Sompting Brooks 7.6.2025
Watch the leaves fall
Smell the sweet flowers
Squabbling = arguing over something that’s not important. So many people in power seem to be doing it. What a waste of time and energy when there are so many beautiful things to focus on in our world.
Lyons Farm Open Space 19.4.2025
An arena is a place to transmit and receive. How the arena is staged is important for both performer and audience. Having had a crisis of confidence, I made an arena earlier than usual to avoid an audience. It turned out that dogs (with their dog walkers) were very interested in my boxes.
And why are people so obsessed with boxing up disability, captive animals, size and gender?
Worthing Promenade 28.3.2025
Talking to @michelle.woolley today, we discussed being visible in non-performance spaces such as the park and promenade, that nonetheless have invisible edges - space as stage. We also talked about making an entrance, being out there, performing/not performing, and performers being audience as well.
In 2009 @elinachauvet created Red Shoes to stand for all those women who have lost their lives violently. Since then, her installation has travelled the world making those women visible.
Worthing 7.2.2025
It was built badly
It’s now going to come down
How do they feel now?
The residents of Grenfell Tower are divided about it being demolished. I hope their feelings are being taken into account. 52 weeks ago, I performed TA119 FINE LINE (between support and control).
@michelle.woolley and I have been discussing Tiny Act re-enactments. Maybe this is in the same camp. What do you think? 24 storeys (many stories).
Worthing 18.1.2025
David Lynch 1946-2025
“Keep your eye on the donut not on the hole.”
Looking, seeing, watching.
Worthing 22.11.2024
“Can you hear me speak?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“What am I really saying to you?”
Women are silenced, misheard, misinterpreted all over the world. Is this mysogeny, disinterest or patronising behaviour? Let’s be heard and understood.
Co-create space @fleetarts 25.8.2025
Performed by @lemsford and @ola_artsage
@lFilmed by @lemsford and @ola_artsage
A relay, exploring the new space, re-awakening a 25 year performance collaboration. (Making Her Visible, HOLLYWOOD or spoon). Belper Co-op have loaned this space to Fleet Arts for creative moments. It will soon be populated by a variety of groups and actions. Watch this space.
Worthing Beach 18.8.2024
‘Perchance he for whom the bell tolls may be so ill as that he knows not it tolls for him. And perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that.’ (John Donne: Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. Meditation XV11)
Do we choose not to see the world is becoming plastic, unreal, surreal? Are we ignoring the bell that tolls for humanity?
Worthing 10.5.2024
A mountain of waste clothes in the Chilean desert is visible from space. If half of the 8.1bn people in the world reused, repaired or upcycled ONE item of clothing, that would keep 4bn items of clothes out of landfill. Could you do that?
Riddings 21.4.204
Why is the world not outraged at women being silenced all over the world, particularly in Afghanistan?
Worthing Beach 29.3.2024
(stoning has been resumed)
Worthing 12.1.2024
Why is it only now being acknowledged that big businesses, whether private or public, are consistently putting profits, investors or the brand before the safety of ordinary people? Post Office. Boeing. Water companies. And it’s taken a creative industry to get the notice of the people in power, who are themselves, for all their horror at the situation, implicated.
Worthin Beach 12.4.2023
small boat crossers’ bind,
unloaded like cargo, then
barged onto big boat
Already traumatised asylum seekers don’t need to be treated like cargo on a barge off the UK coast.
The Home Office has just admitted there is no evidence for Priti Patel’s claim that 70% are economic migrants.
Ditchling Beacon 2.3.2023
filmed by Carla Francis
Are we spinning with the world or in opposition to it? Blatantly putting our stamp on it, largely ignoring the consequences of our actions? But then it seems the world spins anti-clockwise (prograde motion) so my performance is a mirror image. Unless I’m on Venus or Uranus that spin clockwise (retrograde motion).
