Dr Zoe Hudson on Woeful Puppet and Tudor Prison Life

On 12 February as part of the WOEFUL PUPPET presentation at Tower of London Dr Zoe Hudson gave a talk (to a very mixed crowd) about what life in prison would have been like for Lady Jane Grey.

“I used archival evidence of Stonley and other prisoners to explore how Jane might have experienced those months in the Tower of London”.

Dr Zoe Hudson on Tudor Prison Life

She writes here of delivering a talk to a mixed community group and how she “was excited to have a chance support the work of Unity Arts” and “a group of young kids gathering at the front; I hadn’t anticipated having so many young people in the audience”.

This talk was well received. And Unity Arts continue to work as a bridge between academia and the community.

We very much look forward to working with Zoe Hudson in the future.

 

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TOWER OF LONDON Community Exhibition SUCCESS!!

On 12 February 2018, the anniversary of the death of Lady Jane Grey, Unity Arts delivered a community created installation in the New Armouries at the Tower Of London.

Image Michael Cheetham Costume Isabel Walters Model Nellie Noodle

This event was a culmination of all the research and responses of the various Unity Arts teams to the life and early demise of the Nine Day Queen.

Live Exhibitor Thom Jackson

The exhibition looked absolutely stunning and the work on display and in performance was of a high standard and created with care.

There was artwork, research, individual projects, costume, films, and Live Events from Dr Zoe Hudson, Dramatisation of Primary Sources including letter and poem extracts in Lady Jane Grey’s own words and programme from the Hackney based community choir, Silver Songbirds.

Dr Zoe Hudson

Also the Unity Arts Heritage Team’s booklets, essays and papers were available for distribution and over 400 copies left the room that day.

The room was absolutely packed with a completely mixed audience of children, teenagers, academics, educators, professional exhibitors, Tudor aficionados together with  performers and researchers from every part of Hackney’s rich and diverse community.

Silver Songbirds Hackney Community Choir

There was also an opportunity for attendees to visit the rest of the Tower Of London and specifically Beauchamp Tower (site of Dudley’s graffito said to be engraved when he was prisoner there) and Tower Green where Jane Grey was executed.

Feedback is still coming in but EVERYONE has said what a fantastic day they had!

SEPTEMBER IN SUTTON HOUSE

We have been invited to exhibit our young team’s work at Sutton House 6-8 September. Some examples here:

As part of this installation a Live Event DECONSTRUCT has been created. A Tudor Fashion show with a modern twist. Created by a small team of young women and designed by Nellie Noodle.

Limited spaces. Order your FREE tickets here!

DECONSTRUCT Live Event

DIGITAL OUTPUT TEAM Produce Shorts for Installation

The Digital Output Team have produced two short films for our installations and they can also be downloaded.

Shot in Hackney following Heritage Filmmaking Workshops earlier this year.

First showings at St Katharine Cree WOEFUL PUPPET installation.

Lady Jane Grey Psalm 51

Mary I The Roman Catholic Nicene Creed

Excerpts will also be included along with interviews with experts, still and moving images and a community scripted voiceover in our Documentary.

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH

We held the launch of the Heritage Lottery funded WOEFUL PUPPET at St Mary’s Community Rooms in Hackney on 10 August. This project about the events that led to the execution of Lady Jane Grey attracted a lot of interest.

We were so pleased with the wonderfully diverse turnout (especially as its the holidays) and that so many people signed up for trips and training to gain the skills to install heritage exhibitions at St Katherine Kree, Sutton House and the Tower of London.

We will also be producing a documentary, sub-titled interviews with experts, colour booklet and online educational materials.

It was also a first outing as presenter for our volunteer Olivia who is hoping to learn heritage skills such as research and archive training and also installation skills such as how to be a Live Exhibit.

As previously we will be holding other outreach events throughout the project.

If you were unable to attend and want more information email us at unityarts@hotmail.co.uk or contact us below.

 

BRUSSELS AT DAWN Project Launch

Edith Cavell Memorial 2014

Heritage Resource Pack

Download our Restoration Wyfe – Heritage Resource Pack here

Elizabeth Pepys HeritageTour

­­­­­Elizabeth Pepys Tour

This tour was created by Unity Arts as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded research project The Restoration Wyfe – A Saucy London Life.

Elizabeth Pepys was one of the specific “Wyves” studied.

The research for this tour was undertaken by Thom Jackson and Sarah Warren.

Additional research by Maggi Hurt, David Milner, Christopher Searing, Doreen Read, Anthony Rhoden, Jayne Mc Veigh, Dave Roberts and the Unity Arts Heritage Team.

This heritage outcome has had unstinting support from Phil Manning, Dennis and the Rector, Oliver Ross, at St. Olave’s (The Pepys Church) and from the author Sara George.

Resources include:

Restoration London by Lisa Picard

Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press

The Concise Diary Of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys (The Unequalled Self) by Claire Tomalin

The Letters Of Samuel Pepys by Guy de la Bédoyère

The Journal of Mrs Pepys – The Portrait of A Marriage by Sara George

And the very excellent website run by Phil Gyford! www.pepysdiary.com

Download the complete tour as a PDF here – Elizabeth Pepys Walking Tour

Download the Elizabeth Pepys app (Android) here

 

ROUND OUR WAY Hoxton Hall

Round Our Way