‘The Engine House has been hugely rewarding in refining my understanding of how theory can influence practice and vice versa, in a completely new field from my previous experiences, and all consistently at the coalface of professional work.’
David Lane, writer, Engine House associate artist
The Engine House is where the seed ideas for our performances and events get researched and developed, creating that crucial space and time for new ideas to take flight.
It gives a distinct identity to the process-focused research that we undertake when developing a piece and is also a means by which we can share more widely the inspirations and processes that go into that research.
The type of collaborative, multi-disciplinary site-specific work that we do requires a constant evolution of approach specific to each project. The Engine House helps us by creating a focused place for recording and reflecting on our practice that in turn informs and evolves our approach to making work.
We hope that some of it might be useful and inspiring to others too.
‘Tom’s work has sparked a whole new writing process for me which means it feels fresh and exciting and we are constantly uncovering new material and fresh responses.’
Tracy Harris, writer, on collaborating with Tom Newell, audio-visual artist
You can explore the processes that arise from our working journeys, find out more about what has inspired and driven the artists on different projects, pick up new creative tools and tips for collaboration, browse the historical or incidental information unearthed through the research processes and more in the inspire and share sections.
The Engine House was first funded from 2013-2015 by Arts Council England. It began with six multi-disciplinary seed ideas at early stages of development, each with a strong socially engaged agenda. You can read the evaluation summary of this period of the Engine House here