Across her career Eleanor has developed leading and experimental performance projects working with performers and musicians to create contexts for the performance of her poetry and writings.
There have also been remarkable surprises and synchronicities!
Poetry-Films
These animations toured to international film festivals including Zebra Poetry-Film Festival, Berlin.
Settings and Interpretations by Musicians and Performers.
In 2019/20, Eleanor worked with leading folk musicians Emily Portman and Mikey Kenney to creates poem-songs. These fresh settings and interpretations of poems from The Well at Winter Solstice were performed at the book launch on summer solstice at St Bride’s Church Liverpool and an extended programme presented on winter solstice at in the library of Ullet Road Unitarian Church Liverpool. This work was disrupted by the pandemic.
Eleanor has also experimented with performance with voice artist and singer, Steve Boyland for the Camarade Project.
Held at The Everyman, Liverpool on February 11th 2017.
The North by North West Poetry Tour comprised over sixty poets collaborating in pairs to produce brand new collaborative works for performance, commissioned for six events, over six nights in January and February 2017. Around sixteen to twenty to six poets collaborated in this groundbreaking tour of live literary and avant garde poetry in collaboration. www.theenemiesproject.com/northwest
Curated by ZimZalla and The Enemies Project. Supported by Arts Council England.
Eleanor wrote lyrics for the song ‘High Tide’ by folk-singer, Emily Portman. The song was originally commissioned for Transatlantic Sessions at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall where it was first performed.
Eliza and the Bear
Walking across the Mystery Park in Liverpool one day in 2009 (ish) Eleanor thought of a name for a band, Eliza and the Bear. She then used it for a radio play (unperformed) which became the titular poem of this collection. Around 2012 (ish) she was approached by band from Essex who wanted to use the name. Eleanor said yes… then this happened.
Eliza and the Bear Live Theatre Performance
Eleanor collaborated on a performance of her long poem Eliza and the Bear: a poem in performance with performer Cathy Butterworth and writer/harpist Rebecca Joy Sharp who wrote a specially commissioned harp score for the 35 mins performance. The piece was performed a range of unusual venues across the North West including a medieval water tower in Chester.
Eliza and the Bear performance dates.
Chapter and Verse Literature Festival, Bluecoat Arts Centre, 19th Oct 2008; Calvalerie, Black-E Arts Centre Dec 2008;Shindig, Blackburne House, Liverpool, Mar, 2008;Lost Voices, View Two Gallery, Apr 2008; Chester Performs on Chester Walls 28th May 2008.Extract from Eliza and the Bear on Radio 3 The Verb recorded Broadcasting House December 2009;Private View Bridewell Open Studios, Liverpool, 19th December, 2010; For Folks Sake, The Magpie’s Nest, Islington, London, 28th August, 2010
Rebecca Joy Sharp and Cathy Butterworth at the Bluecoat Arts Centre, 2008.