Arts Catalyst, Sheffield (2026)

10/09/2026

Join artist Eelyn Lee (Eelyn Lee 李綺蓮) and somatic practitioner Poh-Eng San for, Water Bodies: Memories, Landscapes, Mythologies, a free sound, movement, and costume workshop exploring how Sheffield’s rivers carry memories across places and time.

The session starts with a short walk to the River Sheaf where it meets the River Don. For more than 100 years this segment of the river was hidden underground, and is currently being uncovered as part of the Castlegate regeneration project. During the workshop we will listen and connect with the sonic and material memories that flow through the river, and imagine the new possible paths that it might forge.

With the sounds of the river in our mind, we will head back to Exchange Place where you will be guided through sonic and movement based exercises by Somatic Practitioner Poh-Eng San. Together we will seek to give voice to landscapes and places that travel with us in our bodies and memories.

The workshop culminates with a collective costume making activity, where we will translate our work into the creation of mythological characters that embody our reflections, using a mix of natural and recycled materials.

No previous experience in sound, movement, or costume design is needed. This workshop is designed for adults and children aged 11+ (accompanied by an adult).

For more information including access and tickets please click the link in our bio!

📍 Exchange Place, Sheffield, S2 5TR
🗓️ Saturday 17 October, 1-4pm
🎟️ Via Eventbrite - Link in bio!

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This workshop is part of La Escuelita, Arts Catalyst’s new community-centred programme rooted in climate justice, migrant wisdom, and collective care.

Image credits: Eelyn Lee, Jodie Davey Creates, Ai Narapol.
Image descriptions can be found in alt text.

25/08/2026

Arts Catalyst are proud to mark the culmination of Soil Futures with a new website and the Soil Futures Podcast: Where the Soil Begins and Ends. 🌱

Soil Futures was a collaboration between organisations Arts Catalyst (UK), Riwaq - رواق (Palestine), Sakiya-ساقية (Palestine), .for.sovereignty (Indonesia), and vessel art project (Italy). Between 2022 and 2023, Soil Futures took the shape of a programme featuring an artist residency exchange, an online school, and a season of distributed local gatherings. Grounded within the localities where each organisation is based, the residency programme created an intercultural exchange between artists, ecologists, activists, and soil caretakers to collectively mobilise existing and future knowledges of soil.

Some of these experiences and learnings were gathered together by بنت مبارح through a podcast featuring the voices of the Soil Futures artists in residence .saqfalhait, Marie Hervé, and Al-Wah'at الواحات.

The artists reflect on their research residencies in Palestine and Italy and the landscapes, stories, and people they encountered: Raghad delves into her work with clay between Al-Jib in Palestine and Salento in Southern Italy; Marie describes the time she spent with stones and the stories they tell in Qalandiya, near Jerusalem; Al-Wah’at share their collaborative work in Ein Qiniya contemplating the significance of the prickly pear and the cochineal insect for the Palestinian land.

To access the new website and listen to the podcast, head to the link in our bio! 🪏

Soil Futures was funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants, which are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects.

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Al-Wah’at Collective’s residency with Sakiya in Palestine at the start of 2023 engaged with the ecological and socio-political complexities of the prickly pear cactus and the cochineal insect across multiple geographies, communities, and temporalities.

Image credit: Ahmad Talat
Image description contained in alt text.

Al-Wah’at’s Soil Futures residency was titled Wild Hedges, in reference to the degradation of the prickly pear, a

13/08/2026

🌱 Join us for Seeds that Travel: Finding Figs with Al-Wah’at (Al-Wah'at الواحات), a hands-on workshop exploring Sheffield’s relationship to the Mediterranean fig tree, an unusual protagonist of the city’s industrial heritage.

Al-Wah’at (Ailo Ribas, Gabriella Demczuk, Areej Ashhab) often work with plants to look closer at the histories and ecologies of places and people. For their four-day artist residency with Arts Catalyst, Al-Wah’at will explore how fig seeds travelled with people, and began to germinate and lay roots in their new home. Amidst the heavy industrial pollution of Sheffield’s steel industry, figs found a way to thrive in an unfamiliar place.

The workshop will use natural materials such as plants, fabric, leaves, and soil to print images and explore alternative mapping methods that will come together into a zine publication. You will be invited to take part in a tactile and sensorial conversation around the movement of seeds, the stories they carry, and their connection to people, guided by your experience of and encounters with the fig tree.

This workshop is part of Castlegate Festival 2026 (Castlegate Festival) and is supported by Sheffield City Council, Sheffield BID, Central LAC, Aureos, YOR4GOOD. For more information including tickets and access head to the Eventbrite link in our bio!