Worthing Beach, 10.9.2022
photo: Stella Francis
It’s all change, ebb and flow, new ideologies, values, persppectives. Nothing stands still. Wash away nastiness, inhumanity, inequality. ove on, reset, be kinder.
Victoria Park, Worthing 28.1.22
Everyday, someone gets up from a temporary bed, goes back at night to a chilled sleeping bag , cold discomfort, over and over again.
filmed by @seema_writer_artist
G.A.R.B.L.E. setting boundaries for a call & response textile zine.
JICZL is an initiative set up by Sally Lemsford & Meg Dunford.
photo: Sally Lemsford
SALES (market forces) –> SALTS (make it palateable to the masses) –> FALTER (hesitate?) –> FASTER (keep going) –> TASTER (is it safe?) –> BASTER (keep the processe oiled) –> BARTER (arrived!)
100 zines challenge by July 2020
photo: Sally Lemsford
Micro-residency: experimenting with Mothers’ Pockets of Time. Sheffield and Dorset.
photos: Sally Lemsford
1.Today I met myself in a Pocket of Time. But obliteration of PoTs is a distinct possibility for mothers during this viral time. We mustn’t let that shadow become the norm.
A sense of sorrow, a patchwork of thoughts
This micro-residency with Charlie Hill is throwing up so much stuff unexpected for us.
Is there an expectation that we have a responsibility to contain our own needs so they don’t affect others? Be perfect Mother?
Pulling threads together, bundles of thought, new plans, keeping safe.
OFTON FESTIVAL 2019
3 days of unpacking the notion of migration. Who moves in? moves out? moves on? And why do people stay? Local artists, schools, businesses, charities all co-created a festival of installations, performances, workshops, tours. A myriad of generous conversations made this happen.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Bridport
What does it mean when things don’t seem to work out?
Labelling chairs in the passive audience to prevent access… moving the chairs to create an empty panel… directing the conversation back to the now active audience.
photo: Sally Lemsford
SOCIAL WORKS?: LIVE 2019
Manchester
selling zines for cash or personal objects. Conversations generated about the role of cash in society – it allows privacy of transactions. Do we need our every move to be turned into data for someone elses’s benefit?
photo: Sarah Lane
SEAFAIR GET-TOGETHER BRIDPORT
An invitation to be heckled, raise points, listen to diverse voices; all at the roll of the dice.
photos: Rachel Dunford 2018
DERBYSHIRE
The insights of six young women (Wings on Tour)
& my development of individual elements
& their assembling
= co-production of a project that tells ALL of our stories
photo: Sally Lemsford
Collaborative poster for events celebrating 100 years of Votes for Women
photo: Sally Lemsford
Chesterfield
Removal of the context of lives in refuges, leaves only the imaginations.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, Sudborough Green Lodge
Underlying layers that could be made into structures with social and political lives.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Reminiscent of the 80s rave communications to meet somewhere at a specific time, this is the chance to be in a place with other people (or connecting remotely) to reflect on the notion of TEMPORARY:
A relay, sequential rather than simultaneous response to a temporary space on 28 days notice
What is the effect of temporary on arts practice?
What is the role of the arts in interrogating the TEMPORARY in a society that changes its political, social and environmental position sometimes in a matter of weeks, and at other times reverts to the past from fear of unexpected opportunities?
Venue: Maisie's is a 2 storey building with a variety of spaces – several rooms of different sizes, one with a screen, 2 kitchens, toilets, a locked lift, a balcony rented via AXISWEB's Vacant Spaces scheme on 28 day notice.
Artists: Sally Lemsford, Chris A. Wright, Lindsey Warnes Carroll, Tony Fisher, Ian Pringle
Photo montage: Sally Lemsford from photos by Sally Lemsford & Chris A. Wright
artwork: Tony Fisher
photo: Sally Lemsford
Alfreton, Derbyshire
involving 34 artists and about 500 participants, excellent for a brand new arts event.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Alfreton Derbyshire
16 shops displayed work by national and local artists.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Ofton Festival, Alfreton
5-7 year olds thinking critically about ingredients for art. If they can get it...
photo montage: Sally Lemsford
artwork by Sally Lemsford
photos by Trudy Cleaver
NW Leicestershire and Amber Valley Derbyshire.
