Artist Residency:

Community Group: Derbyshire LGBT+ Youth Group (Aka Swag Productions)

Artist: Chris Yarnell & Simon Marshall

Artforms: Creative writing, visual arts, filmmaking

In Summer 2021, movement and theatre Director, Chris Yarnell and writer Simon Marshall worked with young people from Derbyshire LGBT+ to explore what growing up in Chesterfield, and specifically within the safe walls of Derbyshire LGBT+, has meant to them. Over just 7 evening sessions our participants, self-named SWAG Productions, cocreated a short film that invites the audience into their meeting place – that brings the safety and familiarity of ‘lavender, warm milk and honey’ - which is later subverted by the group’s experiences in the town beyond their doors. Filmed within the premises of where the group meet, young people have explored place through creative writing, performance and spoken word, demonstrating the spirit and anarchic energy of young people challenging norms.

Community Group: Derbyshire LGBT+

Age Of Participants: 13-19

Artforms: Creative writing, visual arts, filmmaking

Junction Arts and our artists were so excited to work with Derbyshire LGBT+ and bring to life the weird and wonderful ideas and creative writing of the young people into a unique film piece for Our Place. Over 7 weeks in July 2021, the group shared laughter and poignant stories of being young and LGBT+, got to work with professional directors and writers, make compromises about what the film could incorporate, but ultimately had the opportunity to explore their creativity in their own way.

‘Learning how stuff works and like, learning how you go from writing just some random stuff, to actually making things. This is what I want to do when I’m older so it’s cool to do it now.'
- participant

‘Throwing stuff around and getting to write my own stuff for the first time. I’m a science man but I’ve actually enjoyed this SO much. It’s a new world. A new world.’
- participant