📍 Exchange Place, Sheffield, S2 5TR
🗓️ Saturday 12 September 2026, 12-3pm
🎟️ Tickets via Eventbrite. Free and open to all ages.

Image credit: Al-Wah’at
Image descriptions are contained in alt text.

06/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended tours, talks, workshops, and events as part of Apophenia by Leah Clements. 💧

If you would like to learn more about these events you can head to the Apophenia page on Arts Catalyst’s website and explore images, videos, and sound recordings from these events including a full recording of Leah and Jenn’s conversation at Sheffield Museums.

Thank you to:
Leah Clements
Jenn Ashworth
Carefuffle Working Group
Nina Thomas
ਰੂਹ روح ᖇꙬh
Fred Hubble
Astrea Academy | San Diego Piercing Courses
Jade Foster

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Image credit: Ai Narapol (Ai Narapol), Arts Catalyst (Arts Catalyst), Astrea Academy (), and Smart Jervas Banda (Smart Jervas Banda).
Image descriptions can be found in alt text.

11/06/2026

Arts Catalyst are pleased to share our upcoming public events, talks, and workshops to run alongside our new exhibition Apophenia, by Leah Clements.

Apophenia Exhibition Opening
Friday 12 June, 5.30-7.30pm
Exchange Place, Sheffield
Join Arts Catalyst for the opening of Apophenia, Leah Clements’ first major UK solo exhibition. Featuring a new single-channel film, alongside a series of sculptural and audio works that explore themes of mental health, illness, and wellness.

Building Together
Monday 6 - Wednesday 8 July
Astrea Academy, Sheffield
Drawing on DIY cultures, collective making, and community-led design, Roo Dhissou () will lead a three-day collaborative design-and-build project with a local school, working with the students to construct furniture that supports care, rest, comfort, access, and connection.

Beyond [music plays]: An Introduction to Creative Captions and Shaping of the Sonic Environment
Saturday 11 July, 12-3pm
Online
Disabled and queer-led working group Care-fuffle () and artist Nina Thomas () will be leading an online workshop experimenting with the art of captioning. Through a series of gentle exercises, we will explore how captions can build a rich sonic environment that enhances access and stands for collective joy, care, and solidarity.

In conversation: Leah Clements & Jenn Ashworth
Wednesday 15 July, 6-7pm
Millenium Gallery, Sheffield
Artist Leah Clements () and writer Jenn Ashworth (Jenn Ashworth) will be discussing Clements’ new film Apophenia, using the work as a starting point to talk about the complex, uncertain, physical, and psychological process of finding meaning in the experience of illness and disability.

Apophenia by Leah Clements is open 18 June - 1 August 2026, Thursday - Saturday, 12 - 5pm, at Exchange Place, S2 5TR.

Find out more about upcoming events via the link in our bio.

Image descriptions are contained in image alt text.

01/06/2026

🚨 RESCHEDULED: Join us for the opening of Apophenia, Leah Clements’ first major UK solo exhibition, 12 June at Exchange Place, 5.30-7.30pm!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Arts Catalyst staff and trustees have made the decision to change the date of our opening celebration for Apophenia from 13th June to 12th June.

This exhibition explores mental health, illness, and wellness through a new short film alongside a series of sculptural and audio works.

The film travels to sites founded across time, in an attempt to discover meaning in the context of illness. It follows the voice of author Jenn Ashworth () slipping into a state of apophenia, which she describes as a ‘relentless, out-of-control pattern recognition’. As this unfolds, the protagonist visits three sites of water, worship, and healing, each a thousand years apart: the ancient Temple of Sulis Minerva in Bath, the medieval St Winefride’s Well in North Wales, and a contemporary luxury spa in London.

Apophenia was co-commissioned by Arts Catalyst () and Peer Gallery, London () and has previously toured at Peer.

This commission and exhibition was made possible with support from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant (), Art Fund (), The Foundation Foundation, and Henry Moore Foundation (). With thanks to art’otel London Hoxton.

🌊

Image descriptions:
1. A light blue poster with a landscape image (described in the next image ID for slide 2) and black text. The text on the poster reads: “Leah Clements, Apophenia. Arts Catalyst, Peer. Rescheduled, Opening Event, Friday 12 June, 5:30-7:30pm, Exchange Place, S2 5TR.”
2. A woman in her 30s with braided hair is in a semi-silhouette close to us, against a backdrop of water in an ancient temple. Her back is to us, cloaked in orange, and she turns her head to the right, deep in thought. In front of her a green body of water stretches out, framed in Roman stone paving and pillars, and lit by the sun and flaming torches flickering in the wind.