It’s art on the move, transported by double-decker bus; a day of travelling around to different small towns and villages. Through collaboration and competition, people of all ages actively engaged in the construction of contemporary artwork. This pop-up community of individuals and extended families experienced inspiring adventures: performance refreshments, games, constructions, creative walking, memorable activities on board the bus.
http://www.flamingskirtfestival.org
photo: Sally Lemsford
Wild Projects, Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts
Scribing a marathon, 16.05 - 16.13pm. 26.2 pages, 8 minutes per page, de-scribing the ‘runners’ activities.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Derbyshire
Framing a space for comment
photo: Sally Lemsford
artwork by Sally Lemsford
photos by Sally Lemsford, Sophie Cero and Stella Francis
SSoCiaL at LeftCoast’s Spare Parts Festival in Fleetwood
a communal push parade of 20 wheeled, flagged and numbered single rollerskate shopping trolleys wheeled from start to finish with the help of spectators and members of the public.
SSoCiaL, aka Sophie Cero and Sally Lemsford, could not possibly get the trolleys to the finishing line without other people’s help. Suitably uniformed, we elicited help from as many onlookers as possible by smiles, appeals to the better nature of onlookers, even bribery. Though harder than herding cats, people did step up to the plate with enthusiasm.
photo: passersby
Gnarlfest, Lincoln
an intimate exchange of stories for foot massage and undivided attention from the audience.
10 story collections
FLEE MARKET, D.M.
FINDING THE WAY HOME, J.C.C.
PORTUGUESE MEMORIES, P.V.
THE PIGGY’S FAMILY DINNER, M.O’B.
HOME, L.N.
GOATS, Z.K.
PEOPLE & HOME, D.D.L.
FOOT-LOOSE LIFE-STORIES, K.
SPRINGS ETERNAL, M.J.
BACK HOME, R.C.
photo: Sophie Cero
Amber Valley, Derbyshire
A creative crusade, a taster of what could be happening regularly in all sorts of village halls and community spaces – performance, poetry, puppets, constructions…
… and Pete n Geoff gave out Tips For Life.
http://flamingskirtfestival.tumblr.com
photo: Sally Lemsford
EMVAN, Nottingham Contemporary
Constructing Chase the Ace; exchanging low status cards for higher ones to achieve ACE status. 3 Chips lost to the Pot and you’re out. One suggestion:
2 MAKING A DIFFERENCE
3 FINDING A WEALTHY PARTNER! OR WINNING THE LOTTERY
4 SHARING SUCCESS WITH OTHERS
5 HUMOUR
6 RECOGNITION FROM PEERS
7 CREATE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
8 BEAUTY
9 RECEPTIVE TO NEW IDEAS
10 IDEAS
J MONEY
Q LOVE
K REMAINING DRIVEN
ACE!
photo: Sally Lemsford
The Olympic Torch route skirted round our borough – so we protested, at 6 mini-events in different unlikely locations across Amber Valley.
photo: Sally Lemsford
Flaming Skirt Festival
with 101 dog images on bunting
photo: Sophie Cero
Flaming Skirt Festival
at Hartshay Old School
photo: Sally Lemsford
Flaming Skirt Festival
photo: Sophie Cero
Flaming Skirt Festival
photo: Tony Fisher
Pedestrian Gallery, Leicester
a Me-scape devised from tweets, bodies and local charity shop clothes.
photo: Sally Lemsford
NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T
NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institute
Coventry
2011
Having my body measured and changed into data, ignoring my personality and emotions
photo: Kerry McConnell
