Thanks so much if you tried to donate last time we sent this email and apologies if you had issues – our payment account and Buy me a Coffee account had a falling out! We are assured it is all fixed now and open for payment 🙂
So far £45 of £350 raised so the problem got fixed in the nick of time! Graham is doing another collection this morning and we need to cover the cost of this vital part of our pantry service.
Every week, we collect surplus food from a local food waste charity and local co-ops for our community pantry and redistribute the food. We love taking perfectly good, nutritious food that would become waste and sharing it, or making it into soup to offer in our community cafe!
To keep our collection slot, we have to send somebody at the same time each week and so this has to be done by a paid member of our crew, to ensure consistency. Wages & travel come to an estimated £10 per collection, so we’re asking our community to help fund the collections this summer – 35 of them – so that we can keep stocking our pantry and saving food from the bin.
We can’t keep doing these collections without support, which is where you come in.
Donate what you can now via:
Our wishlist on buy me a coffee (payments are made via Stripe)Make a donation through PayPal: CLICK HEREJoin our Patreon community and make a monthly donationCLICK HEREThrough your bank via BACS to:The Art House Southampton Sort code 089299 Account no. 65287334, (The Co-operative Bank) Or drop in with a cash donation when we are open!
Thanks so much for reading and we’ll update you soon on progress,
Every week, we collect surplus food from a local food waste charity and local co-ops for our community pantry and redistribute the food. We love taking perfectly good, nutritious food that would become waste and sharing it, or making it into soup to offer in our community cafe!
To keep our collection slot, we have to send somebody at the same time each week and so this has to be done by a paid member of our crew, to ensure consistency. Wages & travel come to an estimated £10 per collection, so we’re asking our community to help fund the collections this summer – 35 of them – so that we can keep stocking our pantry and saving food from the bin.
We can’t keep doing these collections without support, which is where you come in.
Donate what you can now via:
Our wishlist on buy me a coffee (payments are made via Stripe)Make a donation through PayPal: CLICK HEREJoin our Patreon community and make a monthly donationCLICK HEREThrough your bank via BACS to:The Art House Southampton Sort code 089299 Account no. 65287334, (The Co-operative Bank) Or drop in with a cash donation when we are open!
Thanks so much for reading and we’ll update you soon on progress,
Huge thanks to everyone who donated to our first and most ambitious target for the summer – the cost of continuing to run indoor pantry and cafe events each week.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve raised £2500 to fund our indoor pantry opening costs for the summer! This means we can continue to open the pantry indoors, offer pay-as-you-feel soups (which are becoming more popular) and a welcoming space for people who need it.
We’re also on our way to our second goal – with £110 towards the £604 for our surplus food deliveries from Fareshare for June, July and August.
‘Like’ and share our social media posts when you see them to help beat the algorithm! We don’t want to spend precious donations on sponsored posts if we can help it, but it’s hard to get the reach without doing that. Every time you engage, it helps us reach more potential supporters.
‘Like’ and share our social media posts when you see them to help beat the algorithm! We don’t want to spend precious donations on sponsored posts if we can help it, but it’s hard to get the reach without doing that. Every time you engage, it helps us reach more potential supporters.
As the end of June approaches, along with the usual slew of end-of-month bills (and the next quarter’s rent is due next week, too – which is a fair chunk of cashola), we’re appealing to our community to help us get all the way to our first (and biggest) target for opening our community pantry over the summer.
We have £1635 to go to our first and biggest target – the cost of opening the indoor pantry through the summer months. It seems a lot, but if just over 300 of our many lovely supporters donate £5, or around 150 folks give a tenner, we’ll be there.
We’ve had lots of lovely donations so far- thank you SO much everyone who has chipped in – but we have a way to go yet! Every amount goes towards the total, so it doesn’t need to be a large contribution from each person, we just need a lot of them.\
‘Like’ and share our social media posts when you see them to help beat the algorithm! We don’t want to spend precious donations on sponsored posts if we can help it, but it’s hard to get the reach without doing that. Every time you engage, it helps us reach more potential supporters.
Our community pantry redistributes food that would be wasted, offering it to the community on a pay-as-you-feel basis, informally and with no questions asked and no need for a referral – filling a vital gap in provision of food for those in need.
Help us build our wishlist on ‘Buy me a coffee’, donate via PayPal, send a bank transfer or use one of the other ways to support us:
Although there is more focus on people in need in the winter, we’ve noticed an increase in unhoused folks as the weather warms up – and an increase in demand for the pantry.
Our service becomes more vital by the day as the cost of living goes up, so if you are able to help by donating, sharing, volunteering – everything helps!
Find out all of the ways you can donate and support here
Running a pantry from our space offers people dignity – pantry users and customers alike come in and use the space with no difference in how you’re treated. We also offer an outdoor pantry, which takes away the need for anyone to interact if they don’t want to – and helps those still wary of indoor spaces because of Covid.