28/05/2026

🏠 We’re pleased to announce Mark Fell and Rian Treanor have been selected to produce an original public artwork for the Newstead General Housing scheme. This housing development is supported by Sheffield City Council, and will provide 77 new sustainably built homes in Birley, Sheffield.

Co-commissioned by Bloc Projects () and Arts Catalyst () this artwork will encourage people who already live locally, and those who will move to the area in the coming years, to connect with their green spaces, local communities, and wildlife. The artists will collaborate with local people and groups to explore the current and future nature and environment of Birley through sound workshops focused on play, rest, and reflection. The public artwork will be inspired by these sessions and will feel both grounded and imaginative, accessible and encouraging, guiding people to think differently about the world around them.

Mark and Rian are father and son duo from Rotherham who frequently collaborate on artwork, sound, and community projects.

Mark Fell is a multidisciplinary artist who has interests in technology and community creativity. Over the past 30 years his output has grown into a significant body of work spanning sound installation, performance, critical writing, and curatorial projects.

Rian Treanor works primarily with electronic music and community workshops. He has released his own music on leading record labels and performed at numerous international arts festivals within various collaborations, workshops, live performances, and installations. His practice often focuses on creating challenging socially engaged work that invites people to connect and explore together.

The Newstead GN Public Art Commission is made possible through the support of Sheffield City Council () and collaboration with the Public Art Officer.

Image descriptions are contained in image alt text.

20/05/2026

🌊 Join us for the opening of Leah Clements’ first major UK solo exhibition Apophenia 13 June at Exchange Place, 2-4pm!

This exhibition explores mental health, illness, and wellness through a new short film alongside a series of sculptural and audio works.

The film travels to sites founded across time, in an attempt to discover meaning in the context of illness. It follows the voice of author Jenn Ashworth () slipping into a state of apophenia, which she describes as a ‘relentless, out-of-control pattern recognition’. As this unfolds, the protagonist visits three sites of water, worship, and healing, each a thousand years apart: the ancient Temple of Sulis Minerva in Bath, the medieval St Winefride’s Well in North Wales, and a contemporary luxury spa in London.

Apophenia was co-commissioned by Arts Catalyst () and Peer Gallery, London () and has previously toured at Peer.

This commission and exhibition was made possible with support from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant (), Art Fund (), The Foundation Foundation, and Henry Moore Foundation (). With thanks to art’otel London Hoxton.

Image descriptions:
1. A light blue poster with a landscape image (described in the next image ID for slide 2) and black text. The text on the poster reads: “Leah Clements, Apophenia. Arts Catalyst, Peer. Opening Event, Saturday 13 June, 2-4pm, Exchange Place, S2 5TR.”
2. A black woman in her 30s with braided hair is in a semi-silhouette close to us, against a backdrop of water in an ancient temple. Her back is to us, cloaked in orange, and she turns her head to the right, deep in thought. In front of her a green body of water stretches out, framed in Roman stone paving and pillars, and lit by the sun and flaming torches flickering in the wind.

14/05/2026

🚀Blast (off) from the past! Rob La Frenais (), former curator at Arts Catalyst, has written a wonderful new blog piece about Arts Catalyst’s zero gravity programme in the early 2000s.

Between 2000 and 2003 Arts Catalyst commissioned and developed ambitious and unique opportunities for artists, curators, writers, musicians, historians, and scientists to perform and experiment new projects in zero gravity at Moscow’s Star City at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC). The work was developed within Arts Catalyst’s then mission – to develop new artistic work which critically engaged with science and technology. The essay explores the complexity of this work and also reflects back on geopolitical changes and the challenges of creating work in the post-soviet era in Russia.

This period of work, Zero Gravity or MIR (Microgravity Interdisciplinary Research), sparked the next decade of experimentation and commissioning for Arts Catalyst – that explored a series of programmes from Space Soon (2006-2009), to Republic of the Moon (2011 & 2014).

Read the full blog on our website now! Link in bio.

The featured video is an extract from Gravitation Off!, a short film documenting the zero gravity projects by The Arts Catalyst with Projekt Atol () between 2000 and 2003.

Video Description: The video follows a large group of people floating in the air inside an aeroplane with no seats or windows, it looks like a large white room with crashmats on the floor. There are artists and dancers pretending to be asleep, performing choreographed routines, wearing electronic exo-skeletons, and conducting experiments in large perspex spheres with green goo, all spinning and floating through the air.

Arts Catalyst

10/09/2026

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