IOU Creation Centre

09/09/2026

A call out for your memories and stories of IOU

Were You There? Did you meet the Leech! or take the Storytelling Bus through the streets of Halifax

For 50 years, IOU has created unforgettable performances across Calderdale and beyond.

As part of 50th anniversary celebrations -IOU50, we are creating a new archive which will preserve not only props, photographs, films and production materials, but also the voices of the people who experienced IOU's work first-hand. To do this we're collecting the stories, memories and experiences that shaped IOU over the last five decades.

Were you in the audience? Did you perform, volunteer, take part in a workshop or help make a production happen?

We’d love to hear your story.

You don’t need to remember dates or have lots of detail – we’re interested in your experience, the moments that stayed with you and what IOU meant to you.

Share your memories in the link below or come and have a chat with us at Halifax Borough Market Thursday 17 September
11am -3pm -Find us under the clock tower

https://ioucreationcentre.org/magazine/were-you-there/

Dean Clough
Calderdale Markets
Calderdale whats on
CalderdaleCreates
Discover Halifax UK

08/09/2026

Stories from the Archive
At the heart of IOU50 is the creation of the IOU Archive and this is now well under way.

We are delighted to have been awarded an Archives Revealed Cataloging Grant from The National Archives (UK) - helping us to unlock one of the UK’s 'most important archives of experimental performance' by cataloguing 1,880 records spanning five decades of radical artistic practice.

From hand-drawn designs and production files to photographs and films of iconic performances, our IOU50 archive project will turn our long-time stored collection into a publicly searchable resource, revealing the ideas, experiments and innovations that helped shape contemporary outdoor arts and making them available to inspire the next generation of artists, researchers and audiences.

IOU50 A two year programme celebrating IOU’s pioneering work at the intersection of contemporary art, technology and engineering.
Funded by


Dean Clough



Supported by University of Huddersfield

08/09/2026

New exhibition at the IOU Hostel - excited to have been able to work with the renowned photographer and artist Charlie Meecham.

Look out for a photography walk with Charlie this autumn - date and info coming soon

Saturday 19/9/2026
Heritage Open Weekend
IOU Hostel & The Birchcliffe Centre
Free - Drop In from 10am-4pm

Landscape Through The Lens Exhibition - IOU Active Hub are delighted to present a series of local Calderdale landscape prints, all captured by artist and photographer Charlie Meecham. Each image is accompanied by suggestions for a walk close by along with coordinates so you can take your own version of these beautiful landscapes

+ IOU50 Photography Exhibition featuring previously unseen images from 50 years of IOU productions.

+ Activities at the Birchcliffe Centre celebrating the Collective Histories of Calderdale

Pennine Heritage IOU Creation Centre Mayor of West Yorkshire
HebdenBridge.Org

02/07/2026

Last few places

Friday 3 July 2026
12.00-2.00pm
'A Shared Garden' -multimedia art workshop led by 2023 IOU Artist in Residence Alicja Mrozowska

This calm, low-pressure session uses still life and natural forms as a starting point for painting and drawing. Plants and flowers will be available as visual references, creating space for reflection through making, observation and conversation.

Alicja Mrozowska is a painter and installation artist whose work explores themes of identity and shared cultural experience. Through layered, often surreal imagery and immersive multimedia installations, her practice reflects on emotion, relationships, and the spaces we inhabit.

The workshop materials provided will include acrylic paint, soft pastels and crayons. Alicja will guide through the process of painting a base and how to work into it using the pastels and crayons, then there will be time to play and explore using as many or as few of the materials.

FREE but booking essential as spaces are limited
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ioucreationcentre/2212327

24/06/2026

Artist Events
IOU50 Exhibition & Hostel Open Day
As part of this year’s Hebden Bridge Open Studios, IOU invites artists to the IOU Hostel with events aiming to help you network, exchange ideas and share creative practice.

All evenst are FREE and no booking required - just come along

Friday 3 July, 10.30am – 11.30am
Artist Breakfast
Join us for an informal artists’ breakfast — a chance to meet, network, exchange ideas and share creative practice with fellow artists and makers.

Saturday 4 July, 10.30am – 12.30pm
Creative Repair Café
Do you have a creative problem you can’t get past? Bring your ideas, challenges or unfinished projects to our Creative Repair Café and speak to IOU’s team of artists and producers.
Their areas of experience include:
Participatory arts
Archiving
Creative producing
Theatre-making
Visual arts
Coding and digital practice
Fundraising and funding
Developing collaborations
Outdoor

Saturday 4 July, 3.30pm-5.30pm
Creative Social
Join us for drinks and snacks at the Hostel, alongside an ambient DJ set from Mary Brooks.
Explore the space, enjoy the exhibitions, and connect with fellow artists, makers and creative thinkers.

Across the weekend we have a full programme of creative workshops, soundscapes and nature walks - find out more
https://ioucreationcentre.org/magazine/open-studios/

Hebden Bridge Hostel Pennine Heritage Hebden Bridge Open Studios

09/06/2026

Artist in Residence Workshops
IOU Hostel Open Studio Weekend

Friday 3 July 12.00-2.00pm
'A Shared Garden' - multimedia art workshop led by Alicja Mrozowska
FREE but booking essential
Link in our bio

Saturday 4 July 11.00am-3pm
'Touch, Thread, and Sound': Nature Inspired Interactive Crafts led by Nat Whitney
Drop in session. No booking required

Sunday 5 July 11am-3pm
'Nature Willow Sculptures' led by Stewart Knights ( EsK)
Drop in session. No booking required

For full programme, timings and how to book visit ioucreationcentre.org

Hebden Bridge Open Studios Pennine Heritage Hebden Bridge Hostel

22/04/2026

Wonderful day meeting new people, thanks to everyone who came along yesterday and to Eve Emsley Moves for leading our Movement Workshop at Todmorden College funded by Community Foundation for Calderdale

Look out for more workshops and events as IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel Active Hub announces our new summer programme

14/04/2026

LAST FEW PLACES AVAILABLE

Tuesday 21 April 2026
Movement Workshop with Eve Emsley
2-4pm
Todmorden College
FREE

Movement practitioner Eve Emsley Moves welcomes you to a creative workshop for people living with diability.

This session will focus on creativity, expression and connection - no dance experience needed. Clear guidance, prompts and gentle facilitation to allow you to engage fully and in a way that works for you.

We awaken our bodies to find flow, listening to sensations and the physical possibilities that arise inspired by natural landscapes and weathers. The session celebrates differences and creates a welcoming space where all bodies and ways of moving are valued.

Book your FREE space here : https://buytickets.at/ioucreationcentre/2124108

Carers or support workers are very welcome to attend, join in or just watch !

Movement Workshop with Eve Emsley – Todmorden Community College, Burnley Rd, Todmorden, Tue 21 Apr 2026 - Movement practitioner Eve Emsley welcomes you to a creative workshop focusing on creativity, expression and connection - no dance experience needed. Clear guidance, prompts and gentle facilita...