Gill, our volunteer pantry co-ordinator, had this to say about the big amount of fresh veg & bread we picked up last week, all of which has now gone to fill bellies instead of bins:
“It disappears very fast! Specially the outside stuff, as not everyone comes inside. Some folk take months to feel confident enough to come in! In some cases it took 6 months and ice cream.
To everyone contributing in whatever way, however small or big, thankyou. I’ve seen smiles as big as the moon, tears of happiness, been trusted with peoples stories and confidences, been a shoulder to cry on. And it’s only possible with support!
Our community pantry redistributes food that would be wasted, offering it to the community on a pay-as-you-feel basis, informally and with no questions asked and no need for a referral – filling a vital gap in provision of food for those in need.
Last night three lovely local acts launched this summer’s fundraiser for our community pantry – you can rewatch the livestream over on our Facebook page if you’d like to get a taste of what the evening was like.
Thanks to Colin MacPhail for organising the evening and wowing us with his guitar playing and for Mark T Newman and Jonathan Vernam for gracing the stage with him.
We raised nearly £200 to kickstart our fundraiser and get us nearer our first goal of £2500 for the pantry – the cost of providing the indoor space through the summer, with more on offer than just food.
Although there is more focus on people in need in the winter, we’ve noticed an increase in unhoused folks as the weather warms up – and an increase in demand for the pantry.
Our service becomes more vital by the day as the cost of living goes up, so if you are able to help by donating, sharing, volunteering – everything helps! Find out all of the ways you can donate and support here
Running a pantry from our space offers people dignity – pantry users and customers alike come in and use the space with no difference in how you’re treated. We also offer an outdoor pantry, which takes away the need for anyone to interact if they don’t want to – and helps those still wary of indoor spaces because of Covid.
Gill, our volunteer pantry co-ordinator, had this to say about the big amount of fresh veg & bread we picked up last week, all of which has now gone to fill bellies instead of bins:
“It disappears very fast! Specially the outside stuff, as not everyone comes inside. Some folk take months to feel confident enough to come in! In some cases it took 6 months and ice cream.
To everyone contributing in whatever way, however small or big, thankyou. I’ve seen smiles as big as the moon, tears of happiness, been trusted with peoples stories and confidences, been a shoulder to cry on. And it’s only possible with support!
Paying it forward – our wheel of kindness and what it means.
We’re so pleased that our ‘Wheel on Kindness’ is now in regular use. Folks dropping in are either paying forward a hot drink or soup for somebody else, or picking up a peg from the wheel to use a ‘payment’ for a drink or lunch.
There’s something beautifully normal about sitting in a cafe having a hot drink or a bowl of homemade soup. One of the things that is difficult for people in crisis – be they vulnerably housed, homeless or in financial difficulty – is the loss of so much that we take for granted. That feeling of being part of the day-to-day life of a community, and not an outsider.
We believe that our space is for everyone, which is why at The Art House you can ‘pay forward’ a hot drink or soup for anyone who can’t afford to pay. The ‘wheel’ enables anyone who needs it to place an order just like any other customer, and the service and welcome is exactly the same, regardless.
This is what mutual aid looks like – generous, warm, open-hearted. We like to think the whole world could look like this.
Thank you so much to each and every person who pays forward drinks, support us as a regular donor or just comes in and buys a cuppa.
These small acts of kindness and connection can mean the world to somebody who is having an awful time.
Revitalise yourself with stress-free, free-flowing, watercolour painting. Enjoy colour that can calm you and colour that can lift and energise you.
Many people do not attempt painting because they cannot achieve the high expectations they put on themselves. However, just to watch colour flowing over paper can be an inspiring experience. In the workshop we will creatively play with free-flowing colours that are calming and energising, and with positive ideation, our spirits will be lifted as we paint.
This one day workshop will be facilitated by Didi Ananda Nanda from the Ananda Marga Meditation Charity
About Didi Ananda Nanda:
Didi Ananda Nanda has been a yogic nun of the Ananda Marga Meditation and Service Society for the last 46 years.
She lived in S.E. Asia and the Far East for more than 40 years. She studied Fine Art in the 1970’s and has created a format for free-flowing watercolour painting workshops with meditations that are revitalising. Over the years, Didi has taught meditation to many people and participated in a variety of education and service projects.
Testimonial:
The workshop left my mind so clear and uplifted! It was a joy to watch how the vibrant, beautiful watercolours can flow and keep transforming, and to learn some techniques to direct them, but also be encouraged to let go and just let them unfold. Afterwards I felt clearly how engaging in art soothes and lifts one’s mind to other levels.
— Kathrine Brekke
The workshop will be held on our first floor, which is accessed via a wide staircase.
