Producing

Sylvia is the Artistic Director, Co-Founder and Co-Producer for You & Your Work (Y&YW), a Bristol based Community Interest Company.

Y&YW commissions and showcases risk-taking and high quality work by early to mid career performance-based artists, who have an interest in participatory practice. We aim to reach and engage diverse communities and build new audiences, by facilitating opportunities for performative, playful and discursive exchange. By commissioning and hosting performative encounters in unusual contexts, Y&YW seeks to critically explore as well as bridge the gap between community and ‘high art’ performance works.

Since 2007, Y&YW has showcased nine successful contemporary performance festivals, each one increasing in size, impact and audience attendance. We’ve commissioned twelve live and mediated artist’s projects which engaged local communities, as well as the general public as passers-by to our various site-responsive projects. As part of Y&YW9 performance festival we also hosted an open panel discussion on participatory performance practice.

 

YAYW9 was a joy to experience. Work with integrity, heart, imaginative flair and taste (of the culinary variety)! Both venues offered pleasing ways in which to encounter the works. I enjoyed the atmosphere, which was tremendously relaxed yet bursting with creative energy. This is a thoughtful and talented artist led outfit. Left wanting more!
Audience member, Y&YW9
It was all very generous work, just in the way it was framed as a whole. What happened was really very nice in that you made it accessible to 'real' people. And then they all get to come together and expose one another to each others worlds and we all can be together in this thing and it is possible.
Malcolm Whittaker, Artist, Y&YW7
Y&YW8 Festival at Arnolfini was active, culturally rich and of a high artistic quality. It presented Arnolfini with the opportunity to help build on the fantastic work Y&YW has done in previous years and explore with them artists working with a diverse set of communities, listen, investigate, learn, and open Arnolfini's doors to this type of practice and the communities.
Sarah Warden, Arnolfini Acting Producer

Resources

Visit the You & Your Work website
Watch a video about You & Your Work 7
Follow Y&YW on Twitter
Get in touch with the Y&YW team