 |
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 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." "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.
Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race Photo
© Tony
Bartholomew "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 in a skip 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 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.
Fish and Chip van tour "Intrepid arts explorer...
pioneer of improvised arts events" 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!
Knitted Elvis Wigs "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 - HAT - "soon it'll be like Woodstock:
people will pretend they were there - people will want to say,
'I was there when it all started'"
Home Of The
Small White Bird 1989 wood / steel / toy elephant Photo ©
David Sample
'Untitled' 1989 Carved stone
/ found objects H. 600mm Photo © David Sample
Tom's New Beginning -1990 Oil on canvas (Private collection) Photo © Simon Thackray
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!
|
|||||||||||||||
Alternative
arts manifesto - |
Trade Marks
and Copyright Address: The Shed, Brawby, Malton, North Yorkshire
YO17 6PY |
|
| The Shed is supported by Arts
Council England and Ryedale District Council. |
 |
     |