Join Graham on a journey this morning collecting essential supplies for the cafe and pantry!
Stop 1, SO:Roast in Bitterne Triangle to collect some fresh beans ready for roasting in the cafe, helping to provide paid forward hot drinks, also enjoyed a free mocha!
Stop 2, Co-op Ocean Village to collect valuable supplies for the pantry, this week a mixture of pastries and veg
Spitdust create cinematic soundscapes from a patchwork of modern experimental rock and original dream-like folk from the fields and hedgerows of the British countryside. Their futuristic sound takes you on a journey quite unlike anything you’ve experienced before, drawing upon the retro-futurist nostalgia of 1960s and 1970s counterculture and science fiction. Their 2019 album Mirror People was a reimagining of traditional English music in a post-industrial age. In their latest album The Silent Star, the world has come to an end, its echoes drifting through outer space.
Grahame Cleaver bass, beats Richard ‘Bas’ Barret keyboard Paul Charisse guitar Ros Mizen voice Dan Little guitar
Jason Buck: A Christmas Carol // The Art House // Sat 16.12.2023 7pm
Award-winning storyteller, Jason Buck Storyteller, brings this favourite to life, with humour and chills for young and old – traditional storytelling for a modern audience, in the cosy and inspiring surroundings of The Art House performance venue and social centre.
Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start (get your refreshments early!)
“Absolutely brilliant, thank you so much! I wholeheartedly recommend Jason Buck’s superb performances – both my young daughter and I were enthralled throughout!” – Jules, Brighton
“Jason Buck is a man made of myth, magic and mead. His stories are filled with adventure, his beard is full of unexpected twists and his tankard filled with a poet’s brew. Sit around the fire and listen to his tales – you won’t be disappointed” – Abbie (Sussex)
Listening to a skilled storyteller like The Travelling Talesman is a captivating and immersive experience. He is passionate about each carefully curated and researched story, speaking with enthusiasm and energy. Using gestures, voices, and expressions, he brings the characters to life. You may well find yourself leaning forward, hanging on every word, and completely engaged with the tale.
His performances are intended to be thought-provoking, but they are also humorous and witty, making the stories even more enjoyable and entertaining. Excitement and anticipation, terror and suspense await you—always punctuated with much laughter and occasional heckling from the crowd!
What really sets him apart, though, is his research. He peels away layers of time to try to get to the ‘original’ tale, providing a fresh, nuanced perspective on classic stories. Often, he discovers that these tales seem to have emerged at multiple times in different parts of the world, apparently independently. The examination of the various versions, cultural contexts, and interpretations of the stories is one of the most fascinating aspects of his shows. He also explores their contemporary messages, shedding new light on the motivations, desires, and conflicts of the characters and, ultimately, of ourselves.
Cliff dispels the myth that storytelling is ‘for kids’ (in fact, the recommended age for his shows is 16+)
Ever wondered what your clothes are really made of? How about making your own? In this interactive talk, Sarah Twist (local fibre enthusiast) talks everything fibre, giving some broad information about clothing and fabric types which will make you look at your labels with a whole new sense of fascination.
As well as information, there will be a chance to have a go at making your own yarn from locally available fibres, which you can then take away with you, possibly inspired to start on a new and wonderful journey of creation. All materials for participating in the workshop will be provided in the cost of your ticket. Please indicate when booking if you have a SEVERE allergy to any particular plants or animals (i.e. being in the same room as them) as different options may be available to touch or interact with.
We are thrilled to be hosting a small screening of Dylan Howitt’s beautiful film, The Nettle Dress, on Friday 6 October with a recorded Q&A with director and Allan Brown, the subject of the film.
“The Nettle Dress plays like a poem, a work of beauty which invites each and every viewer to find in it something meaningful to themselves” – Mansel Stimpson, Film Review Daily
The Nettle Dress is an independently-made film by documentarian, Dylan Howitt. Filmed over seven years, it follows the single-minded journey of textile artist, Allan Brown, as he discovers an interest in nettles, allows it to become an obsession, begins to find immense solace in the power of traditional weaving techniques, and ultimately creates a dress that is as much a monument to the years and legacies that found their way into the warps and wefts as it is a garment.
The original Kickstarter page describes the film, almost flippantly, as “hedgerow couture”. In truth, it is so much more.
We have just 50 seats for this screening so early booking is strongly advised.
Richard ‘Kid’ Strange brings his solo show, An Accent Waiting To Happen, back to The Art House after his first appearance here in 2019 – with new tales of his adventures. Expect a entertaining evening of songs, film clips, stories, readings, and downright scurrilous gossip from his 40+ years in the arts and entertainment world.
