Artist-Led Project Awards

Aamta Tul Waheed is an interdisciplinary Muslim artist based in Bradford. She is dedicated primarily to advocating for the representation of South Asian women through her work, by challenging cultural perceptions and social constructs. She specialises in employing artforms that celebrate the long heritage of creative expression and traditional artisan techniques, that enrich lives behind closed doors to draw out stories. Aamta holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Art Enterprise and an HND in Performance Arts (Production), drawing on her background in the creative industry to inform her artistic practice.

Her creative work also focuses on relational and conceptual art, particularly addressing taboo and largely unspoken subjects concerning Muslim and South Asian women. This includes gender stereotypes, the female body, and the complex tensions between culture and religion.

Aamta’s commitment to giving voice to lived experiences is central to her artistic vision. She employs creative expression as a means to investigate the intricate challenges communities face, especially the intersections of culture, religion, and gender. By incorporating stories and experiences from her community into her art-making, Aamta aims to foster dialogue, encourage empowerment, and inspire change, ultimately celebrating the diverse narratives that shape identities and communities.

Ascendance is a charity working in the Dance for Health sector, combining professional work with a community dance company, weekly classes and outreach projects. A regional flagship for Dance with Parkinson’s work, Ascendance provides a caring and crucial service in the community through the delivery of exercise, creative and performance opportunities that improve physical and mental wellbeing, coordination and social cohesion.

Unseen is a new screen dance project from Ascendance, combining voice work, art and movement that will be co-created with artists across Bradford into a series of five short films. Unseen will tell five different stories of people living in Bradford with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s – empowering them as creative artists, prompting deeper conversations about who can access art and highlighting how culture can transform lives.

Claire Kearns (Producer) runs Bradford Sound Wom*n Network and works at Theatre in the Mill. As a freelancer she has run drop-in workshops in sound related practice targeted at young women from underserved communities and curated sound art exhibitions as part of the British Science Festival.

Ben Cottrell is a conductor, composer, arranger, and producer. Best known for his work with Beats & Pieces Big Band and Efpi Records, he has also collaborated on live and recording projects with a diverse range of artists, ensembles, and organisations across the world, including Mike Westbrook, Laura Mvula, Everything Everything, Metropole Orkest, BBC Proms, and Manchester Camerata. As a music creator he works primarily across all areas of jazz, improvised & experimental music; as a conductor and arranger, he is active in a wide variety of styles and genres.

Double Pivot is a public arts studio formed by Joseph Cole and James Arkwright – two Glasgow School of Art graduates living and working in Bradford. Their goal is to deliver captivating and relatable projects in public spaces. Whether working alongside communities to make something new, or showcasing something brilliant from the real world, they strive to find the confluence of ideas in the humblest of settings.

Emma Adams is a queer, neurodiverse playwright, screenwriter and dramaturg living in Bradford. She’s written plays for houses, libraries, swimming pools, graveyards and stages, working with many local companies including Red Ladder, Leeds Playhouse, Theatre 503 and Freedom Studios. Emma is a core member of The Writing Squad, mentoring elite young writers in the North.

Deborah Pakkar-Hull is a Bradford-based director and theatre-maker specialising in small-scale theatre touring. She has held Artistic Director roles at The Play House in Birmingham, the York Mystery Plays and Leeds-based company Blah Blah Blah, and has directed more than 20 shows for schools, theatres, community and heritage venues.

Otherhood (working title) is a new play about childlessness in later life that will tour to community and theatre venues across Bradford District in 2025. Part-immersive theatre experience and part-radio play, Otherhood explores possibilities for a fiercely hopeful old age.

Bradford-based CARBON:Imagineering, led by Imran Ali, are a group of creative technologists working at the intersection of emerging technologies, media and art, navigating their technological, ethical, creative and political implications through digital design and development.

Veiled Reality is a design fiction on the future of hijabs and niqabs. It takes the form of a immersive, interactive first-person story delivered digitally, speculating on a future where emerging technologies, feminism and religion collide in the genesis of wearable ‘shroud computing’ and ‘smart veils’.

Previous large-scale digital experiences from CARBON:Imagineering include a VR experience for visitors to the Te Papa Museum in New Zealand; BD Stories, an anthology of mobile live theatre plays set in Bradford; and Philkari x Skechers, a fictional mash-up between Skechers and Punjabi artisans.

The Human Arcade by Losing the Thread is a collaboration between Bradford-based large format visual artists Jim Mitcham and Geoff Kendal.

An evolution of the popular Window Vipers art installation, which premiered at BD:Is Lit 2023, The Human Arcade invites people of all ages to interact with large-scale, fully playable games. With huge joysticks and oversized games controllers, this interactive piece was conceived as a love letter to the golden age of 8-bit arcade machines and computer gaming. The Human Arcade will invite everyone, young and old, to unleash their inner gorilla, get ponging and blast some asteroids along the way. Ready Player One…?

