds | Total funds | |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| Receipts | ||||
| Donations, including gift aid recoveries | £1,010.00 | £1,010.00 | £10.00 | £51 000.00 |
| Total receipts | £1,010.00 | £1,010.00 | £10.00 | £51 000.00 |
| Payments | ||||
| Grants to Sisters Grimm Limited | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £50 000.00 |
| Governance fees | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Operations cost | £60.00 | £60.00 | £45.00 | £72.00 |
| Total payments | £60.00 | £60.00 | £45.00 | £50 072.00 |
| Net of receipt/(payments) | £950.00 | £950.00 | -£35.00 | £928.00 |
| Cash funds last year end | £895.73 | £895.73 | £931.00 | £3.00 |
| Cash funds this year end | £1,845.73 | £1,845.73 | £895.73 | £931.00 |
| STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 | STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds | Total funds | Total funds | Total funds | |
| Cash funds | 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash at Bank | £1,845.73 | £1,845.73 | £895.73 | £931.00 |
| Total Cash Funds | £1,845.73 | £1,845.73 | £895.73 | £931.00 |
| Total Assets | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total Liabilities | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Net Assets | £1,845.73 | £1,845.73 | £895.73 | £931.00 |
These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on Ju1st June 2024 and signed on their behalf by Eibhlish Fleming
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