Kurious City

Today we're talking to Paul Ridgway, CEO & co-founder of The Curve, an innovative technology consultancy company based in Sheffield. They've just launched a not-for-profit community project called In It Together, which aims to connect those in need with those who can provide it throughout the pandemic. Tune in to find out how you can get involved & make yourself useful in these turbulent times. Follow them @tccslimited or check out the app at https://inittogether.app/

On the zoom-couch today we have Sheffield-based animator, illustrator & author Hayley Humphries (www.squareaquarium.com) who finds herself freshly, full-time freelancing having been made redundant days before C19 hit. Tune in to hear her recommendations for finding freelance support in the creative community & what she's doing to keep her morale up.

Groups Mentioned:

Artist Alley Network International-https://www.facebook.com/groups/artistalleynetworkinternational/

Coronavirus Impact Support for Sheffield Small Business and Self Employed-https://www.facebook.com/groups/350495542494295/about

Today's episode features award-winning comedian, promoter & official C19 survivor, Sean Morley. He talks to us from the now-familiar confines of his bedroom about the impact of the virus on his own career, the comedy industry as a whole & how he's attempting to diversify via live-streaming in his (admittedly very smart) Paisley pyjamas. Tune in to hear his top lockdown lol-heavy comedy picks! Links below:

For Sean's work:

www.youtube.com/user/SeanComedyMorley/

www.twitch.tv/seanmorl

For others mentioned:

Chris Gethard Public Access Archives- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHAPS5yR3ik&list=PLBDD9FE63007B95C

Delightful Sausage (Tiredness Kills)-https://www.thedelightfulsausage.com/podcast-tiredness-kills

Stath Lets Flats: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/stath-lets-flats

Next Up Comedy: https://nextupcomedy.com/watch-stand-up-comedy/

Mandatory Redistribution Party: https://mandatoryredistributionparty.podbean.com/

I bet books are saving your bacon right now, well how about tuning in to hear how you can support La Biblioteka - Sheffield's much-loved independent, award-winning bookshop. We're talking to the owner Alex Maxwell (with a few helpful contributions from his very small son Elio), all about the impact of C19 on his day-to-day life as a bookseller & his hot tips for Quarantine Reads. Follow him on Twitter @LaBiblioteka

A note from Alex:

For some escapism during these insular items there’s something comforting in looking at the past. 

Two of the best recent releases are firmly in the historical fiction camp: The Mirror and The Light, Hilary Mantel’s spectacular final book in the Wolf Hall trilogy chronicles the (fictional) lives around Cromwell’s rise  s sure to clean up most book awards this year, and has the benefit of lasting through another week or two of lockdown at nearly 900 pages. 

If you’ve already finished it, Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell is inspired by the son of a famous Stratford playwright, and is as immersive as it is intimate. 

Now is a perfect time to tackle those chunky classics you’ve always passed over because you ‘don’t have the time’! Whether that’s Middlemarch or Anna Karenina, or, if not too close to the bone,  perhaps revisiting One Hundred Years of Solitude or Camus’ The Plague could act as a bit of catharsis.

This is a perfect time to lean in to domesticity, and either Tin Can Magic or Jack Monroe's Tin Can Cook make excellent arguments for digging amongst what's left at the supermarket shelves or at the back of your cupboard to fashion some tasty meals. Do Preserve by Anja Dunk goes from basic principles of pickles, jams & cordials to stunning recipes from Green Tomato Chutney to Strawberry Gin Fizz, so that we'll never be caught short again, no matter what disaster befalls us next.

That is unless you have small children, in which case, by now you will be needing fresh activity ideas. The Nature of Play

Meet Festival Producer and Performance Artist, Charlotte Blackburn (@charperforms), who's talking to us four days into her three month quarantine. She tells us how she's adapting the Unshut Festival (@UnShutFestival) to become a fully digital online event, how to apply and what to expect. And if that wasn't enough she's started an Instagram blog (@burstingmybubblesblog) about coping with anxiety. What a legend!

Today, we're talking to Tara Brown, Wellbeing Manager at The Art House in Sheffield, an amazing charity that strives to combat social isolation and loneliness through creativity and outreach. Find out how you can save this much-loved Sheffield organisation and stay creative amidst the crisis. Follow them @ArtHouseSheff and donate to their cause: https://www.gofundme.com/f/daisy039s-campaign-for-the-art-house

Brett is an award-winning freelance filmmaker who's had a hugely positive impact on the Sheffield creative scene in his role as Digital Producer for the Sheffield Creative Guild. He talks to us today from the confines of his attic about the survival of the freelancers, the squatters in his studio and what the future may hold. NB: this episode was recorded pre-lockdown. Follow him @brettinthecity or view his work at www.brettinthecity.com

In the first episode of KuriousCity on Lockdown we're talking to Creative Producer & Project Manager Linda Bloomfield, who's recently launched the amazing South Yorkshire Creatives Covid-19 Hardship Fund. This is a brilliant initiative providing financial support for freelance creatives who find themselves suddenly out of work & struggling to make ends meet. Tune in to find out how to apply, donate & spread the word. https://www.gofundme.com/f/south-yorkshire-creatives-cv-hardship-fund

This week we're with James Stone - writer, director & stone-mason, who tells us all about his amazing new VR vs gangs project, as well as how integral his 'failed' acting career has been on his success as a director. Oh, and he spills the beans on being married to Emma Stone. (Not that one).