An invitation. A map of multi-dimensions. A micro-pilgrimage. A mass moment for every body. A holding of Bradford.

Artist Lucy Barker is proposing a participatory and playful dance on Bradford Moor to mark Bradford 2025, triangulating the heritage of Emily Brontë, Kate Bush’s pop masterpiece and Bradford’s community and landscape.

Bradford is surrounded by moorland, few of them natural. Not all bodies can roam so simply. Is there any better feeling than dancing like no one’s watching? This project aims to initiate moments of togetherness: a moment for change, a public celebration of iconic space and a set of stories that Bradford treasures.

Matthew Bourne is a recipient of numerous awards and accolades and possesses an inventive and unique artistic approach for working with infirm and broken instruments – on the recent Harpsichords release, collaborating with musicians of the London Sinfonietta, the acclaimed solo piano albums, Montauk Variations, Isotach, Désinances, This is Not For You., and reinterpretations of Amon Tobin’s work. Other projects include solo synthesiser album moogmemory; and the double-album Aeolian, with the late Keith Tippett, in. Addition to appearing on Bonobo and Hot Chip compilations. Bourne continues to develop his solo output, alongside emerging new work with longtime collaborator Keeley Forsyth.

Northern Duck Productions, a new venture, reimagines storytelling with a modern twist, prioritising unheard narratives. Embracing their working-class roots, they amplify underrepresented stories, deeply rooted in Bradford’s community. Together, Meg and Jaz craft compelling plays and musicals, resonating with diverse audiences. Northern Duck’s commitment to innovation and impactful narratives drives them to continually explore fresh creative avenues, promising an exciting journey ahead.

Northern Duck Productions are crafting a play that delves into the history of Bradford’s canals, focusing on role of canal families, often overlooked in history books. Inspired by Meg’s ancestor Rose Illingworth, the narrative explores Rose’s struggle between tradition and modernity. Set aboard an authentic canal boat, the performance offers an immersive experience, shedding light on Bradford’s industrial past.

Mek Summat came to life in 2019, their purpose being to bring a variety of high quality and inclusive arts / community events to the Bradford district. The vision being to support and promote the growing local creative community, while producing events that would also attract audiences from far and wide. Their focus has always been to provide a showcase for the diverse and perhaps sometimes overlooked demographics within the creative sphere. Motivated by this, they have produced a wide range of events under the ‘Mek Summat’ banner, from art markets, to exhibitions, ‘hands on’ art workshops, concerts and the publishing of books and zines.

Nabeela Ahmed is a writer, multilingual poet and spoken word artist. Her poetry manuscript was shortlisted by Verve Poetry Press in 2023 and she published her novella, Despite Our Differences, in 2018. She teaches creative writing, hosts Bradford Writes events to platform Bradford writers, and is responsible for organising the only public Pahari Mushaira in Britain through Intercultured Festival.

According to the 2021 census, 25.5% of Bradford is of Pakistani heritage. Nearly 70% of those are Kashmiri/Pothwari and speak the invisible Pahari-Pothwari. Written literature in Pahari-Pothwari is rarely seen in Bradford and elsewhere – and this project will create new writing in Pahari-Pothwari with translations in English.

The project will work with two Bradford secondary schools and host sessions online for adults, resulting in two bilingual anthologies on current themes and set in Bradford. An intergenerational Mushaira will showcase this work and present the books to libraries, schools and to anyone wanting to engage with a fifth of the city’s population.

Naomi Parker is a designer and maker living and working from her studio in Bingley. After graduating from Bradford College of Art, she embarked on a varied and prolific. 35-year career in performance design and construction which has included – costume, set, props, masks, puppets, carnival imagery and textile art. She specialises in creating costumes and performance spaces for the Outdoor Arts sector.

Bradford born and bred, Natalie Davies has been working as an actress on stage, screen and radio since 2011. Credits incl. ‘The Full Monty’ (Disney), ‘Hullraisers’ (Channel 4), Bradford’s City of Film feature ‘Eaten By Lions’ (Netflix/ UK Cinema Release) and ‘The War After the War’ directed by Johnny Vegas and starring Sir David Jason (BBC Radio 4). Telling the stories of my city is at the heart of her artistic practice, with my own autobiographical show ‘Full English’ produced in 2021 in partnership with Kala Sangam and Bent Architect, winning Best Stage Production at the Asian Media Awards in 2021.

Since 1983, Bradford’s iconic Peace Artistes have brought their joyful noise to the streets of West Yorkshire, the wider UK and Europe. Born out of Bradford University’s Peace Studies department to bring energy to CND peace marches, they draw on global street band traditions with music inspired by a variety of cultures. A Peace Artistes’ performance has up to 24 musicians playing saxes, brass and percussion – and all dressed to thrill! They can be found on the street, at community events and at festivals.

