Vivify create magical realms of the imagination where light and shadow, sound and animation transform everyday objects, materials and places into the curious and fantastical. Discoveries are made, tales and journeys unfold, rekindling in our audience a sense of awe and enchantment.
Through our site sensitive performances and installations we encourage young and marginalised audiences to engage with creative ideas and their surroundings. We are committed to bringing the experience of high quality and innovative arts to schools, communities and special groups who otherwise may have difficulty accessing these. We can work in response to a given space or spaces, transforming classrooms, halls and outside landscapes with temporary structures.
Who we are
Vivify was founded and is directed by puppeteer, sculptor and installation artist Viv Mousdell. She devises work in collaboration with a core group of creative colleagues who have a rich mix of backgrounds and skills that complement and cross-fertilise each other.
Viv Mousdell
Jill of all trades, master of some, Viv was formerly a site-specific sculptor, carving in stone and wood with public commissions throughout the north of England.
Liking to cut across creative boundaries she subsequently trained as a professional puppeteer with the London School of Puppetry. She has gone on to create site-sensitive installations and puppet performances, exploring their interface with research, development and making awards from the Arts Council.
Viv was a Northern Arts Fellow with Welfare State International, Artist in Residence with the Centre for Performance Research and has been mentored by Horse and Bamboo Theatre. Many and varied organisations have commissioned her to develop projects that engage the public through puppetry.
Current Creative Collaborators:
Kate Rider
Kate is a community artist and maker.
She is also a Forest School practitioner and director of Under the Sun creative outdoor learning; specialising in working with young people with additional needs, using creative exploration and play, to develop deeper understanding and connection with the natural environment.
Bridget Cousins
Bridget is a musician, singer and composer whose principal instrument is the Celtic Harp.
She has extensive experience of choral leadership and has initiated and been involved in community music projects for over 25 years, writing and teaching music and managing performances for all ages … from babies and toddlers to those living with dementia.
She is a member of Sound Sense and the Natural Voice Practitioners Network.
Previous Creative Collaborators:
Ian Hulme: Musician, Composer, and Sound Designer
Bill Hearnshaw: Musician, Lighting and Props Technician, Busker extraordinaire
Jane Robinson: Choreographer, Performer, Theatre Designer and Maker
Simon Verhoef: Musician, Composer, Animator and Sound Engineer
Organisations and Artists we have worked with
Forestry England– Link
Chrysalis Arts – Artist-led public art company and arts development agency – Link
Art Connections – Support and promotion for the visual arts in North Yorkshire – Link
North Yorkshire Open Studios – Link
Create – Regional Arts Development Agency – Link
Coastival – Regional Winter Arts Festival – Link
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park – Link
The Centre for Performance Research – Link
Horse & Bamboo – Established Mask & Puppet Theatre Company – Link
Welfare State – A collective of artists who explored celebratory art & spectacle – Link
Dodgy Clutch – An Outdoor Events and Theatre Company – Link
London School of Puppetry – Professional Puppeteers Training – Link
Skipton Puppet Festival – North Yorkshire Puppet Festival – Link
Hospital Arts for North East Yorkshire – Link
Dome d’ombre – Artist collective
La Rosa – Eccentric hotel & intimate venue for music & puppet shows – Link
Media Vision – Web & interactive display designers & artists – Link
Play of Light – Ian Hulme, composer & musician – Link
Alan Davis – Glass artist – Link