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THE SHED

Simon Thackray The Shed Gigs 2009

Simon Thackray
Simon Thackray. Photo © Mary Thackray

Simon Thackray - biography

Simon Thackray paints, takes photographs, makes sculpture and instigates happenings. Born in Ryedale, North Yorkshire in 1960, he joined the family business of agricultural engineers on leaving school and held his first one-man show of ink drawings at Vanbrugh College, University of York in 1978. He went into his shed in 1987 to concentrate on making sculpture and paintings.

In 1992, Simon photographed his shed door and founded The Shed. This improbable performance venue in a small village in North Yorkshire has since become famous for presenting world-class music and poetry and for creating and staging the unique art events that are 'the essence of Shedness'.

The Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race, Mrs Boyes' Bingo featuring Mark Sanders, the Fish and Chip van tour and Lol Coxhill in a skip are just a few. Simon conjured the words, music and participatory knitting spectacular, 'HAT', (written and performed by Ian McMillan and Billy Jenkins) and invented the knitted Elvis wig which is now a world-wide accessory worn by artists in New York and bin men in Wakefield.

The Shed has toured projects to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Spitz, Union Chapel and Victoria & Albert Museum, London, as well as venues in Halifax, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sheffield, Belfast and Cork.

"His enthusiasm seems to light up the street. I muse on the idea of future cultural historians citing a shed door as the fulcrum of a rural arts renaissance."
Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 3

"He's a strange'un alright, but the art world could do with more of his kind of far-reaching woolly thinking." Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph

Simon co-founded the Pied Piper Project with Sarah Derbyshire MBE in 1997. (Sarah is Chief Executive of Live Music Now!). Pied Piper brings professional musicians and poets like Annie Whitehead, Ian McMillan, Snake Davis, Gwyneth Herbert, Billy Jenkins, Jan Kopinski and Polar Bear to Ryedale to work with young people in a series of FREE workshops and gigs. Pied Piper is supported by Arts Council England and Ryedale District Council. Patron: Sir Ernest Hall OBE DL.

Photo © Tony Bartholomew

Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race Photo © Tony Bartholomew
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
The Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race is a registered trademark of Simon Thackray.

"For the past 17 years, The Shed, near the market town of Malton, has been responsible for some of the smallest and most inspired art events in the country" Alfred Hickling, Guardian

"He could, if he chose, make a bigger splash in the art world than he does here - which acts more as an extension to his shed" Yorkshire Post

Lol Coxhill © Tony Bartholomew

Lol Coxhill in a skip
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
Photo © Tony Bartholomew

Simon put the maverick saxophonist Lol Coxhill in a skip which attracted a great live audience and no less than three TV crews to Malton. Lol Coxhill in a skip was the launch event of FuseLeeds06, broadcast on Jazz on 3 and also a featured item on Pick Of The Week on BBC Radio 4! Simon's unique ideas and inventions consistently receive strong media support.

Mrs Boyes' Bingo
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
Photo © davidxgreen.com

Mrs Boyes' Bingo featuring Mark Sanders was premiered at The Shed in 1999. It was performed at FUSELEEDS04 and recently as part of The Shed's Greatest Hits. Mrs Boyes' Bingo and the Fish and Chip Van Tour (see below) entertained delegates at the international art and science conference 'Rules Of Engagement' at the National Centre For Early Music in 2005.

Photo © Tony Bartholomew

Fish and Chip van tour
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
Photo © Tony Bartholomew

"Intrepid arts explorer... pioneer of improvised arts events"
Yorkshire Evening Press

Simon propagated the rare species of Yorkshire pudding flower and invented the knitted Elvis wig for the first North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour. Knitted Elvis wigs are appearing across the world - from Wakefield allotments to the 'Day Of Dada' parade in New York City!

Elvis Bus Stop

Knitted Elvis Wigs
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
Photo © Tony Bartholomew

"I muse on the idea of future cultural historians citing a shed door as the fulcrum of a rural arts renaissance" Ian McMillan

Ian McMillan © Tony Bartholomew

Ian McMillan - HAT -
Event concept copyright Simon Thackray. All rights reserved.
Photo © Tony Bartholomew

"soon it'll be like Woodstock: people will pretend they were there - people will want to say, 'I was there when it all started'"
Independent on Sunday.

Very short animations:

© Simon Thackray

 

Sleeping Polar Bear

 

© Simon Thackray

 

 

Dancing Shed Door

 

Photo © David Sample                 HAT

Home Of The Small White Bird 1989 wood / steel / toy elephant Photo © David Sample
Hat 2001 Knitted Sidar wool by Janet Kopinski - Photo © Simon Thackray

'Untitled' 1989

'Untitled' 1989 Carved stone / found objects H. 600mm Photo © David Sample


Tom's New Beginning © Simon Thackray

Tom's New Beginning -1990 Oil on canvas (Private collection) Photo © Simon Thackray

Alternative arts manifesto - Simon's bit in The Guardian! 

The Shed media success:

Simon's creations have been featured on Front Row, Sky News, Big Breakfast, Channel 4, BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel 5, ARD (Germany), BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio York, Humberside, Sheffield, Newcastle, Cleveland, Leeds, Minster FM, BBC North FM, Yorkshire Coast Radio, Armed Forces Radio, Newsbeat, Newsround, Three Counties Radio, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Mo Dutta, Wogan, Sarah Kennedy, Classic FM, Brian Hayes, Take A Break, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Dalesman, Daily Express, TES, Independent On Sunday, Yorkshire Life, Vogue Knitting International, BBC Music Magazine, Richard and Judy Show, Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, Yorkshire Evening Press, Gazette & Herald, Ryedale Mercury, Scarborough Evening News, Radio Times, Northern Echo, Children In Need, The Week and Sunday Times...and Pick Of the Week!

The Shed Gigs Booking Now - "The smallest show on earth" Guardian
Hat - the original knitting performance
Knitted Elvis Wigs - Vogue Knitting and No.1 on Google!
The Fish & Chip Van Tour - on the Richard and Judy Show
The Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race - Big Breakfast to Sky News
North Yorkshire Elvis Bus Tour - Afternoon Play on Radio 4
Mrs Boyes' Bingo - featuring Mark Sanders
The Shed Comes To Town - and Malton comes to life!

Trade Marks and Copyright

The Shed
, Shed Bitter and Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race are Registered Trade Marks of Simon Thackray. Copyright © Simon Thackray 1992 - 2009.
Yorkshire Pudding Boat is a Trade Mark of Simon Thackray.

No part of this site (text or photos) may be used without permission.

Address: The Shed, Brawby, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 6PY
Telephone: +44 (0) 1653 668494

The Shed is supported by Arts Council England
and Ryedale District Council.
Funders

 

 

 

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