“His extraordinary memoir is gloriously indiscreet” – Time Out
Strange’s story is a wild ride through the last 40 years of pop culture, filled with wit, charm, and a sense of adventure that’s hard to match. Whether you know him as a musician, actor, writer, or just a man with some incredible stories, there’s no denying that he’s a unique and captivating figure in the world of arts and entertainment.
“A seminal figure at the crossroads of art, music, film, and counter-culture” – The Independent
Richard is the founder of proto-punk rock band The Doctors of Madness, first unleashed on an uncomprehending public in 1975, and who were at one time supported by the Sex Pistols, The Jam, and Joy Division – the “missing link between David Bowie and The Sex Pistols…” once wrote The Guardian in May 2017. In 2019 Strange returned to the studio to record the first new Doctors of Madness album in 41 years, entitled “Dark Times.” The album featured guests like Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and Sarah Jane Morris of the Communards.
“If you have never heard the Doctors of Madness, you should. Musically they are the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls with shades of glam, hippie, prog and punk all rolled into one, yet are still totally original. Vastly underrated, they should have been huge. Pure genius“ – Vic Reeves (Comedian)
He was robbed by The Sex Pistols, trashed an art gallery with Jack Nicholson, played cricket with Imran Khan, paid Depeche Mode £15 to play a half-hour set, cooked shepherd’s pie for Mariella Frostrup and spaghetti with Sophia Loren. Actor James Nesbitt perhaps sums it up best: “18 years after first meeting him, just thinking about Richard still reduces me to a state of near hysteria…and terror. He restores one’s faith in the ability of the human spirit to soar.“
“Strange is a cultured, gregarious chap who moves through London’s gilded salons observing his peers’ foibles. He observes the glitterati with a witty eye.” – Mojo
Richard’s influence on London’s cultural life is profound. He’s collaborated with award-winning artist Haroon Mirza, curated mixed-media events like Cabaret Futura, and worked with artists like Gavin Turk and Richard Wilson. His events, like Cabaret Apocalyptica for the Tate Gallery, draw thousands, and his touch is felt in every corner of London’s art scene. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s composed music for Protein Dance, and taught Creative Musicianship at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and “Creativity in Context” at Tileyard as well as being a mentor for the National Music Education charity, Music For Youth.
“Richard Strange can do most things with a maniacal twist, and most cleverly, with unmatched originality: he can sing, write songs, he can act, he can show off like a six year old and he has the most dangerous sense of hilarity, sustainable in moments of deepest solemnity“ – James Fox (Writer)
Dive into the world of Richard Strange; it’s a world where anything is possible, and everything is Strange in the best possible way. His life is a testament to the power of creativity, a beacon for artists everywhere, and a story that continues to inspire.
Featuring monthly special guests and loyal regulars alongside total newcomers, this evening never fails to inspire and uplift with voices that will move you to tears and laughter.
Performers, please arrive between 7 & 7.30pm to sign up.
Hosted by RKP with special guest Carlton Clements.
About Carlton Clements, singer, song writer and poet.
Three things which he didn’t expect to be called when he was growing up in deepest Gloucester last century. Now, he finds himself as the lead singer & a songwriter in the punk band Weird Unkles, who sing about everything from the subversion of organised religion to the stereotypes of drinking certain bubbly wines.
Now he ís very much telling his own stories to his own tunes. Hanging on the heels of Tracy Chapman his cut back performances grab audiences by their heart.
‘My job is to draw a picture and help the audience to colour it in.’
I was just listening to some old recordings of some lectures on relativity, like you do, and realising the reason it can be hard to understand this fairly simple idea, is that it isn’t common sense. It’s ALL about frames of reference. Physics in your frame of reference is the same physics as someone experiences in their frame of reference. But how you observe them and how they observe each other are going to be different. Your space faring twin really does return 15 years younger than you.
However there is only one physics – one truth. Relativity can be hard to grasp because relativistic effects are outside of our sphere of experience.. our common sense. Yet particle accelerators, old school tellys and GPS wouldn’t work if these effects weren’t accounted for.
So it is critical for the world moving forward for everyone to realise the limitations of our experience, and accept that we might be missing something. That someone else’s experience of the world might be valuable.
Your common sense, for example, might tell you that there are two genders, male and female, and in your limited reference frame you would be right. To you. But you are nonetheless factually incorrect.
It is hard for us to step out of our experience bubble to see what else is going on. Einstein had a unique ability to do this. In physics at least. (In other regards he was, allegedly, a misogynistic knob like many of his contemporaries.)
Einstein did it by running thought experiments through his head sitting on a park bench. He stepped into the shoes of someone riding a bicycle at the speed of light holding a mirror in front of their face and wondering if their reflection would disappear.*
I think we could all do with taking time out just to sit and imagine… What would it be like if…?
* – the author does not recommend riding your bicycle while holding a mirror in front of your face.
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