wolf + water arts company

(Model Farm & Flying Horse Estates, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, 1991 - 1992)

a series of two week residencies over two years with a group of particularly difficult young people, already demonised by their communities on two extremely deprived estates. Working with the local arts centre, women’s group & youth service with paramilitary permission, Wolf + Water’s first devised production with the young people explored their relationship to their adult community - schools, residents, RUC, paramilitaries - & looked at the kind of changes that they wanted to see on their estate in the short term.

on the street on the estate

set for “beyond the bunker”

giant puppets

The final production was then performed to representatives of all the agencies mentioned earlier. A year later Wolf + Water returned to create with the same young people “Beyond the Bunker”, looking at the long term wishes of the young people - taking as it’s premise that Northern Ireland had been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, & that they were the only survivors who now had to recreate society from scratch.

The final multimedia performance involving theatre, dance, photography, music & projected images was an incredibly moving experience. Moreover, by working with the “agencies on the ground” Wolf + Water were able to provide sufficient support & training for the drama project to become an ongoing piece of community life.