HONK! Bradford will transform Bradford District into a vibrant hub of live acoustic music, featuring street performances from bands from across the world, stunning costumes and audience participation. The festival will celebrate cultural diversity with school and community involvement and a brand new pick-up band for local musicians.

Performances across the district will culminate in a Big HONK! in City Park on Saturday 27 September 2025, fostering community bonds and inspiring future street performances. Join us for a weekend of cultural celebration echoing the global movement of HONK!, uniting communities through music and activism.

The People Powered Press is a non-profit company based in Shipley, formed in 2021 around the largest letterpress printing press in the world. It engages communities through creative writing, typography and letterpress printing to amplify the voices of local people with important and interesting things to say about the world and their place in it, co-creating prints, zines and large-scale murals for exhibition in indoor and outdoor public spaces.

The Press will work with an intergenerational community of participants from four diverse groups across Bradford District on a programme of creative writing workshops led by local writers, addressing issues of concern to them. The output of these workshops will inform the design of four new large-scale letterpress installations to be hand-printed by the participants on the People Powered Press. The installations will appear across the district in 2025.

Razwan Ul-Haq is an artist who specialises in Arabic calligraphy, particularly the Nastaliq script. He is one of only a handful of calligraphers practicing Nastaliq calligraphy using traditional materials in the UK. His commissions include work for the Queen and land art for the Tour de France in Yorkshire. His work has been seen on Channel 4 and ITV, and in The Times and USA Today.

Razwan has always wanted to make local inks from making tinctures and crushing discarded stones from Bradford mills, Bradford’s natural stones, along with plants from Bradford’s rich natural environment. This project, a celebration of Bradford, will explore how art and culture are directly related to where someone lives. After the inks are made, they will be used in participatory workshops during 2025. Artworks created by participants and by Razwan will be used to create an abstract video of calligraphies that will be shown around Bradford in 2025.

Shi Blank is a creative technologist and multimedia artist working across sound and visual arts. They can usually be found tinkering or building things in and around unexpected places in Bradford. They recently exhibited an immersive sound installation calling attention to defaunation and migration at Trapezium Arts. They are actively involved in DIY hackoustics and Bradford’s music scene performing with several emerging bands including Gilank.

Sinead Campbell is a soul singer and musician. Her sound blends vintage soul with the warmth of contemporary grooves, creating music that tells stories of love, resilience, and self-discovery. Sinead has had the privilege of performing alongside acclaimed artists such as Basement Jaxx, Arrested Development, and Soul II Soul, and has graced the stage at festivals like Live at Leeds and The Great Escape. Recently, she relaunched her music career with a new sound that reconnects her with her roots. Her latest single, “With You,” has been featured on BBC Radio 1.

In addition to her music, Sinead is a creative producer and holistic vocal coach, dedicated to supporting Bradford’s music sector and advocating for inclusivity. She creates spaces that inspire connection, authenticity, and self-expression, where people feel empowered to share their stories. As a dual heritage woman of Jamaican, Irish, and English descent, Sinead is passionate about embracing and celebrating the diversity that shapes identities. This project is an extension of her commitment to music, community, and cultural storytelling.

Tim Curtis is an artist with vision, ability and experience to create bespoke projects ranging from street performance to helicopter land art and all points in between.

In 2022 Tim set up Summat Creative CIC with his co-director Lucy. Their company co-produces creative and sports projects with people with Learning Disabilities. In every project everyone who works with them is paid fairly, treated equitably and has their needs, divergences and differences respected. In all their projects they employ people with Learning Disabilities, those who have been out of work due to caring responsibilities and those who are marginalised in society.

Theatre with Legs (TWL) are performance makers Jess Murrain and Lua Bairstow. We create queer and experimental live art using contemporary poetry, experimental sound composition, movement and music. We seek to experiment with subversive and counter-cultural storytelling-where the personal meets the political, seeking always to queer performance and to undermine the white gaze and cis gender gaze. Theatre with Legs have been making and sharing work in Bradford since 2016 including in residency and in public facing performance. With the support of Bradford 2025, and Neuroqueering Humans Network, Theatre with Legs now seek a radical exploration of Neuroqueering as verb, adjective, action, and identity.

Tricia Arthur-Stubbs is a Bradford based Dance Practitioner. Tricia’s work through her company Swirl Education, includes dance performance, choreography, workshop leading, videography and project management. She aims to bring joy, unity and inclusivity through movement. Some of her recent work has included, making the Leeds Carnival more accessible by working on a Carnival Arts project with adults with learning disabilities and complex needs. Tricia also ran a pilot of Black Roots and Voices Expressed Festival (BRAVE Festival) in 2023 which was a joyous day of workshops in arts with Black origins that was open to all.