Tall Shadows – The Sheffield Story Collective is a young people’s cultural project in Sheffield. Groups of young people from across the city will work with Chol to develop and launch a number of clubs in everyday locations, where young people can meet, discuss issue and topics that are important to them and create artwork in response. Together we will instigate and co-create new social artistic experiences for young people.
This project has been possible due to funding from Arts Council England.
Tall Shadows Events
Sheffield College – Our Story
Working with students at Sheffield College we created a short performance about migration called Our Story. This was performed on Friday 14th February 2020 to an audience in Sheffield and Via a live link to an audience in Brooklyn.
Half Term Masterclasses
During February half term a number of young people, professional artists and Chol core staff came together to imagine and design what Tall Shadows would become. During these sessions we created our Tall Shadows Logo and shared and developed skills in a number of art forms.
Tall Shadows Launch
We officially launched the project on Thursday the 12th of March to a reception of young people, community workers, artists and families at the Crucible, with poet Otis Mensah performing as our guest. During the event we introduced our 6 new young producers, 3 new Tall Shadows Ambassadors and presented a performance by young people on the topic of “home’’ and what home means when you’re from more than one place.
Migration Matters
Due to Covid and lockdown measures we were unable to take our performance to Migration Matters, however we were given the opportunity to screen the documentary of the process made by local filmmaker Sean Lovell, including footage of the young people’s first live performance to Brooklyn. The young people ended the festival event with a Q&A session.
Young Producer Internship
During Tall Shadows we mentored eight young people though a paid internship. Find out what two of our young producers said about the experience here.
Young Producer Events
Throughout their internship our Young Producers developed the skills to produce and run their own online events.
Online Creative Club
We have ran two after school online creative clubs for children and young people as part of Tall Shadows. The first group of young creatives wrote and produced their own published children’s story book. The second group have developed, drawn and animated their own short film, which is available to watch here – Lemon and Dumpling.
Our City Reads
In January and February 2021 we partnered with the Volunteer Libraries in Sheffield to deliver a half term week of workshops. A number of the participants took part in their own poetry reading online event to end the week.
TimeCrashers
Performed on the 17th and 18th of April this online experience took audience members on a unique virtual journey through Sheffield’s past. Set in the city’s only time-travelling nightclub, this was an unforgettable night of dancing with the Gods, mingling with Mary Queen of Scots, partying with Picasso and restoring history to its rightful order.
TimeCrashers Digital Game
After the success of the online performance of TimeCrashers, Chol and their young producers teamed up with the National Videogame Museum to create a digital video game version.
You can still play the game here
