Murmuration Trustees Annual Report from Registration 16/11/22 to 31/3/24
The charity had no income and no expenditure in this period. We have not opened a bank account yet. Activities were funded directly by the organisations Murmuration worked with and/or by voluntary contributions of any out of pocket expenses. All time was given on a voluntary basis.
The artists associated with Murmuration were fairly busy in our first 16 months.
‘Joy Rummage’ – ‘make your own puppet and play with it’ workshops with associated musicians riffing at impromptu outside rehearsal/performances. There was a gig of the same at the Wrecking Ball book/coffee-shop/performance space later in November and further making days and training days with a group of 10.
During June 23 Liz Dorton did a two week residency at HARI (a pop-up arts space in Hull City Centre open to the public 9-5) called ‘Colour Quarry’: paint recipes from Hull’s clays, beaches, bricks, chalk, charcoal food stuffs and Reckitt’s Blue. It included an exhibition of puppets related to Hull’s history and to Colour and a ‘Joy Rummage’, and Starlings, a large banner made with ‘Orts’ (a women’s outside sewing/machining group), a two-man puppet, some shadow puppets etc.
In July Murmuration did a short performance during a ‘land food enterprise’ event for 40 people at Hull Minister mounted by SEARCH and HeartEdge. It had an ‘abundance and lack’ theme.
August bank holiday Liz Dorton and Anna Hembury performed at Greenbelt Festival, doing artistic reflection with Starlings for HeartEdge at their Exchange tent.
For the four Saturday in Advent 2023, at Bishop of Hull/Believe in Hull series called ‘Walking with Angels’ in four different churches venues across Hull. Murmuration enabled the people gathered to create images of angels and representations of their words on Banners that were shown at subsequent venues and a number of gatherings since. Children and adults contributed including many who would say ‘I can’t do this’. Murmuration also did a 5 minute cameo from Tender Gaze with Mary & adapted angel puppets. (Tender Gaze was a major show mounter before the charity was established and which has been revived later in 2024).
On 31/3/24, Easter Sunday, ‘Easter Gathering’ happened in Hull Minster. This has happened on several occasions before, organised by ‘Believe in Hull’. This time Murmuration provided the artistic and interpretive input to four stories of Jesus appearing after the resurrection. Many local people involved in rehearsal, making and presenting and many of the 180 attendees from all over Hull became involved in the ‘performances’ themselves.
The Trustees consider all this to be a validation of the reason for establishing the charity i.e. that activities such as this had happened over previous years and will need support to continue. They also mean, with a programme of ideas and developing activities, that we can use the charity to up our game in terms of support to the artists in developing ideas but also facilitating publicity/communications, funding and partnerships.
Andrew Dorton for the Trustees following AGMs on 7/9/23 and 20/1/25